Customer Reviews

A Dangerous Love

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

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.

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.

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

This is a poor imitation of Rexanne Brecnel's excellent "Dangerous to Love" (you see, even the title is not original!). Brecnel's gypsy baron is an attractive, dark and mysterious hero, worth fighting for. Joyce's Emilian is a bore and a boor. I think the author's heart is not in romance any more. The spark and the tension have been sorely missing in her last three or four romances. She used to write books you could not let out of your hand from beginning to end. Now it seems as if she is just churning them out for money. For example, she missed a great oppostunity to create some tension when Ariella finds out that her gypsy is an earl. But no. It was like: oh, ho hum, so you are not just a vagabond. I skimmed through this one as fast as I could, nothing to hold my attention chapter after chapter. How disappointing!

I was very excited about this book because of the author, Brenda Joyce. I have a few other of her books and I was looking forward to a good read... no such luck here. I could not get into this book for anything. The story was stale and boring. I found Emil to be contradictory and just too bitter for my taste. Don't get me wrong, he had enough reason to be angry at the "ton" but to continually be on the attack at everyone... well almost everyone was tedious and repitious. I truly felt sorry for Emil and how his life has been dealt to him, but still the bitterness toward all gadjos... except one was kind of hypocritical to me.
Ariella, she annoyed me to all end. I found her flighty and increasingly shallow. To think just that by bedding her, Emil would look at the world like she do was beyond stupid! I thought she was very naieve and too "easy" to have slept with Emil so soon after meeting him. She basically started to stalk him after their first meeting! I didn't feel any chemistry between the characters nor their love story. I found myself more interested in Ariella's brother Alexi and Emil's younger sister. Not an enjoyable read to this fan. Sorry.

Engrossing! The story, for me, was, in some parts, reminiscent of Scandalous Love, but with a darker, more violent narrative about the long-standing prejudice against Gypsies, and the violent measures undertaken against them, deserved or undeserved. It makes you look at Emilian as more than the super jerk portrayed in the reviews, but as a bruised human existing and dealing with life and its many quirks in the only way he knows how--and that is with the same prejudice, mockery and violence that he and his people had known and suffered with.

The Author also tortured readers by alluding to an Alexi (Cliff's)-Elysse (Devlin's) falling out. Alexi gets violent when Elysse's name comes up. What happened there, do you suppose?

In a life of confusion, denial and shame Vscount Emilian St. Xavier if out for one thing revenge - against the "gadjo's" when he learns that his beloved mother was stoned to death. Taken from his mother and way of life at the age of twelve, to live with his father, he was enjoying the lifestyle he has come to appreciate and value. When a gypsy camp arrives to impart the news of his mother's death, he is filled with regret, remorse and a deep need for revenge. Willing to throw his title away and travel with the caravan provides him the perfect plan and Ariella de Warenne, a young independent, smart and intelligent woman provides the opportunity. But when a night of reckless and wild lovemaking causes nothing but pain and devastation, Emilian is forced to examine his motives and true desires.

They say that when a de Warenne falls in love it's for keeps and Ariella de Warenne is proving just that. When a gypsy camp settles on her land Rose Hill she has a natural curiosity about this lifestyle, customs and people. Sneaking out of the house she ventures to the camp and spies a very erotic dance and suddenly locks eyes with who she thinks is their leader Emilian. Taken aback with the intense and very passionate emotions she is experiencing; Ariella seeks him out at Woodland on a dare. She thinks this is the start of something beautiful, she believes he is wildly in love with her since she concluded she was with him. But the next morning she wakes up glorious and quickly sees that the passionate and kind man she surrendered her virginity to was telling the truth after all...he would seduce, ruin and forget about her all in one night - tearing her heart and world in two. Humiliated she confides in her cousin Margery, and tries to forget about Emilian but he is not willing to let her. Casting these two into a very turbulent and fiery relationship as neither is ready to let the other go.

A Dangerous Love is an intense and wild read. It starts off with a bang and does not let up. While I was thrown for a chapter or two at the sudden and complete change in Ariella, I could understand it. She was a smart and sensible woman unprepared for fate to throw a deeply scarred and very angry man her way. Brenda Joyce has a unique way of exposing her characters flaws and bad traits in her novels. But she also takes the care to show the regret and remorse, as guilt took a hold of Emilian while he worked through his grief and life of bigotry and shame. She is also an author that follows her muse and allows bad things to happen to good people, which may upset sensitive readers who do not like any type of abuse or misfortune to befall the main characters.

I enjoyed A Dangerous Love it was a exciting, passionate and emotionally charged novel, I enjoyed the characters and chemistry between them and look forward to reading more about this new generation as Brenda Joyce moves her de Warenne Dynasty in the Victorian Era. There were some questions about some characters left unanswered that I am curious to read about in future novels. It's great start to a new era and a novel I won't easily forget.

I was so excited to get this book after the last two of Mrs Joyce where we saw Ariella at the age of 8. I gave Lady At Last 5 stars and read it twice. This one, however, was somewhat of a disappointment. The adult Ariella is exactly as expected from the child she was: beautiful with a brilliant mind and a very gentle heart. It made sense to me that she would find someone like Emilian intriguing and that she would be drawn to him. Emilian is an angry dark young man battling his own demons due to his gypsy heritage. His status as an outsider and the treatement of his people will definitely tug at Ariella's heart, I could see that. Nevertheless, the author stripped Ariella of any pride and made her acceptance and love for Emilian despite of his outrageously dishonorable, rude and selfish behavior make no sense at all. Her love for him seemed more like a self loathing and self destructive obsession to me. I can disregard him using her and treating her badly after taking her virginity, but ***spoilers*** abandoning her after her miscarriage when she needed him the most is unforgivable in my opinion. Oh yes, she tried to explain it by saying that he thought he was doing what's best for her. That is total BS and a coward's way to dodge his responsibilities. Furthermore, having Alexi escort Ariella and hand her over to Emilian unwed did not make any sense at all. The book was well written and Ariella's attraction to Emilian was palpable. I would have loved this book a great deal more if I could understand what redeeming qualities Ariella found in Emilian or if the latter behaved somewhat lovingly and honorably towards her. He treated her like dirt and she came back for more. I would have liked to see him chase after her once. Even at the end, she was the one who fought for their marriage and all he had to do was show up. Disappointing indeed!

I was very disappointed with this book. I love Brenda Joyce books and can't wait for her to finish the Deadly Series. But this book - fell flat!! The first part of the book was good, and the second 1/2 could have been good. But it wasn't. **Spoilers** I get how she fell for Emilian, he was different and mysterous. Leaving her and not supporting her after the miscarriage is unforgivable. If he really thought the miscarriage was his fault, he should have loved and supported her until she could move on, and begged for forgivness, instead he dumped her. And Cliff, Ariella's dad, should have NEVER supported this relationship after the miscarriage. The last chapter was the worst, he didn't even have to win her love back, she just convinced herself that it should be and was there waiting until he decided to return. The last few paragraphs were indeed the worst of the book, when he decided to return to his life of an englishman, he wasn't even going to fight for her, he hoped she was with someone else, but when she was there waiting for him in his house, he then poured his heart out to her (gag). It was truly very hard to read and not a bit convincing.

There were good parts of the book, of course, but I will not be reading this book again.

In my opinion, this is one of Brenda Joyce's best...I have read almost all of her books including all of the de Warenne Dynasty, and I was not dissapointed with this story at all....can't wait for the next de Warenne Dynasty story.