Darling Jasmine (Zebra Historical Romance) [Paperback]

Bertrice Small (Author)

Book Description

Series: Zebra Historical Romance | Publication Date: June 1, 1998

Jasmine had been forced into marriage twice. Rebelling at King James' decree that she wed Jemmie Leslie, fifth earl of Glenkirk, she fled to France with her children. But her youngest, the illegitimate offspring of Jasmine's hot-blooded lover, Prince Henry Stuart, is the king's only grandson. Now time is running out on Jasmine's idyll of freedom; coming for her and her little boy is the man she both fears and desires.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Fans of Bertrice Small's long-lived heroine Skye O'Malley will enjoy being reunited with her extensive family in this 17th-century tale about her granddaughter, Jasmine de Marisco, and the man King James has decreed she marry: Jemmie Leslie, earl of Glenkirk. Two years ago, demanding the freedom to choose her next husand herself, Jasmine jilted Jemmie and escaped to France. Now Jemmie, following Skye as she seeks out her granddaughter to share some sad news, is cleverly reunited with Jasmine, whom he's determined to make his bride. Even as the two put aside their anger to rediscover their lusty passion and agree to wed, vile Piers St. Denis, the king's confidant, decides he wants Jasmine for himself. When she rejects his suit, he vows vengeance. It takes all of Jasmine's courage and Skye's still formidable talents to vanquish this threat to happiness. Court intrigue and domestic bliss, explicit sex (be prepared for some four-letter words) and a sadistic villain keep lively this last book featuring Bertrice Small's most famous heroine. --Ellen Edwards

About the Author

Bertrice Smallhas written thirty novels of historical romance and two erotic novellas. She is a New York Times bestselling author and the recipient of numerous awards. In keeping with her profession, Bertrice Small lives in the oldest English-speaking town in the state of New York, founded in 1640. Her light-filled studio includes the paintings of her favorite cover artist, Elaine Duillo, and a large library—but no computer as she works on an IBM Quietwriter 7. Her longtime assistant, Judy Walker, types the final draft. Because she believes in happy endings, Bertrice Small has been married to the same man, her hero, George, for thirty-eight years. They have a son, Thomas, a daughter-in-law, Megan, and two adorable grandchildren, Chandler David and Cora Alexandra. Longtime readers will be happy to know that Nicki the Cockatiel flourishes along with his fellow housemates, Pookie, the long-haired greige and white, Honeybun, the petite orange lady cat with the cream-colored paws, and Finnegan, the black long-haired baby of the family, who is almost two.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 430 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821759191
• ISBN-13: 978-0821759196
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 3.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,619,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bertrice Small is a New York Times bestselling author with more than 34 novels in print. She lives in the oldest English-speaking town in New York state. Her website is bertricesmall.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The queen of erotic romance is back, July 29, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Darling Jasmine (Glenkirk Chronicles) (Paperback)

After forty-two years of happy matrimony, seventy-five year old Skye O'Malley becomes a widow. Though she deeply grieves the death of her cherished Adam, Skye sends all her visiting relatives home, allegedly to mourn in solitude. Instead, Skye plans to leave her home to visit her granddaughter, Jasmine, and her grandchildren in France. Her objective is to convince Jasmine that it is time to return to England in order to talk with her court-ordered fiance, Jemmie Leslie, the Earl of

One of Skye's children, Robin, realizing that his mother is very sly and devious, figures out that she is going to France. He tells Jemmie, who follows her to the home that Jasmine is hiding on the continent. As the legal guardian to all her children (one by him; the rest by previous marriages)Jemmie forces Jasmine to return as his wife. The spark between them that existed just before she fled is now an inferno. However, though they passionately love each other, their relationship remains shaky. He does not trust her to stay with him and she resents being forced to marry, even if she does love him.

Bertice Small has received warranted acclaim for her Skye O'Malley seventeenth century romances from a wide cross section of romance readers. Skye has been an endearing character to the fans of the historical romance, however, the latest Skye novel, DARLING JASMINE, adds a freshness to the series as it stars a new lead protagonist. Though Jasmine is not quite as energetic and dazzling as Skye, she leads the series to a different, but still lofty plateau of excitement and passion. This novel is a great addition to a fabulous series. Harriet Klausner

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the best of the Skye O'Malley books!, May 19, 1998

By 

Kris Gatzemeyer([e-mail]) (New London, Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Darling Jasmine (Zebra Historical Romance) (Paperback)

I read this book because I am a huge Bertrice Small fan, and I was hoping that it would keep up with the rest of the Skye O'Malley series. It was an entertaining book, I read it all one night, but it was by far at the bottom of the list of the seven books in the series. My problem was the unnecessary vulgarity. I see nothing romantic in the hero calling the heroine "bitch" during their interludes, and I find the excessive use of the "F"-word gratuitous. I don't really believe that word was used much then. I think that fans of the Skye O'Malley series will like the book, but to a new reader of Bertrice, I would not recommend this book. My advice is to start at the beginning of the series and work your way up to this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it ., October 29, 2009

By 

C. S. "pirate lover" (Roseville, Ca. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Darling Jasmine (Paperback)

Yes, I am a Bertrice Small fan. I admit it. She writes a story that is interesting, very sexual, hard to fanthom, sometimes funny but always with wonderful characters. I don't think anyone can possibly write an honest review about this book without having read all of the previous books of the series. I very much enjoyed the story but I did cringe at some of the brutal things that was in the story. Whether you want to believe things like that it is sad to say there are real people that awful. The ending was very sad. I loved this book along with all of the others of the series.