Customer Reviews

Wicked Loving Lies

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Not your typical romance book. Yes we know that violence against women is wrong no matter the time period. This book contains several rapes scenes. If you know that this kind of material offends you then don't read this book. I was not offended and found the book to be very enjoyable read.

The story starts off with Marisa in a convent. Her father sends her would be husband there to meet her. When she realizes this, not wanting to marry at all, she leaves with a gypsy family. She winds up meeting Dominic Chanllenger in the gypsy camp where he mistakes her for a whore {she's actually a virgin}. Anywho, he winds up kidnapper her and talking her back to his ship where he pretty much rapes her {all while still thinking she's a whore}. After he realizes that she was indeed a virgin he has one of his crew mates to pay her off and put her off the ship. She somehow manages to stay on board when she realizes the ship is bound for France which is where she wants to go. Her mothers' family is there.

After some time goes by Dominic discovers that she is still on board. He keeps her naked and in his cabin for the rest of the voyage. Where he repeatly rapes her {Just incase you didn't get why she's kept in the cabin. Naked.} They final make it to Frances. And she finally makes it to her family {I won't give to much away for those that will wind up reading this book for yourself.} Dominic doesn't realize that Marisa is of nobility and so when he finds out he is talked into marrying her. Since he is the one that took her virginity in the first place. The so called honeymoon is another rape episode After which he abandons her. and yes folks this is the night after the wedding. He does this to her because he thinks it's all her fault that he had to marry her in the first place.

Further on: Marisa decides she wants to have an affair with Dominic's cousin {I CAN'T REMEMBER THE MAN'S NAME! sorry}. Because her husband has abandon her and she if certain that he is out doing the same thing. Anyway the cousin for some reason or another {never mind the fact that he and Dominic and bitter enemies} just can't see to bring himself to sleep with Marisa even while he is deeply in love with her. To him she is perfect and pure and so he handles her with kid gloves, UNTIL..... Marisa and the cousin {and I really do wish I could remember his name.} Anywho the cousin and Marisa are traveling in a coach and a group of men come upon them. Marisa is banded and raped {YES FOLKS. RAPED AGAIN. This happens all through the book, just so you'll know.} in front of the cousin. The men of course beat and tie him up first and then one man brands and rapes her while the cousin watches. The group of men leave them battered and helpless. The cousin {having witness what just happened to Marisa} is so turned on that when she manages to untie him; he in-turn rapes her once again. WELL HELLO FOLKS!!!!!! I don't know how Ms Rogers decided to just through that one in there but she did....

It goes on from there and Dominic and Marisa come together again; only to be separated once again when a ship that they are on is capture. In the mean while he rapes her several more times and she whines up pregnant with her husbands child. While separated once again she has the baby but is told that it died because the man that has captured her wouldn't allow her to keep it if it was a boy. The baby was giving to a woman that was capture with her and her and the baby were eventually found by Dominic. He takes the nanny and his son to America. While Marisa is dealing with the lost of her baby boy

Time goes on and after about 2 years or so the all meet up in America. Dominic is of course under the impression that Marisa just gave her baby away because she wanted nothing to do with him or his off spring becomes engaged to another woman. Marisa goes to stay with an evil-hateful woman that was married to her father {he dies in the story but I'll let you read how and why. It's shocking, I promise.} Anyway by then Dominic and Marisa are divorced and living very separated lives. They meet at a party and she finds out that her son still lives. And this meeting didn't go at all well. I have to tell this part. The morning after the party she goes out for a walk. He is out of a ride on his horse the two some how meet. Guess what folks????? Yep, you guessed it. He attacks and rapes her again. This attack on her person does not hinder her. She still wants to meet her son. So about a week or so later she demands that she be allowed to meet him and Dominic reluctantly agrees with her. He pick her up in a carriage and takes her to where she believes she is finally going to meet her son.... No so folks. He talks her to a room and attacks and rapes her yet again.

{Now don't misunderstand folks. Three is more to this book then Dominic raping his wife. There is plenty of adventure and action in this book. She also winds up having affairs with Napoleon himself and an Arabian prince. She was sold into slavery by her step-mother and her husband rescues her. } They eventually realize that they can't live without each other and go off and live happily ever after.

Where to begin with this book - I started reading Rosemary Rogers years ago - the Steve Ginny books were my first real romance books and I felt nothing could compare to them. In some respects all books I read today are a little less than anything Rosemary has ever written. There is something about the depth of plot - the emotional intensity she brings - her books are like epics one can really get involved. The story of Marisa and Dominic is one of the most intense I have ever read. It takes so long to finally get a true feeling about Dominic - for the first half of the book he does seem brutal and the way he treats Marisa is appalling - but she is so naive and acts so stupid at the beginning - and lets face it men back in those days were not ever worried about the consequences of rape - if a woman acted in a certain manner or put herself in dangerous circumstnaces she deserved whatever she got. and Marissa constantly put herself in Dominic's way. Certainly Dominic was not one to trust - his background his total life experiences placed him on the low end of trusting ANYONE and certainly not a little wench. I cannot say I enjoy the main hero constantly raping the heroine - however in this book it was necessary for the plot and when you read Rogers you come to expect a certain amount of bodice ripping scenes. The very best part of this book comes in the last 200 or so pages. When Dominic and Marissa finally after knowing each other for about 3-4 years - finally spend time together - they finally truly make love - they finally talk - they come to realize that all that they have gone through has brought them to this place in time TOGEHTER! Such a telling scene for Dominic to reflect on was when Marissa tells him each time she was "taken by a man" and over and over she says HIM!! Marissa had remembered it all - Dominic so typical of a man probably had never realized what a brute he had been.But during this time when they are often alone on their journey to Spanish territory Dominic really becomes a genuine caring person. He shows true emotions. Marissa really falls deeply in love. At times I wanted to cry for their love. I guess I am a true lover of this book - I love to really upon occasion get immersed in a complete love story. And the only reason I am not giving this book 5 stars is the ending!! After reading almost every minute detail of their lives why were we cheated to such a quick ending. I wanted to see her reunited with her son - I wanted to know what became of his finace - I wanted to see them have one more intense love scene when they finally were committing to forever - this book just sort of ended. After so detail it just ended. But except for that it was one unbelieveable story and if you like Rosemary Rogers and want to immerse in a book for several days - read this book!!

First, let me say that I am an avid reader and have hundreds upon hundreds of books in my collection. Some of my favs being Feather, Johansen, Garwood, Coulter, Lowell... I have read a couple of Ms. Rogers lighter novels which were ok - but this one was horrible. Marisa - the "heroine" - if you can call her that - is an idiot who goes along with everything that is pushed at her. She is raped repeatedly (by several different people)and never has a decent sexual experience until she is kidnapped and placed in a harem. Even then he only does the "turkish" love move and she is always drugged. But she accepts is readily - which is ludicrous after everything she had already been through at that point. Let me also point out that there is nothing erotic about the sex/rape scenes - they are pitiful.

Dominic - the "hero" is a complete jerk. Repeatedly raping Marisa (not seducing) - and they never have an actual conversation. He is accuses her of spying/[sleeping around] and she whines to herself that she is too proud to correct him - over and over again.

The intrigue/spy aspect is disjointed and incredibly far-fetched. It seems that Ms. Rogers bit off more than she could chew with the French/English/Spain/American conflicts shortly after the French Revolution. There is NO consistancy at all. You can't like the characters - I hated them all!!

Again, I have never written a review like this before - even if I don't particularly love a book, I can usually find something good about it. Not this one. I wish I hadn't wasted [price] on it.

First to the critiques: This is a fictional piece we're discussing, not yesterday's front page headline of events that happened to a young girl down the street!! Lighten up & enjoy this novel as it's intended to be. However, pay close attention to negative remarks if you are faint of heart & prefer Harlequin or simpleton short stories from a romance magazine. Should you love to surrender to the impossibilities & improbablilities that all romance novels present, to passion & lust which are semi-shocking, if you can place yourself in a different era without screaming "women's lib," then this book is a MUST READ! I first read this work approximately 20 yrs ago (recommended by my mother!). Again 5 yrs later and again some yrs after that. As I matured, so did my love for this book. Save Kathleen Woodiwiss' "A Rose in Winter," there is not a better romance novel out there. Wicked Loving Lies displays more than romance..there is tyranny, adventure, anquish, excitement, suffering and love that is sweet, bittersweet, bold & brazen. It is most unique & could very easily fit into a classification all it's own. Is it all so "wicked?" You bet it is and well worth it. It's a 5 star piece if you have the ability to separate yourself from reality & fictional romance.

I forced myself to finish this book thinking the ending would be redeeming. I cannot bring myself to like either the "hero" or "heroine". I love historical romance, but severely disliked this book. If you are looking for a good historical love story, check out Stormfire by Christine Monson.

This book was incredibly disturbing to me...it consisted of aseries of events during which the "heroine" was raped,sodomized, branded, whipped, and enslaved, before realizing she was "in love" with the man who raped her first, last, and most often. I can't tell you how much it frightens me that this series of events is published under the name of "romance".

The main character is repeatedly raped by the "hero" of this novel who starts off by keeping her as a sex slave and then becomes a victim again and again in place after place. Ms. Rogers seems to equate placing rape in exotic locations with romance and adventure - not even. Romance readers want spinetingling adventure, not torture. We want tender, passionate, sensuous lovemaking, not sexual assault. Read only if you're into bondage and abuse. Quite frankly - Very, very, very, very, bad!

Let me just start by saying that when I finished this book, my sister-in-law and I wanted to burn the blasted thing to ashes and dance upon them gleefully in the moonlight. Yes, I felt it was that bad, and no, I'm not particularly picky about books. I'll read almost anything.

Why is it authors like Ms. Rogers or Bertrice Small can get away with weak-minded heroines who go from man to man to man by simply putting them in exotic locales? Do they think we enjoy seing women objectified as mere objects of sex and desire to be tossed around like chattle?
"Ohh. She's getting raped on a pirate ship."
"Ohh. The king wants her as a mistress." (Which, I might add, happens frequently in Small's work, as well).
"Ohh. She's being held prisoner in a harem." (Again, see Bertrice Small).

What really boggles my mind is how in the world Ms. Rogers manages to prattle on for 768 pages about two characters I can honestly say I don't really know all that well? For that matter, why in the world did I insist upon finishing it? The only answer I have for that bit of self-introspection is to say I'm equally fascinated watching footage of car chases and train wrecks on the television.

I agree with the reviewer that said this book was stressful. How did Ms. Rogers manage to write this every day? I'm a writer myself and can happily admit that there are days I just don't feel like endangering my hero or working out an argument, but I get through them because I know good things will be happening. Not so in this book. Nothing good happens ever. EVER. Let me repeat in case you didn't understand. EVER.

I wasn't aware this book was part of a series. I shudder to think of the implications that has on society. I suddenly have the urge to run through the streets of Japan, pointing to the sky, and shouting, "Run! Run!"

I wont give a summary of the book because many others have before me but what i will do is defend this book tooth and nail. I read this book when i was just becoming a teen and i fell in love with the drama, the suspense, the very erotic moments, the male dominance, the female growth, and last but not least the passion! This book, i admit, is not for everyone- its harsh and yes many rape scenes do occur but i have always found the male dominance stories interesting and surprisingly erotic. Another reviewer was right when she said "historically back then, that's how males thought and felt about females and rape did not have the same definition it does now"-I agree completely, if someone truly understands a historical romance, then they must understand the history of sex too. Sex was not always so soap-opera like and so "female-istic". If you want historical then please consider what actually happened sexually back then and how people felt culturally about sex. Rosemary Rogers books have always been a joy, i love authors who are not afraid "to-go-there" and she is one of them just like one of my other favorites Susan Johnson. Before considering reading please realize that if you are into those sappy, yes very fictional, historical romances then please read something you can handle, if you have read and have immediately insulted it or felt threatened then go watch the history channels show "the history of sex" and let me know how a true historical romance novel should be.

This book is absolutely to die for. It is not your typical sweet and gentle love story, but a more realistic gritty full of angst, passionate tale. Some people criticize Rogers for her "forceful" sex scenes, saying that rape is not romantic, but to me, it seems as though Dominic, though wary of love, cannot control his feelings when it comes to Marisa and expresses those uncontainable desires by forcing himself on her, but don't get me wrong, she enjoys every moment of it and so do I. I mean, the man is so controled with everyone else that his inablity to control his desires with Marisa makes it even hotter. The story keeps you guessing, rooting for what you know is best for the both of them, and once you start reading it is hard to put down. For those of you that like a sweet, predictable, polite romance reads, stick with other writers. But if you are like me and appreciate love that is dragged through the mud, and lovers that struggle through conflict, who still have an intense burning desire for one another after it is all over then read this book and thank me later. It is among my top three favorite historical romance novels, including RR Sweet, Savage Love and Kathleen Woodiwiss's The Wolf and the Dove