Blast from the Past: Devil’s Embrace by Catherine Coulter-a review

Welcome to a new feature at The Reading Cafe-BLAST FROM THE PAST-a look back at some of the oldies but goodies in the world of literary romance and ‘bodice-ripper- style novels.  Our first installment is DEVIL’S EMBRACE by Catherine Coulter. Please enjoy Rachel’s review and tell us about some of your favorite romance story lines from the past.

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From the author

Dear Reader:

Welcome to my very first historical romance, Devil’s Embrace,titled by my husband, and first published in 1982. I’ve updated it stylistically, edited it, trimmed it just a bit, and the art department designed a splendid new cover that magically includes some of the original art work.

Cassie Brougham and Anthony Welles, Earl of Clare, are my favorite characters of all time. Cassie has known the Earl of Clare all her life, but she’s in love with a soldier she’s been secretly writing to since she was fifteen. Now he’s home and they’re going to be married. But the day before her wedding, Anthony Welles kidnaps her aboard his yacht and sails away with her to Genoa, Italy; his stated intention to make her his wife.

Cassie is not happy about this.

This is an unusual love story, to say the least, that will make you weep and laugh and root for what you know is best for both of them. There is pain, doubt, captivation, and escape. But regardless of what happens, this is a love that is of the forever sort, something that is true and very real, and will stay close to your heart, I hope, for a very long time.

If you missed Devil’s Embrace the first time around, do read it now.

Enjoy,

Catherine Coulter (The Author)

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REVIEW

5 out of 5 for this reader folks!

THIS BOOK! ONE SERIOUS HOT MESS .. and I loved every single wrong, abusive, degrading, dramatic, bodice ripping minute of it. LOL

So here is a “Blast from The Past” review of Catherine Coulter’s Devil’s Embrace (the first book of her Devil series) and keep in mind that this was first published in 1982. This was written well before there was an established new adult, biker/rocker. BDSM romance sub genre. This was written in the time when Bodice Rippers were the risque read and I personally may have snuck a book or two from my mother’s book shelf when I was a young girl to indulge in what I knew was wrong ..lol! I know many readers will see nothing but the abuse and lack of integrity in characters and yes that is not always my fave part, BUT, I am an emotional reader who loves to bask in the dramatic, and these old bodice ripper books always give me goosebumps, make me so seething angry that I want to whip my book across the room, make me cry at the unfairness in treatment of characters, and finally, completely feel agahst at the audacity that the author went … there! So once I am done reading a book like this .. I honestly find .. I am the HOT MESS who just read something so completely ridiculously brilliant, I feel I need to defend why I loved it. LOL

I will start this review by saying that there is the following. Rape, non-con everything, abuse, kidnapping etc .. if you are triggered by any of these, please skip this book.

We are set in the late 18th century and our heroine Cassie Brougham (high noble beauty) is about to marry the man of her dreams. Before she gets to say her “I do’s” and live happily ever after she is kidnapped by our hero Anthony Welles (he is an Earl) and taken away from everything she loves. In order to keep her bound to him, Anthony takes her virginity making her his in every way. He imprisons her to keep her close so he has every chance to change her anger into passion.

As they travel across water, foreign land, Anthony does everything wrong to get Cassie to come around and open her heart enough marry him. Cassie will not have any of it as she believes Anthony has ruined her life (and he has). As time goes by, Cassie slowly begins to give in to the passion Anthony teaches her and maybe even fall a little bit in love with him regardless of her angry heart.

Both Cassie and Anthony have crazy adventures, misunderstandings, jealous spiteful moments and so many other characters and situations thrown their way to do everything to make things harder. Sometimes, it’s even their own selves that get in their own way. This book has it all, but keep in mind it is seriously dark and quite frankly unkind at times.

Catherine Coulter is a vivid writer. She can write her words in a way that let’s me see beautiful (and not so beautiful) imagery in my mind. I gasped and tingled at some points in this story. Her secondary characters certainly had a place in this book, but my goodness her main characters were perfectly imperfect! You made me FEEL and FEEL HARSH Catherine .. that gives you a 5 star in my opinion, no matter what some will precieve as right or wrong in your story telling process.

Next month I will “Blast from the Past” the second book to this series and I am eager to indulge!

HAPPY BODICE RIPPING READING! 🙂

Reviewed by Rachel T