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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great story, June 9, 2000
This review is from: On a Long Ago Night (Mass Market Paperback)
The story begins with near sighted Lady Alexandra Margaret Frances Honoria Pyne preparing for a ball that her father the Duke of Pyneham was throwing... Little does she know that two of her sworn enemies (two lovers from her past) appear, trying to win her hand in marriage. And she has some problems to overcome... Problem #1- The Honorable James Marbury (aka Diego Moresco), the ex-fisherman who became a galley slave, turned pirate... who just happens to be the long lost son of a viscount. Whom, Honoria happened to have a passionate love affair in Algiers, although she was kidnapped and bought by him. Who appears 8 years later to right the wrongs that he committed... Problem #2- Russell Derrick, a spineless and greedy naval officer and Honoria's ex-fiancee from 8 years ago. When Derrick's ship was overtaken by the corsair pirates, he was more concerned for his own safety than Honoria's. Who only wanted to marry her for money in the first place. Then, cried off the engagement when there was any hint that Honoria's honor was compromised. And now he's back to claim her inheritance once again. Problem #3- The Duke of Pyneham, who just happens to be her father, who is bent on finding her a husband. Whether Honoria wants one or not... Well, throw these problems in and you find strong-willed, stubborn and control freak Honoria in a situation that is beyond her control. Who is blind to her own passion and love from a man that she can't quite trust. There are some entertaining and witty dialogue betweeen Honoria and her suitors, and she definitely keeps them on their toes. James and Honoria in the "Rogues Gallery" is one of the funniest "I love you" scenes, if not classic for it is not the most typical of reconciliation scenes. I found the hero utterly charming, despite his pirate past (okay, it made him even more sexy) and the heroine for surviving a terrible scandal and a broken heart. Susan Sizemore tells a clever love story, by fusing together the past and the present... switching back and forth the two to build tension and mystery. At times, I found the switching a bit tedious because I was so anxious to find out what happened in the past and how it was going to end... and had to peak ahead to appease my own curiosity. But still two days well spent reading this fun and romantic love story. Julianne
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun Read With a Stong Female Lead, May 24, 2000
This review is from: On a Long Ago Night (Mass Market Paperback)
I just finished reading Susan Sizemore's book, On a Long Ago Night, and it was fantastic. The Hero and Heroine are likeablely flawed with an enjoyable personal connection. Sizemore mixes elements in the story from eight years before when Pirates abducted Honoria and she was seduced by her abductor and abandoned by her fiancé with the more prevalent story line set in present day. Since she went home she has been living a life of prim respectability that wis shattered by the reappearance of her former lover and her ex-fiancé. There was enough conflict in the book to keep the story line moving along without making the main characters unlikable and the secondary characters were interesting as well. I enjoyed the fact that the story is not set exclusively in Europe and I liked reading a Pirate romance without actually having to read a pirate story. This book has followed the recent trend of having slightly older, more powerful women as main characters and strong yet sensitive men. Men who do not have to abuse women to be sexy. When it is done well, as it was here, I like it very much. Women in books like this don't need to run around talking about how they work for women's issues in order to appear to be powerful women. They are interesting, powerful women.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great historical read by a very versatile author, April 29, 2000
This review is from: On a Long Ago Night (Mass Market Paperback)
After Barbary Pirates capture Lady Honoria Pryne, she agrees to become the lover of one of her incarcerators, Diego Moresco. He accepts her terms of her body in exchange for saving the life of her fiancé Derrick Russell. The price for saving Derrick is her innocence. When Diego's home is attacked, Honoria escapes. However, Derrick no longer wants the now damaged goods. Several years later, James "Diego" Marbury returns to England to make right the dishonor he did to Honoria. However, when passion flares between them, he decides he wants her as his wife for more than correcting a wrong. Derrick also returns into Honoria's life because he realizes how wealthy an heiress she is. Betrayed by the two men in her life, Honoria wants neither, but desires both of them, especially James. ON A LONG AGO NIGHT is an ultra-heated Victorian romance that employs scorching flashbacks to tell the tale of Diego and Honoria. That technique in the hands of a lesser mortal than the sensational Susan Sizemore is apt to disrupt the story line. Instead, the awesome author makes it work so well that motives are revealed and the plot is forwarded by the glimpses into the past. The exchanges between the lead charcaters is filled with humor, intelligence, and fire. Fans of historical romance will eagerly enjoy this tale and hunt for Ms. Sizemore's other ardent romances. Harriet Klausner
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