Customer Reviews

Lady Vixen

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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This is the story of a young girl who, masquerading as a young boy, stows away on a ship captained by her mothers spurned lover. She spends a few years on board ship eventually becoming the 'cabin boy' to the captain who finds out that she is in fact a woman....I am sure you can imagine the rest!! That is only the start of a story with an incredible number of twists and turns - a handsome masculine hero and a strong willed heroine...a great read...emulates the classic romance formula but whether a better, more complex plot than usual.

This is one of my favourite historical romances, the heroine Nicole is feisty, beautiful,and likable,and as for Christopher Lord Saxton aka Captain Saber he can swash my buckle any time!I also enjoyed all the history which obviously Ms Busbee has thoroughly researched, making it much more than a romantic novel.My copy is sadly falling to bits, and await for a reprint with anticipation.

This book is amazing and really the reason I started reading historical romance novels. I read this book for the first time about 10 years ago at the age of 15. I have read countless novels to date but trust me when I say I re-read this book at least once every year. The characters are amazing. The hero, Christopher Saxon, has to be one of my absolute favorite heroes of all time. With Lady Vixen, I actually saw the characters falling in love, I laughed when they laughed, etc (corny as it sounds). The plot was well written (a little slow at times), the characters well developed, and overall a really great read.

I read this book a long, long time ago, and recently read it again. It isn't bad, except that the hero is so rough and violent with the heroine, I don't know how she kept from killing him in his sleep! I know that it is supposed to be the wild, turbulent times, but he nearly breaks her arm, then wants to fool around. I don't think so! Once the hero starts to act human, the story improves and it becomes an OK read.

This was a great book in the old skool romance style, with examples of that era's strengths and weaknesses. First off, the hero Christopher Saxon is one of the biggest alphas I've yet come across. He's got a form like mortal sin and a consuming sex appeal that turns heroine Nicole to jelly every time, even seconds after she professes she hates him with the heat of a thousand hot pointy suns. He curses her for a trampy little harlot out of hatred that she makes him feel weak and different from his usual cool and confident self. Heroes like that are rare nowadays, if not outright extinct, and while I don't mind them, I admit that they are a bit wearying after awhile. The constant conflict between Christopher and Nicole seemed endless after the midway point. A definite weakness, since neither of them grew much as characters.

As a result, I turned my attention to the supporting cast, and here is where Busbee did a fine job. There is a large secondary cast of characters with their own subplots and back stories. Some are vague caricatures (Nicole's guardians, the Markhams), but there are others more fully-formed (Lord Saxon, Letitia Eggleston, Lady Regina Darby, Jason Savage - from Busbee's previous book "Gypsy Lady", Allen Ballard, Robert Saxon) that luckily made frequent appearances to take the focus off of the hamster wheel of Christopher and Nicole's love-hate schtupping.

The other main strength was Busbee's historical research, grounding the plot and the hero's personality in the War of 1812, namely the tense period of 1814 when it was expected that the British would attack somewhere and score a victory to gain an upper hand at any peace negotiations. It's not a period of U.S. History I've cared much about, but this book created an interest by tying it so tightly to the plot. It's a lesson a lot of current authors could benefit from, since too often the history takes such a back seat to the hero and heroine's love and snappy conflict that they might as well be acting it out on a blank stage. Of course, if a reader doesn't care about the history, then it's not important to their enjoyment of a tale - and might indeed drag it down. Not for this reader. The first genre I went nuts over was Historical Fiction, so the historical aspect of a romance is as important as the protagonists. I'm glad that Busbee didn't let me down, and if it's one of her strong suits, it'll keep me reading her books even if her earlier titles have pig-headed and frustrating heroes and heroines.

(I have no idea why the description and cover is for the Connie Mason book. Amazon needs to tidy up some stuff.)

I could not put this one down and highly recommend it. It's going on my Best Pirate and Privateer Romance List.

Set in England during the years 1808-1814, this is one of those rare and wonderful love stories that sweeps you away to another time and place where you are caught up in the lives of people whose actions will affect not only their own and others' lives but America and England during the War of 1812. Deception and treachery born years ago lead to revenge and then to heartache. Busbee uses real characters, such as the pirate Jean Lafitte, to bring realism to her story as she seamlessly weaves history into a compelling tale. It's what I call a "dense" historical: one where the writing is so complex and so tight you're getting double the story you'd expect in the 538 pages.

Young Nicole Ashford led an idyllic life in Surrey with her wealthy parents and her twin brother until a boating accident one summer took them from her. Made the ward of an uncaring and barely related aunt and uncle who only want her fortune, and learning of their plans to marry her off to their ne'er-do-well son, at 13 Nicole dons the disguise of a young boy and runs away to sea as the cabin boy for an American privateer, Captain Saber. For 5 years, she sails with him as a boy, Saber paying her little attention. Then, when she is 18, Saber observes her swimming naked on a tropical beach and decides he wants her for his mistress. He bides his time and when Nicole and a seaman (who is really a British spy) decide to destroy English codebooks Saber has captured, they are caught. Using the life of the English seaman as a bargaining chip, Saber forces Nicole to become his mistress, until the American on a mission to spy for his new country decides to sail home, resuming his identity as Christopher Saxon, grandson of a baron. And so begins a complex, worthy tale of adventure, rich history (both England's and America's) and a love that could not be denied.

Should you want to read more, here is the whole Louisiana Series (stand alones but each with a connection to Louisiana and with some overlapping characters):

Gypsy Lady, 1977
Lady Vixen, 1980
While Passion Sleeps, 1983
Deceive Not My Heart, 1984
The Tiger Lily, 1985
Midnight Masquerade, 1988
Whisper to Me of Love, 1991 (to be re-released 2012)
Each Time We Love, 1993

One of the best romance novels of all time. The main characters and story line are interesting and believable. This book is a definite read. You will want to read and reread it many times.