Prisoner of My Desire

by Johanna Lindsey

Book Overview

Destined to be yet another bestseller from the inimitable Johanna Lindsey. Spirited Rowena Belleme must produce an heir - or incur the dangerous wrath of a ruthless stepbrother who stands to forfeit... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380756277
• ISBN13: 9780380756278
• Release Date: December 1991
• Publisher: Avon Books
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Controversial, but utterly compelling.

Okay, as you've no doubt realised from reading the other reviews here, this book is controversial. It has two rape scenes, beginning with a man being raped by a woman (against both of their wills) and followed by him exacting revenge by visiting the same treatment upon her. I don't like rape. I'm always one of those people who call for tougher penalties in rape cases, and if I were a narrow minded person I might have condemned this book for featuring rapes. However, I must admit, I found this book utterly compelling. Sometimes it shocked me, I'll grant you, but this gave me a great excuse to explore my own feelings about the subject matter, and also gave me a view into the psyche of both the perpetrators and victims of such crimes. It was an intelligent work of fiction from a skillfull writer, and she didn't gloss over the realities of the situation. There were consequences of actions for the characters, who had both been essentially good people before being forced into a brutal situation not of their choosing, and they were also forced at later times to confront the feelings of guilt and shame that committing such acts brought out in them. They both grew from the experience, and became better people. They proved themselves worthy of forgiveness, and eventually love -- love that they both earned the hard way. I liked that. I like to think that people can redeem themselves, especially when they are not really bad people but rather just victims of tragic circumstance. Another thing, too, is that this book is set in medieval times, and they were harsh times. There was a reason they were called the dark ages -- dark things happened! To shine the light of modern ethics and standards on the behaviour of medieval characters is unrealistic. I liked this book. It was exceptionally well written for its genre. I liked that it dared to go beyond the normal light and fluffy boundaries of your usual romance books. I liked that it featured a PREGNANT woman as its sexy leading lady, proving that yes, pregnant women can be gorgeous, and men do find them attractive! And I liked that the story was utterly compelling, to the point where I couldn't put it down. I laughed. I cried. I FELT for the characters. I cared what happened to them. It was realistic enough that it made me forget it was a work of fiction. But when it all boils down to it, that's what this book is -- FICTION. The author clearly doesn't condone or encourage rape in any way. She is simply presenting us with a story, to entertain us, to make us think, to let us see the world from a different perspective. That's what the fantasy of books is all about. It's not the real world that you'll find in books. It's this other place, one where we can go to to see the things that aren't done in real life. And I for one enjoyed this book, and the places it took me to, controversial subject matter or no. I think there will be a few people who will refuse to read or enjoy this book for fear that by liking it

Stark yet entrancing - a sensual medieval tale

This is the second time I have read Prisoner of Desire and it was as much fun to read as eighteen months ago. I did not write reviews then but could still remember the plot lines well which is unusual because I have read at least 300 books since then. This book was written during an era of romance writing that portrayed aggressive heroes who indulged in a single or occasional scene of non-consensual sex. This book definitely falls into that category but it is very different in that both the alpha hero and innocent heroine take their turn as the aggressor of these scenes. I picked it up knowing it contained some of those scenes but remembered, aside from all of that, is was a fun, not-to-be-put-down type of book. It takes you from sadness to laughter repeatedly and cruelty to kindness more than once.It's 1152 in England, and Rowena Belleme has been forced into a marriage with a very elderly man by the machinations of her greedy stepbrother, Gilbert. Although Rowena owns lands that have long been in her family, Gilbert controls all of her properties and wants Rowena to marry a wealthy lord and thereby increase her holdings. Gilbert wants the additional lands but NEEDS the additional fighting men the alliance will provide. A formidable, powerful, vastly wealthy and certainly vengeful warlord is fighting Gilbert on many fronts. This lord and formidable knight is none other than the hero, Warrick deChaville. Warrick is only fighting Gilbert in retribution for his attempted seizure of one of Warrick's holdings. And one thing Warrick does very well is exact "utter destruction on anyone so unwise as to encroach on what was his."Rowena, a spirited, young, and truly innocent woman, must participate in Gilbert's awful schemes because he holds her mother's life in his hands and will beat her or even kill her if Rowena refuses. Gilbert places one condition upon her marriage to the decrepit lord - she must produce an heir. None of his holdings will transfer to Rowena upon his death without an heir. When the old man is unable to produce an heir, Gilbert's men capture a younger man in a bathhouse who possesses similar physical features to Rowena's husband. They are to take a serf or villein - certainly no one of nobility. But it is a bathhouse and their chosen prey, Warrick deChaville, is not wearing any trappings of nobility or wealth. Gilbert does not realize the horrible mistake he has just made and chains Warrick in a bedchamber and commands Rowena to use him to produce an heir.And oh --- that's just the beginning pages of the book. Things only get more and more involved, spiraling deeper and deeper as you consume the pages with greater and greater speed. Although there are a few predictable situations of typical romance writing, this story is rather unusual in that you do not know what to expect next. Just when I had figured out what I thought would happen next, it didn't.Warrick is an unforgiving and hard hero. Rowena is a subjugated a

A good novel--for more than just the sex!

Opinions differ and I understand how some readers would be offended by the bondage in this novel. I'm not a fan of bondage, but the bondage in this novel is NOT painful. Rowena and Warrick never do anything to intentionally cause each other physical pain. That is the entire difference. Rowena and Warrick have an attraction that cannot be denied which make the bondage scenes very appealing. The love scenes leave the reader tingling. I loved that Rowena got to "..." Warrick. For a change, the man is the sex object. All that said, there are other aspects of the novel that make it worth reading. This novel has one of the most intricate, ironic, and original plots I have ever read. There are times of hilarity. Touching moments. Rowena is an admirable character. She is strong, stubborn (at the right moments), and witty. I'm not a big Johanna Lindsey fan. This is one of her best. She wrote it around the same time when she wrote other really great novels such as Man of My Dreams and Angel.

Linsey's best!

I've read all of Johanna Lindsey's books, and this is my favorite. The plot turns the usual romance formula on its head. Here, the heroine, Rowena Belleme, must seduce a very unwilling hero, Warrick deChaville. Later, Warrick vows to seek revenge, but despite his best plans, he cannot resist Rowena. One of my favorite things about this book is that Warrick is not a modern male lurking in medieval clothing. He's a medieval warrior - he's violent, he treats his daughters as nothing more than chattel and he considers women to be little more than sexual conveniences. Not that those are good things; it's just more realistic for the time period. It is a sign of Lindsey's talent as a writer that she is able to work within these limitations and still create an appealing romance.

very interesting

I am an avid reader of romance novels. I have read many but never have I come across one so original. If you read romance novels as much as I do, you would know that great, imaginative storylines are rare and hard to find. This, indeed, is one of the best books I've come across. I always find it irritating when I read a one-sided review that tells me nothing about what the book is about, so here it is [briefly]: Rowena Belleme, a young, beautiful, virginal, aristocratic woman is forced to do the unthinkable due to some terrible circumstances. She's made to 'rape' Warrick, a great Lord, who also happens to be a gorgeous, big giant of a man. After the deed is done - the reason the deed was done was because Rowena's elderly husband croaked in the nick of time and a suitable replacement was needed fast! so became the abduction of Warrick - they let the handsome knight go, never expecting to hear from him again. What a shock they were in for because in not too long Warrick was back, and with his army too. Rowena was captured, as Warrick had vowed revenge and Rowena was going to pay. She was taken to his castle, where she was repaid in kind by Warrick, over and over, again and again. After a while Rowena is made his personal servant to serve him only. I bet you can guess that his passion is very ardent and she recoils at first, fearing his lust ... I'll let you wonder the rest. Anyway, the book was a delightful read. I'm not an obssessive fan of Ms. Lidsey's but I must say that she has done a very, very good job. I recommend this book to anyone who likes tummy-wrenching erotica along with sweet romance. I thought this book was a two-hanky read.