Insatiable [Paperback]

Virginia Henley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 2004

New York Times bestselling author Virginia Henley weaves an enchanting tale of passion and intrigue in England's Golden Age-where a woman's reckless search for adventure leads her to the man destined to claim her...

Catherine Seton Spencer, a young maiden of Queen Elizabeth's court, is cursed with impulsiveness. When she meets Patrick Hepburn, who's visiting the court after a tour of duty patrolling the Scottish borderlands, Cat thinks he's an arrogant brute-and Patrick thinks Cat's a spoiled shrew. Divided by loyalties and society, but bound by desire that drives them into each other's arms, Cat and Patrick find themselves in an intricate web of deceit and danger that threatens to topple the throne-and tear the lovers apart.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Take two headstrong protagonists with divergent backgrounds and throw in a dash of mysticism and some weighty historical events, and you get this meaty, occasionally overwritten romance set in Elizabethan England. Beautiful but impulsive Catherine Spencer is a court maiden with an impressive pedigree and an even more impressive dowry, one that rough-edged Patrick Hepburn, a Scottish lord with the gift of prophetic visions, would like to get his hands on. When the marginalized king of Scotland implores Hepburn to envision the fate of the English crown after Queen Elizabeth's death, he sees Cat in his mind's eye, implicates her in his destiny and vows to apprehend and "tame" her, as his entrée into English nobility. The cultured Englishwoman and the blunt Scot inevitably clash at first sight, with Hepburn calling Cat a "spoiled little bitch" and Cat dubbing him an "offensive swine." Gradually, however, the sparring pair capitulate to lust and love. History is not just backdrop; invoked in key narrative threads, it keeps the plot taut and textured. Henley (Undone, etc.) succeeds in creating an atmosphere of impending social cataclysm that enhances the lovers' sense of urgency and embeds their English-Scottish union in a more epochal context. As twists of fate contrive to keep the two apart—intrigue, backstabbing, the bubonic plague—readers will hanker for them to live happily ever after.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Lady Catherine "Cat" Spencer is a vision, literally. Patrick Hepburn, a Scottish lord whose family has been stripped of its lands by King James, is a psychic. He begins to see images of a beautiful woman with a cat tattoo, knowing instantly that this lady is his soul mate. When the two of them meet at Elizabeth's court, he finds that the "lady," the monarch's personal clothes designer, is carefree, wild, and capable of scandalous behavior. Cat has also gotten herself into a seemingly innocent situation that can be misconstrued as treason. As everyone waits for the aged queen to die, there are intrigues galore, because Elizabeth hasn't named her successor. King James, who had used Patrick's father's psychic abilities as a ruse to brand him as a witch and take his properties, now turns to Patrick for insights into the future. Dangerous games, Machiavellian manipulations, and political maneuverings make the treacherous royal court the perfect setting for an imperfect courtship. Lusty and lavish, this book will appeal to fans of Bertrice Small. Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Signet (November 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451213459
• ISBN-13: 978-0451213457
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #371,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( H ) > Henley, Virginia

More About the Author

New York Times best-seller Virginia Henley is the author of 26 lush and lusty historical romances and 5 short stories. Her books are published in 16 languages around the world. She is the recipient of a dozen awards including a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times, A Maggie Award for Excellence from the Georgia Romance Writers, and a Waldenbook Award for top-selling long historical for 1994.

The St. Petersburg Times calls Henley "The Queen of Steamy Romance."

Kathe Robin, RT Book Reviews says: "Henley's gift for bringing remarkable women to life in colorful, turbulent times is what turns her romances into keepers. Henley heats up the pages with her love scenes, and her skill at portraying actual historical personages with humanity while maintaining historical accuracy wins our minds. Henley knows what historical romance is all about and always gives the readers what they want."

Henley says: "My hero is always dark, dominant and dangerous. Then I create a woman who is a match for him...or more than a match!
Men come up to me at conferences and thank me for writing my books. One man said, "I don't read them, but I always know when my wife is reading a Henley!"

My next book The Dark Earl goes on sale September 6 and is the third in the series following The Decadent Duke, and The Irish Duke.

I have just turned two of my backlist books into Kindle ebooks. Wild Hearts and Bold Conquest are historical romances. My novella Hot As Fire, also available on Kindle, is my only contemporary. I have a short story up on Kindle called Letter of Love that is FREE.

Next month I will be offering a new ebook that is a Southern family saga.
MASTER OF PARADISE tells the story of Nicholas Peacock who is disinherited of his title and wealth in England. He sails to Charleston, South Carolina, and starts a cotton plantation just before the Civil War disrupts everyone's life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Virginia Henley Puts The "H" In Historicals And Hot!!!, January 4, 2005

By 

Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Insatiable (Paperback)

I love Virigina Henley's historicals. You are ALWAYS guaranteed a good historical read. Her characters are always vibrant and alive and Patrick and Catherine are no exception. These two strike sparks from their first introduction and it doesn't end there. As a result it was fun to read how these two very strong willed people were able to find love between themselves without loosing that which set them apart.

Readers that might be new to Ms. Henley might be put off by the strong-willed nature of Catherine...okay, Catherine is a brat to put it mildly. But she will be tamed by her Scot. Patrick is beyond patient with her and understands her better than she understands herself. The fact that he has the capability to see her thoughts gives him the added insight he needs to love her the way she deserves. Her past has dictated the way she acts and he understands this. He sets about to gain her without killing her spirit.

With the back drop of Queen Elizabeth's court and all of the intrigue that came with this time period, fans of historical romance will be well pleased. Ms. Henley truly has a talent for transporting her reader into whatever time period or location her creative mind chooses. As a result the reader will not only be gifted with a sensual and romantic story, but they will also be given a small lesson in history.

This is one historical I have no problem recommending and doing so highly. If you're only going to read a select few authors in the historical romance genre...you would do well to add Ms. Henley.

Official Reviewer for www.romancedesigns.com

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars 2/3 Ho hum, 1/3 touching, January 3, 2006

By 

science gal (Johnson City, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Insatiable (Paperback)

In this book we meet the lovely, willful Catherine (Cat) and the dashing, ambitious Patrick (Pat). Cat is an heiress (of course)and dress designer for Queen Elizabeth. With a deceased father and cold, distant mother who cares more for her job as Her Majesty's Wardrobe Mistress than her only child, Cat grows to be an impulsive (but lovely) young woman who strives to get attention from others via her outrageous actions. Pat's father is an exiled ex-earl (treason) whose wife went into exile with him, leaving behind their only son to fend on his own. Pat retained control of the family manor house, but nothing else, so his overriding ambition was to marry well, preferably into a title. Things somewhat change when he has a psychic vision of the lovely Cat and becomes obsessed with her. Also, the fact that she's filthy rich (and lovely) and heir to an earldom is all the reason he needs to pursue her across England and Scotland.

As with other Virginia Henley novels, the main characters are far less likable then her secondary characters. Cat's impulsiveness wears old as does Patrick's need to find a rich wife. Further, the first half of the novel is simply repetitive. I quickly grew tired of hearing how lovely and delicate Cat was. If you've tired of reading about it in this short review, guess how much worse it will be when you read it on seemingly every single page for at least half of the book. The novel is repetitive in another way - it borrows heavily from Ms. Henley's earlier novel "The Dragon and The Jewel". For example, the events that drove the characters into each others arms is nearly identical in both books. Cat even refers to Patrick as her "magic man" just as Elenor does with Simon.
The book does pick up steam towards the end, with Catherine "growing up" and showing how much love she is capable of giving. The scene between her and her childhood nurse toward the end of the book was very touching and demonstrated Cat's growing maturity.
Summary: The book is fine for a bit of light reading, but if you are pressed for time, have already read Dragon and the Jewel, or will be annoyed by the repetitive dialog, you might be better off looking for another story. If you like Ms.Henley or historical romance, you might enjoy her older novel "A Year and a Day". It is more tightly written, has a better plot and very likable characters.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars spicy romance within a commanding period piece, October 27, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Insatiable (Paperback)

Catherine Seton Spencer works as a dress designer in the court of Queen Elizabeth. She is known by her friends as impulsive, which she agrees as she only wants a little fun and excitement and a lot of love in her life.

Scottish Lord Patrick Hepburn spent four months patrolling the Middle March of the Borderlands, but completed his assignment. When he informs King James that his second sight reveals his monarch will succeed Elizabeth, the elated regal sends him to his future court as his emissary to Her Royal Highness. At court he and Catherine meet with terrible first impressions. He thinks she is spoiled while she concludes he is pompous. However, they end up working together trying to prevent a conspiracy to dethrone Elizabeth and prevent James from following her; that teaming leads to better understanding of the other and soon love.

Few writers can bring together a spicy romance within a commanding period piece as the great Virginia Henley consistently does. What makes Ms. Henley so remarkable is she accomplishes this reliable quality while constantly changing eras. Her latest triumph stars two fabulous protagonists falling in love though seemingly opposites in attitude. Adding a touch of the paranormal to the mix, historical readers receive a wonderful Elizabethan Era love story that brings the intrigue of the age to full life.

Harriet Klausner