| Title | : | Prisoner of My Desire |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0380756277 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780380756278 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 425 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1991 |
Spirited Rowena Belleme must produce an heir--or incur the dangerous wrath of a ruthless stepbrother, who stands to forfeit his ill-gotten wealth. And the magnificent Warrick deChaville is the perfect choice to sire her child--though it means imprisoning the handsome knight...and forcing him to bend to her amorous whims.
SLAVE OF PASSION
Vowing to resist but betrayed by his own virility, noble Warrick is intoxicated by Rowena's sapphire eyes and voluptuous beauty. Yet all the while he plans a fitting revenge--eagerly awaiting the time when his sensuous captor becomes his helpless captive ... and is made to suffer the same rapturous torment and exquisite ecstasy that he himself has endured.
Prisoner of My Desire Reviews
-
5 problematic, triggering stars!!!
DISCLAIMER:
THIS BOOK CAN HELP YOU BLOCK THE HYPOCRITES, CANCEL CULTURISH- REVIEWERS AMONG OUR WONDERFUL READING COMMUNITY. ANYONE WHO GIVES A LOW RATING TO PRISONER OF MY DESIRE ON THE BASIS OF SO-CALLED "PROBLEMATIC CONTENT" BUT GIVES MORE THAN 3 STARS RATINGS TO:
THAT'S SOMEONE WHOSE OPINION IS BIASED AND CAN'T HELP YOU FIND THE BEST BOOKS. THIS BOOK IS SO SO GOOD!
*takes a breath*
* starts review*
Wow! 'Twas a wild ride! So many triggering, cringe-worthy moments, plus miscommunication, innapropiate sex, worst fictional father in the history of fiction, and a few of facepalming moments but SO SO GOOD!!!!! I got hooked from the first chapter and didn't want to stop reading, but had to 'cuz the feelz!!!
GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUYYSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! You have to read this, it's a hell of a book and definitely addictive. You might not like some things, but you won't get bored.
END OF REVIEW! READ THIS BOOK!
Side note:
Kinda unrelated, but as soon as I was done, I checked my friends' reviews and....
I blocked a few people. Seriously I'm here for the gore, political incorrectness, and triggering sex. Double standards have no place in my life. I found a couple of people that complained about the rapey stuff, which admitdly is cringeworthy so beware, but then they had high ratings for books that I read that I know for a fact contain way more innapropiate content.
Case in point
a book so problematic that I've never finished for different reasons, one of those is mature age Drogo rapes 13 YO Danaerys, in like chapter 4 or 6, but nobody cares if it's problematic all you see is glowing praise. Let's be honest, many "influencers" and bloggers in Goodreads are afraid of posting trigger warnings in their Game of thrones reviews 'cuz they are afraid of the backlash of the TV series fans.
#cowards
But if a book is written by a woman
then it's like they always scream: HOW DARE YOU WRITE BOOKS SO PROBLEMATIC!!!!
#DoubleStandard
I hate the word "problematic" cuz it's like used against books and authors. These books
Problematic in so many different levels, H's are dark and they torture people including their love interests and that's what makes those books SO DARN GOOD! I love THEM!!!! Love them not so much because the darkness and the problematic issues but mostly cuz these books are well-written.
Gimme more of that!! The word problematic is used in Goodreads by a few honest people but mostly by hypocrites paid reviewers. If it's their favorite authors they don't say book has problematic content, but if it's something less famous like
they ask you not to read the book 'cuz booohooo problematic content. I pick up books exactly because I love problematic, triggering content so I block the hypocrites and that way when I look for reviews in Goodreads I can't find their hypocritical, cancelculturish, biased opinions. If those filthy hypocrites recommend a book, I avoid that book, and if they say: don't read this book...it makes me want to read it!
Sorry for getting political, but it's so unfair that Johanna Lindsey sensei doesn't get more credit.
GUUUUYYYSSS I recommend this book! -
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DNF @ p.279
This was a buddy-read with
Tiana! I've been wanting to read PRISONER OF MY DESIRE for years. It's got a pretty crazy premise. The heroine, Rowena, is forced by her stepbrother to conceive a child for strategic reasons (and also because he wants to bone her). When her husband (an old man) dies, her stepbrother kidnaps a man off the street who has his coloring that they can pass off as the real heir. Unfortunately for the two of them, that man is Warrick de Chaville, a titled knight, who is infuriated at being chained up and raped by the lady of the manor.
When he's freed by a sympathetic servant, he launches an attack against their home, killing the guards and kidnapping Rowena, where she's imprisoned in the dungeon until he gets there and starts raping her as punishment for raping him. But oh no-- this being a romance novel, it turns into a cute little domestic drama while I'm just sitting here like O_o.
To be clear, the rape didn't bother me. The heroine knew what she was doing was wrong (unlike that fucking heroine in Bridgerton) and she had her reasons for doing what she did. It was an awful scene portrayed in all of its horror. By contrast, the scene when Warrick rapes her felt very toned down and the subsequent ones were, um, more like seduction than rape and the way they were written really didn't convey the gravitas that they should. I thought it was interesting that the author made the heroine's ill-treatment of the hero so much more horrifying and upsetting than the hero's ill-treatment of the heroine. I wondered if it was deliberate or unconscious.
If this had been written by a different author, I think the story could have been really great. The fact that they both raped each other was both disturbing and interesting, in a totally medievally appropriate "eye for an eye" sort of way and if the psychology of their torment had been explored further and had their relationship been more gradual in development and speculative in nature, I would have loved to see the author explore a romance between these characters borne of remorse and attraction. I didn't get that.
What a shame.
2 to 2.5 stars -
4.5 enjoyable stars.
Really enjoyed this one.
Asshole hero who does redeem himself. Liked Rowena. She could stand up for herself.
Sorry, Friday night! Too tired for a long review.
-
Reread 2/2021
Original review
I love this book the beginning was a little different for me, but I still loved it.I HOPE I DON'T RUB SOMEONE THE WRONG WAY, but I just want to say this before I give my thoughts on the book.
Most of these authors are starting to write or have written aggressive love scenes, I accept this because I know it's all for entertainment. I think if you know that the author always writes aggressive love scenes then don't read the books if you find them offensive and degrading. I am not talking about this book in particular but other books because even when the scene is nowhere near rape, some readers are quick to say rape and I think the word is always being thrown around in these book reviews. Mainly for the historical romance novels. You can say no for disagreeing with me,however, I think some readers throw the word to frequently out there. The word gets thrown around that the value of the word is lessened because its such a strong word and women who have been through such a very violent act would read some of these books and think no way can it compare to what they have been through. Yes, I have read a handful of books that actual has rape scenes in them.
There is 1 book that I have read where the female was raped and abuse by 5 men, and it was a romance novel by a well known historical romance author, and that to me is offensive and to me that was RAPE. Some of these women in the historical romance novel might be unwilling at first, but a quarter way through their love scenes, they are willing and not saying no, and if they wake up in the morning and did not say they were rape then it's not rape. Some might think differently on what they think rape is, as for me, like I said, I do not like seeing the word get thrown around in these reviews like its just another word.
Book Thoughts
I loved this book it's what you expect from a historical romance, the drama, love, miscommunication and good characters. Lady Rowena was between a rock and a hard place and had to do what she did because of her evil stepbrother. And even though what she had to do to Lord Warrick wasn't her idea, she had to do what she had to do. Lord Warrick was a bit more aggressive towards her in return, because I guess some men don't want their manhood to be taken away like that. I mean all around, this was a good book very strong chemistry between the hero and heroine..
If you're really a die hard historical romance reader, and you know what to expect from them, and you love Johanna Lindsey, or you're just discovering her, get this book...and I hope you like it. -
“I will decide what your life is worth, Rowena,” Warrick cut in. “As it happens, a castle— nay, a hundred castles— cannot compare with what you mean to me.” Rowena Belleme is left with no choice but to follow her step brother’s commands or else he’ll kill her mother. To secure an alliance with an aging but wealthy man, Rowena must produce an heir. Unfortunately, her eldery husband died before they could consummate the marriage to which she is secretly grateful for. But her step brother has other plans including begetting an heir by having her sleep with another man, but the man in question is no serf but Warrick De Chaville, the proud and ruthless Lord of Fulkhurst. Warrick vows to humiliate Rowena as she has humiliated him when he’s set free by the very woman he loathes. And so begins the tale of Rowena being the prisoner of Warrick’s desire.
Prisoner of my desire is the second book I’ve read from Johanna Lindsey. This book is one of her most popular books and I believe it is called a bodice ripper. If you are more of a morally righteous person when it comes to fiction or sensitive to the themes present in older HR books, then you should skip this one. This book contains many things that would offend many readers so only read this if you know what you’re signing up for. I, for one, knew what I was getting myself into so all the things that should have been offensive did not really surprise me. I enjoyed it for what it was: a piece of fiction. Doesn’t mean I agree with the problematic things mentioned, but it’s fiction so I don’t really care to invest myself and write a review why this book would be considered vile. Just putting that out there in case someone judges me for reading this book.
I have no strong feelings towards the heroine. She did what she was forced to do and paid dearly for her sins. I don’t condone her actions nor would I condemn her for it. Regarding her character, I just felt like she wasn’t fully fleshed out in a way. She was strong for sure, she loved her mother and she hated yet desired the hero but nothing more. She is not really that interesting but neither is she super boring. She makes for an okay heroine and that’s it.
The hero isn’t much better. He is a very hateful man. He wanted revenge on Rowena and he got it and more. He has a traumatic backstory that we’re supposed to sympathize with and make the readers understand why he is the way he is but it’s the same old back story every tortured hero have so it doesn’t really captures reader as it should’ve. I was like…okay and moved on. I didn’t like how until the very end he didn’t trust Rowena and ordered to lock her in the dungeons and his solar again. Good for the h that she decided to leave him. There were times when he showed his care for Rowena but I feel it doesn’t make up for the things she endured in his hand.
This is definitely no romance book. If you want a swoon-worthy romance with dreamy heroes, look elsewhere. This is the least romance-y romance book I’ve read next to Ravishing the heiress by Sherry Thomas. The hero and heroine were definitely attracted to each other yet they loathed one another. It does get boring for a time but the second half kind of made up for it. Johanna writes in a way that makes the book feel lighter despite its darker themes. There are no romantic love declarations here, no pining, and not much of a chemistry too. It was an entertaining read for what it was, but it is definitely not a good representation of romantic love.
The plot is definitely one of the more insane ones in the world of historical romance, the hero is flawed and unapologetically so. He is an older hero too so he has three teenage daughters (two legitimate and one by-blow) and had two wives while the heroine was younger and more innocent than he was. Not really my thing when either the h/H has a family prior to meeting each other but it’s a preference so I doubt it would bother other readers much. I’d say It is realistic too considering it was during the medieval era so he obviously had to have heirs and marry for power. I thought the events leading up to the ending were a bit too rushed and I don’t really like how this author doesn’t write epilogues. The hero and heroine spent the entire book hating each other, or thinking they hated each other which took away from the romance. I wish they pined for each other more. I’ve had a hard time picking a quote as there aren't many romantic / swoon-worthy ones. It was definitely lust driven which isn’t really my thing. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read. Not very good but not bad either. -
I enjoyed it more than I should...
*** Kind of spoilery***
My tears had barely dried before I was supposed to love the hero for realising his monumental stuff up and believe in his declarations of love. Prisoner of my Desire is one of those historical romances that I hate to love. The hero was an utter, utter bast*rd. He is cranky, rude and despicable. He has his reasons, but his resentments and hostilities at times made me want to get my own bloody whip out and chase him down…not that I have a whip mind you. I wanted the hero to suffer more…suck up to the heroine more…scream from the rooftops his love…more.
Rowena, poor bloody Rowena. Her brother Gilbert made my skin crawl. His lust-filled gaze and the simpering need for Rowena were the stuff of nightmares. He wants her but has no hesitations in using her in his war against his archenemy Lord Fulkhurst. First of all, he beats Rowena’s mother to get her to marry a really, REALLY old Lord who promises Gilbert an army if Rowena marries him. Rowena, seeing her mum suffering, agrees to the horrible deed. The old Lord, wrinkled, blind and deaf is keen for the bedding but luckily keels over after the wedding but before the bedding. Gilbert, knowing that his plans won’t come to fruition if Rowena doesn’t produce an heir, finds a replacement (who looks like the old bugger) to impregnate her.
Oh my lordy... the serf who is shackled to the bed for Rowena to climb onto, mount, ride (rape) turns out to be none other than Gilbert’s enemy. Geez…what a stuff up.
Warrick, Lord Fulkhurst, was on the way to claim a new bride. He’s already had two that I think he frightened to death, and now Warrick is attempting to trap a third and hopefully beget a son. He already has two legit and one non-legit daughter’s (bastard is not a nice term), but a boy to carry on his legacy is what he desires. Unfortunately, his plans go haywire when he is attacked and kidnapped before he gets to his betrothed. Shackled to a bed, he finds out that his “job” is to be the stallion to an exquisite filly that he can’t deny he’s attracted to. Used and abused, he finally is unshackled, given clothes and sent on his way. Little did they know, he has a reputation for holding a grudge. Nobody gets away with taking from him, especially his dignity, freedom…and seed. He will have his revenge.
Poor Rowena, she is wracked with guilt for taking advantage of the man, but little did she know who she was taking advantage of. When Lord Fulkhurst attacks her new home, Gilbert does a runner and tells her to beg for mercy. Once she is faced with Lord Fulkhurst, it didn’t matter what type of begging she did, he was going to be a wee bit cranky.
Prisoner of my Desire was a hard book to love, especially when you couldn’t help but despise the hero for most of the book. It’s an extremely steamy read that bordered on kinky, with its dubious consent and rough taking. You can’t help but feel throughout the whole book. Your feelings range from anger to tears, laughter to dread and blushing to gagging. To be honest, if Rowena had had to bed the old coot, I think I would have thrown up a little.
Prisoner of my Desire was a love story that does have a happy ending, but it was a journey that had some unpleasantness to it. I really enjoyed it and struggled to tear my eyes away from my kindle. I’m very glad that my Facebook friends introduced me to Johanna Lindsey and her sick and twisted love stories.
-
4 Stars
Overall Opinion: This was kind of a wild idea for a story! I’m happy I read it! I feel kind of bad for saying so though, because rape is never a good thing 🙈 I liked the characters and I enjoyed their banter and relationship. I would’ve liked more of their HEA, but I know I’m being greedy and others would’ve been (and are) just fine with the ending. It was an oldie but a goodie!
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Rowena and Warrick’s story. Rowena is forced into marriage to an ancient lord by her step-brother in exchange for gaining his troupes to use against his mortal enemy. What they don’t expect is that the old lord dies before he can impregnate Rowena, so her step-brother finds her alternative and holds him captive to help Rowena sire an heir. There are some big secrets held and revealed, some sexy times, and some sweet moments...and they get a HEA ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between focusing on Rowena and Warrick in 3rd person narrative.
Overall Pace of Story: Good (though the ending was rather quick). I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well.
Instalove: No, they are more like hate-to-love
H (Hero) rating: 3.5 stars. Warrick. I liked him but he also really sucked at communicating.
h (heroine) rating: 4 stars. Rowena. I liked her. I appreciated her smarts and ability to adapt to her situation.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This had some closure with what I would call a HEA ending. I would’ve liked to experience more of their future though.
Safety: This one should probably be either Safe with exception or Not Safe for most safety gang readers depending on personal preferences. -
Skip this book. The story was ok in some ways, but I was frustrated by the relationship between Warrick and Rowena.
They both acted like they hated each other, and they wanted to hate each other. But, the truth was they desired each other, and love was beginning. Their words and actions were insincere. They were playing mind games with each other of one-upmanship. I was not drawn to this.
I accept dishonesty and insincerity for a variety of reasons, for example: standard romance protocol, discovering someone’s true feelings, doing a good deed, plans of revenge, undercover investigations, etc. I do not accept dishonesty and illogical actions when a normal rational person would be honest in that situation. I was frequently frustrated and angry with the insincere and illogical actions of Rowena and Warrick in this story.
Story brief: Evil stepbrother Gilbert wants the Kirburough land, owned by Lyons. Gilbert beats Rowena’s mother and holds her hostage, to force Rowena to marry Lyons. Gilbert needs Rowena to get pregnant by Lyons so Gilbert can get ownership of the property. Lyons dies before he consummates the marriage. Gilbert sends his men to find a substitute with the same hair and eye coloring of Lyons. They find Warrick and chain him to the bed. Rowena has sex with him to get pregnant. Warrick escapes, returns to capture Rowena, and sends her to his dungeon. He then has her chained to his bed and does the same to her.
The relationship conflicts were created through miscommunication and inaccurate assumptions. There were many occasions that angered me, but in the interest of saving some writing time, I have chosen two examples, described below.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
When Warrick was chained to the bed and Rowena was first brought to him, Rowena should have told him the truth -- her mother was held prisoner and would be killed if Rowena did not get pregnant by Warrick. Rowena also should have told him she would try to find the key to free him. She did not tell him either of these things. Her reason was that she didn’t want to get his hopes up in case she was unable to find the key. He wanted her to remove his gag so he could talk to her, but she wouldn’t remove it. By not being honest with him, he thought she was doing this for her own greed, and he hated her. Talk about miscommunication – she wouldn’t even take his gag off so she could talk to him. They were both held as prisoners in the same room, and one would think they would at least talk to each other to find a way out of their dilemma.
I was also unhappy that she didn’t tell him her real name. There were a number of times when telling Warrick her name would have solved some problems, but she never did, which bothered me. One example was when Warrick was laying siege to Gilbert’s castle for 33 days. Rowena could have told him about the secret door because she used to live there. This would have helped Warrick win the battle sooner and with less risk, but she didn’t. Her reasons were not justified.
Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: nine. Setting: 1152 England. Copyright: 1991. Genre: historical romance.
For a list of my reviews of other Johanna Lindsey books, see my 5 star review of “Gentle Rogue” posted 6/14/08. -
There is so much I'm willing to forgive in a HR taking place in the Middle Ages. I would actually prefer not to have woman's lib and obnoxiously feisty (or male-wannabe) heroines fettered during this time. But there is one interesting feature in this book - the heroine rapes the hero.
Scandalous, I know. It's really unbelievable and I was anxious about how it was all going to work. It does, in my favorite way - angry sex, guilt and occassional moments of soul-sucking love.
Rowena's step brother, Gilbert d'Ambray has the hots for her, but in no way is marrying her acceptable, especially when she would be more useful in marrying old depraved men who could supplement his forces against Warrick deChaville, and produce a male heir. But when the chosen groom dies before consummation, a 'serf' with similar features is chosen and Rowena is 'encouraged' to do the deed. Of course, it was no serf that was captured but Warrick, and Rowena has to forcefully seduce this man for 3 days. Until she finds a way to free him, but he returns with his armies, this time wanting his revenge.
Warrick has some serious issues. He has a tendency to thirst for revenge and has no tolerance for getting the whole story. Plus he has snotty daughters and he's frequently an arrogant bastard. Yet, he does have some good qualities. He's funny and has a nice smile (when he finally loosens up) and he's big and hunky, and he doesn't kill women (just emotionally/sexually tortures them or whips them as a type of disciplinary action - not the heroine, but his daughter). But, considering the time period, he wasn't too bad. Warrick is ashamed that his body betrayed him when Rowena rapes him, so he tries to repay the favor to a 10 fold, but its really not the same. Rowena is repentant and asks for forgiveness repeatedly and takes the punishment that she deems fair. I just wish that Warrick wasn't such a hardass and actually listened to her explanations.
Rowena's brother isn't too bad either - just kinda dumb. Weird how I actually kinda felt sorry for him and hoped that he could redeem himself and get his own HEA.
Rowena goes through a lot of guilt and self-sacrifice. Somehow, there's a part of me that enjoys this kind of suffering. She's a strong character who gets stuck is a very uneasy situation. It doesn't help that most of the men in her life suck. Once she realizes her power over Warrick and stops felling all guilty, she gets to be really cool. She's also preggers during most of this.
There was some issue with diction in this book. Like 'Manroot' was used generously. This is such a disgusting word that I had to convert the word to enjoy those parts at all. Sex has a bit of dubious consent, but not as bad as the Vikings (but then again, anything is better than that). Inadvertantly, there is some bondage.
I may be saying bad things about this book, but I honestly really liked it. There were no real bad guys, but lots of men doing bad things, thinking that they have the right to. The heroine is strong and likable and so are the additional female characters. -
I LOVE this swoon-worthy historical romance. The story is so well-written it kept me full of anxiety from start to finish. It is common knowledge women have no rights during this historical time. Therefore it is no surprise that Lady Rowena who is both beautiful and a noble becomes a pawn to be used for war. My heart ached for her as I read through each injustice she experienced. I felt like I was holding back my tears for the first half of the book. Then I became hopeful only to fall harder into sadness. My spirits only lifting at the very end.
-
3.5 stars
I love the premise and the writing. Rowena was a great h, I could relate to her and I'm amazed by how strong she was after everything that happened to her. She's really sassy and smart.
I finished the book in record time, because I couldn't put it down. This could have been a 5 star read because the book is really gripping, but a few personal preferences and triggers ruined my overall enjoyment. I don't like that H has older daughters, that he punishes one of them to the same tragedy that afflicted Rowena's life and the misunderstandings were a little over the top for my taste. I'm glad I read this book because it's not often that I find premises that are so original. I highly recommend this book, if you don't have triggers. -
I think I’ve found it!
The king of all bodice rippers. OMG. I’m shaking...
I’m at a loss for words, actually don’t know what to say...so I’m going to sleep on it and come back with my thoughts not in such a state of disarray.
Amy!!!! What have u done to me????
———-
The moment I manage to get my hands on my dad’s credit card I’m getting this. Don’t worry. I’m 24, not a kid who’s stealing their parent’s money. Just a broke ass adult that will be doing some, BORROWING... hopefully by the end of the weekend.
Thank you Amy - Chan for the recommendation!!! Love yaaaaa.... -
"I am glad 'twas you."
LOVED THIS ONE! Didn't want to put it down. This was my first book by this author. And I will definitely be looking for more from her. -
"Prisoner of my Desire" is the story of Rowena and Warrick.
Now, I have to clarify that this book will not be for everyone- but if you enjoy old school romances, bodice rippers and Johanna Lindsey-then you won't have any problem with it.
The book starts with our heroine, Rowena Belleme being witness to the brutal whipping of her mother by her lecher stepbrother- and to save her she is forcefully married to an old haggard asshat. However, before consummation, the old man dies and the stepbrother takes it on himself to find a replacement so she can beget a heir.
Much to her surprise, he enslaves a virile and king sized man- and Rowena is forced to "rape" him- not knowing that he is a noble knight, and tables are about to be turned on her pretty quick!
What follows is a deliberate escape, the captor becoming the captive and some good old fashion JL type of torture- including servitude, evil past OW and daughters and humiliation.
The hero is definitely more aged than the heroine- having 2 legitimate and 1 illegitimate daughters from 2 dead wives and a serf, but he is not cruel to Rowena. There is passion, reluctance and a HEA.
That being said, I found the end abrupt and wished this had a better resolution.
Is this one of my favorite JL romances, or even hero? No! Is this her best captive romance? Hell nah.
But if you want to destress with a reluctant romance, and dont have a lot of triggers (semi consensual sex, public whippings, humiliation, tying up)- you might enjoy this.
Safe
3/5 -
![Namera [The Literary Invertebrate]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1647896333i/31792110._UX200_CR0,96,200,200_.jpg)
⤅ For a book where the hero and heroine are set up to rape each other, this is... surprisingly sweet.
I think that's partially why I only gave it three stars in the end. With this premise, I wanted something a bit darker and more emotional, with a hero who constantly makes the heroine pay for her mistakes with her body, etc. What I got was an almost frothily light historical romance filled with humour and a distinct lack of angst.
It's the middle of the Anarchy, and the teenaged Lady Rowena has just been married off to some horrible old lord by her stepbrother Gilbert. When the lord keels over dead on the wedding night, however, Gilbert realises she needs to fall pregnant as quickly as possible so he can continue to control the lord's men. So he kidnaps some random serf with the same blond hair and grey eyes of the dead lord to father Rowena's child.
Only, he's accidentally kidnapped a neighbouring lord, who's intent on vengeance after he escapes. Warrick de Cheville is infuriated at how he was tied down and humiliated by Rowena, so he vows to do everything to her which was done to him - three nights tied to his bed, etc. He's doubly angered by the fact that her gambit worked and she's pregnant.
I've known about this book for a long time, but was initially put off by the fact that the hero already has multiple kids - two legitimate daughters from dead wives, and an illegitimate one from a mistress. However, another Johanna Lindsey book where the hero already has a kid happens to be one of my all-time favourite romances (Gentle Rogue) so I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm glad I did; there was actually surprisingly minimal OW drama. The one OW who tries to get involved is summarily exiled by the hero. He had no attachment to any of his previous wives, and he has a stereotypically medieval indifference to his daughters. He's a dreadful father and I massively sympathised with his daughters... but he's a good love interest for Rowena.
This actually reads broadly like a much lighter version of Brenda Joyce's The Conqueror. I love that book, but here Warrick wasn't possessive and obsessed enough for my liking, hence the three stars. It's a shame - I love books where the heroine keeps the hero locked up, even better if he escapes and returns for revenge. But the tone here (verging on comedy) was a bit wrong for the subject matter.
-
Well, well, what can I say? There's bodice ripper and there's a bodice ripper. The book is problematic on so many levels, but it was a good rollicking ride. It managed to elicit a couple of guffaw and chuckles from me (probably unintentionally). I was shaking my head at a couple of scenes too. I wasn't particularly bothered by the infamous rape scenes as well. It took on a cartoonish aspect to me, maybe due the writing style and excessive euphemism (manroot, anyone?). I guess the scenes weren't meant to titillate.
Going to the characters. Warrick was to die for (NOT!). His cavalier attitude towards women and especially towards his illegitimate daughter was just unforgivable. He is just a poor excuse for a hero. Rowena is pretty okay, I guess. She showed her backbone in certain places.
I have to say I'm disappointed with the villain, not getting his comeuppance. He, instead gain back his own keep. And this, after all the shite he put Rowena through. It just doesn't seem fair.
I'm glad I took the plunge and see what the hullabaloo was all about. Is this a re-read? Nope. Once was more than enough. However, don't take it seriously and treat it as pure entertainment. This book was a product of its time and it definitely wouldn't fly now. Kudos to Ms. Lindsey for originality, though. -
Just reread this for the 2nd time and I forgot how much I had loved it. I read it years ago and I couldn't quite remember it so I read it again and it was wonderful. I loved Johanna Lindsey in her early writing years and read every book. I didn't quite like all of them because there were a couple with heros and ow and I hated that but this one was good.
The H was very cruel in the beginning of the book but he had reason to be I guess. I did like that he felt terrible when he realized how wrong he had been and he tried to atone. I also liked that she was strong enough not to just fall over when he said he was sorry. She made him work for it.
And Gilbert? He started out as an evil villain but then at the end he seemed like he wasn't as bad as he was painted. He did save her life. I guess there are many facets of personality but that one was a whoa there. What happened to the guy from the beginning of the book?? It didn't really compute. Now that I think about it the same could be said about Warrick who did horrible things to the h sometimes yet did incredibly nice things for her too. He redeemed himself. So I guess Gilbert could too.
I am glad I reread it. I even raised the stars because I liked it so much. Definitely a keeper. -
Another 2018 favorite!
I wasn’t sure if I’d love it as much as I did. I guess you could say like Rowena, I fell in love with Warrick page by page, little by little and a bit unexpectedly. This man or should I say fire breathing dragon (I loved it when Rowena referred to him as such) was not easy to love nor did he love easily. But sweet and strong Rowena would be his undoing.
Fabulous story filled with wonderful characters.
Johanna Lindsey is a new author for me and it thrills me to say I will be reading more from her. Prison of my Desire was that unexpected and unputdownable read. ❤ -
4 ❤️⛓❤️⛓❤️⛓❤️🌟s
Considering it was written more than 25 years back, this historical romance was very intriguing, unique and daring!!
I liked her writing style as well as the characters and it was fast paced. Aye!!!! -
This book was something else. I'm just going to put this out there, the heroine rapes the hero, and the hero then kidnaps and rapes the heroine in vengeance...
So, this book tells the story of Lady Rowena Belleme and Warrick deChaville. Rowena is forced to marry an old, dying man and must produce an heir. On their wedding night, however, Rowena's husband dies, and her stepbrother threatens to kill her mother if she doesn't get pregnant by the guy he kidnapped.
Warrick deChaville, mistaken a serf, wakes up in a dungeon, chained naked to a bed. When an angel appears, he is hopeful she will help him escape only to be shocked when she informs him of her plan. She must 'steal' his seed to produce an heir. Warrick is livid by the woman and by his traitorous body that responds to her seductions.
When Warrick manages to escape, he goes back and kidnaps Rowena. She's put in a dungeon just as he was and treated the same only difference in her situation: she's pregnant.
I only started reading Johanna Lindsey last week, and I can honestly say her books aren't for everybody. Her books deal with rape, abuse, slavery, and I know if this had been a modern romance, I would have stopped reading it, but with historical fiction, it's a bit different, I feel.
Overall, I liked this book, but so far, not my favorite. I wanted more groveling from Warrick when he found out that Rowena raped him not for greed but because she was threatened, but it seems that these women just forgive their men quite quickly. Other than that, I enjoyed this!
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Yorum yakında.
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3.5 out of five stars. It was good but I needed more grovel from the hero and the humilation/sexual torture she was put through was a bit much for me to properly forgive him
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I loved this book! Beautiful Rowena and gorgeous Warrick deserve each other.
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I don't have an accurate shelf for this one since I don't typically read bodice rippers. I made an exception based on all the positive reviews. Though I don't think it's a five star read, I am definitely glad I invested the time to read it. This started out very strong with the heroine married off to an old lecher and then forced to rape the hero when he dies unexpectedly. I suspect that scene alone is what drives most of the five star reviews. I was right there in the room feeling the hero's vicious anger and the heroine's shame and awkwardness. However, the rest of the book was just ok. The middle made for some entertaining moments, but the ending fell flat. I wished the author had put as much effort into the final scene as she did in the first.
I suspect in it's hey day, this book packed quite a punch. Though by today's standards, Rowena and Warrick's relationship would miss the mark. They definitely lusted for one another, but their love was questionable.
It's definitely worth a read if you want something different, and don't object to the un-pc machinations found in bodice rippers. -
4 stars
Surprisingly, i truly enjoyed this book. Been a while since i've read Johanna Lindsey but i'm glad i gave this one a chance. Heroine was spunky enough for the hero who was a total ass! I loved that she made him grovel at the end, take that ass-hat! -
Ever since i read my first book (and only) by Johanna Lindsey "Paradise Wild",i knew that she are a terrific author with very Uniqe stories,and just WOW,"Prisoner of my Desire" really turns tables when it comes to the trope of bodice ripper.Really Entertaining and Sexy!
As the historical time are from 1100s in this one,you have to expect many things that makes you unease.For one thing,the hero has a bastard.This was very common in this time,so it does not bother me at all.Not when the sexy and epic romance took place between the hero and heroine.God how i love it!
The heroine rapes the hero!!!Thats so new,and i really enjoyed reading this whole Crazyness!!!Hahaha what an sadistic bitch i am sometimes!!!But the hero gets his revenge when he imprison her to punish her for the three nights of rape she put him through.MUHAHAHA!(GOD how horrible i am)But all the while they fall in love against their will,and gets prisoners of theirs desires!
Love how Smitten and Jealous Warrick deChaville was when it came to Rowena!He never could stop staring and desiring her!GOD how i enjoyed it when she made him grovel at the end!I loved both Warick and Rowena very much!They are perfect for each other!!!!
I am really ashamed that this is my second book by Johanna Lindsey!I will certainly read more of her books.Either way this one deserves 100 stars! -
This wasn't a romance novel. This was an erotic novel posing as a romance, so it wasn't even that good. The plot was weak, with so many logical fallacies on the parts of the characters that I genuinely questioned their intelligence.
Too, the rape bothered me. And everything up til her planned seduction was rape. TBH, while it's not my thing, I would have been fine with it if the novel weren't trying to be a romance. Or even if Lindsey had managed to pull a believable love story out of those beginnings. As it was, the love story was incredibly weak, with the characters' feelings appearing out of nowhere. Their only interactions were sex or humiliation. The eroticism was also weak because, well, after those first few scenes the sex was bland. What was left was a book that tried to fit both categories and fell short of both. -
3,5★ Realmente me gustó mucho, se que a muchas puede resultarles ofensivo el libro, verán habla abiertamente de violación.
Rowena la protagonista es obligada por su ambicioso hermanastro casarse con un viejo para apoderarse de sus tierras y tener un ejército más grande para conquistar más tierras, pero el viejo muere la misma noche de bodas sin consumar el matrimonio, es por ello que el hermanastro busca secuestrar un hombre con el cabello, piel y ojos similares a los del viejo para que embarace a Rowena y decir que el matrimonio se consumo y habrá heredero y así no perder las tierras y el ejército que ganó con esa unión. Para ello secuestraron a Warrick creyendo que era un simple aldeano cuando en realidad era el Dragón, su enemigo, un caballero. Lo encadenaron y bajo amenazas obligó a Rowena a abusar de el para conseguir concebir, a los tres días Rowena hace que alguien suelte y deje escapar a Warrick, y luego el vuelve con su ejército a buscar venganza de la mujer que abusó de el. El la apresa la vuelve su esclava, su prisionera, su sierva, y le hace lo mismo que ella le hizo a el. Este argumento a debido desagradable, y muchas cosas más que son realmente ofensivas para las mujeres, pero creó que en la era medieval las cosas eran así y hasta peor, así que me parece acertado históricamente. La evolución de la relación entre ambos, la evolución de sus sentimientos, la falta de comunicación entre ellos, me encantó como la autora plantea todo, no podía para de leer,me pareció muy entretenido, y todas las cosas, malos tratos que tuvo que soportar Rowena me tocaron el corazón, me encanta cuando el protagonista se equivoca mucho y después se arrepiente y sufre mucho por haber juzgado mal a la protagonista.
Es el primer libro que leo de la autora que no es un western, y me ha encantado, claro con la falencia habitual de esta autora y es que sus libros carecen de epílogos. -
Πόσο ωραίο συναίσθημα,όταν ξεκινάς να διαβάζεις ένα βιβλίο με ελάχιστες προσδοκίες και καταλήγεις να το αγαπήσεις και να σε ξαφνιάσει ΤΟΣΟ ευχάριστα! :)
Το "Αιχμάλωτη του πόθου μου" το ξεκίνησα με σκοπό να το 'ξεπετάξω' στα γρήγορα,θεωρώντας το άλλη μια ιστορία αγάπης.Βλέποντας δε πως γράφτηκε το 1991,περίμενα να διαβάσω μετρημένες,'σεμνές' σκηνές.Χαίρομαι τόσο που διαψεύστηκα!
Η συγγραφέας έχει καταφέρει να αποδώσει με απόλυτη πιστότητα την εποχή που περιγράφει και όλα όσα διαδραματίζονταν τότε,χωρίς υπερβολές και ωραιοποιήσεις.Τα ψυχογραφήματα των χαρακτήρων είναι βαθιά,ποικίλλουν από ήρωα σε ήρωα,ενώ και οι περιγραφές των τόπων και των συνηθειών της εποχής εκείνης είναι εξίσου κατατοπιστικές και αποδοσμένες με ρεαλισμό.Όσο για τις ερωτικές σκηνές,είναι σκέτη αποκάλυψη!Χωρίς να γίνεται χυδαία,η γλώσσα που χρησιμοποιεί η συγγραφέας είναι πολλές φορές ωμή,αυτή ακριβώς που θα χρησιμοποιούσαν οι άνθρωποι του 1152,αν βεβαίως μπορούσαμε να γίνουμε μάρτυρες μιας συζήτησής τους!Παρόλο που ουσιαστικά πρόκειται για μια ιστορία αγάπης,δεν λείπουν και οι σκληρές σκηνές,κάτι που επίσης μου άρεσε πολύ,γιατί έτσι ήταν τα πράγματα τότε,πώς να το κάνουμε!Επίσης,δεν απουσιάζει καθόλου η δράση,από την αρχή έως το τέλος του βιβλίου,τόσο ανάμεσα στους δύο πρωταγωνιστές όσο και έξω από τα τείχη του Φούλκχερστ.
Το "Αιχμάλωτη του πόθου μου" είναι πολλά περισσότερα από μια ιστορία αγάπης με φόντο τους ιππότες και τις αρχόντισσες. Είναι μια ολοκληρωμένη ιστορία,γερά δομημένη και άψογα γραμμένη(και μεταφρασμένη,να τα λέμε κι αυτά!)που είμαι σίγουρη πως δε θα αφήσει παραπονεμένη καμία αναγνώστρια!
