Customer Reviews

Moonstruck Madness

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

By the day she was Lady Sabrina Verrick, exquisite belle of high society. By night she was a criminal, Bonni Charlie, the lawless highwayman whose notoriety rang the length and breadth of the 18th century England.

Wounded and on the run, hunted like an animal through the night, Sabrina's wild career drove her at last into the power of one man who was not afriad to tame her. Brutal, arrogant, he would hurt her, betray her, subdue her free spirit - but never admit that he loved her... (text refers to book's back cover)

A very enjoyable book. Action packed and sensual too. I really enjoyed reading it. One of the best. I highly recommend it.

I read this book years ago in my late teens and literally reread it over and over until it fell apart. I am now trying to obtain another copy and hope very much to find one. This story is absolutely perfect. A strong female heroine, with a lot of vitality, proves to be humorous match for the devil-may-care hero. Absolutely love the highwayman(woman) scenerio. A must read for any romantic genre lover!

Moonstruck Madness was the first romance book I ever read. I look at it with a certain amount of nostalgia and fondness. A friend of mine, lent it to me to read in 6th grade and I never gave it back. In fact, I still have that copy and like others, have read it to shreds.

This book is probably why I'm addicted to historical "bodice-rippers". What makes this particular romance novel appealing is that it's set in the early to mid-1700's and it's not the typical regency romance at all.

Is there anyone else who's tired of boring balls, Hyde Park and Gretna Green?

In fact, McBain is one of those authors whose books very comfortably straddles that line between being historical fiction or historical romance because her books are very well researched and the historical events and places in her novels are as much in the forefront as the characters themselves.

If you liked this book and your looking for more than the usual modern romance you should try reading: Kathleen Woodwiss, Rosemary Rogers, Anya Seton, Elswyth Thane, Dorothy Dunnett, Diana Gabaldon, and Phillipa Gregory.

A wonderful tale of a young women and her family strugling to make ends meet, when she decides to take up highway robbery. What follows is an entertaining, rich and complete story that will stay with you and make you smile for years to come. Laurie McBain is one of those authors you will collect and teasure.

Ms. McBain, author of the wonderful "Tears of Gold" gives readers another treat with yet another strong-willed heroine and irresistible hero. Sabrina Verrick, despite her youth, takes responsibility for her abandoned and impoverished family and becomes a female Robin Hood to help them survive. Lucien Dominick, in desperate need of a bride, pulls Sabrina out of one scrape after another and sparks fly! An entertaining and thrilling romance and adventure you won't want to miss!

Sabrina, watched the slaughter and death of her grandfather at the battle of Culloden in 1746. Escaping the slaughter and her grandfather's death, she runs into an English soldier Colonel Terence Fletcher, who has seen too much killing and lets the young girl go knowing that he will always remember her. She, then escapes Scotland with her surviving family to England, to live at an abandoned home owned by her neglectful and abusive father, The Marquise, Lord Wrainton, who is living in Italy with his New Contessa, at the time.

Sabrina, her sister Mary(who has the sight), her brother Richard and their dotty old Aunt Margaret(who has a secret)survive over the years in England,along with their local villagers, from the spoils the highwayman, Bonnie Charlie(Sabrina)is able to steal.

Bonnie Charlie and his gang of two, are successful and never caught until Lucien, The Duke of Camareigh traps and duels with Bonnie Charlie, his sword piercing through Bonnie Charlie's shoulder, and he wants Sabrina after learning Bonnie Charlie is a woman. She escapes he searches.

The plot of this book was very good with many twists and turns. Lucien's autocratic grandmother; Lucien's cousin's wanting to inherit his title and wealth and wanting him dead and any wife to be or wife with him. Sabrina's father and his new Contessa coming back and wanting to cash in on the beauty of his daughters by selling them to the highest bidder in the marriage mart.
Colonel Terence Fletcher(the one that let Sabrina go at Culloden)sent to capture Bonnie Charley. Seeing Sabrina and remembering her and putting two and two together to learn who Charlie really is. And Terence falls in love with Mary.
There is even a twist at the end with treasure and another villein.

Where it all fell apart for me... is that Sabrina and Lucien were fighting constantly, with arrogance, vengeance and hatred, even in their minds toward each other. The only time their was any love between them was when she lost her memory and Lucien marries Sabrina, three quarters of the way through the book. And I actually liked them then but all too soon she got her memory back and the arrogance and hatred began again, ugh! I wanted to shake bratty, hateful Sabrina and Kick Lucien's arrogant a-- most of the book!

I also found it hard to believe that Sabrina who had been run through with Lucien's sword, is recovered after only six days,(and is a virgin) and she just wakes up to make mad and passionate love with Lucien all night long? Would she be constantly throwing her arms around Lucien and rolling around on the bed with him all night long with that vicious sword wound, I think not?!
And later in the book, she is beaten by her father with a whip, opening up her back really bad, with open wounds all over it and she is fighting with Lucien AGAIN and riding out as Bonnie Charlie right afterward. She must have super healing abilities and stamina!
So although I liked the plot turns I had to give this just a three star.

If Sabrina and Lucien had even in their minds had more loving thoughts toward each other, I might have scored this book higher. But the constant arrogance, vengeance, hatred, abuse and bickering with each other turned me off. I have to have more understanding than misunderstands and more love of each other than hate and arrogance, in my romances. If you are like I am you may want to get this book from the library.

Sabrina, at 12 years old viewed the slaughter and death of her grandfather at the battle of Culloden in 1756. In her escape from beside the death bed of her grandfather she runs into an English soldier who is weary of the slaughter... Colonel Terence Fletcher, who lets her continue her escape.
Sabrina and her family then escape from Scotland to England to the abandoned home of their neglectful and abusive father the marquise,Lord wrainton, who with his new wife lives in Italy. During the 5 years after Culloden Sabrina and her surviving family live in their new home in England supporting themselves and the villagers with the help of the highwayman Bonnie Charlie (Sabrina). Safe in disguise and from capture until Lucien the Duke of Camareigh, duels and unmasks her and then wants her. Hence their thoroughly stormy relationship.

The plot has many twists and turns... with Lucien's autocratic grandmother; cousins plotting Lucien's death and any women of his that get in their way. The father of Sabrina, Mary and Richard, coming back into their lives with his new Contessa, wanting to sell his daughters to the highest bidder on the marriage mart.
Bonnie Charlie(Sabrina) still playing highwayman, Colonel Terence Fletcher (the one that let Sabrina escape, at Culloden) sent to capture Bonnie Charlie and he putting two and two together.
And even treasure at the end. And another villian.
This book had all the makings of a good book, I had no problem with the plot but it fell short for me because both Sabrina and Lucien fight all through the book. They were both arrogant, hotheaded and Sabrina was also full of hate and hateful. I just could not like them. The only time I liked them together was for one chapter where she lost her memory (for too short a time) three quarters of the way through the book, where they actually acted like they loved each other. I don't find hate, arrogance and fighting constantly romantic. But by all the 5 star I see her I must be in the minority.
The other thing that bothered me is 6 days after being run through with a sword and a virgin to boot Sabrina had sex all night long with Lucien. And when she was beaten with a whip unto unconsciousness, she was out on horseback as Bonnie Charlie again. That girl must have had superhuman healing abilities.
This book is worth buying and reading if you are not put off by all the bickering and arrogance of these two (lovers?)I wanted to shake her she was such a brat most of the time and I just wanted to kick him in the a-- the rest of the time. If you are like I am and like a little more understanding and love between your hero and heroine, I would suggest the library for this book.

I too have read and re-read this book until it has fallen apart. What woman wouldn't want to be Sabrina and have a Lucien in her life?
This, as well as the two sequels, is a must read for everyone who is looking for a little romance in their lives, but make sure you have time to read from cover to cover, because you won't want to put it down once you get into the thrill of the action.

I've really enjoyed some of the older romances that are being republished today. It allows newer romance readers like me to discover some remarkable romance reads that are truly timeless. It's how I first discovered Laura Kinsale, but before accepting any offer to review a book I check it out the best that I can. I like to read the back cover copy, and an excerpt if I can to see if it might be something that I would enjoy reading...after all time is short, and no one likes to waste their precious reading time. Luckily with a book that is being republished it's easy enough to find reviews and opinions so I was fairly confident that Moonstruck Madness would be a book I would enjoy reading because of all of the glowing recommendations...and after all the book sold over a million copies back in 1977 so it should be a great read, right? Unfortunately, all of my somewhat careful vetting let me down this time.

Moonstruck Madness follows the life of Sabrina Verrick, granddaughter to a Scottish Laird, and daughter to an English Marquis. Her story begins during the Jacobite rising in Scotland where she witnesses the defeat of her grandfather and his men and she and her two siblings along with an Aunt flee Scotland to return to England to escape most certain death, only to find an impoverished and neglected estate where they have to do whatever they can in order to provide for themselves.

At a young age Sabrina finds herself the sole provider for her family due to the absence and negligence of the only parent she has left who they haven't seen for over twelve years. As a young woman of spirit and daring personality she creates a persona of "Bonnie Charlie" who takes from the rich who can afford it, and gives to the poor who need it, but risks the hangman's noose every time she masquerades as the thief. While risky, she's never felt truly in danger until she robs the wrong man, Lucien, the Duke of Camareigh who becomes single mindedly determined to catch the thief who has been terrorizing the neighborhood.

Lucien is a man resigned to the fate of marrying for reasons other than love in order to gain the inheritance that his grandmother is holding ransom. He is a man that probably suffers ennui like most titled aristocrats, until he encounters "Bonnie Charlie". His plans for Bonnie Charlie alter when he discovers that "Charlie" is not a young lad, but in fact a beautiful young woman. A seduction ensues, and circumstances find the two married despite their love/hate relationship while escaping death more than once.

Moonstruck Madness has a much larger scope than most romances that are being written and published today. And there are times that I really miss that, but in this case I felt that the plot of the entire story was more important than the characters that the story was about. Through the course of the story it touched on so many things that I didn't feel that any of them were adequately explored.

I also had issues with some of the transitions and pacing of the story. At times it felt that some things took too long to develop, but other times I felt that feelings or insight into a character moved too rapidly or were overlooked and I found myself stopping and re-reading passages thinking that I must have missed something, only to find that I had not which is why I felt that I was reading the book through Google preview, where certain sections or passages have been deleted because of what felt like a disjointed writing style. For instance, within a span on only 12 pages the hero of the story goes from being the enemy, to the heroine seducing him to aid in her escape, then finding that she loves him after one night of making love to him with little to no insight into her feelings and why they changed so abruptly. The reader fully understands her reasons for hating him (even though that is a strong word to use), and I never could grasp why she loved him especially since neither of their motives had altered or changed.

Sabrina and Lucien's entire love story was a lesson in love and hate being closely related emotions and I really missed some of the internal dialogue and insight into what these characters might be thinking or feeling which you generally get in romances that are being written today. If the story would have been written today pages and pages would have more than likely been cut from the beginning. Focusing less on her ties to Scotland, which really only served as her inspiration for "Bonnie Charlie", and more on her non existent relationship with her father. More of the heroine's feelings would have been expressed instead of just in the actions that she took. The villains, who were fantastically self centered and evil, would have been allowed to be exceptionally bad, then dealt with adequately.

As it stands, I don't think Moonstruck Madness translates well in the 21st century. I also don't think it will appeal to as many of today's romance readers in the same way it did to readers in the 1970's despite some of the reviews you may have read. Some readers harbor a soft spot for it because it was one of the first romances that they read, but as a reader looking at it without sentimentality; I sadly found it lacking emotion, as well as character depth and growth. And while Laurie McBain created a superb cast of characters and supporting characters I didn't feel that any of them were explored and written to their full potential as a book being published today. I really wanted to like Moonstruck Madness, and if I just looked at the overall plot of the story the idea of it is actually very good, but where it let me down was with the hero and the heroine and the reasons why they love one another. I never did fully understand the love in this romance. And for me, that is the most important thing.

Ratings:

Overall: 2.75 stars
Sensuality level: 2.0

This book was my first foray into Laurie McBain romances, but it was enjoyable enough that I would read other books. The heroine is dashing and likable, with enough independence to keep me from constantly rolling my eyes, and the hero is suitably suave yet tough to make this an entertaining match up. I would not have guessed the book was originally published in 1977.