I would never pick this book up in a secondhand bookstore because the title is strange and the cover is weirder. No wonder Harlequin puts the money and effort into consumer research. It’s all about pretty covers and catchy titles!
The romance takes place in Brazil with references to England and Portugal. Goldenhawk is the name of the hero’s best estate.
The heroine is a very plain girl. Her name is Jaine, appropriate for the phrase plain Jane. Quite often in the novel she is mistaken as a boy. I wanted to jump into the novel and tell her to grow her hair longer and wear less concealing clothes because it’s obvious she’s plain only so much as her aunt and cousin made her so.
Jaine is basically an indentured servant to her cousin and aunt. She’s an orphan and poor relation. Jaine is sent off to take the wrath of the hero as her cousin and aunt depart days before the cousin’s wedding to Pedro de Ros Zanto, a very wealthy landowner and a Duque.
Pedro is amused and determined to hire Jaine out from under her aunt. He promises a life outside of the colorless drab world she’s in and enough money to make it lucrative. Jaine accepts and becomes his son’s companion and caretaker. The son, quite frankly, reads as an excuse for her presence because even with his disability the boy never really makes a big splash or seems to have purpose.
The story is very chaste. We never see anything beyond some passionate kisses. It ends in a bittersweet way similar to Sound of Music. They’re together, but they’re leaving a lot behind in their effort to make it to safety.
Rating: 
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By Love Bewitched Harlequin Presents No 718 by Violet Winspear 0373107188 |
US $4.97 | Sale |
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Violet Winspear 6 Book Lot The Honey Is BitterDragon Bay Dearest Demon |
US $16.99 | Sale |
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Beloved Tyrant by Violet Winspear Mills Boon |
US $6.43 | Sale |
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Violet Winspear House of Storms Mills Boon |
US $8.59 | Sale |
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PB Violet Winspear Valdez Marriage Harlequin Presents 295925 |
US $10.48 | Sale |
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This post was written by...
Keira – who has written 1035 posts on Love Romance Passion.
Keira's favorite type of heroes are blind, scarred, and tortured... yes, she understands those should be separate, but all 3 at once is also nice! She enjoys historical romances best and adores audio books because great narrators turn books into auditory/mental movies (and she loves her romantic dramas like Pride and Prejudice/North and South!) Learn more about Keira in My Instant Turn Ons, Offs, and Ifs.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I am a fan of Violet Winspear and I remember reading this years ago and as much as romance has come a long way since then – I love these chaste romances…
Thanks for the reminder..
E.H>
Bunch more like them coming up. I got a lovely stack of them from a friend’s mother. Some are quite excellent! Some not so much and some in between. What you find in between the pages of romance has changed but some things never do – right?