Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (1939–2007)

Hoo-kay. I went into this book (1972 #11 in my History of Romance curriculum) knowing that there were problems. But, boy, are there Prob. Lems. Yikes. I knew it was rapey. I expected it and addressed that particular type of plot point in my review of The Sheik. Obviously, women from the time period that the book takes place in would not ever engage in or enjoy premarital sex so it had to be forced sex to move that plot forward. So, fine (I mean, not fine, but I've committed myself to this show more chronological journey through romance and I'm going to grit my teeth and see it through no matter how problematic. Probably). This is a pivotal book in the romance genre. One of the 1st with actual sex on the page and the 1st commercially successful one. So it had to be done. Stop here if you think you might read it because I'm gonna include spoilers. Also, trigger warn: It is rapey.

**Spoilers**

Heather is almost 18. She grew up wealthy in London but both her parents died and when she was 16 she had to go live with her crappy aunt who forces her to do all the work around the house and beats her and only lets her wear her old hand-me-down dress that is so big on Heather she's always falling out of it. After 2 years of this, the crappy aunt's repulsive brother, who is a dressmaker in London, comes to visit and he tells Heather he can get her a job at a finishing school there, which she of course is all about since it gets her off of this farm with her mean aunt. So she travels, alone, with the dressmaker brother, William Court, back to London and then to his shop, which is also his home. She meets his assistant, Mr. Hint, who is also described as repulsive. William shows her around, gives her a very fancy gown to change into, and they have dinner and retire to bed. When she gets to her room she notices it smells strongly of cologne but doesn't think much about it. She's looking through the closet in the room when William comes in and locks the door behind him. He was never going to get her a job at a school and brought her to London with her because she's beautiful and he wants to rape her. He even tells her he wants her to fight back because he likes it better that way. They struggle and he falls on a fruit knife that Heather had brandished in defense. She can see that he's dead, or nearly so, so she gathers her old dress and flees into the London night. She gets close to the docks and hears footsteps behind her and she's afraid she's been caught. She turns around to face 2 men who are like "You're coming with us. Don't give us any trouble." She thinks they are some sort of law enforcement so she goes with them and is only a little confused as to why they bring her onto a ship and present her to the captain, who happens to be very handsome and whom she thinks is a magistrate or something. And then he rapes her. She tries to fight him but she's exhausted from fighting the last guy that was going to rape her, and this captain is much bigger and stronger than the previous rapist so he quickly overcomes her. This captain's name is Brandon Birmingham and he thinks that Heather is a working girl who has been brought to him willingly. He is briefly surprised when he penetrates her and realizes she's a virgin, but then he just goes ahead and continues to rape her. And then he does it again. And then a couple of times the next morning too. At this point, he realizes that maybe she is not a sex worker, since she was a virgin and continuously fights him whenever he tries to touch her, but he figures, hey what's done is done and she's beautiful so he might as well just keep her as a mistress while he's in town. He has to leave the ship on business so she decides to escape. She dresses in her old gown and leaves the gown that Rapist #1 (William Court) gave her to wear in exchange for 1 pound she takes from the captain's room. She uses that money to get her back to her mean aunt's house. She tells the aunt that William had to leave the city on business and didn't think it appropriate for her to remain in London unchaperoned (It was fine for him to travel alone with her and for her to travel alone back. No one questions this.). The mean aunt is even meaner and Heather endures her for several months, but she's traumatized, can't eat, is nauseated all the time, and has nightmares about William Court, Mr. Hint, and Captain Birmingham. Then one day her aunt sees her naked while she's bathing and flies off the handle. She can see that Heather is pregnant and demands to know who the father is. Heather tells her she got separated from William at a street fair and was kidnapped by sailors who brought her to the Yankee captain who raped her. So they pack up and go to London to find Lord Hampton, who had been a friend of Heather's father and who was also in charge of finding and prosecuting smugglers. He finds Brandon Birmingham and they force him to acknowledge and marry Heather. And he is pissed. How dare she get pregnant when he raped her and trap him into marriage. He vows to teach her a lesson by never having sex with her, the girl he raped, ever again. That'll teach her a lesson. After they get married they stay at an inn because Brandon thinks Heather will be more comfortable there, but it's also dangerous enough that he sleeps with pistols under the pillow and his servant guarding the door. And then, sure enough, the 1st night they're there, 2 dudes break in and try to kidnap Heather so they can rape her and then sell her to a duke who will rape her. Brandon, of course, thwarts this attempt. They stay at the inn for a few weeks while Brandon sells his cargo, restocks, and readies the ship. They start getting to know each other a bit and fall into a somewhat comfortable routine. Meanwhile, Brandon is slowly driving himself crazy because he wants to have sex with her so bad but he vowed to himself he never would so he won't. A few days before they set sail, he starts acting weird like he wants to talk to her about something. He tries several times but never can get it out. It seems to us readers that he's about to tell her that he wants to start having relations with her, as they are going to be shut up in a cabin together for months at sea. However, what comes out is a diatribe about how she won't be allowed to roam freely about the ship because the sailors, being without a woman for a few months and with one so beautiful just hanging about, will get aroused beyond reason and try to rape her. He tells her "If a man watches a beautiful woman and is around her for a long period of time without reprieve, he gets a strong urge to bed her. If he can't it becomes painful for him." >puke emojipuke emojipuke emoji show less

This was a long overdue reread of an oldie but goodie. Shanna is more than just a classic historical romance; it is also an adventure story that goes from Newgate Prison to a Caribbean island to a pirate island and finally to the wilderness of the Colony of Virginia. The descriptions are rich with detail, making it easy to visualize each scene, and the characters are vividly portrayed.

Shanna is the daughter of a wealthy merchant who owns an island in the Caribbean. He sends her to London show more each year in hopes that she finds a titled husband, but each year she returns unwed. This year he gave her an ultimatum - find a husband, or he will find one for her. Unwilling to bow to his dictates, Shanna buys time to find the man she wants by marrying a man condemned to die.

Ruark is in prison for a murder he is sure he didn't commit but expects to die for. When Shanna makes her proposal to him, that in exchange for his name, she will ensure his final days are more comfortable, he counters with a requirement of his own. He will marry her, but she must grant him a wedding night.

In this first part of the book, Shanna is a spoiled brat, as well as being somewhat naïve. She makes promises to Ruark that she has no intention of keeping. Her attitude is arrogant, and she certainly looks down on him. She begins to sense that she has bitten off more than she can chew when she meets the "cleaned up" Ruark for the wedding. Ruark has understandably looked forward to the marriage and the aftermath and is in a cheerful, flirty mood throughout the wedding. There are sparks between them, though Shanna doesn't recognize the attraction for what it is. I loved Ruark's teasing and gentleness and couldn't help thinking about how lucky Shanna was. I was furious with the way she double-crossed Ruark and understood his fury. It was interesting to see how Shanna tried to justify her actions in her mind, but there was that niggling sense of guilt that gave me hope for her. She thinks she has it made because of his scheduled hanging, but Fate has other plans. It was an interesting plot twist that had Ruark avoiding the hangman and ending up bound for her home as a bondservant.

Once she reaches Los Camellos, the story picks up. Ruark, now going by the name John Ruark, is satisfied to be so close to Shanna, making it easier to plot his revenge. He is a smart and talented man and quickly makes himself indispensable to his employer. Shanna gets quite a shock the first time she sees him and realizes that she is not a widow after all and that her husband is determined to claim what he is owed. I loved watching his persistent actions as he gets closer to Shanna's father, and therefore closer to her. He also takes every opportunity to fan the sparks of attraction between them, until Shanna is desperate to stop him. She finally realizes that the only way is to pay her debt in full. That scene is romantic and steamy and opens her eyes to what is possible between a man and a woman. But the strength of those feelings also scares her, and she tries unsuccessfully to stay away. By this time, Ruark is head over heels for her, but can't make any headway in getting her to admit her feelings. She may claim that she doesn't want him, but certainly demonstrates a great deal of jealousy when she thinks he is with someone else. Her hotheaded behavior leads her into another rash action that has Ruark kidnapped and turned over to a pirate ship.

This is one of the most exciting parts of the book, as Ruark does what he must to stay alive. He tries to hedge his bets with the pirates, but it backfires and ends up with the pirates attacking the island and taking Shanna captive. I loved his quick mind as he found a way to bring her under his protection while preserving his cover with the pirates. Of course, Shanna is just as willful and stubborn as ever and nearly succeeds in getting them both killed. His confrontation with the pirate captain was intense, but the outcome was never really in doubt. He also knew that he had to get them away from the pirate island as soon as possible. I loved the unexpected help they received, and the escape was a real nail-biter. I was worried that Shanna was going to stand back and let him take the blame, but she did finally come through in the end. Her experiences on the pirate island opened her eyes, and she began to see just how spoiled and selfish she had been. I liked seeing the changes as they happened, and Ruark's reaction to them. He was understandably wary, but also hopeful.

A complication during this period was the presence of an Englishman, Sir Gaylord Billingsly, who is looking for financing for a shipyard his family owns. He is quite supercilious and has set his sights on marrying Shanna. He is a parasite of the worst sort and rapidly wears out his welcome as far as Shanna is concerned. There were some very satisfying moments when she finds ways to make her displeasure known. She doesn't know, however, that he has joined forces with Ralston, who has promised his help for a piece of Shanna's dowry. There are some devious and dangerous plans underway that could put a permanent end to Ruark's marriage to Shanna. There is also a visit from a sailing ship out of Virginia, where its captain is very interested in the story of Shanna's marriage. He also tells stories about life and opportunities in the colonies and invites the Traherns to visit them there.

My favorite part of the book is the visit to Virginia. Shanna and Ruark have come to an understanding, but she hasn't quite made that final leap. It was great fun to watch Shanna watch Ruark in his natural element of the Virginia wilderness. At last, she accepts what her heart has known all along, but there are still a few surprises in store for her. I enjoyed her growing appreciation for the land, and her acceptance by the family they visit makes her feel even more at home. There were some hilarious moments involving Ruark and various family members that all came home to roost with the arrival of one of the sisters. I ached a little for Shanna as the entire truth came out, as she felt foolish, but Ruark soon convinced her of the truth of his feelings. The excitement isn't over, however, as the murder charge against him rears its head once more, thanks to outside interference. There is more to the story still as the actual murderer uses Shanna as a hostage to attempt to escape. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, as Shanna's calm confidence in Ruark's rescue of her drives her kidnapper over the edge. The end to that was very satisfying, with nothing left but to tie up loose ends. I loved the epilogue and the surprise that Mr. Trahern received one morning at church.

Though Shanna spent a good bit of time on the disliked side of the tally sheet during the book, I enjoyed seeing the growth of her character. It wasn't fast, and it wasn't easy, but it was believable. On the other hand, I loved Ruark from the beginning. He is an honorable man, and that honor plays out again and again throughout the book. I loved his patience and persistence in winning Shanna. show less

I feel sorry for readers who see Kathleen Woodiwiss's name and pick up this book because Woodiwiss is considered to be the Mother of modern mass-market historical romance. This book is awful. First, and most problematic, the treatment of the female hero is abysmal. She is supposed to be a very capable young woman, but weak storytelling here finds her falling apart whenever the uber-masculine hero is around. Really? Do we have to do that old trope again? But even worse: she is sexually show more humiliated -- literally exposed -- at least three times before her wedding. Yuck. Are we really supposed to be entertained by this? And just when it finally seems like the couple has achieved their (unlikely) HEA, the last 150 pages turn very dark -- with murders, sado-masochism (and not the consensual safe-word kind), abuse, more humiliation of women, and just stupid, unnecessary stuff. In this book, the aristocratic class is presented as "normal" and "nice;" the servant class is presented as simple or even stupid, with much of their dialogue written in phonetic dialogue, and the evil villains coming from the merchant class and working class. Offensive. The entire novel is also hopelessly overwritten, with stilted, convoluted constructions at the sentence level, and a fundamental lack of pace in the plotting. The first SCENE takes like three chapters and 70 pages. The first DAY of the story takes us to about page 130. In all, there is about 200 pages of actual story in this 580 page novel. I hope I've convinced anyone who might be tempted to read this novel that it's a waste of time. Not recommended. -cg show less

This has got to be the WORST HISTORICAL ROMANCE I HAVE EVER ATTEMPTED TO READ!

Argh! The conversation was so forced, it was like watching an old play, with, I shit you not a proper damsel in distress. And he is the classic mustache twisting villain.

The author has proven that she has the uncanny ability to overstate the obvious...

Example: "Join me and we shall dine, so we quench our hunger!"

Really, you're hungry? OH MY GOD!!!! I thought you want to eat for a completely different reason..... show more

She tries to imitate the old way of speech and fails miserably, making the the entire book grate on your brain...

And she's all like:
"Oh, nay i beg of you sir!!!" *swoons* "You will never have my heart, you fiend!" *blushes maidenly*

And I'm all like:
BARF!!!!!!!!!!!

I only got to about 20%, and could not for the life of me stomach more... I wanted to slap her silly...

The stuff that get's published.........jeez.... show less