In absolute terms, this book is still worth reading (which is why it's getting two stars.) Small's worst pretty stacks up to everyone else's best. That being said, it's sad to read this and remember her masterworks (mistressworks?) such as Skye O'Malley, Kadin, and Beloved. At her best, Small had written books that were genuinely literary. With Darling Jasmine, and the last several in general, she gives the impression of simply going through the motions.

I read this book because I am a huge Bertrice Small fan, and I was hoping that it would keep up with the rest of the Skye O'Malley series. It was an entertaining book, I read it all one night, but it was by far at the bottom of the list of the seven books in the series. My problem was the unnecessary vulgarity. I see nothing romantic in the hero calling the heroine "bitch" during their interludes, and I find the excessive use of the "F"-word gratuitous. I don't really believe that word was used much then. I think that fans of the Skye O'Malley series will like the book, but to a new reader of Bertrice, I would not recommend this book. My advice is to start at the beginning of the series and work your way up to this book.

Although she is no Skye O'Malley, Jasmine is her own person and commands excitement nonetheless. This sequel to Wild Jasmine was predictable, yet exciting. Bertrice Small writes with such lush detail and vivid characters that I feel as if I am a participant. I enjoyed this book. (Some parts better than others.) Someone who picks it up before reading the other Skye O'Malley books, might get a little lost. Those who have read the series must remember that Jasmine is not Skye, and enjoy this character for who she is.

While previous erotic romance anthology like Captivated and Fascinated blends seamlessly sizzling passion and poignant heartfelt characters, Delighted seems contented only to bombard the readers with sex and... more sex. You begin to wonder why Robin Schone - a frequent excellent contributor was excluded and brought in new entries from Nikki Donovan and Liz Madison.

This is not to say the budding talents are not good. Liz Madison threw in an impressive debut with a medievial romance in England 1250 which tells of Victoria Woodville, a female warrior grappling with the daunting task of protecting her homeland from a despot who craves on territorial expansion. She falls in love with an ally - Stephen de Burgh of Normadic origin and learns to trust him in battling the enemy together. Her style reminiscent of Virgina Henley pleases but lacks the spark of originality and erotic abundance. Nikki Donovan pens "Enchanted" - a surreal tale about the intimidating Beast of Lord kidnapping the lady Esmay to remove his curse through carnal relations. The entry suffers from an overload of sex with a contrived romance between undeveloped characters to whack its flaccid premise.

Veterans Bertrice Small and Susan Johnson scores better, both playing the elements of erotica and romance to a perfect pitch. Particularly Johnson in "Out of the Storm" who proves herself a maverick in creating sensual dialogues and a sizzling couple. She notches up the erotic atmosphere with an unconventional relationship between Lady Darlington and her stepbrother Prince Radovsky through a fateful meeting in the storm. Bertrice Small stretches the boundary with a love story between a courtesan and an enamored customer. It is erotically charged and her female protagonists is particularly strong and cunning though some may be put off by some debauched scenes of threesomes.

The romance element is sadly missing in this erotic anthology which strays towards giving readers a hot sex read. They may be delighted but without a stronghold of memorable romance, it falls below the expectations. Disappointed is the word.

I found two of the stories worth the price of the book. Nikki Donovan's and Betrice Small's stories were interesting and well executed. Like other reviewers, I found the Nikki Donovan's Enchanted tale (Beauty and the Beast) to be delightful and highly erotic. Betrice Small's story on true love not caring about the circumstance of someone's life was enjoyable (and erotic). Unfortunately, I found the editing mistakes in Liz Madison's story to be disruptive to the story. I didn't think women were named Victoria in 1250 AD nor had chocolate been discovered by the English at that time. These editing mistakes seriously distracted from the storyline. Susan Johnson's character arguments over who is in charge detracted from the sex. They don't like each other so why is good sex worth it?

Having enjoyed Captivated & Fascinated, I was interested to read Delighted with 2 new authors. As usual, Bertrice Small and Susan Johnson did not disappoint. I can't say the same for Nikki Donovan. Enchanted basically reads as a disjointed, flat, Beauty and the Beast with sex. Very uninspiring, almost didn't finish reading it. With His Promise by Liz Madison, on the other hand, is engaging within the first 2 pages. Her story line is well developed, the characters have depth & personality and her descriptive writing flows so well it pulls you in immediately. The sexual innocence and erotic build up is extremely hot and is coupled with a believeable love story and likeable protagonists which makes the sex even hotter. You don't want to miss this one. Great prelude to your own delights!

Everytime I read one of Small's novels, I get so caught up in the rich, lush prose that I feel that I am an actual participant in the story, not just a reader. Not this time. With past novels I have plotted with Skye, struggled and wept with Catriona, shared captivity with Cyra, and fought Roman conquerors with Zenobia. But this book just did not sweep me off my feet as her other books have done. Perhaps I had too great expectations for this heroine. After all, she is the granddaughter of the brillant Cat Leslie and the great-granddaughter of the legendary Skye O'Malley. She was bound to be a magnificent addition to the story. However, I found her to be weak, cynical, and flighty. Usually she came off as whiny and spoiled as India with an occasional display of practicality like Fortune. Perhaps, it is that with Autumn the was no true villian to battle, no great cause to fight for (other than complaining about the English roundheads and the one assistance to King Louis.) Autumn had no goals, except when she decided to seduce King Charles II so she could get an English title. (Can anyone see Skye or Cat prostituting themselves over something so minor?) There was no strong, underlying plot. No Aidan trying to get home to her husband. No Valentina trying to find her father's identity. Autumn just merely existed as time passed. No life of adventure. Heck, not even a life! All she pretty much did was whine to her mother. The relationship between her and Gabriel was so empty. The potential was there for some amazing scenes, but his and Autumn's relationship was pretty much glossed over and focusing on the rest of the family. Perhaps if this were another author, I would not be so critical. This is Bertrice Small! The woman responsible for pulling her readers into the lives of her characters by the rich tapestry of her brillant writing. I say, "Take us across the Atlantic, Mrs. Small. Give us one of Fortune's children. Create for us the wild, brave, new world of the early colonies where only the very strong can survive. Give us adventure and a brave new heroine that will show us O'Malley spirit."

I just finished this book and overall I was pleased with the outcome. Harriet Klausner gives a good summary of the plot so I won't repeat. Longtime fans will see that the book has a hint of past plots. However, Autumn's personality does justice to her female ancestors. Bertrice Small does a good job of weaving historical events into the events of Autumn's life.

I still find that Bertrice Small is one of the best writers in the subgenre of historical romance. Her plots have substance in the sense that many historical figures make appearances into the story and by virtue of the main characters' stations in life, the appearances are somewhat feasible. Bertrice Small had a few books in the past few years that were missing her magic, but with "Besieged" and "Intrigued" she has returned.

Back to "Intrigued" .... What I enjoyed most about this book was watching the growth that Autumn experiences. She moves from sheltered teenager to a wise woman, learning from and accepting her mistakes along the way, making her seem much more human.

I would recommend this book both to long time fans and readers who have never read her before now. This book will whet the appetite for future books in the series as well as a revisitation of past books.

I enjoyed this book. While it was not as great as the Skye O'Malley, All the Sweet Tomorrows, or Kadin, this book is much better than the story about India (Bedazzled?). The plot may be a bit unreal, but hey, this is fiction after all. I am glad there were clips about what happened to some of Skye's family, but was saddened in the end when it was noted that all of Skye's children had died and that Jasmine was in her seventies. It makes me want to read All the Sweet Tomorrows again. While Jasmine is wonderful, she is not as magnificent as Skye. All in all, a great read a must for fans of Skye's saga.

I love books like this--and have found only a paltry few that made me feel so swept-away as this magical novel. A departure from Small's usual books, this was magical, mystical, exciting, romantic and thoroughly satisfying--in spite of the ending--which I will not give away except to say that it was both happy and sad--bittersweet at best. (And the one thing that stopped me from rating this higher)

The love scenes were okay--I kind of glossed over them--the story was that good!

The villain was a bit over the top--but it was a fantasy so I could run with it.

And the hero was one of my all time favorites--could Ms. Small write another book with another hero like Madoc?

Bertrice Small takes a new twist on her usual writing by adding a bit of fantasy and time travel to the mix. As usual, Mrs. Small weaves a web of vivid descriptions, exquisite detail, and exciting sexually charged love scenes. Her story within a story as Wynne and Madoc relive their past life together was stunning. Her rich, vibrant detail makes the book another triumph. Although I usually enjoy her heroine's adventures when they are parted from their true loves into the arms of others, I did not care for the part when Wynne was away from Madoc. The ending was not her usual either, but I appreciate Mrs. Small's departure from her norm to give us a refreshing look at her always spectacular stories.

This is probably my favourite book by Bertrice Small. Every time I read it it just gets better. The reincarnation/time travel aspect is unique, and the love story that goes with it is wonderful. Wynne and Madoc go through so much to be together, you find yourself hoping that they will overcome all the odds in their way. The descriptions of Wales are magical, you can almost smell the trees and see the castle. The villian is evil, and yet you hope that just maybe he can be redeemed. The ending is a bit sad and somewhat unexpected, but makes you believe in happily ever after.This book just gets better with each read. A must read for time travel fans and all lovers of romance!

If you've read Ms. Small's previous books you know the plot. This book is Wild Jasmine and Darling Jasmine revisited, only it takes place during King Henry VIII's early years instead of King James's time. Ms. Small took a charecter from her earlier works and changed the time period. If you are familiar with the Wild Jasmine and Darling Jasmine you will see them in every line of Rosmund. Rosmund is Jasmine revisited, so I don't feel bad about giving the plot away.

To protect herself from family hoping to get their hands on her estate Rosmund goes to court and becomes friends with the eventual Queens of Scotland and England. Prince Henry soon to be King Henry VIII tries to take her virgnity, but is stopped by the timely arrival of a young man who Rosmund eventually marries. She falls in love with this man and then he dies (think Rowan Lindley, from Wild Jasmine). Rosmund goes back to court and this time has an affair with the now King Henry (still reminding you of Wild Jasmine) and along the way she has bitter fights with the man that we know she is destined to be with (still remining you of Ms. Small's Jasmine in her previous books - Jemmie Leslie).

Although the plot is reminds you very very strongly of her other works Ms. Small's writing is excellent, I only wished that she came up with something a little more orginial.

During the last decade of the fifteenth century, she was an orphan as a young child and a widow twice before she turned thirteen including her first marriage to her five-year-old first cousin. Her Uncle Henry Bolton knows that his niece Rosamund is a prize he manipulates because though she owns Friarsgate, he controls the estate.

To avoid further machinations, Rosamund marries a much older, but kind Hugh Cabot. He surprisingly treats her like a favorite daughter rather than a possession to be displayed and used. Hugh even teaches her how to manage her vast holdings. Finally, he also arranges for King Henry II to be her guardian upon his death. Now a lovely fixture at court, Rosamund becomes a lover to Prince Hal, but eventually meets Logan Hepburn who she begins to fall in love with though she has doubts about anyone becoming her latest spouse as she has developed a taste for the regal courts.

ROSAMUND, the first novel in Bertrice Small's Friarsgate's Inheritance series is a wonderful tale that brings to life the final years of the fifteenth century and the first decade of the sixteenth century. The story line will delight Ms. Small's fans because the heroine shares the same traits found in the O'Malley women (DNA testing anyone?) and could easily exchange places. Still readers will enjoy the feel of life in a bygone era mostly through the eyes of an intrepid woman.

Harriet Klausner

As an old and devoted fan of Ms Small, I am extemely pleased with this new novel which introduces us to the Friarsgate folks. Of course this novel reminds us of the O'Malley's--it's in the same general location & timeframe in history. I am hoping that, in later Friarsgate stories, old friends from Bertrice's other novels will make an appearance. Maybe that's not interesting to other readers, but it would be to me. I just wish we didn't have to wait a year to find out what happens to Rosamund and I can't wait to read the final O'Malley novel, Vixens.

The best thing about this new book by my favorite author is that it's not a sequel! We romance readers seem to be inudated with sequels and trilogies lately. Not that I don't like to revisit my favorite characters and their further adventures; however, sometimes a really good epilogue can answer many questions and give us satisfying closure. In A MEMORY OF LOVE, Ms. Small introduces us to Rhonwyn, the bastard daughter of Llywelyn who is the Prince of Wales. The book starts out in 1257 which is a wild and harsh time for Wales, and England for that matter. She becomes more warrior princess than lady of the manor, and during the whole story line she either revels in her military-like character or struggles to control it in order to appear to be a Christian noble lady. She is a strong and enjoyable heroine, and I wasn't trying to imprint Skye O'Malley's essence on her as I have, to be honest, Jasmine, India, and Fortune. The harem episode may be repetitive, but I found some new and different aspects of it in this book. I do have to say I wish we had been introduced to Rafe sooner in the story, and I also wish his character had been more developed. He seemed likable, but a bit weak next to Rhonwyn. The secondary characters of the abbess and Glynn were very strong and satisfying. I read the book very quickly and I was sorry when it was over. I would have enjoyed more of the story or one of those great epilogues. I would also like to add that I appreciate Ms. Small not going to expensive hard backs for her first editions. I really do like the over sized paper back style; and it's more consumer friendly to a romance-aholic like me. Thanks, Bertrice!

Late in the thirteenth century, as part of a peace treaty with King Henry, the Prince of Wales Llywelyn of Gruffydd agrees to have his daughter wed an English knight. However, his daughter, Rhonwyn grew up amidst soldiers with no female presence. She is a fine warrior, but far from an acceptable lady.

Still Rhonwyn does her duty and marries Edward de Beaumont. He earns her trust and ultimately her love by his actions towards his people and her brother. When he goes to North Africa on a crusade, Rhonwyn comes too. When Edward becomes ill, she leads his men into battle only to become the prisoner of the Emir of Cinnebar, who teaches her sexual passion. As she learns how to please a man, Rhonwyn wonders what awaits her if she ever escapes and returns to England and her beloved Edward.

A MEMORY OF LOVE is an entertaining medieval romance filled with erotic love. The crisp story line centers on the relationship between Edward and Rhonwyn, but is interrupted by the author's trademark harem scene that adds nothing to the plot. Overall, Ms. Small writes a wonderful historical romance starring two exciting characters struggling to find an everlasting love.

Harriet Klausner

After I had read the last few books of Ms. Small, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed, but no more! Her newest book is one of the best that she has written in quite a while. The heroine Rhonwyn is a bit different from the usual females that she writes about, but that makes her all the more intereting. Bertrice Small is known for separating characters and then reuniting them but this time things go terribly wrong! I was actually angry that Rhonwyns husband commited such a despiciable act, but in the end it works wonderfully for the story. Long time readers know that Ms. Small loves placing her females in harems, yet this time the harem part of the story is quite short, and important to the conclusion of the story. I will say that this book is not very sensual, especially if you have read "Hellion" and "The Love Slave" but it is still spicy in some parts.I loved the fact that Wales was the setting for this story, and history comes alive with Ms. Small's skillful writing. This book is a bit reminiscent of "The Spitfire" in that just when you think you know how the story will end you are surprised and shocked at the way the book concludes.A definite must read,and it is wonderful to have Bertrice Small writing the style books that her fans have come to love her for!

I love Small's earlier works, and even some of her more recent books. But I've also thought she should have hung up her writing jock strap the moment Skye's Legacy was conceived. Vixens is an awful ending to an empty and disappointing series. And you know, out of twelve books about Skye and her decendants, Jasmine has a virtually starring role in seven. Whose legacy is it again?

Anyway, onto Vixens. The characters were so one-dimensional as to be blown over by a small gust of wind. Nobody had any real values or personality other than "fiery" or "sweet". The complex geneaology at this point in time is so ridiculous which is bad enough, but keeps getting recapped which is even worse. We have Fancy "oh, I don't want a husband, so I'll become the king's mistress", Siren "the real catch (Mick) is right in front of me but I'll entertain these twin dorks anyway", and Cyn "if you can't tell I'm the bad girl you've the brains of suet pudding".

Please. I'm glad I didn't pay for this drivel.

Bertrice Small's latest of the O'Malley books is a sorry end to a wonderful legacy. I am a fan of Ms. Small's and have been for many years. Her writing style, obvious knowledge of grammar and ability to weave complex plots have always made her books enjoyable to read. Up until the last few years, I rated her as one of the top five historic romance authors writing today. It has been apparent to me for a while that she no longer hears the "voice" of her characters in the O'Malley series. Their demise is long overdue and I applaud her for ending it so that she could move forward with fresh projects.

That being said - Vixens is poorly plotted. Separating the three story lines was distracting and unnecessary. In the first story, Ms. Small (or the lack of an adequate editor, or the lack of thoroughly reviewing the galleys) committed one of my top five unforgivable writing errors. DO NOT place a character in a location they do not belong. In Fancy's story, Ms. Small makes much "to do" about two ancient servants staying behind because of their age only to have them "magically appear" in an insignificant scene in London. This not only forced me to go back and re-read the story because I thought I had missed something, but it also caused me to lose interest and skim the other two cousins' stories. I was not impressed with the gist of these either.

If you are a collector of certain authors and Ms. Small is one of them, you will want to add this novel to your library. If you are a writer, you will want to add this novel to your library as a comparison to one of Ms. Small's earlier works in order to understand what is good writing and what is not. If you are looking for a good well-written book to read, buy one of Ms. Small's earlier works.

In all honesty, I was disappointed in this book. I have been an enormous fan of Ms. Small's for nearly 20 years and have followed the exploits of the O'Malley and Leslie families with exhuberance. Unfortunately, I felt this book was very disjointed and inconsistant.

The three heroines were clearly 'labeled' at the beginning: the 'sad one', the 'nice one' and the 'spoiled one'. However, none of them bore any resemblance to their given labels. All seemed very shallow and very much alike. I was disappointed at how one-dimensional these characters were. It's very much unlike Ms. Small's usual captivating writing style.

If you have read the whole O'Malley series, then it does make sense to have some closure with this book, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it to a first time Bertrice Small reader.

I'm not sure I mean this as a negative review or not. I'm not finished with the book yet. I might add I can usually finish a book in a 24 hour period but this book is giving me a bit of trouble.

Intricate is a subtle word. History and logistics are very prevelant. To me there is far too much about the King of England, the King of Scotland, politics, and who is related to who by their extramarital affairs. It is unfair for me to give an opinion before I finish the book but truthfully, I am of a mind to close the book and feel that I have not missed anything. I'm sorry to say, I'm bored with it.

This is not my first Bertrice Small book and am feeling a bit guilty for speaking my mind. At the moment, (where I am in the book) Arabella is a spy in France for Tudor. I understand Arabella's reasons and her plight but cannot help but feel it is toooooo much. She and Tavis are suppose to be in love with each other. Her determination and honor binds her to her ancestorial home and title even it if it for her daugher. I am forcing myself to finish this soon because I am curious to Tavis's reaction. I confess I have skimmed frequently and perhaps I am missing some vital events but the first and second line of the paragraph seems to explain the rest of the paragraphs intent.

To gage this review, I am partial to Stephanie Laurens, Susan Johnson, Connie Mason, Christine Feehan and I won't bore you by going on. Like most, I enjoy fiction because it is that, fiction; this however is far too detailed. The love scenes are so so. I am not one to look for many love that take up a chapter in itself describing every detail but I find them lacking in this book. The warmth and emotion are not emphasized adequately.

I apologize for my opinion before completing the book but I have read many romance novels over a 6 year period and am sorry to say this book does not hold my interest. The story and situations seem to go on forever.

I hope this has helped you. I personally rely on the reviews of other readers. I'm sorry that I cannot give this more than one star. I am not in any hurry to read any more of Ms. Small's book.

My apologies to Ms. Small and her fans. In closing, I suppose this is a negative review of this book. Sorry.

The first thing I can say about Arabella Grey is that she is unique among the hallowed halls of Bertrice Small heroines. Right from her introduction, Arabella is a different creature. She is intelligent in an academic way but also possesses a more primal and intuitive kind of intelligence. One of the things I enjoyed most about this book were the intricate paths of logic which were so central to Arabella's character. Yes, she understands things--but moreover, the reader gets into her working mind to see just how she reaches the shocking and surprising conclusions she does. Bear in mind that this is not a typical historical romance. Small's panorama of historicity is complex and detailed. Additionally, I saw this less as a tale between a man and a woman and more of the story of a brave and independent female charting her own destiny through a difficult time and social climate.

This is the book that inspired me to start writing my own short stories and romance novel. With such an intricate style of writing, such attention to detail and such well-rounded (no pun intended! ) characters, Bertrice creates such memorable stories. Arabella and her other heroines are not only beautiful, but smart and sexy! With such lewd men and saucy little ladies, Bertrice's books are always entertaining. I have never been able to put one of her books down once I started reading them. The Spitfire is filled with such adventure and suspense, such passion and love, that you cannot help but fall in love with the characters. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants step above the average romance novel.

Velvet is no Skye and Alex is no Adam. Velvet is headstrong like her mother, but in many ways lacks intelligence. Alex is overbearing and generally unlikable. However, this book is enjoyable if it is read with the rest of the series. Of course, we don't want Velvet to be a carbon copy of Skye. She should be her own character. She just needed to use her head a bit more. Her adventures in India were very interesting to me and I was glad when "Wild Jasmine" came along with more detailed stories about Indian life. As usual, I commend Mrs. Small's incredible writing ability. Nobody paints a picture with words as well as she does.

The adventures of Skye O'Malley's daughter was an interesting read. While I don't think Velvet is "exactly like her mother", the tale was interesting enough to stand alone and apart from Skye's adventures. The character of Alex was a bit heavy-handed for my taste and if I had been paired with a man like that, he wouldn't have lived long enough to BE married - but other than this, the book left a very "cool" impression on me. It's not bad. But it's not as good as Small's earlier reads.

This was a very good read. I couldn't put the book down. Velvet is a little spoiled as you would except the daughter of Skye and Adam to be. Considering her age and experience I can see how she would want her mother when she thought Alex had been killed. She had been through a lot at that point with little or no guidance from the other adults in her life. The time in India was the best part of the book. I agree with the other reviews I think she would have been happier with Akbar. The had me crying when she had to leave.

I am generally a big fan of Bertrice Small's romance novels. However, The Innocent was almost a complete disappointment. The story begins well, telling about how Elf becomes forced to leave her beloved convent to care for her sick brother. The story becomes far-fetched when readers learn how "perfect" Elf tries to be. To think, she actually tries to tend to Saer de Bude, the man who attempts to rape her when he becomes injured in his attack on her. You would think that a girl frantically trying to preserve her virtue would run as far away from this man as humanly possible. Another detail is that when Elf is examined to see if she has been raped, she faints dead away. However, her first time with Ranulf (remember, she has been in a convent almost all of her life), she turns into a complete sex kitten!!! Also, characters in the story such as her friend Isa, Saer de Bude and eventually Elf's evil sister-in-law Isleen, seem to just disappear into thin air. Finally, it is really hard to believe that Elf is so good that she drives all the evil impulses out of her captor, Merin Ap Owen. All in all, the characters seem rather one sided, with no real dimension within. If only Small had just let Elf have a single flaw (such as having an affair with Merin Ap Owen, the captor she grows fond of), the story would have obtained more realism.

I read this book in one day. I could not put it down. Once again Ms. Small put her hooks in me and did not let loose until the book was over!! Elf was such a wonderful character, i enjoyed watching her grow from a shy quiet nun into a spunky lady of the manor! I have read a lot of the reviews for this book and other Bertrice Small books and have noticed people complaining about the age difference's being unbelieveable. I don't even pay attention to that. Come on people, these are "story books", use your imagination, if you are uncomfortable with the age make them anything you want! The only reason i didn't give this book 5 stars is that i would have enjoyed reading more of Ms. Small's lush and lovely love scene's...

Having only read one book of Ms. Small's, The Innocent being the one, I can't compare it to her other works. But I really liked this book. I read it in about three days and had a hard time putting it down.

The historical content was quite accurate and I was impressed. I liked the characters, the setting and the time period. There wasn't any sexual tension between Eleanor and Ranulf, but in light of the situation, I don't think there should have been. If we were to believe Eleanor was indeed "innocent," then there shouldn't have been any sexual tension between her and her husband. And yes, there could have been a more confrontational impact between Isleen and Eleanor, but if you think of the character of Eleanor, she would not have confronted her violently. She was a gentle, kind person, not at all like the evil Isleen. I thought the author portrayed her heroine accurately to what she wanted her to be.

I would recommend this book to anyone.