Customer Reviews

Shanna

5 star:		(148)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

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.

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!!!

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.

This review contains vague spoilers, and was written primarily in defense of Shanna.

I was very young when my mother handed me this book. I was an avid reader at the time, and I ate through romances as if they were chocolate (I still do today, but being an English Major, I've had to cut back). "Shanna" captured my heart like no other romance ever has. It was Belgian chocolate. Call me sensitive, because I am, but this book has been and will always be my favorite.

When my best friend was bored and looking for a good read, I offered her "Shanna". She was doubtful, as she had never been into romances, but she read it if only to please me. She enjoyed it immensely, despite the flowery prose that is characteristic of Kathleen Woodiwiss. We're both huge fans of fantasy fiction, and while there is no magic, there is plenty of action and adventure.

Like myself, my friend believed that perhaps one of the greatest parts of the book is Ruark, a handsome, amber-eyed, and terribly clever prisoner with a mysterious background who is meant for the gallows. Most people love him just after his first scene in the jail cell, when Shanna comes and strikes a dangerous deal between the two of them. He's catching fleas - so attractive! No, truly, to this day, my mother and I still swoon over him. And like a previous reviewer mentioned, he is shirtless. A lot. We like this.

Anyway, the deal gets the story rolling.

The plot moves along wonderfully, and the middle section is probably the most exciting bit, as Ruark and Shanna fight for their lives to escape pirates. It should be noted that pirates, in this book, are accurately depicted. While the romance of pirates is fun, Woodiwiss shows us why they were, indeed, greatly feared when they did sail the seas. We love Captain Jack Sparrow, but pirates were rarely that handsome, funny, and endearing. The story is artfully structured, beginning with an introduction to Los Camellos, Shanna's island, and the jolting the heroes into danger, and finally sliding into a warm and fuzzy - but not too fuzzy - ending. There is never a dull moment between the pirates and murderers and Shanna. Not that she should be grouped with them, but I'll get there in a moment.

The side characters are just as lovable - Pitney and Shanna's father, Orlan Trahern, become like old friends. Pitney acts as Shanna's conscience, which she rarely listens to, and through the loving, if temperamental, character of Orlan, we see why Shanna has become the way she has.

There is no denying it - Shanna is one of the most spoiled, selfish, infuriating females I have ever read of in a romance novel. That being said, she is my favorite heroine. People might expect something more of her, since the book is named after her, but what do they expect? Would the book have been as wonderful had she not been spoiled, selfish, and infuriating? Who else would be a better match for Ruark--Heather, perhaps, from "The Flame in the Flower", or Elise Radbourne from "So Worthy My Love"? Shanna tries his patience, and our own, time and again, but could we see Ruark or Shanna with different people? No. There is something wild and lovely about Shanna - riding along beaches, cutting through the island forests, visiting jail cells, tending infected legs, breaking glass bottles and tying the neck to a long strip of cloth to use as a bludgeoning weapon against an enemy (Hello, badass?) . She has many attributes a woman of her time in her position would possess, and yet still, she is different. We have all dreamed of the perfect love, and that is Shanna's greatest flaw - that she can't see that the perfect love is right in front of her because she's too busy dwelling on what she wants, rather than realizing what she needs. But who can fault her for that? Ruark is flesh-and-blood, dark and dangerous. Were any of our first loves like him, in our minds? It wasn't until I was older than I stopped picturing a sweet-faced lead singer of a boy band as my prince and began seeing the tall, dark, reliable, handsome man who possessed as many aspirations for himself as I have for myself.

Shanna grows. She changes. Stick out the book, stick her out. It is not that Shanna defies Ruark at every turn and makes herself look silly more than once that makes us love her--it is that she changes, a great ability that has been granted to all of us as humans, that makes us love her. She matures. She begins to see the world through love's eyes, not through the eyes of a high-society woman. Granted, it takes her time, but she gets there. And in the end, they, like we, can sit around a table and laugh at how long it took for them to reach happiness.

I, for one, am not always happy to read of heroines who are always witty or perfectly sweet or immediately loving. Granted, those are all wonderful qualities, but not all women possess them in their entirety. Sometimes, I like to think of Shanna as myself in a crabby mood. And yet, still, someone loves her. That means something, you know? She's not perfect, no. None of us are. And so, she is every bit deserving of the title, and she is every bit worth Ruark's love.

Read it. Fall in love.

I read with great interest many others' book reviews. It surprises me how many readers want the books (in general) to be shortened by a hundred pages or more. Or those who want to skip the historical references. My goal in reading "historical romance" books is to escape to an era we can only reference thru reading (or a well done historical movie -- of which there seem to be a decided lack in the romance category!) SHANNA was one of my earliest historicals and is still the standard by which I measure a 'good read.' Considering when it was published, (late 1970's) you often didn't find soft-porn style erotic stories that are flooding the market today (not to say they aren't entertaining when you're in the mood for them!) so the style may seem outdated or even 'tame' for some readers. SHANNA is 'a novel' and my biggest regret is that when it finally ends, (sniff) it does so with a flourish and only a short epiloge cementing the happy ending. Sure, there are parts where you become so frustrated with the bratty, spoiled Shanna and you wonder what Ruark is made of to put up with her..... hence the turning point during their forced tenure on Mare's Head island. One of the best aspects of this book is the fact that it covers about a year in the lives of two amazing characters. It takes a while for Shanna to 'grow up' and to sort out her conflicting emotions. And it's wonderful that Ruark's feelings for her grow from instant physical attraction to a deep and abiding love. His dedication in his pursuit of Shanna, finally wooing her into fulfilling her end of their bargain, is nothing short of perfection. When they finally get together for their tryst, you almost feel guilty for reading about it! So perfectly written....even after all these years, I still get goose-bumps. Ruark is the ultimate leading man! The supporting cast of memorable characters are so very important to the book starting with the beautiful relationships Shanna has with her father and uncle clear on down to her life long relationship with her maid. This story is unforgettable and I've lost count of the number of times I've read it since 1979 when I received it as a gift. Kathleen Woodiwiss indeed has a special gift of making the past come alive and creating such beautiful and deep characters. The love scenes are explicit without being tawdry. The heros (or heroines for that matter) are not bed-hopping nymphomaniacs. With all that being said, I have some criticism for some of her other works which do border on tedious. However so, all of her books are beautifully written and are definintely 'keepers'... worth returning to whenever you need an escape. I read many many books and grow bored with predictable story lines. The style of some stories starting with characters flung together for whatever reason and are madly in love and married in two weeks is just not satisfying. Woodiwiss books are not your typical 'regency england' settings and the characters are multi-dimensional. Granted, some of these characters seem too physically perfect but who cares? We are reading fiction, after all. My final thoughts on SHANNA are: this is one of the top 5 books I have ever read; Shanna & Ruark are THE MOST perfect couple and the story will remain in your heart forever.

Kathleen Woodiwiss accomplishes the romance author's most important objective better than any other author: Make the reader fall in love with the hero. This book therefore absolutely defines why more men feel more threatened by this literary genre than women feel threatened by pinup girls. Since I have a very serious weakness for swashbucklers, I am best qualified to say that Ruark is the last word on this type. I must have given at least a half dozen copies to friends.

The story is exciting and sensual, set in one of history's most romantic eras, and would make a great movie starring Adrian Paul as Ruark.

In the 7 time that I have read this book, I still am enjoying it. It is such a warm, funny and loving story. This is definatly Kathleen Woodiwiss at her very best. Shanna is a spoiled brat that is taught a lesson by the man she marries. A definate twist of fate. And Rourk is so devastatingly handsome and cool headed, he makes Shanna's head swim. Then! Finally love. This is a wonderful book that anyone could fall for. My husband has read this wonderful book and feels the same as I do. He thinks it fun, loving and sexy. Man-O-Man!!! Rourk does have sex appeal. Hope everyone enjoys this book as much as I have and still am.

SHANNA is a captivating tale by master romance storyteller Kathleen Woodiwiss. Finding herself in situation where she must marry before her father's return, Shanna goes to a prison to find herself a doomed man to marry to appease her promise made to her father. She selects Ruark Beauchamp; a man set to hang and in return promises him her body. They marry and she quickly reneges on her promise, leaving Ruark to return to his cell.
However, Ruark finds himself purchased to work in the Caribbean where Shanna has also returned to live. Working on the very land her father owns, Ruark is thrust back into Shanna's life. Their passionate embraces haunt them both and Ruark is determined to collect on the promises made to him by Shanna.

This wonderful story is steamy and immensely rich in historic detail. If you are looking for the perfect balance of romance, sensuality and history you will find it here!

If I knew that I was going to be stranded on a deserted island where I would not have access to Amazon or any other bookseller, I would make sure that I packed this book in my trunk before leaving home.

While this book is a mix of history lesson, psych evaluation and romance, it is well worth the read.

The heroine, Shanna, is a spoiled brat and the only child of a very wealthy man. In fact, she is the Scarlet O'Hara of this tome, and Ruark Beauchamp is her Rhett Butler, except he never walked away in the end.

While she drags this man through the proverbial broken glass and ringer, he's the sort of man who sees something beyond the spoiled brat to the woman she could become if given time and enough life lessons. Ruark has the patience and insights to see what Shanna could become and he's willing to put in the work to see her blossom...

And believe me, he so earns his shining armor in this tale of plotting, betrayal, irony and romance with a bit of murder mystery theater mixed in for good measure. And did I mention the pirates?

Believe me, getting used to Shanna's selfish arrogance takes a bit of time, but you'll be rewarded with an exceptional romp of a love story if you stick to it.

As I said, if I could only have 12 books in my permanent library on my deserted island, this would be one, and 'A Rose in Winter' would be another, also by Ms. Woodiwiss.

If you're looking for a great book to read on a rainy afternoon or after the tedium of daily life has been seen to, this is a great read. Enjoy!

Trust me, this is the best historical romance of all time! I have never read another book with a more wonderful hero than Ruark. He is funny, honorable, romantic and gorgeous. Some people are bothered by Shanna portrayed as the spoiled daughter, but personally, I think that is what makes this book so great. Ruark is relentless in his love with Shanna. No matter what she does, he still loves and protects her. I've read "Shanna" over 10 times. I compare all books to it and I've yet to find one better. In addition to Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Elizabeth Lowell, Amanda Quick and Julie Garwood are also exceptional writers.