Stormfire

As you have read in other reviews many people love, or really hate this book. It is worthy of those feelings. He is extremely harsh, he does rape and beat her...that was hard and even to the end while I understood him better I could never really *like* this man. She makes one stupid choice after the next they both do, I kept thinking it can't get worst for these two and it DOES ! really, it keeps piling on :( However as you can see I gave this book five stars because it was extremely entertaining, it captivated you and yeah probably ticked you off a bit. I think by putting this into historical context I was more forgiving/understanding of some of cruelty. In this time period/context such behavior isnt so uncommon...even today when there is war and hate, intolernace,oppression, cruelty such behavior can be quite norm. It took me a long time to get my hands on this semi rare book and it was worth it. It will stay on my keeper shelf simply for its bold and controversial take on romance. GREAT read!!

I agree 150% with previous reviewer J.Bergin. This book is not for those who want light fluff and a happily-ever-after without any work. This book is emotionally demanding and requires a bit of maturity from the reader. It requires the ability to see a situation from more than one side; to place themselves in the actual mind-set of the period; to see Sean and Catherine's characters as products of the world which they inhabit and the deep-seated hatred that existed (and in some places still exists) between the English and the Irish. It then requires the ability to see it through to its end and not give up on it because of an unpleasant beginning - like Catherine and Sean's relationship. Here we have two characters not just from opposite sides of the tracks - but opposite sides of the battlefield. Where the English had been brutalizing the Irish for generations and Sean's character had been reared seeing this utter destruction on a regular basis. Catherine represented everything he fought against. She was not a person - she was English. To feel anything tender for her was a betrayal of his people and it meant that he had to defile her/destroy her (or try) so that he wouldn't care for her because how could he come to love one of the people who had been rampaging through his country and leaving thousands of dead and broken, raped women behind. So what if she was raped, too? He was driven by revenge - to the utter depths of his soul - in a time period that was not very gentle to begin with. This was the era of the slave trade - and not just of Native Americans and Africans. Until the late 1780s 75% of all European inhabitants of the Americas were slaves - called indentured servants. This was the era of the galley slave. This was the era of the hook, the stocks and the rack and numerous other bloody tortures which were used on a regular basis throughout European society. It was not a very civil period. Raping the women of the enemy was actually somewhat expected. Now, I make no excuses for Sean's character but I do say this to point out that I think that Ms Monson did a wonderful job of following the evolution of these two characters. How through their sorrows - mostly brought upon themselves - Catherine was able to grow into a mature woman and find her peace while Sean found the ability to let go of the hatred that had ruled his life. How, in the end, "love" was able to redeem both of their souls. So many of today's romance novels are pure fantasy without any attempt to delve into the psyche and emotional complexity let alone the historical reality of the time period (and I don't just mean the cut of the gowns). If you remove the sex from many of them then they would read like a tv episode of Xena. They're funny and diverting but they have no true substance - no "meat". Granted this book is disturbing on many levels but it is also moving and it's so memorable that I can write a review after 20 years.

I LOVED this book! There are only a few books that I think deserve 5 stars, and this is one of them. Now this is not your typical "Once Upon a Time" Fairytale Romance, so this book is definitely not for everyone. Be prepared for rape, enslavement, and brutal abuse starting from the very first time that Sean and Catherine first meet. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. The author does a great job on keeping your interest throughout the entire book. There is never a dull moment and you don't want to skip any pages. The characters are just unforgettable. Love does conquer all, and the story of Catherine and Sean I will forever remember!

This is one of those books that you'll either really like, or really hate. It's an old romance, from the early 80s, and reads like one -- so much of what transpires between the hero and heroine is "dated" by today's standards and would instantly qualify the book for "wallbanger" status by many readers. I read this book the first time back in the 80s and fell in love with it then, so I think that's why I have fond feelings for it still. I'm not sure that a person reading it for the first time today would be so forgiving of certain aspects of the story. The story is plot-rich -- this romance is like many from the early 80s and quite epic in scope, taking us from England to Ireland to France and Napoleon's court. But what drives the story are the characters of Sean Culhane and his beloved "Kit", Catherine Enderly. More than anything else, this is a story about the redemptive power of love. If you're willing to buy into this premise -- that love DOES conquer all...eventually -- then this story may be for you. But be warned that there are numerous plot devices taboo among today's romances: rape, enslavement, brutal abuse, and adultery. Sean Culhane arranges for the abduction of 17-year-old Catherine Enderly, an English countess. His motivation is vengeance; he has a score to settle with Catherine's father. Catherine is spoiled and indulged -- which Sean despises -- but also intelligent and courageous -- which he reluctantly respects. Still, the very first scene between the two of them is oh-my-god brutal, so be prepared. Catherine is imprisoned and forced into a life of destitution and enslavement, with Sean always trying to break her spirit through means physical or mental, and yet at every turn he is thwarted by Catherine's indomitability. Against his will, he begins to admire her courage and begins to see her less as her father's daughter and more as her own person. Vengeance turns to lust, and lust turns to something akin to love, but still Catherine resists him. The more he continues to try to force her...to force her affection for him...the more she resists giving him what he wants, even though she DOES begin to love him as well, and her continued denial hurts her as much as him. An act of betrayal, the finer details of which elude Sean for quite a while, leads Catherine to marry Sean's brother, Liam, a man forever in his younger brother's longer shadow and resentful of it. Catherine is recaptured, and re-imprisoned, and Sean's love turns to hate. An injury to Catherine aggravates another pre-existing condition -- one unknown to Sean -- and sends Catherine into a type of madness. When Sean realizes the extent of his own culpability, he devotes himself completely to her recovery. Things progress in similar fashion for much of the book, as Sean and Catherine are brought together by their fierce love and devotion to one another, but then separated by Fate, time and again. When they are finally united at the very end of the

I have just gotten done reading this book for the first time. In fact I was up all night. I have to admit that in the begining of this book I was ready to throw the book across the room...more than once. I was so upset that anything like this could be considered a romance. I'm not one to start a book and not finish though, and I'm very glad I didn't start with this one. This has to be one of the best books I've ever read. It made me feel overwhelming emotions of love and despair. Any book that can make me feel that strongly about it is a keeper, and I plan to keep this book forever. Hopefully her other books will prove to be as outstanding.