To Distant Shores

By Jill Gregory

Book Overview

From the lap of London luxury to the poverty-ridden streets of Calcutta to the elegant ballrooms of revolutionary Philadelphia, Elizabeth Trent and Alexander Burke wage a constant battle -- against... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441814654
• ISBN13: 9780441814657
• Release Date: January 1980
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 405 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Bodice Ripper...beware! (potential spoilers)

I really enjoyed this book, but it's definitely not for the faint of heart. It's a true 80s bodice ripper, in which rape and sexual dominance are generally romanticized, where the hero is hard to like and the heroine comes across as waspish at times and weak at others. Completely within the reality scope of the time. Something many female readers of today would have a hard time connecting with. I think the biggest drawback is that the hero's behavior isn't tempered by information about his past until very far into the book. By that point (if you haven't put it down), you either are ignoring his treatment of the heroine or wondering what's wrong with the guy that he behaves so cruelly at times. Elizabeth Trent is a snotty debutante with a soft spot for her beloved uncle. Alexander Burke is a no-nonsense business man turned privateer who hates all things English and society females in general. Both are possessed of explosive tempers with take-no-prisoner attitudes, so when they get together sparks fly. Their relationship doesn't start out well as Lizzie's ship is captured and she's forced to swab the decks. Later misunderstandings have Alex taking the girl to his bed, sometimes without her say-so. Things go from bad to worse when Elizabeth becomes a pawn and plaything to the men who should be protecting her; then back again when she's kidnapped from a Calcutta dock and taken to America during Alex's prison break. Elizabeth finally finds her footing once in Philadelphia society, but gets caught up in her love/hate relationship with Alex while becoming the center of a revenge plot and uncovering a spy ring.

Stayed up all night

From the lap of London luxury to the poverty-stricken streets of Calcutta to the elegant ballrooms of revolutionary Philadelphia, Elizabeth Trent and Alexander Burke wage a constant battle against each other. Indomitable pride, explosive tempers drive them apart; undeniable desire brings them together. As traitors conspire around them; as friends reveal themselves to be enemies; as men strip off their polite facades to claim the lovely Elizabeth, to tame the wild Alexander, each fights a private torment more fiendish than any war. Elizabeth is everything Alexander spurns and rejects and Alexander is everything she has been taught to avoid yet never have they felt such ecstasy as they do in each other's arms. Only when pride and temper no longer matter, when what they once believed is shadowed by what they now want so desperately, do they join together in a love that is deep and splendid and eternal. The hero distrusts women because of a bad experience and acts accordingly. I didn't think the heroine was wimpy at all considering her circumstances and back in the 1700's, a woman's reputation was something to be guarded at any cost. One thing I particularly liked about this book was the insight into the hero's mind and emotions. Yes, he was really a bad guy at times, but he came through in the end. Another thing I liked was an unexpected twist at the end. For those who love the dark alphas like I do, try Karen Robard's "Island Flame" and "Sea Fire" starring Captain Jonathan Hale. I also recommend Christine Monson's "Stormfire." A warning though, only for those who aren't faint of heart and aren't concerned with political correctness.