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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable Beauty and the Beast type story,
By
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This review is from: A Rose in Winter (Mass Market Paperback)
I cut my teeth on romance with Kathleen E. Woodiwiss novels but gave them up in the early 80's because her style seemed so demeaning to women. "A Rose in Winter" was recommended in another reader's listmania listing and I was pleasantly surprised when I decided to give it a try! This novel is full of romance and intrigue and I was drawn in from the very beginning.
Poor Erienne is just a pawn to the men in her life. First she is little more than a servant to her nasty father and brother, pawed over by potential suitors and then finally sold as a wife to the highest bidder. She is "bought" by the reclusive and masked Lord Saxton and cannot bring herself to endure the touch of this scarred and crippled man. He woos her gently, dispersing her fear with his constant familiarity. During his gentle courtship, Erienne's heart begins to beat for another man, a bold Yankee, Christopher Seaton. Christopher and Erienne have a rather love/hate relationship, but his pursuit of her is relentless. Will she give in to Christopher and forsake her vows to the strange but strong Lord Saxton? Who is trying to destroy the Saxton's and what of the vengeful night rider who roams the country at night frightening some wicked men? There is redemption for some characters in this novel and retribution for others. You will cheer for the loyal tenants of Lord Saxton and the triumph over evil in the end. Erienne, though weak at times became a proud and strong woman by the end of the novel and I was satisfied that she did the best she could for the times she lived in. An engrossing read, dark at times but kept my attention to the end. I can highly recommend this.
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great escapism, Beauty and the Beast/The Phantom of the Opera-like romance...,
This review is from: A Rose in Winter (Mass Market Paperback)
Someone recommended this book and I admit that I was reluctant to read it. After all, I am not a big follower of bodice rippers and I've read many mixed reviews of Kathleen E. Woodiwiss's work. However, I decided to give A Rose in Winter a whirl because I figured the book would supply good escapism during my train rides to work. Despite some loose ends and numerous bodice ripper cliches, A Rose in Winter was not only an entertaining train read, but also quite a touching and palpable love story. The year is 1792 in Northern England. Erienne Fleming is a raven-haired, blue-violet-eyed beauty facing a conundrum: her father wants to find her a wealthy husband who'd pay for his gambling debts. Each and every one of her suitors is hideous and ill-intentioned, wanting to get her into bed the moment they see her, all except the dashing Yankee Christopher Seton. Well, he does want to get into her panties, but he is by no means unattractive. Unfortunately, he is also her father's biggest creditor and the reason why she is forced to wed someone to begin with. He is also the reason why her brother lost feeling in one arm after challenging Christopher to a duel. And that is the reason why Erienne "hates" him. Avery, Erienne's father, bans Christopher from taking part of the auction block where Erienne is sold off to the highest bidder, an enigmatic and grossly disfigured man by the name of Lord Saxton becomes her husband. But while the masked monster lavishes and woos Erienne with expensive gifts and incredible kindness, it is the handsome, sardonic and roguish Christopher that steals her heart, and soon she will have to choose between the two rather mysterious men.
I like the whole fairy tale feel of this novel. Beauty and the Beast (the original version, not the Disney one) and The Phantom of the Opera are two of my all-time favorite stories and I like that this book follows a somewhat similar theme. Christopher Seton is my idea of the perfect man and I admire his bold, yet misguided determination to win Erienne over. I enjoyed his sardonic ways and the fact that he seemed amused with Erienne's constant rejections. Christopher and the beauty and beast storyline were the attractive parts of this novel. However, there are many things I wasn't happy about. Erienne is a very one-dimensional heroine. She is shallow to the max and I couldn't believe that she was still wary of Lord Saxton after spending so much time with him and witnessing his kindness and love for her. She turned down most of her suitors on looks alone. Also, I found it unbelievable that every man wanted to cop a feel or rape her the moment they saw her. Woodiwiss made the heroine sound luminous and based on the descriptions I imagined a young Elizabeth Taylor, but the men reacted as though they had never seen a beautiful woman before in their lives and those scenes were too exaggerated and unrealistic. And the damsel in distress stuff was overdone here as well. The woman had to constantly be rescued by either Saxton, Christopher or any other man that was conveniently there to help her. Most of her distress centered on men harassing her. The whole damsel in distress thing is so outdated to me. In fact, the whole language of the novel was extremely outdated, but that was kind of expected since the novel was first published during the 1980s. The novel in general was too long, too descriptive (with too much purple prose) and too predictable. I knew what would happen the second Erienne was bought off at the auction. But that part of the story is quite compelling. All in all, the novel served its purpose by providing an entertaining, romantic, albeit cheesy love story with a very appealing hero. I look forward to reading a Kathleen E. Woodiwiss novel whenever I'm in the mood for some brain candy escapism.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unforgettable Love Story!,
By A Customer
This review is from: A Rose in Winter (Mass Market Paperback)
A new take on the Beauty and the Beast story, A Rose in Winter is one of my top 3 romance novels. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. Erienne is a colorful, willful, and proud character that readily jumps out of the pages, making it easy to relate with her. Christopher was a devious and thoroughly devastating character, it was impossible not to fall for him. The story was enticing and romantic, it was magnificently written. I was able to form a mental image of all the characters and the background as if seeing it on television. Being a romantic at heart, I truly love this book! My wish is that other writers would keep to the same formula Ms. Woodiwiss does, romance is in the way you seduce through looks and anticipation before touch. I now believe in romance and true love.
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