Silver Devil Teresa Denys Ebook Store
Amid the gilded opulence and dark intrigue of Renaissance Italy grew a love that knew no bounds. No woman's heart is safe from the Silver Devil. From the moment he sees the beautiful Felicia, he must have her. Overnight he changes Felicia's nightmare world of tavern drudgery into an erotic adventure as his royal mistress. He is the Duke of Cabria who holds his subjects Amid the gilded opulence and dark intrigue of Renaissance Italy grew a love that knew no bounds.
No woman's heart is safe from the Silver Devil. From the moment he sees the beautiful Felicia, he must have her. Overnight he changes Felicia's nightmare world of tavern drudgery into an erotic adventure as his royal mistress. He is the Duke of Cabria who holds his subjects in constant fear. He is troubled. He is ruthless.
A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught: 3 “More.Galavant Than.The Tudors” Stars. Hells yeah, I want to go there! I don’t really have a choice. Before cracking open, A Kingdom of Dreams, I read Teresa Denys’ masterpiece,.The Silver Devil, and in a Medieval romance face-off; McNaught’s version loses hands down. Explore Mariama Kamara's board 'Bodice Ripper Covers' on Pinterest. See more ideas about Bodice, Book covers and Historical romance.
And Felicia is hopelessly in love with him - though at times he seems like the devil incarnate. I don't read too many historical romances, but every once in a while it is nice to change it up. When I read a friend's review for this one, it sounded like just my type of story. I have a thing for despicable, often abusive, heroes.
I love reading stories about the type of guys that you'd run screaming from in real life. It's a hang-up of mine, I guess. Set in the 1600's, 'The Silver Devil' tells the story of the Duke of Cambria, aka Domenico. Used to getting his way at any cost, he is cold, sel I don't read too many historical romances, but every once in a while it is nice to change it up.
When I read a friend's review for this one, it sounded like just my type of story. I have a thing for despicable, often abusive, heroes. I love reading stories about the type of guys that you'd run screaming from in real life. It's a hang-up of mine, I guess.
Set in the 1600's, 'The Silver Devil' tells the story of the Duke of Cambria, aka Domenico. Used to getting his way at any cost, he is cold, selfish and often cruel. When he sets eyes on Felicia one afternoon, he decides that he will have her by any means necessary. When Felicia wakes up in an unknown place, she is soon made aware of her circumstances. A young virgin, Felicia is terrified when she is told that she is to be the newest plaything for the Duke.
She resigns herself to a fate worse than death. Over the course of many weeks, Felicia eventually grows fond of the Duke, despite his less than pleasant disposition. The kind man and tender lover that he is privately, contrasts sharply with the cruel and calculating man he is in public. Watching how easily he dismisses his closest acquaintances with little regard, she fears the day that he will grow tired of her. Domenico was definitely a tough character to like.
He takes Felicia by force and shows little regard for her feelings for much of the book. At the same time, he treats her with just enough tenderness to keep masochistic readers like me hanging in there. I can't resist a bad guy that is almost irredeemable. Domenico fits the bill perfectly. Just when I thought he'd crossed the point of no return, he'd go and show another side of himself. He was every bit as endearing as he was infuriating. If, like me, you love stories about really bad guys that turn over a new leaf for the woman they love, then this is a good choice.
It doesn't come quickly or easily though. You will have to hang in there to the very end to get the transformation you crave. Domenico was a tough one to break. Overall, I really enjoyed this historical romance. I found the characters and storyline to be very interesting.
I did have to slow down a little to make sense of the language, but for a novel set in the 1600's, it was easier to follow than I had anticipated. I'm certainly no authority on this romance sub genre, but I thought this was a fantastic read. The Silver Devil by Teresa Denys: 4 “Uncomfortably Good” Stars.
He bought her for thirty pieces of silver, drugged her, dragged her from her home, held her captive in his cellar, subjected her to the scorn of his cohorts, surrounded her with jealous former lovers, and took her virginity in the most violent and humiliating way. When she smiled at a boy, he tortured and killed him. When she tried to escape, he hung those who assisted her. When a woman tried to drive them apart, he banished her to a The Silver Devil by Teresa Denys: 4 “Uncomfortably Good” Stars. He bought her for thirty pieces of silver, drugged her, dragged her from her home, held her captive in his cellar, subjected her to the scorn of his cohorts, surrounded her with jealous former lovers, and took her virginity in the most violent and humiliating way. When she smiled at a boy, he tortured and killed him.
When she tried to escape, he hung those who assisted her. When a woman tried to drive them apart, he banished her to a leper colony. When a childhood friend conspired against them, he had starving dogs tear him limb from limb. He seduced and impregnated servant girls, passed mistresses off to his friends, tried to curse his father into an early grave, and drove his stepmother to suicide after having relations with her on the chapel floor.
HE IS SPOILED, NARCISSISTIC, JADED, AND VOLATILE. He is Domenico Giordano della Raffaelle, Duke of Cabria and Lord of the Marches, and he should NOT be lovable, but he IS. HE IS BEAUTIFUL, BRAVE, CHARMING, AND PASSIONATE. And when it comes to Felicia, the girl he bought for thirty pieces of silver, the one to whom he asserts, 'It is your vocation to love me above all others”: So, like all the others – the men and women, boyhood friends, and stepmothers alike – Felicia falls in love with His Grace, The Duke of Cabria. The Silver Devil, by Teresa Denys, is not a comfortable read.
Like it’s hero, the feelings it evokes are not kind or merciful. Felicia’s first person narrative so vividly describes her every feeling, her every thought, and her every conclusion, that it’s as if you’re experiencing all of The Duke’s actions – his transgressions, his commands, his whispered seductions and possessive caresses - from within her skin.
Her confusion becomes your confusion; her fear, your fear; her pain, your pain; her rapture, your rapture; and, her love, your love. By the time the story reaches its dramatic climax, you’re thoroughly convinced that His Grace is everything Felicia believes him to be: an over-indulged, inconstant, opportunist, incapable of returning her love. That’s when we finally hear Domenico’s side of the story; and with it, all of the unkind and unmerciful emotions finally come to an end. Suddenly, a whole new set of feelings roll through you, ones that are refreshingly sweet and tender.
And when they continue to linger long after the story comes to an end, you know, with undue certainty, that despite the discomfort; The Silver Devil was an uncomfortably good read. For information about my rating system, see my profile page. A SHOUT OUT TO Fre06: I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the recommendation. It's nice to read a really well written book.
One where you get lost in the world of the main character. Thanks for recommending it to me. I hope someday I can return the favor. UPDATED REVIEW Romance Is Horror!
Just as the little voice in the back of my head has often whispered to me during various awkward moments. The Silver Devil is an historical romance with a twist. The twist: i loved it. The feverishly sweaty and grotesque atmosphere, the constant viciousness and savagery, the insanely operatic characters. And, surprise, the writing is highly accomplished. Overall it was fascinating. The whole thing was so luridly gothic an experience that at times it UPDATED REVIEW Romance Is Horror!
Just as the little voice in the back of my head has often whispered to me during various awkward moments. The Silver Devil is an historical romance with a twist. The twist: i loved it. The feverishly sweaty and grotesque atmosphere, the constant viciousness and savagery, the insanely operatic characters. And, surprise, the writing is highly accomplished. Overall it was fascinating.
The whole thing was so luridly gothic an experience that at times it became hard for me to wrap my mind around. In a good way! Okay i've read more about bodice rippers than actually experienced them.
I understand that brutish man-boys are the standard. That women often fall into two categories: inexplicably independent (for the historical time period depicted) or - in the case of the The Silver Devil - virginal proto-nuns. This novel pitches these two archetypes of Man & Woman so beyond that template that the effect is genuinely surreal. The brutality and rapiness was extreme. Normally this is something that would upset me. Everything came together in such an intense fashion that i began to see it as an un-romance.
A kind of extreme-relationship novel with a hair-raisingly demanding dom and a heroine who is so deranged in her passivity that she comes across as the ultimate subjugate-me-please sub. But in the end it was as i mentioned at the start: A Tale of Horror. That was really the only way i could take this seriously - and because of the strength of the writing, i did take it seriously. I did not read this with a droll sense of irony because this shit is good, man. The intensity sort of made me feel high at times.
The heroine is a young, sheltered, abused naif. And yet a glass-half-full sorta gal. So devoid of all maliciousness or need for revenge that she basically comes across as a severely developmentally disabled girl-woman. She moved from being a sad character to a pathetic character to a character who attained a bizarre transcendence in the extremity of her submissiveness. She is Pure Victim. And the genuine horror of her story is her unexplainable love for the worst, most evil hero i've come across since i don't know when.
It is like she was hypnotized by a devil. The Silver Devil! Once i began to see this as a story of extreme psychological terror and so rejected it as a romance, it really came together for me in a way i did not expect. I was on the edge of my seat constantly, just waiting for the next hellish trial that she would be put through. Her terrorized first-person perspective on the world around her only strengthened the horror of it all.
This is a deeply realized historical novel with a consistently grim tone. One that describes terrible smells of rot and death as a constant, castles as places of nightmare, appealing rascally types who turn around and laughingly engage in gang rape, sybaritic aristocrats who cover their faces in dead-white make-up as if they are miming the undead, irrational rulers who view their people as slaves to be used and killed, unending misogyny, devious deviants who love incest and pederasty, the works. This is a world of abominations and it is all brilliantly described as a genuine living hell. The hero is something else.
And to me, entirely unattractive - and so the horror remained constant. This was not a remotely arousing novel and yet i was enthralled by the excessive perversity on display. It was easy to never sympathize with the twisted, sickening hero (just as it was easy to long for his punishment and demise) because the author portrays him as evil incarnate. He bullies and terrorizes and rapes and beats the heroine FROM BEGINNING TO END. All that plus he mocks and laughs at her on a regular basis too, exulting in her pain and the bruises he inflicts upon her. Again, not romance: horror.
Imagine a Rupert Everett type (except with silver hair, 'natch): bisexual, mordantly witty, high-handed, suave, always fashionable, always cutting. Now combine him with an emo thug from the hbo series Oz who goes violently berserk and throws insane tantrums on a daily basis, tortures people who look at his girl the wrong way, lives to inspire fear, and gets a boner over every one of his disgustingly callous, meaninglessly mean-spirited acts. Imagine a petulant man-child who sets dogs on his oldest friend and former lover, and who in turn is depicted as either a kind of unreasoning, ravening dog himself or even more frequently, as a smug and self-satisfied cat who sharpens his claws on human mice. Hey, that's our hero.
Or our villain. He stays this way FROM BEGINNING TO END. If you read this one, you are entitled to that warning. And this one too: this novel has a happy ending. A happy ending where he is not redeemed in any way except he has finally been able to declare his love. Teresa Denys stays completely true to her hellish vision of the time period, her beyond-repulsive characters, her version of 'love'. There is an admirable and rather fiendish purity to that.
So yeah, i loved this one. But it wasn't just the Ken Russell level of grotesque abandon that won me over. The writing was lush and beautiful, yet remarkably free of sentiment and consistently invested in showing life as one diabolic tableau after another.
Teresa Denys has an uncompromisingly bleak world view. This is a dark, dark book. Love as a trap for fools and villains. Life as death. 'The darkness seemed to breathe, pressing down on me like a hot, thick blanket. Here and there were gleams of light from the last embers of the torches, and the blackness was peopled by innumerable small sounds. Sighs of lassitude, stertorous breathing, the rustle of garments and the kiss of flesh, quietening into a silence of exhaustion; the court's lust had spent itself in one hectic surge, and soon would come the bitter aftermath.
I sat staring into space, seeing in the darkness pictures of the gluttony and debauchery to which fear of tomorrow had spurred the Cabrian nobles. The masque of the Seven Deadly Sins played before our faces, sung and chanted, with servants of each Sin's train engulfing the whole hall in a miasma of vivid colour: the spilling dishes, the flowing wine, the sighs and screams of the court as the torches were doused one by one.'
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ YE OLDE PLACEHOLDER REVIEW 'tis the season. 13: BOOK 11 oh my God, what the fuck! I'm not sure i've read anything like this before. Sweet Jesus this was crazy. So i think i have finally gotten the appeal of bodice rippers, thanks Teresa Denys. This was an intensely sadistic and violent gothic, and hey, i love that.
'romance' as straight up horror. And the writing was excellent. I need to think about this one a little bit more before i write a review because right now i feel like i'm having ptsd from some kind of violent assault. But for now here are some things to illustrate my broken mind after having read this nightmare:. He was toweringly tall and slender, every poise and motion a conscious beauty; doublet and breeches fitted him like a skin, turning him to a living, moving silver statue.
But all I saw in that first moment was the fiercely beautiful face, its proud profile, white skin, and the shapely, sensual mouth under the cropped and silken fair beard.radiantly, blindingly fair, with a devil's dark eyes set in the face of an archangel. When I think of Renaissance Italy, I automatically think of bright a He was toweringly tall and slender, every poise and motion a conscious beauty; doublet and breeches fitted him like a skin, turning him to a living, moving silver statue. But all I saw in that first moment was the fiercely beautiful face, its proud profile, white skin, and the shapely, sensual mouth under the cropped and silken fair beard.radiantly, blindingly fair, with a devil's dark eyes set in the face of an archangel. When I think of Renaissance Italy, I automatically think of bright and shiny cultural rebirth after the darkness of the Middle Ages, of prosperous, idyllic Italian-states ruled by the glamorous Medici, of frothy, charming paintings like Botticelli's Venus.
This is not the Italian Renaissance world of Teresa Denys' The Silver Devil. Think more along the lines of Dante's circles of hell, Machiavelli's ruthless commentary on prince-tyrants, and Caravaggio's dark, broody chiaroscuro paintings. In other words, this book was out of this world fabulous. Readers, if you are lucky enough to get your greedy hands on a copy, leave your twenty-first century sensitivities behind. This is the way rulers of the world behaved centuries past. And to be honest, that kind of savagery, immorality, arrogance and entitlement still lies dormant beneath the thin veneer of civilization to this day. He sat on his horse unmoving, a somber black figure in startling contrast to the vivid colors about him, the sun dazzling on his white gold hair.
Unlike the duke and his bastard, there was no laughter in his face, and his eyes were not searching the housefronts for diversion-instead, he was staring intently straight up at my window. Poor Felicia Guardi.
Not bad enough that she is a reviled bastard toiling away, Cinderella-like, at the inn of her portly brother and his shrewish wife, but now she has unbeknownst to her caught the eye of Domenico della Raffaelle, heir to the Dukedom of Cabria, in the fictitious southern city of Fidena, Italy. And if she thinks this is going to mean hearts and flowers, she is in for a rude awakening. For Domenico does not court, certainly not an unprotected tavern wench. He takes what he wants. A voice, soft and almost teasing, stopped me in my tracks. “Little crow!” When I felt his fingertips against my cheek, I flinched as I would have done from a brand. But he turned my face up to him as casually as he might have turned a rose to smell it, and unwarily I looked straight up into his eyes.
They were black; so dark that they were unfathomable, and impossibly, horrifyingly dark in that fair face. I thought of Lucifer as I looked at him, of a demon’s eyes in the face of a fallen angel. Then, as I watched, a strange light began to grow in them-the darkness was swallowed up in a brilliance that made them blaze silver. I caught my breath, and the room, the house, the whole city, was suddenly breathless with waiting. Next thing you know, her brother sells her for thirty pieces of silver and she is swept to the Duke's castle, which is more like a corrupt, rotten, debauched hellmouth than one of those Disney fairytale palaces. Felicia's first person narrative is so emotionally poignant, realistic and strong that you cannot help, as the reader, to feel as she feels, sees as she sees, tremble as she trembles. The character of Domenico, seen through her eyes, is a magnificent and charismatic but always aloof and distant, cold and cruel figure.
Nevertheless, Felicia, for all her vulnerability and the inevitability of her body, then her mind and heart ultimately succumbing to Domenico's will, has pride, loyalty and bravery. This, more than her pretty looks, is what ensnares Domenico in turn, and has his entire court gaping at the unprecedented obsession that his newest mistress has engendered in him. The struggle of their personalities is mighty even though the scales are so imbalanced, with Felicia fighting him at every turn.
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But in my opinion, despite the odds, she is the one to come out on top at the end, though many readers will surely disagree with my assessment. The silver devil is also a swashbuckler of a novel, with some nice Gothic touches, very vivid descriptions of battles, some awful torture and assassination scenes, and a couple of heart-stopping duel.
Its fast, but not too fast, pace, and the change of settings, plot twists and turns, ensure that it never becomes boring or repetitive. I loved The Silver Devil from the first to the last word. Heartbreaking that this book is one of only two known to have been penned by this talented author, whose life was tragically cut short, and about whom we know so little. This review was edited and reposted with additional quotes and pictures, on November 30, 2016.
This review has mild spoilers in it.:) A few weeks ago, I saw a post where they were discussing the difference between old bodice rippers and modern romance novels. At the time, I couldn’t quite put my thoughts into words. I’ve been thinking about it though, and I’m convinced the main difference is a plot strategy where the hero and the villain are pretty much the same character. This provides lots of sexual tension and conflict for the heroine, plus it adds many hilarious WTF moments, like, huh This review has mild spoilers in it.:) A few weeks ago, I saw a post where they were discussing the difference between old bodice rippers and modern romance novels. At the time, I couldn’t quite put my thoughts into words.
I’ve been thinking about it though, and I’m convinced the main difference is a plot strategy where the hero and the villain are pretty much the same character. This provides lots of sexual tension and conflict for the heroine, plus it adds many hilarious WTF moments, like, huhare you seriousso now they’re in love? LOL I’ve always loved old bodice rippers and it bums me out they’ve become so politically incorrect that authors don’t write them anymore. I can read the old ones though.
So does Silver Devil fit the typical BR mold? Well, yes and no. Clearly Domenico is a villain. He’s a psychopath, tyrant who terrifies his people. Domenico has a man’s legs broken because the man is taller than him. He tells a scribe to write up his own death warrant because the scribe doesn’t write fast enough.
And he has a handsome boy tortured and killed because Felicia smiles at the him. Domenico never really regrets his cruelty either. You don’t see him brooding about his past murders.
He’s not evolved enough to have an epiphany at the end of the book about who he really is. So the only thing that changes is that the heroine becomes so besotted by Domenico that she doesn’t care that he’s a total nutcase. In fact, I don’t see a happy ending for Felicia.
Domenico is so self-absorbed that I’m convinced he will dump her in a few years for a younger woman, and she will be forced to grin and bear it. So is this romance? Wellthe love scenes are intense and passionate. Does that count?
I actually read Silver Devil before when I was teenager and I had forgotten most of it. But I do remember at the time, I was appalled at what a horrible person Domenico was. He certainly wasn’t my idea of a dreamboat hero.
Felicia struck me as weak and wimpy for falling for him, throwing away her moral integrity simply because she loves him. 'But I love him,' is the whiniest reason in the world to stay with someone and this did not endear me to her. I look at Silver Devil totally different now.
While it fails as a romance, I think it’s excellent historical fiction. Teresa Denys is masterful at pulling you into the seventeenth century. She lived in Italy and paints Cabria with visceral color and depth. I feel like she truly captures the personalities and thoughts of time period too.
Domenico fits perfectly the self-absorbed and jaded Duke who disposes of human life without a single thought. History is dotted with people like him. Felicia comes from the bottom level of society, so of course she is meek and weak. Her position is precarious and she’s well aware of that. For her, it must be intoxicating to go from being completely powerless to someone people bow to.
Who wouldn’t throw away some of their moral integrity to be apart of it? So while Felicia may not admit it to herself, I think she’s attracted to the power as much as she is to Domenico. So it’s not just love that keeps her attached to him, although she’d like to believe it. These characters make sense to me. They are complicated and full blooded. In conclusion, I think Silver Devil is a tale about a villain; an evil tyrant that everyone is trying to overthrow.
The good guys are trying to kill him, but they fail miserably. The people of Cabria would be much better off with a different ruler, but the Silver Devil has uncanny luck. And this story is told through the eyes of his mistress who grows to love him. In the end, the bad guys win. It’s not a happy ending. Funny though, Teresa Denys writes so well, you end up rooting for the bad guys. Pre-read impression- Ok.
After reading that this book has been put on shelves varying from recommends to: Girly girls to 'tall, dark and psycho'. I'm crazy curious as to what my beloved ringleader Searock is getting me into. No matter, with her leading the charge, it'll be fun.:) Review- 3.5 Stars So, we're takin' it back. That's right ladies and gents, cats and kittens!
All the way back to a book written in 1978 about a story in 1605. Bringing you today's hits and yesterday's favorites! Espe Pre-read impression- Ok. After reading that this book has been put on shelves varying from recommends to: Girly girls to 'tall, dark and psycho'. I'm crazy curious as to what my beloved ringleader Searock is getting me into. No matter, with her leading the charge, it'll be fun.:) Review- 3.5 Stars So, we're takin' it back.
That's right ladies and gents, cats and kittens! All the way back to a book written in 1978 about a story in 1605.
Bringing you today's hits and yesterday's favorites! Especially if those favorites are 'forced consent' and 'hemorrhagic virginity loss' and one of my favorites 'gang rape'.
(I don't know technically if it's considered gang rape if four guys hold you down while another does the raping, but they're all complicit, so I'm calling it gang rape). So, stay right where you are, don't touch that dial! So you might be saying, 'Michele, why are you reading a historical bodice ripper with FADE TO BLACK LOVE SCENES when you could be reading Breathe by one of your favorite authors, KA?' I'll tell you why, in one word, Searock. And I'd do it again. If Searock asked me to group read the Bible cover to cover, I'd probably do it, but I'd beg for the children's version.
(Searock- please don't call my bluff on this one). So historical is not my thing and this book made me realize why.
Christ on a crutch. Like I give a flying ape shit if they came from the west or the north. That he hit him with his spear and he parried with his knife, that the horse was running, galloping or cantering, that blah, blah,blah, blah, blah-boring. The intrigue is another. Siblings betraying one another. Your Uncle the archbishop is not to be trusted, he has his own agenda.
Who doesn't in this book? Your father's third wife poisoned her own husband because she thought it would make you happy and land you in her bed. But instead, you send her away without tupping her.
Tsk tsk, a woman scorned. That will come back to bite you in the balls, Duke. Felicia, is our heroine?? A bar wench who one night, very unusually, was given a 'cordial' or two by Antonio, the half brother that detests her. You know, the one that makes her work as a bar wench at his inn, scrub the floors, clean his house top to bottom, for room and board.
How's this for intrigue? At one point, I thought Felicia was The Duke's half sister! Felicia thought it too. And this was after the schtupping had begun! But alas, no. It was a lie perpetrated by current handmaiden to Felicia/last whore who warmed the Duke's bed and now warms Sandro the bastard Brother's bed, as she was casted off.
She wanted back in the Duke's bed. I mean, who wouldn't? (The man must have a prized cock, that's all I can figure.) She got sent to care for lepers for that tall tale. And that was getting off easy. Felicia smiled at a footboy and it got him tortured and killed.
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I was rooting for Felicia to run away with the footboy. Make your way to the New World together. Ask for the Indians.
They'll be nice to you, just be nice to them back. No more intrigue! No more backstabbing! Eat Maize and live in peace. One of you will die on the journey, but what the hell! Felicia drinks those cordials from her brother and wakes up in a strange place and soon finds out that she is to be the Duke's whore. A girl can't ask for more than that!
I mean the first question out of my mouth would be, 'I beg of you sir, have you any pudding?' No, just kidding, it would be, 'I beg of you sir, how the fuck did I get here? Is there a Wizard and an Emerald City nearby? Where's Toto? I could sure use a field of poppies right now. I'm not even scared of flying monkeys.
Bring 'em on!' Then sir would be like, 'She's batshit crazy! She'll fit right in amongst royalty.
So shortly after Felicia has a 'forced consent' loss of her virginity.I'm going to parlay this into a mini-discussion about that term. 'Forced consent' to me, means rape.
But in this instance, in a different time, when a woman's only other choice is to become a beggar or a whore, I'd call it 'forced consent'. Because better to be the whore to one, than whore to many. Unless that many is a pack of sexy shape shifting werewolves that want to share you and keep you in sexual bliss 24/7.
Then, I say bring it on! I'll be your whore! But I digress. Shortly after she is stripped of her virginity, she comes to love the Duke. A moment after she realizes this, he shows her pictures of women and asks her to help his pick his new bride.Stage whispers to Felicia.
'Pick the ugly bitch! Sometimes the ugly ones are good in bed! Pick the manliest one. Oh no, wait, the Duke had an affair with a man for a dozen years. Pick the the one that looks like a shrew.
Well, you were kind of a mousy shrew at first. Now look at you! Close your eyes and point or do eeny-meeny-miney-moe. Wait, do you have that yet in 1605? Eeny-meeny-miney-moe-catch-a tiger.rears back incredulously. What's a tiger?
Oh forget it! Close your eyes and point.' But the Duke is just so darned lovable. For instance: When they are in the tavern and the inn-keeper's wife is being raped, Felicia begs the Duke to make it stop, but he refuses. And holds her tight so that she can't interfere. Ah, but she still can't help but love him.
You see, he has nightmares that only she can soothe away. Oh, his tortured soul. If only he'd let her care for him. From the beginning, other men at court say that when the Duke tires of her, which should say, be in a day or two, they will ask that she be given to them. Because that's what he does with his castoffs, he gives them to other men. What's not to love about this guy?
I mean, I could see why any girl would fall for a guy that slept with her in a pool of her own blood, the night he took her virginity, then made her ride with him the next day on the hunt, side saddle. Another discussion- sidesaddle is bullshit!
Who comes up with this stuff? You're just a woman.
So what if you break your neck? Just don't hurt the horse, wench. That Duke, he's a keeper. One thing that bothered me, haha, was that when Felicia was barwench at her Brother's Inn, she had no self confidence. Took all manner of abuse that her half brother and his wife could dig out. But once she came to court, she instantaneously knew how to behave, how to dance, when to kneel and curtesy. And she was never a wallflower in dealing with these other men pursuing her.
Maybe it was borne out of necessity, but it was quite a transformation. Maybe it 'cause she was getting a little sumpin' sumpin', works wonders on the self esteem to be the whore of a Duke. To entertain myself, I took on the language of the book while reading it. As in, 'Dearest husband of mine, would you be so kind as to gather the soiled livery so that I may tend to it?'
My hubby just rolled his eyes. But livery is such a weird name for clothing.
I always think that livery must smell like onions. Does anyone else think that? But hey, it had a happy ending. I can't wait sink my teeth into some KA.
All I know is Breathe better contain the words: cock, suck, thrust, mouth, pussy, come, clit, knees, and maybe pounding. Or I am going lose my mind! It may be lost already to the Silver Devil.
One can't help but to love him. Hell.I'd never managed to read through the pdf version of a 300+ novel within three or so days! Thoughts after reading: Just.What The Hell Had I Just Read!? (Link: ) That.that's just mind-blowing in a crazy manner! It's a damn difficult book to rate, on one hand I'm intrigued by the outstanding, sensual writing, the vivid sense of dread expressed through said writing, the fine details and the roller coaster ride which is the main story.
On the other hand, Hell.I'd never managed to read through the pdf version of a 300+ novel within three or so days! Thoughts after reading: Just.What The Hell Had I Just Read!? (Link: ) That.that's just mind-blowing in a crazy manner! It's a damn difficult book to rate, on one hand I'm intrigued by the outstanding, sensual writing, the vivid sense of dread expressed through said writing, the fine details and the roller coaster ride which is the main story. On the other hand, I rolled my eyes (with a few 'No it can't be!' Exclaims) at how the plots go over-the-top at times and the ending is.ways. too unrealistic.and.
the hero, a.k.a the main love interest in this book, is an irredeemable asshole. To spice things up, this guy is also a torturer, a cold-blooded killer and a rapist. Although I can almost appreciate how unapologetic this guy had been for an entire book.
I mean, when comparing with Domenico Giordano della Raffaelle, Lothaire the Enemy Of Old from suddenly looks like he is Mr. To be very honest, if you didn't happen to have a morbid curiosity over this book, if you didn't happen to have some sort of sadistic threads within you (yes I have some within me, shocking), I don't think you should be reading this book. One of my Goodreads friend commented that 'reading this book is like watching Caligula'.and she is right.
However, I have to tell you that is exactly part of the fun of reading The Silver Devil, Teresa Denys push everything to the extreme and she didn't hold things back, she went into places where other romance novelists rarely visit, and OMG I just love it! As to the late Miss Denys, we know so little about this lady, but by reading this book I at least can tell she had a lot of guts, a fine taste for Gothic-style writing and a lavish imagination. I must wonder how the ending of this book would have turned out if Miss Denys didn't have to limit herself to the typical romance cliches of a happy ending. If you asked me, I would say the heroine should remain as the male lead's mistress and continues to live in misery because the male lead is too spoiled and selfish to make things up with her.for long. And here's a damn good review from Bgurl, with splendid jpgs. Originally, it was my plan to use this review space to create another installment of my series. Then I got to thinking.
Is this even going to be possible? How could I spin a taboo book? Would it go something like this?
Are you a fan of kidnappings and rape? If your answer is yes, you're in luck! Keep reading! Do you laugh with glee when men are tortured to the point of death because they might have shown an interest in you? W Originally, it was my plan to use this review space to create another installment of my series.
Then I got to thinking. Is this even going to be possible? How could I spin a taboo book? Would it go something like this? Are you a fan of kidnappings and rape? If your answer is yes, you're in luck!
Keep reading! Do you laugh with glee when men are tortured to the point of death because they might have shown an interest in you? Wow, you're going to love this book! Would the addition of ridiculous mental games make a story even better for you? Ding, ding, ding.we have a winner! Don't quit now! I think most people would have had their adventure ended on the first step.
Therefore, my plan was not going to work, unless I wanted to do this as a potential parody. If you could see the cold sweat on my face right now from how sick I am, you'd know that 'haha, fun parody' is not quite the mood I'm in at the moment. So I'll just give you a rundown on my thoughts about this book instead.
I wish I had more experience with bodice rippers because I had no way of being able to compare Silver Devil to any other book written in this style. It seemed strange for me to read a historical romance book in first person. I love first person in contemporaries and paranormals, but have always been used to third person when it comes to historicals. Something about the third person style lends itself to going back in time. It makes the setting feel more lush and not as personal (which can be a good thing when you're trying not to hear everyday phrases and slang in your head). It was also strange to read dub-con scenes in which there were no big details. Not that I'm saying people want to witness rap (.edit.
oops, I meant rape, that was a typo but kind of funny.no slam on rap/hip-hop intended) in all of its disturbing glory, but if we the audience are to find a reason as to why Felicia would fall for her Domenico, you'd think that we'd be given more detail about the growing intimacy (especially given the freedoms that come with telling a story in first person narrative). If there was any time I felt awkward about a non-detailed sex scene, it was with this couple's story. This book was a prime example of how 'show, not tell' might have helped me connect more with what was going on. The first half of the book was great. Talk about promise!
I love stories in which the heroine is rescued from a horrendous life by a man who is willing to make it all better. Our hero was eyeing up his girl with dark looks, then he had his woman kidnapped so he could have her.I was getting excited about what was going to happen! The second half took me days to get through. With some books, I am taken in by the politics and intrigue. For whatever reason, I could have cared less when it came to this story. Felicia essentially became background fodder in many instances, even though she was the main character.
Domenico was an overgrown man-child, and not even in the sexy tortured 'let me make it feel better' kind of way. If some man woke up every night crying into my breast, I'd push him out of bed - especially when he acted like a spoiled brat for the majority of the time out of bed. Since I can't compare this book to other bodice-rippers, I almost feel like I'm doing it a disservice by feeling such a disconnect. Maybe Silver Devil is a prime example of what works for this category of historicals. I just don't know. All I can go by is what I do like to read in historicals. I prefer my historical romance to be fun, quirky and sexy, and my historical fiction that has a romantic bent to be rich, lush and epic.
I didn't get either vibe from this book, so if this is the gold standard, I'm guessing it's just not the category for me. However, maybe I'll have to give it one more shot. I'm not opposed to trying out a book in which a pirate plunders for booty. Surprisingly, there were a couple of randomly awesome quote-worthy moments in this book: 'Because he soon tires of those who are too willing.' There was an oddly brittle note in Piero's voice. 'He is surfeited with brood mares and must mount the unicorn.' Then he bent his head as though to kiss her, and spat deliberately, full into her open mouth.
Well that was one heck of a ride. Silver Devil himself. Not exactly choir boy material. This story felt very real to me. It was a true depiction of renaissance life with dukes and lords and kings and their total power over common people. The heroine was complex in her own right.
At first she appeared incredibly simple and naive. Yet as the story evolves you understand she is the victim of circumstances being illiterate, imprisoned within her own home, beaten and abused and eventu Well that was one heck of a ride. Silver Devil himself. Not exactly choir boy material.
This story felt very real to me. It was a true depiction of renaissance life with dukes and lords and kings and their total power over common people. The heroine was complex in her own right.
At first she appeared incredibly simple and naive. Yet as the story evolves you understand she is the victim of circumstances being illiterate, imprisoned within her own home, beaten and abused and eventually sold for silver pieces. She is powerless to change anything and is reduced to praying for death once the Silver Devil tires of her because the future of a discarded mistress is too brutal for anyone to endure. At first, I wanted her to be much more cunning and I was disappointed when she wasn't.
But then I came to realize that she never had the skills or ability to pull herself out of the mire. Consequently she confuses lust for love and finds herself enslaved physically and mentally to the hero. The hero is a merciless, ruthless, cruel, sadistic, monster, but he knows his way around the sheets (with men and women) and he holds everyone around him in his power.
While most are blinded by his charms and anxious to warm his bed, there are few who would just as soon see him dead. The story is hauntingly filled with lies, treachery and treason which adds another dimension, excitement and complexity to the story.
This book isn't for the faint of heart (which I usually am), but it is surprisingly good and has the power to suck you right in. I absolutely loved it! “I forbid you to go.' 'I am not yours to forbid. Comfort your pride with your conquest!' The raw anguish of it stopped me. Tears were threatening to spill from my eyes so that I had to bend my head, fighting for self-control, and I did not hear him come up beside me.
His hand touched my shoulder, then dropped again as I shivered. 'Does this look like pride?' His voice was shaking. 'Or must I grovel?' He was on his knees at my feet, and as I watched he lifted the hem of my gown to his lips and kissed it. I made some sort of sound in my throat, but I could not speak.
'You cannot go.' He spoke in a whisper, without lifting his head.
I have always loved you-I bought you from your vile brother because I could not live without you.' As I stared down at his bowed, bright head, the earth shook under my feet. This could not be happening, I thought.” —.