A Dangerous Love [Paperback]

Brenda Joyce (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Mira Books (2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741166918
• ISBN-13: 978-1741166910
• ASIN: 0263874044
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,269,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brenda Joyce is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of fourty-nine novels and five novellas. There are over fourteen million copies of her novels in print and she is published in over a dozen foreign countries. A native New Yorker, she now lives in southern Arizona with her son, dogs and numerous Arabian and Half-Arabian reining horses. Brenda divides her time between her twin passions' writing powerful love stories and her quest to become a nationally ranked Top Ten equestrian. For more information about Brenda and her upcoming novels, please visit her websites: www.brendajoyce.com, www.francescacahillseries.com www.thedewarennedynasty.com and www.mastersoftimebooks.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unimpressed with this DeWarenne novel, March 27, 2008

By 

Sunshine (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Dangerous Love (de Warenne Dynasty) (Mass Market Paperback)

I hate to give a poor review, but I am just completely uninspired by this book. Emil, our hero hates all the gadjos (non-gypsies) with a passion, however, his father was an English lord. He was taken from his mother at a young age to live with his father, to learn how to be part of the aristocracy and take his place as his father's heir. Emil has a severe case of identity crisis because he is gypsy, yet he is English as well and he can't decide what he is or wants to be. While I can empathize with that, it's basically beaten to death in this book. It seemed drawn out and his internal struggle just keeps on and on. When his gypsy family settles on neighboring land, he feels called to join them and leave his estate and all the English ties behind so he can visit his mother's grave in Scotland. The gypsy's have settled on Cliff DeWarenne's land and his daughter, Ariella, is immediately attracted to the dark half gypsy, Emil. Ariella's character was made out to be a highly educated, progressive thinker who knows no prejudice or hatred of the gypsy's. She reaches out to Emilian over and over and over and he pushes her away, and basically uses her as revenge to avenge his mother's death at the hand's of a "gadjo" mob.

I felt this book was disappointing for several reasons.

1. Outside of Emilian's internal struggle, I really felt no sympathy for him. For some reason I just wanted to say, "Buck up and decided who you are already! It's not that hard; roam around like a pauper with the gypsies or run your prosperous estate where you're rolling in money!" I was just aggravated with his lack of deciveness, I guess.
2. Ariella was just about too good to be true. Emilian said and did some pretty rotten things to her and yet each time, she just came back for more. Maybe I'm a bit less altruistic, but I would've said screw you buddy, a couple of times.
3. Which brings me to my next issue. Because Ariella is so free thinking, it's like she's having sex with him to make a point, saying "Hey! Gypsy's aren't so bad, see I'm sleeping with one and everyone in Derby knows!" Another thing that got me was at one point her brother delivers her to Emilian's figurative doorstep...after Emilian had completely humiliated and disgraced her! And then her brother just left her there. WHAT?! I didn't get that part at all.

The whole book, I just kept waiting for more. It never happened. I keep reading these new DeWarenne books thinking surely one of them will be another "The Game," "The Prize," or "Promise of the Rose," but it just hasn't happened. I think out of the five most recent DeWarenne books, I've utterley enjoyed two, another two were mildly entertaining and this last one just left me saying "eh..." Which frustrates me, because I know the genius of Brenda Joyce; her stories at one time were complex, her characters were vivid, multi-dimensional individuals set against historically fascinating backdrops. I don't know what's happened to those.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ms. Joyce Can Do Better, March 25, 2008

By 

loonigrrl (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Dangerous Love (de Warenne Dynasty) (Mass Market Paperback)

Overall, I was pretty disappointed with this book. I know Brenda Joyce can do better- I've read all her books. This one, like many of her recent novels, is just . . . lacking.

This is the story of Ariella de Warenne and her infatuation, I mean love, of a gypsy turned nobleman. First off, I could barely get over the shock of jumping in time nearly 20 years. Two books ago, Ariella was only 6 years old. To read about her now at 24 was extremely difficult. I couldn't get passed her as still being a child in my mind and felt like not enough time had passed within the books for her to believably grow up.

Ariella, just as she was an entire two books ago at the age of 6, is an intelligent girl, I mean young woman, who is obsessed with other cultures and traveling to new places. When she meets the gypsies camping near their home, she becomes instantly infatuated with one particularly rude, immature and hateful gypsy, Emilian, the Viscount St. Xavier. From that point on, Ariella is convinced it was love at first sight, and does not stop from throwing herself all over Emilian at every chance despite his hate of her and all non-gypsies in general. Even after he has sex with her as some sort of senseless revenge act, she continues to adore him. Her love for him felt incredibly hollow. I couldn't help but wonder if Ariella would have ever cared for him if he were simply English. It seemed that she fell in love with him because he was from a different culture and from an outcast and shunned people, and that his personality was irrelevant.

Basically, Emilian, just felt like this over the top caricature. He's lived a difficult life, always being torn between his gyspy half and his english half- and feeling like an outsider in both worlds. But that in itself felt like such a romance cliche, and I never saw Emilian as a real character and never understood why this seemingly intelligent girl would put up with him.

What's good about this book? Not too much. I will admit that I finished it, and I think Brenda Joyce fans will probably enjoy her latest addition. It's just that she has failed to write anything that is particularly original or terribly exciting. There's worse out there sure, but sometimes you just expect more out of your favorite authors. With the trend of recent mediocre releases produced by Ms. Joyce, I can't help but fear that maybe she's already written her best books.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars you must read this !!! great story, April 25, 2008

By 

K. Hamilton "Romanceaholic" (atlanta,ga) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Dangerous Love (de Warenne Dynasty) (Mass Market Paperback)

I Normally don't write review I read them to get a better idea if a book is worth purchasing, but this book I purchased on a whim. What an unexpected gem I've read romance for years and have become really picky about my books.This story was excellent and I couldn't believe all the negative reviews. This made me write my own- Hope it helps.

I won't ruin the story for anyone , but Ariella and Emilian story was very beautiful. Emilian was dark ,sexy,yet difficult to love - he was torn between two worlds. One where he felt loyalty to and acceptance, the the other he felt obligation and rejection -Ariella was beautiful and intelligent, Her love constant and never wavered. Emilian struggle to find him self and grieve a lost of a love one was intense and at times was cruel to Ariella , but it was a true emotion. It kept me glued to this book and unable to put it down. Reading how Ariella unselfishly loved and support him through his struggle was more than I expected.

Romance novels are supposed to envelope you . Which It did - They are more than just hot sexy love scence ,( which this book did have plenty of) they are here to give you the illusion that maybe love can overcome anything .
so, hope my reviews helps . I made sure not to tell the story - you must read this book!!
p.s Really there are some really bad books that are getting rave reviews - This is a great book getting bad ones -Wow