Shanna [Hardcover]

Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1977

A tale of one woman's surging desires of the heart, the spirit, and the flesh...and of a man burning to possess her in vengeance and in ecstasy...

Product Details

• Hardcover: 534 pages
• Publisher: Avon Books; Book Club (BCE/BOMC) edition (1977)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000K1WTEO
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (188 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,432,512 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

With more than thirty-six million copies of her bestselling novels already in print, Kathleen E. Woodiwiess remains one of America's most successful and beloved storytellers. She is the author of twelve enormously successful masterworks of romantic fiction, including The Flame and the Flower, Shanna, Ashes in the Wind, Petals on the River, and The Elusive Flame.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good escapism, great romance, infuriating heroine..., September 25, 2005

By 

CoffeeGurl - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Shanna (Mass Market Paperback)

I have officially decided to put Kathleen E. Woodiwiss on the list of authors to look for whenever I fancy a historical romance/bodice ripper for some mindless fun and escapism. I enjoyed A Rose in Winter very much but hated The Flame and the Flower. I had hoped Shanna will be like the former instead of the latter. Lucky for me, it is more like the former. This romance/adventure novel is as riveting as it is infuriating. The year is 1749. Shanna Trahern is the daughter of a prosperous and kind landowner and oligarch of the Caribbean island called Los Camellos (fictional setting). All he wants is for his only child to get married and produce heirs that will continue the prosperity of his hard work. However, Shanna does not want to settle for any of the opportunistic suitors that are after her wealthy purse. So, while in London, with the help of her manservant, she offers a condemned Yankee criminal by the name of Ruark Beauchamp a night with her in exchange for marriage. She wants to borrow his last name, which is a well-known aristocratic name. Shanna has no qualms about doing this. After all, Ruark will be hanged a few days after the wedding and she'll be a widow in the eyes of her father after she invents a story about her husband's ill-timed demise. Her father will then finally let her choose whoever she wants for a husband. But when she fails to keep her end of the bargain, Ruark swears that he will escape prison and find her. In a struck of luck, Ruark escapes the hanging when he is purchased illegally to work as a bondsman for Shanna's father under the alias of John Ruark. Most bondsmen are purchased at debtors' prisons, but Ruark is chosen for his strength and potential as a hard worker. (Mr. Trahern isn't aware that the purchase of the bondsman had been done illegally.) There he finds Shanna and persuades her until she yields to him -- awakening the initial attraction and desire when she first met the sensual, gorgeous man. However, their romance faces many obstacles. What will happen when Orlan Trahern discovers that his favorite bondsman is his daughter's husband? What will happen when everyone discovers Ruark is an escaped convict? Who is the real murderer of the woman he was accused and convicted of killing at a London inn? They face many obstacles indeed, but the biggest obstacle is Shanna's unwillingness to yield to the beautiful and somewhat wild Colonial. There are various twists throughout the novel.

The best thing about this novel is without a doubt Ruark. He sounds scrumptious and sensual and is willing to play along with Shanna's petulance like a good sport. (Plus, he is topless through most of the novel, great mind candy.) He is quite persuasive in his mission to obtain Shanna not just as a lover but as his rightful wife. He is a very patient hero, for Shanna puts him through all kinds of pain and struggles due to her lack of faith in him in spite of his many attempts to prove that he loves her. Shanna is one of the most infuriating (anti?)heroines I have read in romance. Her lack of humility and selfish attitude disgusted me at times. Her treatment of poor Ruark is revolting. She desires him and apparently loves him, but refuses to have a normal marriage with him because he is a slave. It doesn't matter to her that Ruark doesn't have much choice in his status, for it is either being hanged or working the lands until he's earned his time and money and be free. The man could not do a darn thing right in her eyes. At times I couldn't tell whether Ruark was that smitten and lustful for Shanna or if he was simply a masochist. Her behavior is even worse when she is taken hostage at a ship headed for the Colonies (America). This is what went on for more than one-hundred pages: 1) Shanna chastises Ruark for having been unfaithful to her (he hadn't been unfaithful). 2) Ruark saves her life and from being raped repeatedly during the voyage, only to get nothing but rejection in return. 3) Shanna utters insults and abuse to Ruark. 4) She forbids him to touch her, yet throws a hissy fit whenever another woman so much as looks at Ruark. And so on. I know Shanna is supposed to be this flawed protagonist, which probably explains why the book is named after her, but she is difficult to stomach at times. The things that kept me reading till the end were Ruark and wanting to know how he would clear his name and vindicate himself. The results are very impressive and in some cases surprising. As for the other aspects of the novel, I enjoyed the historical references very much. The story made me feel emotions (mostly anger and frustration) and that is what I look for in romances of this sort. However, the novel is very long-winded and the prose is too flowery and wordy for my taste. There are many repetitions. I was reminded in almost every page that Ruark has "golden amber eyes" and whenever the characters stood "with arms akimbo," or when Shanna "presented her back" to Ruark. It became annoying after a while. Other than that, I can see why so many people swear by this book and Ms. Woodiwiss's works. She is a great author within the genre and her books are my newest guilty pleasures. The Wolf and the Dove will be my next Woodiwiss read.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will change the way you feel about love.....Always, September 14, 2005

By 

Isabella Duncan "Izzy" (Providence, RI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shanna (Mass Market Paperback)

This was one of the first romance novels I had ever read. And let me tell you even though it is long it is so worth the time. This book has everything you could want: love, tragedy, pain, joy, romance, passion, murder, jealousy....etc. Its fantastic! The main charcters Ruark and Shanna are just made for each other in a way that only soul mates could be. It is refreshing to see a book where the man makes the scrafice and give his everything to a woman. Although I do have to agree with some of the other reviews that Shanna was very annoying at times. You want to go in and shake her and make her look at Ruark for waht he really is.

But that doesnt really turn you away cause Ruark is such a strong and patient man that you just neeed to read on and make sure hes happy. He is the best hero in a book EVER. Truly the epitome od the word MAN.

Though the book is a lengthy read it is not boring. Reminds me of how long the movie Gone With The Wind was but just like that movie this book will just make you want to fall in love again or for the first time. I definitely recommend to any and everyone.If not for any other reason than to get to know Ruark. Trust me you will LOVE HIM!!!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Holli and Kathleen's review, December 24, 1999

By 

Holli Snow (Umatilla, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shanna (Mass Market Paperback)

The reason I first read a book by Kathleen Woodiwiss, the book was sitting in the library with my same first name, Kathleen. When I opened the book, the first chapter captured my imagination. I took it home and never let it down until it was completed...about 5:30 a.m. in the morning and I had to be to work at 8 a.m. I love Kathleen Woodiwiss books as she transports you to another place that is believable. I love history and Kathleen is historically correct. The costumes and places are wonderful. My daughter Holli has read all her books too and we both agree that Kathleen Woodiwiss is fantastic. Shanna is a character that both Holli and I would like to be like. She is so free to do what she wants to do with such vigar for life. Her husband is too good to be true and everyone would love to have a husband like him. I recently went to a sugar cane plantation and visited the area where Shanna was in the book. When I was in the Bahamas and visited the different islands, the book became even more real. The flowers, the trees, the ocean, and the sea breeze all were so real in the book and even more real once I visited the area. I have read 100's of books and can quickly assume the story in the first few pages. However, in Shanna each chapter has a new twist and no one could imagine the outcome until you read the entire book. Some scenes are quite explicit and I'd never read such a book yet the heroine is married. These scenes fit the character of Shanna. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery, romance and wants to be transported to a wonderful world outside the hectic pace of life.