The Rival [Mass Market Paperback]

Brenda Joyce (Author)

Book Description

Series: Rival | Publication Date: August 15, 1998

Amidst whispers of treachery and murder, the Stanhope heir vanishes without a trace...

After Lionel De Vere's mysterious disappearance, Garrick De Vere becomes heir to an estate shrouded in scandal. Blackmailed by his powerful father into returning to England after a decade-long exile, Garrick finds himself forced into confronting the past and defending his innocence against those who wished to see him banished forever.

She dared to love the man all of London hated...

Lady Olivia Grey and her daughter both possess the shattering "gift" of sight, and it is this vision which drives Olivia from a loveless marriage directly into the heart of a bitter rivalry between two brothers, placing both herself and her daughter in jeopardy-as lies, secrets and ancient passions threaten to destroy everyone involved.

The were strangers and outcasts, thrown together by a past that would not die. Together they fought to expose a legacy of deceit and claim the love that defied their entire world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When Lionel DeVere, young heir to the earldom of Stanhope, vanishes, the old earl presumes that his second son, Garrick, is responsible and sends him into exile. But this Georgian by the author of Splendor really starts 14 years later when the earl summons Garrick home and demands that he accept his responsibilities?including betrothal to a young twit who bores Garrick to death. Garrick is much more intrigued by her companion, Lady Olivia Grey, who's married to his lifelong enemy, Arlen Grey, an evil man who brutalizes Olivia and her young daughter because both have ESP. As is often the case, these special powers tend to substitute for more banal, but also more meaningful, motivations. The lack of real sexual tension pulls down the plot, but it gains momentum when the long-lost Lionel suddenly reappears to claim his earldom, which raises the question of where he has been and even who he is.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Emotionally abused Garrick De Vere could never please his father, the Earl of Stanhope. After his brother Lionel disappears and is assumed dead, Garrick escapes to Barbados. His father resorts to trickery to get his son to return and emotional blackmail to get him to marry and produce an heir. Olivia Grey is married to Arlen Grey, Earl of Ashburn. Arlen is having an incestuous relationship with his sister, Elizabeth, and delights in belittling and hitting Olivia whom he fears for her psychic gifts. Olivia and Arlen's daughter, Hannah, blind from birth, also has the gift of foresight. Olivia fears for her daughter and has hidden her powers from Arlen. While at their country estate, Olivia and Hannah awake one night in time to prevent one of their guests, Susan Layton from committing suicide. Susan is upset because she's been betrothed to Garrick and believes him a murderer. Olivia accompanies Susan to London to meet her fiancé. Garrick is cruel and rude to Susan, and manages to proposition Olivia, who finds him dangerously compelling, before he leaves. Despite vowing not to get involved with him, Olivia finds herself in love with Garrick and plunged into an affair that imperils both she and Hannah. Then Lionel reappears and Garrick must try to prove that this Lionel is not his real brother while at the same time rescuing Olivia and Hannah from the evil Arlen. Although I did admire the crafting of this book and Joyce's writing style, I must say that this is a grim, dark, angst-driven read that at times made me feel ill. Aside from the fact that there is adultery throughout the storyline and betrayal of friendship by Olivia, everyone is so incredibly cruel and corrupt. I did find Hannah fascinating, and if her story is written it should be intriguing. The Rival is a book that churns with emotion and danger. A dark romantic maelstrom that Joyce fans will savor to the last page! Joyce's writing is like silk! Powerful, evocative and emotionally charged! Phoebe Imel -- Copyright © 100198 Literary Times, Inc. All rights reserved -- From Literary Times

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 437 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (August 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312966210
• ISBN-13: 978-0312966218
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,181,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brenda Joyce is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of fourty-nine novels and five novellas. There are over fourteen million copies of her novels in print and she is published in over a dozen foreign countries. A native New Yorker, she now lives in southern Arizona with her son, dogs and numerous Arabian and Half-Arabian reining horses. Brenda divides her time between her twin passions' writing powerful love stories and her quest to become a nationally ranked Top Ten equestrian. For more information about Brenda and her upcoming novels, please visit her websites: www.brendajoyce.com, www.francescacahillseries.com www.thedewarennedynasty.com and www.mastersoftimebooks.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I can't believe this is by the author of The Game, July 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rival (Mass Market Paperback)

UGH!!! Are you kidding me?!? I don't expect much from romance novels, but this one was just the worst! The so called hero and heroine were so weak and sniveling I found myself rooting for the villains. Of course there's nothing wrong with a flawed hero, but this guy was just down right useless and boring. And, the most convoluted part was that the heroine held the key to her freedom all along and never utilized it to all their benefit. I hope the next novel takes a 180 degree turn for the better.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars great if you like feeling pity for your heroine, May 5, 2005

By 

mlle. x (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Rival (Mass Market Paperback)

I agree with the reviewer that left the five star rating: the plot of this book is very well-worked out, very intricate.

And I thought that the character development was excellent, too. There were a lot of people in this novel, but it was never hard to tell them apart; Joyce manages to bring her characters to life quickly and vividly.

I, personally, just can't stand romances where the heroine is being abused for so much of the novel. So when the heroine, Olivia, was scared, insulted, humiliated, threatened, or beaten on every other page - the book just started to seem like a burden to me.

The hero has the same problem to a lesser extent; he is unfailingly wonderful to he heroine, but he is more or less constantly being insulted, threatened, or humiliated.

I really felt like all the fun and excitement of the romance itself was utterly crushed by the haze of self-sacrifice, embarassment, and hurt that the main characters lived in. And, really, what starts out bad just gets worse, and worse, and worse.

There's a good chance I'll pick up another Brenda Joyce - there's obvious talent here - but I found this one painful more than anything else.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Finished...finally!!, May 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rival (Mass Market Paperback)

What a book. I can't think of any thing good to say. Hannah was the only likeable character. The rest were weak and/or disgusting. The fact that I was 10 pages from the end and could put it down until the next day says something. Save your money. I have read a few others by this author and cannot really recommend her.