Customer Reviews

Whitefire

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

During the reign of Ivan the Terrible as Czar of Russia, Mongol Banyan Amur rapes Cossack Katerina "Kat" Vaschenko. She hides the incident from her family; however, she is caught in a naked embrace with a Russian emissary trying to obtain horses from the Cossacks. Her father believes that Kat has sold the horse breeding secrets in exchange for a little flesh. Kat becomes isolated from her clan which turns out to save her life when a dastardly raid by the Tereks kill her entire family and steal the prize horses. ...... Kat vows revenge and journeys across the Ural Mountains to ask her uncle, Khan Afstar for his help. Once she arrives at his camp, she meets Banyen, who fails to recognize her, though she knows who he is. Afstar gives Kat some prisoners, and assigns Banyen's men to be trained as Cossacks so that they can help regain the lost horses. Though the return trip is treacherous and the training potentially dangerous, Banyen and Kat fall in love with each other. However, this is not the land of TV's Luke and Laura. Instead, a rape, an insane Czar, and a herd of horses stand in the way of a lasting relationship. ..... This is a reprint of a 1978 classic, written under a different name by the renowned Fern Michaels. Two decades later and this classy historical romance passes the test of time with high marks because the reader can still taste the various ethnic cultures that made up Eastern Europe. .......Harriet Klausner

My first Fern Michaels novel. It was probably a poor choice for a first read from this author; I feel confident saying she's got to have better books out there than this historical, written in 1978. Yet there are plenty of romances written in the '70's and '80's that have held up better than this mish-mosh.

The one thing I can say that I unreservedly liked about this story--the only thing that seemed consistently well written--is the heroine's inner conflict after being raped...the oppressive burden she carries, that she needs to keep what happened a secret (because her clan values virginity), versus her desperate wanting, needing, to tell someone what happened to her.

This inner conflict, particularly the scene where she finally confesses to her dying grandfather what was done to her, is well done. Her devotion to, and her courage in getting back, her prize white mares, is also to be admired.

I also liked that the story was set in Russia during the reign of Ivan of Terrible -- a goldmine of an under-used period of history for a romance writer-- but, the scenes of Ivan's sexual decrepitude and growing insanity became gross and frankly repetitive; after the sixth such scene I was feeling queasy.

At times I found the editing confusing - sometimes I wasn't sure which character was doing the thinking/speaking.

But I think the real reason I'm giving this novel 1 star was not merely the fact that the heroine, Katerina was brutally raped by the (so-called) hero of the tale (though that actually is enough of a reason). It's because the author just doesn't have the skills to overcome that repulsive fact (does any writer, I wonder) and redeem Banyan, the rapist/male hero character, in order to give these characters a HEA. Thus, when they do end up together, it's really rather... gross? weird? Both?

Granted it's a pretty tall order to make a rapist the "hero" in a romance novel, but then, why would a romance author try to do this?

This book makes every pore in my body want to cry. It's a battle of wits and pride between the heroine (kat) and the hero. It is by far the best book written by Fern Michaels. It takes place in an interesting time nad makes you wish you a bystander to watch all this happen. Read it!

I'm pretty surprised at the four star rating on this book. It's one of the worst romance books I've read. The plot had potential and got my attention right away, but it just went downhill until I was skimming the last 100 pages. The leading man was disgusting, unlikeable (he rapes the heroin on page like 25) and spends his time thinking about how someday he's going to find a woman he can keep pregnant nine months out of every year. Then abruptly in the middle of the book he has a change of heart and we're just supposed to like him now. Katarina seems like she has potential, but the writing was so choppy and rushed in parts that I found it very confusing and she wound up just seeming like an idiot for falling for this guy. Overall, not a good read at all.

did this book get so many good reviews? The hero is IMPOSSIBLE to like!!! First he rapes Katerina, then he professes to love her, then, while only being gone from her for a short timeframe he has sex with any woman who comes near him!! In fact in one paragraph he is thinking of Katerina (whom he is supposed to love so much) and in the next instant he is lusting after a serving girl!!! Come on!By the end of this book I was hoping that Katerina would realize what a worthless jerk he was and forget about him, or at least beat him to a pulp. He really did not deserve such a woman as she. This book goes up for sale.

I am with the other 1 star reviewers here. It boggles my mind that not only has this book been published once in 1978, it has been republished twice since. I too like unusual romances, but this book was awful. I don't even consider it a romance. I won't go into further details as the other 1 star reviewers explain my feelings towards this book.

WhiteFire by Fern Michaels is wonderful. Although Russia is not my favorite setting for books, this one is an exception. From word go you fall in love with Katerina. She is wonderful as a character. You have to read this one for a really great book!

The brutal rape of a young innocent. The destruction of an entire clan of people. The role that one woman was play.The anguish of a man in love who realizes that he once raped the woman he loves. How can he make it up to her?! It will take your entire idea of love and reshape it.

I have never read a book as good as this. Katerina is a couragous young woman who sets out to gain her horses back after her village destroyed and she sets out to find the man who stole her virginity. The tables turn on her though. I loved this book and I know you will too.

I know rape was a big thing in romance novels in the 70s, but usually it was disguised as "forced seduction" so one could at least pretend the woman wanted it. Not here. Nope. The "hero" mistakes the heroine for a peasent and RAPES HER right out in the open in front of another person. It's only when he finds out she's nobility that he decides to treat her right. And she agrees to work with him? HECK NO! She should be trying to castrate him with a rusty knife like any real woman would. Not falling in love with the man who RAPED HER AND DEGRADED HER. I don't know what kind of delustional person would give this trash a five star review. Possibly someone who thinks it's okay when husbands beat and rape their wives or a rapist themselves. Because only someone who's completely delusional would like this trash.