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Ravished
Moving from the cozy confines of a tiny seaside village named Upper Biddleton to the glittering crush of a fashionable London soiree, Quick offers an enthralling tale of a mismatched couple poised to discover the rapture of love.
There was no doubt about it. What Miss Harriet Pomeroy needed was a man. Someone powerful and clever who could help her rout the unscrupulous thieves who were using her beloved caves to hide their loot. But when Harriet summoned Gideon Westbrook, Viscount St. Justin, to her aid, she could not know that she was summoning the devil himself. . . .
Dubbed the Beast of Blackthorne Hall for his scarred face and lecherous past, Gideon was strong and fierce and notoriously menacing. Yet Harriet could not find it in her heart to fear him. For in his tawny gaze she sensed a savage pain she longed to soothe . . . and a searing passion she yearned to answer. Now, caught up in the Beast’s clutches, Harriet must find a way to win his heart–and evade the deadly trap of a scheming villain who would see them parted for all time.
RAVISHED is a retelling of the classic tale, Beauty and the Beast.
There was no doubt about it. What Miss Harriet Pomeroy needed was a man. Someone powerful and clever who could help her rout the unscrupulous thieves who were using her beloved caves to hide their loot. But when Harriet summoned Gideon Westbrook, Viscount St. Justin, to her aid, she could not know that she was summoning the devil himself. . . .
Dubbed the Beast of Blackthorne Hall for his scarred face and lecherous past, Gideon was strong and fierce and notoriously menacing. Yet Harriet could not find it in her heart to fear him. For in his tawny gaze she sensed a savage pain she longed to soothe . . . and a searing passion she yearned to answer. Now, caught up in the Beast’s clutches, Harriet must find a way to win his heart–and evade the deadly trap of a scheming villain who would see them parted for all time.
RAVISHED is a retelling of the classic tale, Beauty and the Beast.
385 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1992
939 people are currently reading
12441 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Quick
87 books5,457 followersPseudonym of Jayne Ann Krentz
The author of over 40 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense, often with a psychic and paranormal twist, in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print.
She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.
Ms. Krentz is married and lives with her husband, Frank, in Seattle, Washington.
Pseudonym(s):
Jayne Ann Krentz
Jayne Castle
Stephanie James
Jayne Bentley
Jayne Taylor
Amanda Glass
The author of over 40 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense, often with a psychic and paranormal twist, in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print.
She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.
Ms. Krentz is married and lives with her husband, Frank, in Seattle, Washington.
Pseudonym(s):
Jayne Ann Krentz
Jayne Castle
Stephanie James
Jayne Bentley
Jayne Taylor
Amanda Glass
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,402 reviews
October 2, 2009
Ravished is one of my all-time favorite Amanda Quick novels. It's a wonderful story with likable characters and I must have read it at least 3 times already. Gideon is a scarred, brooding, semi-outcast whose own parents don't believe in his innocence. Despite having more reason to be bitter and harsh than the immature heros of many other romances, Gideon never behaves like a jerk or takes out his anger on the heroine. He can be arrogant and dictatorial, but he is tender to and proud of Harriet from practically the beginning. Harriet is eccentric, geekily obsessed with fossil collecting, intelligent, a bit bossy, a bit plain and on-the-shelf in her mid-20's. She's no shrinking violet, and is not afraid to go for it when she and Gideon get stuck in a cave alone overnight. Their bond is wonderful, she believes in him and defends him (verbally and in 1 memorable scene physically) to everyone, and he sees her as beautiful. There are some nice passionate scenes. Some good humor too, when Harriet's geeky friends try to "save" her from the Beast. Assorted villains, including a rival fossil hunter, add to the plot. But the focus remains on the romance and it's lovely *sigh*.
December 2, 2021
4 stars
This was such an enjoyable quirky read. I wasn’t sure how to feel about Harriet, at times I was loving her and her weird quirky feisty personality. I also, truly loved how Harriet was so protective of Gideon, she literally jumped a man who spoke badly about him! the way she won’t let anyone speak ill of him?? At other times she was really frustrating me with some of her actions, but overall she was an interesting character and definitely Gideon’s equal. Gideon on the other hand was such a sweet grumpy hero who has been so misunderstood. I loved their dynamics, banter, their dry humor, and seeing them challenge each other.
This was such an enjoyable quirky read. I wasn’t sure how to feel about Harriet, at times I was loving her and her weird quirky feisty personality. I also, truly loved how Harriet was so protective of Gideon, she literally jumped a man who spoke badly about him! the way she won’t let anyone speak ill of him?? At other times she was really frustrating me with some of her actions, but overall she was an interesting character and definitely Gideon’s equal. Gideon on the other hand was such a sweet grumpy hero who has been so misunderstood. I loved their dynamics, banter, their dry humor, and seeing them challenge each other.
August 29, 2021
This book was such a pleasant surprise and I am fully an Amanda Quick fangirl now. Seriously, I cannot wait to pick up the rest of her books. This book follows Harriet, who is a paleontologist, and she's obsessed with fossils. Her fossil hunting leads her to thieves hiding jewels in her caves, so she enlists the help of Gideon, who is the Viscount St Justin, to help her. She has no idea what Gideon's reputation is and the two end up falling into a whirlwind relationship. I absolutely loved Harriet and Gideon's dynamic and how they would banter and fully communicate with one another. Harriet was so protective of Gideon and would go off on anyone who tried to say anything bad about him. The plot of this book was wild, but definitely in a good way. I was always kept on my toes and there were so many surprises, so I never predicted anything. The romance was swoony and I loved how there was a marriage of convenience. I loved literally everything about this book and it's definitely one of my new favorite historical romances!
August 20, 2011
4 1/2 stars
I like Beauty and the Beast tales and Ravished is many reader's favorite Amanda Quick novel, so I chose it as my introduction to her work. I'm glad to say I was not disappointed. :)
I loved Gideon from the start and he was everything but The Beast of Blackthorne Hall, the nickname he received due to his "shady" reputation and his sinister appearance. I was expecting to meet a dark, tortured hero, but he was actually quite funny. Harriet was a different matter and it took me some time to understand her. She came dangerously close to becoming a TSTL heroine when she put herself in danger by refusing to listen to Gideon's reasoning, not only once but twice. Her redeeming point was her never-faltering trust in Gideon, jumping - at one time, literally! - to his defense whenever someone dared to speak ill of him.
As for the story, it was entertaining, funny and fast paced. Some events and, particularly, Harriet's reaction to them were "unusual" (for lack of a better word) but, in the end, I thought that quirkiness was fitting. I wasn't too surprised with the identity of the master villain, even though I spent most of the time thinking it was someone else. Considering this was a romance and not a mystery-thriller novel, I have no complaints. And the ending... Ah, I love closing a book with a smile on my face! :)
I like Beauty and the Beast tales and Ravished is many reader's favorite Amanda Quick novel, so I chose it as my introduction to her work. I'm glad to say I was not disappointed. :)
I loved Gideon from the start and he was everything but The Beast of Blackthorne Hall, the nickname he received due to his "shady" reputation and his sinister appearance. I was expecting to meet a dark, tortured hero, but he was actually quite funny. Harriet was a different matter and it took me some time to understand her. She came dangerously close to becoming a TSTL heroine when she put herself in danger by refusing to listen to Gideon's reasoning, not only once but twice. Her redeeming point was her never-faltering trust in Gideon, jumping - at one time, literally! - to his defense whenever someone dared to speak ill of him.
As for the story, it was entertaining, funny and fast paced. Some events and, particularly, Harriet's reaction to them were "unusual" (for lack of a better word) but, in the end, I thought that quirkiness was fitting. I wasn't too surprised with the identity of the master villain, even though I spent most of the time thinking it was someone else. Considering this was a romance and not a mystery-thriller novel, I have no complaints. And the ending... Ah, I love closing a book with a smile on my face! :)
June 13, 2022
*Review Up*
So I generally try to stay far away from bluestocking heroines in HR, specifically the 'eccentric' kinds simply because they are typically (not always) written to such a slanted degree that it comes off obnoxious and to be completely honest: historically inaccurate. Such was the case here. My first Amanda Quick book and I can see she likes to go for quirky zany characters and campy plots that are not that complicated or mysterious and a little too thin. I personally prefer more meat to the story and characters that I don't picture as…..how can I put this delicately.....well, not like this:
The heroine Harriet was very hot/cold for me. I found her inconsistent at times. I was cheering her on at places and at others I wanted someone to duck tape her mouth shut. She’s this hardcore fossil enthusiast, to the point that the girl is racing down a bluff like a kid whose hair is on fire to confront fossil hunters from taking over her precious cave. The villains! Rogues!
Her precious fossil tooth is unprotected! State of emergency! Police. Help! Where is the Jurassic Park dude when you need him?
She gets in blistering huffy arguments with everyone and anyone who says stupid things and defends the hero staunchly (which I got a real kick out of). Nobody diss "the Beast" in front of her. Proceed with caution!
But then there were moments where I questioned this girl's much touted intelligence....oh YES, there's more besides the fossil stupidity. I just never found it amusing when you have a bunch of meddling secondary characters running amuck trying to "save" the heroine from theBEEEAST hero, all because they think she doesn't know any better.
Yeah no.
Another ludicrous moment was Harriet thinking she can reason with random thieves to not enter the cave because gosh darnit! Gideon gave explicit permission that only she can have access to the cave and they MUST listen to her!.…...Are you serious? You go unarmed, all by your lonesome, in the middle of the night to confront possible thieves in a damn cave and think you will be perfectly fine?
Gideon called it best, "brainless twit" indeed.
Harriet’s obsession with those caves and her fakakta tooth fossil I didn't find cute or interesting in the least. Just really tiresome. This is the kind of thing about bluestocking heroines I honestly cannot stand. Authors who take it to such extremes that it becomes a parody and suspending belief. It’s just not funny to me when everything becomes a hijinx and the eccentric managing heroine HAS to have her way in everything. The world will not end if you have to wait a few days or a week to explore a cave dearie. Calm down. I just find it childish and juvenile to see a grown woman act this way over fossils and nose around in things that only got her in trouble. And I noticed that she always seemed to win every argument and discussion even when she was acting outrageously silly over things. G-d forbid she can never be wrong! And speaking of suspending belief, it didn't escape my notice that the heroine magically happened to dig up a tooth of an "extremely large lizard" that nobody else has discovered. The thing was nearly sticking out of the wall inside the cave (which she immediately recognized as a tooth). A few chips of her chisel and boom! out falls the ginormous tooth. Of a dinosaur. (For real? For real for real?)
Yes because that’s generally how excavations of prehistoric fossils were done in those days. 😒😑 Like I said, I could have done without this whole adventure. I'm all for mystery, intrigue, the couple solving something (ok fine..not really) but a bunch of crotchety fossil hunters chasing after a bluestocking is so stale and unexciting.
The slight saving grace for me was Harriet’s interactions with Gideon. She was his number one champion which was very sweet and had me cheering her on. The girl literally pummels a man to the floor after he publicly insults Gideon and gives him the cut direct. Hilarious and so richly deserving. Even with that, Gideon seemed to calm her down, bring her down back to earth and call her out when she’s being ridiculous. If it wasn’t for Gideon I would have probably dropped this in a hot second. They really did make a sweet couple, I just wish the story was focused more on them and not a tepid mystery subplot and the heroine's hobby that seems to swallow up most of the book.
And I thought the whole The Beast of Blackthorne Hall! title to be a tad over-exaggerated. A stupid lie by a scheming cruel selfish girl, misconstrued gossip and a scar makes him the most feared man in England. Seriously?? It's a scar on his jaw but everyone acts like he's the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
And how everyone came to deduce that Gideon was the villain over that whole 'ravishing and abandoning' scandal is beyond me. Nobody thought that twit was lying?
And for those giving me the side eye for this comment, read the book. There were swiss cheese holes in the girl's story.
As for the 'villains' in here? Welp...
And no I'm not talking about the fossil hunters. The other ones. The real ones. Who are so predictable and campy you see it a mile away. A random pack of men going around stealing randomly from rich houses. So original I'm shaking. Why antagonists in here were sooooooo hung up on not having money and a title and wanting revenge simply because...because LIFE ISN'T FAIR! was so ridiculous and humdrum.
I have 4 other books by this author and I'll be honest I don't know if I'm interested enough to give her another try. I usually have a 2 book rule if I'm not sure about an author but given how many books I have to go through to clean out my shelves my patience is thin and I don't want to waste time reading the same kind of trope with eccentric managing heroines running around willy nilly with mystery that isn't that suspenseful or intriguing. Meh.
✨ If you liked this book then I'd strongly recommend: ✨
"There she goes again,” Gideon warned his mother. “You had better stop her quickly unless you want the conversation to revert to fossils.”
So I generally try to stay far away from bluestocking heroines in HR, specifically the 'eccentric' kinds simply because they are typically (not always) written to such a slanted degree that it comes off obnoxious and to be completely honest: historically inaccurate. Such was the case here. My first Amanda Quick book and I can see she likes to go for quirky zany characters and campy plots that are not that complicated or mysterious and a little too thin. I personally prefer more meat to the story and characters that I don't picture as…..how can I put this delicately.....well, not like this:
The heroine Harriet was very hot/cold for me. I found her inconsistent at times. I was cheering her on at places and at others I wanted someone to duck tape her mouth shut. She’s this hardcore fossil enthusiast, to the point that the girl is racing down a bluff like a kid whose hair is on fire to confront fossil hunters from taking over her precious cave. The villains! Rogues!
Her precious fossil tooth is unprotected! State of emergency! Police. Help! Where is the Jurassic Park dude when you need him?
She gets in blistering huffy arguments with everyone and anyone who says stupid things and defends the hero staunchly (which I got a real kick out of). Nobody diss "the Beast" in front of her. Proceed with caution!
But then there were moments where I questioned this girl's much touted intelligence....oh YES, there's more besides the fossil stupidity. I just never found it amusing when you have a bunch of meddling secondary characters running amuck trying to "save" the heroine from the
Yeah no.
Another ludicrous moment was Harriet thinking she can reason with random thieves to not enter the cave because gosh darnit! Gideon gave explicit permission that only she can have access to the cave and they MUST listen to her!.…...Are you serious? You go unarmed, all by your lonesome, in the middle of the night to confront possible thieves in a damn cave and think you will be perfectly fine?
Gideon called it best, "brainless twit" indeed.
Harriet’s obsession with those caves and her fakakta tooth fossil I didn't find cute or interesting in the least. Just really tiresome. This is the kind of thing about bluestocking heroines I honestly cannot stand. Authors who take it to such extremes that it becomes a parody and suspending belief. It’s just not funny to me when everything becomes a hijinx and the eccentric managing heroine HAS to have her way in everything. The world will not end if you have to wait a few days or a week to explore a cave dearie. Calm down. I just find it childish and juvenile to see a grown woman act this way over fossils and nose around in things that only got her in trouble. And I noticed that she always seemed to win every argument and discussion even when she was acting outrageously silly over things. G-d forbid she can never be wrong! And speaking of suspending belief, it didn't escape my notice that the heroine magically happened to dig up a tooth of an "extremely large lizard" that nobody else has discovered. The thing was nearly sticking out of the wall inside the cave (which she immediately recognized as a tooth). A few chips of her chisel and boom! out falls the ginormous tooth. Of a dinosaur. (For real? For real for real?)
Yes because that’s generally how excavations of prehistoric fossils were done in those days. 😒😑 Like I said, I could have done without this whole adventure. I'm all for mystery, intrigue, the couple solving something (ok fine..not really) but a bunch of crotchety fossil hunters chasing after a bluestocking is so stale and unexciting.
The slight saving grace for me was Harriet’s interactions with Gideon. She was his number one champion which was very sweet and had me cheering her on. The girl literally pummels a man to the floor after he publicly insults Gideon and gives him the cut direct. Hilarious and so richly deserving. Even with that, Gideon seemed to calm her down, bring her down back to earth and call her out when she’s being ridiculous. If it wasn’t for Gideon I would have probably dropped this in a hot second. They really did make a sweet couple, I just wish the story was focused more on them and not a tepid mystery subplot and the heroine's hobby that seems to swallow up most of the book.
And I thought the whole The Beast of Blackthorne Hall! title to be a tad over-exaggerated. A stupid lie by a scheming cruel selfish girl, misconstrued gossip and a scar makes him the most feared man in England. Seriously?? It's a scar on his jaw but everyone acts like he's the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
And how everyone came to deduce that Gideon was the villain over that whole 'ravishing and abandoning' scandal is beyond me. Nobody thought that twit was lying?
And for those giving me the side eye for this comment, read the book. There were swiss cheese holes in the girl's story.
As for the 'villains' in here? Welp...
And no I'm not talking about the fossil hunters. The other ones. The real ones. Who are so predictable and campy you see it a mile away. A random pack of men going around stealing randomly from rich houses. So original I'm shaking. Why antagonists in here were sooooooo hung up on not having money and a title and wanting revenge simply because...because LIFE ISN'T FAIR! was so ridiculous and humdrum.
I have 4 other books by this author and I'll be honest I don't know if I'm interested enough to give her another try. I usually have a 2 book rule if I'm not sure about an author but given how many books I have to go through to clean out my shelves my patience is thin and I don't want to waste time reading the same kind of trope with eccentric managing heroines running around willy nilly with mystery that isn't that suspenseful or intriguing. Meh.
✨ If you liked this book then I'd strongly recommend: ✨
July 3, 2021
This was my first Amanda Quick book and it was a DELIGHT! I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting all the banter and wit here, but it was great. It’s got beauty and the beast vibes with a scarred, reclusive hero. I loved Gideon’s sarcasm and dry humor, which matched perfectly well with Harriet’s sassy stubbornness. She’s a paleontologist and it was just so funny how obsessed she was with her bones. They find themselves in a compromised position so of course, marriage of convenience! I had so much fun reading this and can’t wait to read more from this author.
November 25, 2015
I love Regency romances - I am a Georgette Heyer tragic from way back - but many of today's efforts are very weak and formulaic. This one is neither of those things and I was in my reading element:). The two main characters were delightful, the conversation was witty and the formula was thrown out the window. Guess what - no misunderstandings between our purported lovers to separate them and lead them astray. In this book our hero and our heroine understand each other from the start and have each other's backs throughout the story. It was fun, it was fresh and I loved it!
January 31, 2016
This story is a beauty and the beast retelling, with two interesting main characters. Harriet Pomeroy, a fossil enthusiast and the viscount Gideon St. Justin. Gideon got the name beast because of his large size, mean attitude, and his scar over his eye. Also because it was said that he drove his fiancé to kill herself.
It got boring at times and they had sex so quickly that I was so confused on if they were going to even have a relationship.
But I did have time after that to find out that the heroine is completely annoying. Like he had to literally ask did she favor her fossils over him. And she said she favored him, but shit you can't be too sure. Tbh I dont think she told the truth. She literally gets herself into so much trouble over these fossils; over 20 times throughout the book and it's completely stupid. She was supposed to seem like a headstrong character but she was actually, just stupid and rash.
Gideon was a likeable enough. He played his beast role, except I was hoping more true to the character hostility towards the heroine. There was close to none here. He really never did a wrong to her, she always managed to get herself into stupid predicaments that need saving, he does the saving, and then reprimands her about it. But she actually does say he's been nothing but nice to her the entire time. One thing I dont like about him, is that he never clarifies that the marriage truly wasnt of convience, that he had some weird obsession/attraction even though she clearly only holds attraction to old ass rocks. He never explained that to her and it's like it would have helped the plot a bit.
Then there was this whole backwards mystery in this book. I'm normally not a fan of mystery in my historical romances, so that was new. Who was planting stolen property in the caves? Why did this really matter? Well because she decided the cave was hers and that she didnt want any more fossil hunters to find what belongs to her. Once again, BITCH THE CAVE DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU! As I type this I'm serious starting to hate the heroine even more.
Whenever she and her club met up to talk, I always skipped/skimmed those parts, utterly BORING. And plus she talked about them too much. I honestly have no idea how the hero even fell in love with her. I literally only know one thing about her; she likes fossils. Like you have no idea every other page she talks about fossils. It got to the point where he decided to help use it as foreplay! It was literally, just no, just ugh.
Then she says she's not the prettiest, her sister is, yet so many guys when she goes to London are at her feet. I know she couldnt afford a season before this time, and she's 25 which means old maid in these times. But if all these guys here are at your feet, none were at home? I wonder why? Maybe it's your obsession with bones and that you have literally nothing to talk about except them.
SHE WANTED TO BE INCLUDED IN EVERYTHING HE DID. For one it wasnt proper nor did it happen in that time. But she sat there and demanded Gideon everything. Like if he didn't listen to her she would go around him and force him to do it. Let him handle it. She NEVER listened to him. Not once. It was her way or the highway. And although Gideon tried to put her in her place, she didn't accept that. Look, I'm all here for GIRLPOWER! But not stupid and dangerous power, let him do what he needs to.
I didn't feel a strong connection between the characters. I could see Gideon's, but hers was almost nonexistent. Yes she claimed to like him first and all that, but it seemed her fossils were more important and she stated a whole bunch about how she would "rather be talking about fossils" 40 million times through the book. Like I dont even want to hear about fossils for the next month!
Oh! And she claimed the place where she dug fossils at to be hers. ALL THE TIME. Bitch you do not own those, those are Gideon's legally, and even then anyone could dig on those. She was quick to defend her friends when they actually did some wrong shit. ALSO THE DAMN TOOTH. Once we hear about it, its all she fuckin thinks about. I loved when we switched to what Gideon was thinking about, because she annoyed me.
I did like one thing though. She didn't care about Gideon's face. That was a genuine aspect in her. She didn't mention it, she didnt find him ugly, and she generally never thought about it.
It got boring at times and they had sex so quickly that I was so confused on if they were going to even have a relationship.
But I did have time after that to find out that the heroine is completely annoying. Like he had to literally ask did she favor her fossils over him. And she said she favored him, but shit you can't be too sure. Tbh I dont think she told the truth. She literally gets herself into so much trouble over these fossils; over 20 times throughout the book and it's completely stupid. She was supposed to seem like a headstrong character but she was actually, just stupid and rash.
Gideon was a likeable enough. He played his beast role, except I was hoping more true to the character hostility towards the heroine. There was close to none here. He really never did a wrong to her, she always managed to get herself into stupid predicaments that need saving, he does the saving, and then reprimands her about it. But she actually does say he's been nothing but nice to her the entire time. One thing I dont like about him, is that he never clarifies that the marriage truly wasnt of convience, that he had some weird obsession/attraction even though she clearly only holds attraction to old ass rocks. He never explained that to her and it's like it would have helped the plot a bit.
Then there was this whole backwards mystery in this book. I'm normally not a fan of mystery in my historical romances, so that was new. Who was planting stolen property in the caves? Why did this really matter? Well because she decided the cave was hers and that she didnt want any more fossil hunters to find what belongs to her. Once again, BITCH THE CAVE DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU! As I type this I'm serious starting to hate the heroine even more.
Whenever she and her club met up to talk, I always skipped/skimmed those parts, utterly BORING. And plus she talked about them too much. I honestly have no idea how the hero even fell in love with her. I literally only know one thing about her; she likes fossils. Like you have no idea every other page she talks about fossils. It got to the point where he decided to help use it as foreplay! It was literally, just no, just ugh.
Then she says she's not the prettiest, her sister is, yet so many guys when she goes to London are at her feet. I know she couldnt afford a season before this time, and she's 25 which means old maid in these times. But if all these guys here are at your feet, none were at home? I wonder why? Maybe it's your obsession with bones and that you have literally nothing to talk about except them.
SHE WANTED TO BE INCLUDED IN EVERYTHING HE DID. For one it wasnt proper nor did it happen in that time. But she sat there and demanded Gideon everything. Like if he didn't listen to her she would go around him and force him to do it. Let him handle it. She NEVER listened to him. Not once. It was her way or the highway. And although Gideon tried to put her in her place, she didn't accept that. Look, I'm all here for GIRLPOWER! But not stupid and dangerous power, let him do what he needs to.
I didn't feel a strong connection between the characters. I could see Gideon's, but hers was almost nonexistent. Yes she claimed to like him first and all that, but it seemed her fossils were more important and she stated a whole bunch about how she would "rather be talking about fossils" 40 million times through the book. Like I dont even want to hear about fossils for the next month!
Oh! And she claimed the place where she dug fossils at to be hers. ALL THE TIME. Bitch you do not own those, those are Gideon's legally, and even then anyone could dig on those. She was quick to defend her friends when they actually did some wrong shit. ALSO THE DAMN TOOTH. Once we hear about it, its all she fuckin thinks about. I loved when we switched to what Gideon was thinking about, because she annoyed me.
I did like one thing though. She didn't care about Gideon's face. That was a genuine aspect in her. She didn't mention it, she didnt find him ugly, and she generally never thought about it.
December 10, 2021
3.75 stars
Beauty and the Beast retelling in a historical setting that i actually adored. hallelujah!
absolutely loved that the h was a paleontologist. but her passion for fossils sometimes got in the way of common sense, and that was aNnOyYiNg. on the other hand, the way she was so protective of the H and always so quick to defend him and so adamant about clearing his name, that was 👏👏👏 i feel like that was something we rarely see from heroines. at least not to the extent that the h here did it.
the fact that the people in society had an instant change of heart about the H (after 6+ years of deserting and hating on him) just cause he challenged his wifes assaulter to a duel was a little ridiculous and hard to believe. other than that, i really enjoyed the suspense, plot twists, and the bit of actions thrown in. the romance was delightful. idk the accuracy of the paleontologist rep, but i feel like this book was rather refreshing on that regard.
and because of that, i’d say try this if you want something a tad different for your HR fix.
Beauty and the Beast retelling in a historical setting that i actually adored. hallelujah!
absolutely loved that the h was a paleontologist. but her passion for fossils sometimes got in the way of common sense, and that was aNnOyYiNg. on the other hand, the way she was so protective of the H and always so quick to defend him and so adamant about clearing his name, that was 👏👏👏 i feel like that was something we rarely see from heroines. at least not to the extent that the h here did it.
the fact that the people in society had an instant change of heart about the H (after 6+ years of deserting and hating on him) just cause he challenged his wifes assaulter to a duel was a little ridiculous and hard to believe. other than that, i really enjoyed the suspense, plot twists, and the bit of actions thrown in. the romance was delightful. idk the accuracy of the paleontologist rep, but i feel like this book was rather refreshing on that regard.
and because of that, i’d say try this if you want something a tad different for your HR fix.
April 9, 2021
4 fossil-seeking, thief-tracking, beauty & the beast retelling stars
Ravished is a historical romance by Amanda Quick (who writes her contemporary romances as Jayne Ann Krentz and her paranormal romances as Jayne Castle), and she reliably provides a solid plot with some steamy moments and interesting characters. In this story, she plays off the Beauty and the Beast trope as the hero has a dark past, deep facial scars, and is the subject of dreadful rumors. None of these characteristics are known to (nor do they matter to) Miss Harriet Pomeroy when she summons him to address the thievery/smuggling ring she has discovered occupying the caves that she frequents in search of precious fossils. The gems, jewels, and miscellaneous valuables are nothing but a nuisance in her way of uncovering the next big scientific discovery, and as the majority land owner, she writes a very dramatic to Gideon Westbrook, Viscount St. Justin (future Earl of Hardcastle) to gain his attention and his assistance in ridding the caverns along the coastline of this problem.
Gideon has a name, a respected title, and will be a wealthy land-owning earl upon his father's passing, but he is perhaps most notoriously known as the Beast of Blackthorne Hall - a moniker bestowed upon him when he engaged in swordplay with a friend and things went too far, leaving him with a hideous scar across his face. His nickname became even more apropos 6 years ago when the woman he was engaged to apparently committed suicide after he allegedly called off their engagement once she found herself with child. As no one cared to hear the truth, Gideon retreated from society and has spent most of his time since managing his father's properties, though he has not ventured to the seaside properties in Upper Biddleton where he "ruined" the preacher's daughter since that incident until he receives an intriguing and dramatic letter from the most recent preacher's daughter demanding his presence.
When Gideon learns what Harriet has discovered, he is committed to catching the thieves and smugglers as soon as possible; what he doesn't count on is Harriet's determination to be involved in that process. When she intervenes in the process, they are unquestionably compromised, and Gideon convinces Harriet they must wed. But given his reputation and past broken engagement, her relatives and friends are not convinced that the Beast of Blackthorne Hall will keep his promise. When Harriet sees Gideon, she has never seen a beast; only a man with honor deserving of respect. Will Gideon keep his promises to Harriet? Can she help others see the real Gideon behind the scar and undeserved notoriety? And when Harriet's life is threatened, will Gideon be able to prevent what may well be an unrecoverable tragedy from happening?
What I liked:
--- The main characters were interesting and quirky (in a good way); they worked well together and you wanted them to get their HEA
--- There were some mysteries/danger/intrigue along the way that kept me glued to the pages
--- Steamy goodness (early and a few times thereafter) - nothing overly graphic, but definitely adult content
What I didn't like as much:
--- There were multiple mysteries that arose, were then kind of put off to the side, then revisited, so it was a little hard at time to keep track of them and be able to determine who was responsible for what
--- When everything came to a head, things made sense, but it wasn't something anyone could have guessed (I like to at least be able to have a chance at figuring out who the "bad guy(s)" is/are)
Overall, this was an enjoyable story with likeable, yet quirky, characters along with some mystery, steamy goodness, and (of course!) an HEA!
Plot --- 4/5
Main Characters --- 4/5
Supporting Cast --- 3.5/5
Steam Level* --- 3.5/5
Violence --- nothing graphic
Language --- not egregious
POV --- 3rd
*Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 - clean; 1/5 - mild (nothing descriptive); 2/5 - 3rd base action/1 home run; 3/5 - now we're getting somewhere (a couple of full-on steamy scenes); 4/5 - yes please! (erotica territory); 5/5 - they did EVERYTHING in this one, y'all
Ravished is a historical romance by Amanda Quick (who writes her contemporary romances as Jayne Ann Krentz and her paranormal romances as Jayne Castle), and she reliably provides a solid plot with some steamy moments and interesting characters. In this story, she plays off the Beauty and the Beast trope as the hero has a dark past, deep facial scars, and is the subject of dreadful rumors. None of these characteristics are known to (nor do they matter to) Miss Harriet Pomeroy when she summons him to address the thievery/smuggling ring she has discovered occupying the caves that she frequents in search of precious fossils. The gems, jewels, and miscellaneous valuables are nothing but a nuisance in her way of uncovering the next big scientific discovery, and as the majority land owner, she writes a very dramatic to Gideon Westbrook, Viscount St. Justin (future Earl of Hardcastle) to gain his attention and his assistance in ridding the caverns along the coastline of this problem.
Gideon has a name, a respected title, and will be a wealthy land-owning earl upon his father's passing, but he is perhaps most notoriously known as the Beast of Blackthorne Hall - a moniker bestowed upon him when he engaged in swordplay with a friend and things went too far, leaving him with a hideous scar across his face. His nickname became even more apropos 6 years ago when the woman he was engaged to apparently committed suicide after he allegedly called off their engagement once she found herself with child. As no one cared to hear the truth, Gideon retreated from society and has spent most of his time since managing his father's properties, though he has not ventured to the seaside properties in Upper Biddleton where he "ruined" the preacher's daughter since that incident until he receives an intriguing and dramatic letter from the most recent preacher's daughter demanding his presence.
When Gideon learns what Harriet has discovered, he is committed to catching the thieves and smugglers as soon as possible; what he doesn't count on is Harriet's determination to be involved in that process. When she intervenes in the process, they are unquestionably compromised, and Gideon convinces Harriet they must wed. But given his reputation and past broken engagement, her relatives and friends are not convinced that the Beast of Blackthorne Hall will keep his promise. When Harriet sees Gideon, she has never seen a beast; only a man with honor deserving of respect. Will Gideon keep his promises to Harriet? Can she help others see the real Gideon behind the scar and undeserved notoriety? And when Harriet's life is threatened, will Gideon be able to prevent what may well be an unrecoverable tragedy from happening?
What I liked:
--- The main characters were interesting and quirky (in a good way); they worked well together and you wanted them to get their HEA
--- There were some mysteries/danger/intrigue along the way that kept me glued to the pages
--- Steamy goodness (early and a few times thereafter) - nothing overly graphic, but definitely adult content
What I didn't like as much:
--- There were multiple mysteries that arose, were then kind of put off to the side, then revisited, so it was a little hard at time to keep track of them and be able to determine who was responsible for what
--- When everything came to a head, things made sense, but it wasn't something anyone could have guessed (I like to at least be able to have a chance at figuring out who the "bad guy(s)" is/are)
Overall, this was an enjoyable story with likeable, yet quirky, characters along with some mystery, steamy goodness, and (of course!) an HEA!
Plot --- 4/5
Main Characters --- 4/5
Supporting Cast --- 3.5/5
Steam Level* --- 3.5/5
Violence --- nothing graphic
Language --- not egregious
POV --- 3rd
*Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 - clean; 1/5 - mild (nothing descriptive); 2/5 - 3rd base action/1 home run; 3/5 - now we're getting somewhere (a couple of full-on steamy scenes); 4/5 - yes please! (erotica territory); 5/5 - they did EVERYTHING in this one, y'all
August 9, 2016
My first Amanda Quick and most
defiantly
not my last !
Loved everything about this book ! The plot, the characters...it all radiated true originality ! This one's definatly going into my shelves of favourites !
Loved everything about this book ! The plot, the characters...it all radiated true originality ! This one's definatly going into my shelves of favourites !
February 5, 2023
4.5 Stars
Opinion Breakdown
The Good: The premise. The banter. The characters. How it kept me engaged.
The Not-So-Good: I wanted the H to realize he loved the h sooner than he did. Probably mainly so I could experience them in HEA bliss longer...
The Bad: I don't think there was anything really "bad" in this book except maybe I wanted more of a HEA.
Overall: This was better than I had expected! I really liked it!! I haven't read this author before, but I think I'll definitely be looking into her other works! If you have any recommendations, please let me know 🤗
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Harriet and Gideon's story. Harriet, the rector's daughter, summons Gideon, the lord of the land she lives in, because she has discovered a thieving ring on his property. She is an avid fossil hunter and in the caves that she is currently exploring, she discovered some loot. Only when they are confronting the thieves, Harriet and Gideon get stuck together in the caves overnight and she is now compromised. They end up marrying and Harriet is exposed to the hell he has been living in by having a tarnished reputation of being a "beast" from rumors about his ex fiancé and her death. There are some (mildly) suspenseful scenes, some secrets revealed, some sexy and sweet times...and they get a HEA ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between focusing on Harriet and Gideon in 3rd person narrative.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well.
Instalove: No, they take a while to develop stronger feelings.
H (Hero) rating: 4.5 stars. Gideon. I really liked him. He was a beast because nobody believed him and treated him that way, but I liked how protective he was towards the h and how he allowed himself to be vulnerable with her.
h (heroine) rating: 4.5 stars. Harriet. I really liked her too. I liked her smarts, how she wasn't afraid to be herself, and how she cared for the H.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Not really
Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: No
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends with a cute epilogue, but unsurprisingly, my greedy self wanted more! I would call it a HEA
Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers
Opinion Breakdown
The Good: The premise. The banter. The characters. How it kept me engaged.
The Not-So-Good: I wanted the H to realize he loved the h sooner than he did. Probably mainly so I could experience them in HEA bliss longer...
The Bad: I don't think there was anything really "bad" in this book except maybe I wanted more of a HEA.
Overall: This was better than I had expected! I really liked it!! I haven't read this author before, but I think I'll definitely be looking into her other works! If you have any recommendations, please let me know 🤗
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Harriet and Gideon's story. Harriet, the rector's daughter, summons Gideon, the lord of the land she lives in, because she has discovered a thieving ring on his property. She is an avid fossil hunter and in the caves that she is currently exploring, she discovered some loot. Only when they are confronting the thieves, Harriet and Gideon get stuck together in the caves overnight and she is now compromised. They end up marrying and Harriet is exposed to the hell he has been living in by having a tarnished reputation of being a "beast" from rumors about his ex fiancé and her death. There are some (mildly) suspenseful scenes, some secrets revealed, some sexy and sweet times...and they get a HEA ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between focusing on Harriet and Gideon in 3rd person narrative.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well.
Instalove: No, they take a while to develop stronger feelings.
H (Hero) rating: 4.5 stars. Gideon. I really liked him. He was a beast because nobody believed him and treated him that way, but I liked how protective he was towards the h and how he allowed himself to be vulnerable with her.
h (heroine) rating: 4.5 stars. Harriet. I really liked her too. I liked her smarts, how she wasn't afraid to be herself, and how she cared for the H.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Not really
Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: No
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends with a cute epilogue, but unsurprisingly, my greedy self wanted more! I would call it a HEA
Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers
September 21, 2021
I was going to give this book a 4 stars but it ended in such a nice tone that I am feeling more like it was a 4.5.
This book captured me from the beginning. The heroine is the type of person that talk, talk, talk about everything and nothing at the same time. So, inevitably, the dialogues in this book were amazing.
Here we see a hero that has lost his honor in the eyes of everybody and is treated very poorly and the heroine that could care less about his reputation, that asks for his help in a mission. It was a great fun seeing their interactions, I laughed in many parts and was intrigued by the mystery.
This is a book that I definitely recommend if you want something fun to read, just be aware that this is a very dreamy heroine. I could not put this book down.
This book captured me from the beginning. The heroine is the type of person that talk, talk, talk about everything and nothing at the same time. So, inevitably, the dialogues in this book were amazing.
Here we see a hero that has lost his honor in the eyes of everybody and is treated very poorly and the heroine that could care less about his reputation, that asks for his help in a mission. It was a great fun seeing their interactions, I laughed in many parts and was intrigued by the mystery.
This is a book that I definitely recommend if you want something fun to read, just be aware that this is a very dreamy heroine. I could not put this book down.
May 25, 2025
Harriet is obsessed with fossils. She doesn't want anything interfering with that. Not even pesky smugglers.
Gideon is used to people fearing him and running from him, not to be ordered about by adorable amateur fossil huntresses.
A night in a flooded cave and a hasty engagement later, Gideon will learn that his new fiancée is more than just a bluestocking. She is smart, loyal, caring and most shocking of all she is all of those things to him.
Gideon will forever have my heart for always flaunting and bragging about Harriet. Yes, she might feel a bit like an exotic cat in a menagerie, but it comes from a good place. It's a reaction that comes from that part of himself that came to believe the rumors, that told him he wasn't good enough or deserving of anything nice.
In addition, a man that wants his woman just as she is is worth his weight in words.
I love Gideon with all my heart and I adore Harriet for always being on his side (Also for giving that piece of shit vicar a good kick in his scrawny ass)
Gideon is used to people fearing him and running from him, not to be ordered about by adorable amateur fossil huntresses.
A night in a flooded cave and a hasty engagement later, Gideon will learn that his new fiancée is more than just a bluestocking. She is smart, loyal, caring and most shocking of all she is all of those things to him.
Gideon will forever have my heart for always flaunting and bragging about Harriet. Yes, she might feel a bit like an exotic cat in a menagerie, but it comes from a good place. It's a reaction that comes from that part of himself that came to believe the rumors, that told him he wasn't good enough or deserving of anything nice.
In addition, a man that wants his woman just as she is is worth his weight in words.
I love Gideon with all my heart and I adore Harriet for always being on his side (Also for giving that piece of shit vicar a good kick in his scrawny ass)
December 3, 2021
If you can get beyond the silly title, which has little in common with the actual story, this is a delightful Regency-era Beauty and the Beast-like take with a touch of mystery thrown in for good measure.
The characters don’t spend much time lamenting on their fate or actions, and unlike similarly styled books, the few romance scenes don't feel contrived or overly cliched (if you've read more than one romance, you know those ridiculous ways of describing their tortured throbbing)!
Instead, we're treated to fairly well-rounded characters (hey, the heroine is an avid collector of fossils, and rarely has a good hair day) and spared the perfect hero. And the verbal beating round the bush is kept to a minimum!
Looking forward to reading another Amanda Quick novel when a light-hearted, fun romp is needed!
The characters don’t spend much time lamenting on their fate or actions, and unlike similarly styled books, the few romance scenes don't feel contrived or overly cliched (if you've read more than one romance, you know those ridiculous ways of describing their tortured throbbing)!
Instead, we're treated to fairly well-rounded characters (hey, the heroine is an avid collector of fossils, and rarely has a good hair day) and spared the perfect hero. And the verbal beating round the bush is kept to a minimum!
Looking forward to reading another Amanda Quick novel when a light-hearted, fun romp is needed!
March 2, 2020
DNF 50 %. Maybe 2.5/5 despite not finishing, which has more to do with my current mood. It's not a bad book and the writing is good. I must say, the heroine annoys me with her antics. Much that I'm a bona fide nerd, I actually hate it when bluestocking heroines get so single-minded in their pursuit of knowledge, that they don't pay attention to people and clues in their environment and placing themselves in dicey situations. Surely bookish intelligence and common sense are not mutually exclusive concepts? The secondary characters are good. I like the hero. The pacing just slowed right down in the middle. Once they got together, there was no more bantering and little spark.
April 8, 2023
Okay so the couple themselves were cute and I really did like Gideon but the plot wasn’t for me. The one villain just got to abscond to the continent…I demand a duel. And Harriet kept downplaying bad people bc she didn’t want to provoke Gideon which I get but like release the kraken plz. The thieving ring was random and the villain at the end was chaotic at best.
It kinda reminded me of Julie Anne Long? And frankly I’m just not a fan of hers which is a shame.
Honestly I was annoyed more so than not while reading, but upon finishing I really can’t articulate what I didn’t like…it just wasn’t the book for me. They also had sex so randomly that first time lmao. Bonus points for vigorous cave spelunking though. Points deducted for very short and vague sex scenes, some fading to black.
I liked the reconciliation with the parents at the end and truly Gideon was a cutie…I just can’t remember why.
⭐️⭐️.75*/5 🌶️🌶️.25**/5
*I gave 2.75 bc I was skipping chunks of the villainous monologues and weird shenanigans (kidnapping??) but the overall vibe is three stars.
**vigorous but vague
Whenever this happens aka heroine just willfully being ignorant, I weep:
Him: why would you go to the caves alone when there’s a strange man about
Her: they haven’t been dangerous until recently!
Me: 🤬🤬🤬are we not RECENT???
It kinda reminded me of Julie Anne Long? And frankly I’m just not a fan of hers which is a shame.
Honestly I was annoyed more so than not while reading, but upon finishing I really can’t articulate what I didn’t like…it just wasn’t the book for me. They also had sex so randomly that first time lmao. Bonus points for vigorous cave spelunking though. Points deducted for very short and vague sex scenes, some fading to black.
I liked the reconciliation with the parents at the end and truly Gideon was a cutie…I just can’t remember why.
⭐️⭐️.75*/5 🌶️🌶️.25**/5
*I gave 2.75 bc I was skipping chunks of the villainous monologues and weird shenanigans (kidnapping??) but the overall vibe is three stars.
**vigorous but vague
Whenever this happens aka heroine just willfully being ignorant, I weep:
Him: why would you go to the caves alone when there’s a strange man about
Her: they haven’t been dangerous until recently!
Me: 🤬🤬🤬are we not RECENT???
July 22, 2025
⤿
4 stars.
You know that feeling when two characters are drawn to each other not just because of attraction, but because something fundamental in them recognizes the other? That’s what Gideon and Harriet are. They don’t simply fall in love; they build it from trust, mutual curiosity, friendship, and safety that can only exist between equals.
✧˚. ❃Things to Expect
🖤 Recency meets gothic
🌊 Stormy cliffs and hidden caves
☠️ Beauty and the Beast retelling (I hesitate saying Beast; Harriet is coming for me)
🕯️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🖤
🌊 Fossil-hunting, independent, socially clueless heroine
☠️ Protective of each other
🕯️ Witty banter
🖤 Forced proximity (oh no! We’re stuck in a cave together)
🌊 A hero who falls harder with every passionate debate
☠️ A heroine who’s more interested in rocks than romance
🕯️ Cozy danger = comfort-reading
I may have just listed everything that happens in the book, but that’s because this story slaps. It’s cozy, it’s clever, and it’s everything I needed from a grumpy/sunshine book. My comfort devour. Harriet and Gideon are perfect in my eyes, and it’s ‘cuz they communicate, and listen, and trust. They try. I think modern romance books should learn from them. I love them. I think you might too.
— “If you had any sense, you would run from me as fast as you possibly could.”
“I do not think I could run a single step,” she whispered.
“Just as well. I am suddenly not in the mood to let you escape me.”
— “There is nothing in the least offensive about you, my lord, as I am certain you are well aware.” She touched his ravaged face lightly and smiled tremulously. “You are magnificent. Rather like your horse.”
— Harriet was like his horses, he reflected. She was made of sturdy stuff. But she had a mind of her own.
➺ (Why do they compare each other to horses, and why is it kinda romantic?? 😍)
—
┈┈・୨✦୧・┈┈
➸ Pre-read Thoughts:
My very first Beauty and the Beast retelling and I am way too excited. I’ve heard glorious things about this book — from the protective energy between the leads, to the adorably nerdy fossil-obsessed heroine, to the grumpy, scarred hero who absolutely melts for her. EEEEEK. 😮💨🪭
┈┈・୨✦୧・┈┈
You know that feeling when two characters are drawn to each other not just because of attraction, but because something fundamental in them recognizes the other? That’s what Gideon and Harriet are. They don’t simply fall in love; they build it from trust, mutual curiosity, friendship, and safety that can only exist between equals.
✧˚. ❃Things to Expect
🖤 Recency meets gothic
🌊 Stormy cliffs and hidden caves
☠️ Beauty and the Beast retelling (I hesitate saying Beast; Harriet is coming for me)
🕯️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🖤
🌊 Fossil-hunting, independent, socially clueless heroine
☠️ Protective of each other
🕯️ Witty banter
🖤 Forced proximity (oh no! We’re stuck in a cave together)
🌊 A hero who falls harder with every passionate debate
☠️ A heroine who’s more interested in rocks than romance
🕯️ Cozy danger = comfort-reading
I may have just listed everything that happens in the book, but that’s because this story slaps. It’s cozy, it’s clever, and it’s everything I needed from a grumpy/sunshine book. My comfort devour. Harriet and Gideon are perfect in my eyes, and it’s ‘cuz they communicate, and listen, and trust. They try. I think modern romance books should learn from them. I love them. I think you might too.
— “If you had any sense, you would run from me as fast as you possibly could.”
“I do not think I could run a single step,” she whispered.
“Just as well. I am suddenly not in the mood to let you escape me.”
— “There is nothing in the least offensive about you, my lord, as I am certain you are well aware.” She touched his ravaged face lightly and smiled tremulously. “You are magnificent. Rather like your horse.”
— Harriet was like his horses, he reflected. She was made of sturdy stuff. But she had a mind of her own.
➺ (Why do they compare each other to horses, and why is it kinda romantic?? 😍)
—
“There is just one detail I would like to clarify.”
“And what is that, my lord?”
“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever known,” he whispered thickly.
Harriet’s mouth fell open in astonishment. “What rubbish. Gideon, how can you possibly say such a thing?”
He shrugged. “It is no more than the truth.”
“Oh, Gideon.” Harriet blinked quickly. Her mouth trembled. “Oh, Gideon.”
She flew across the room and hurled herself straight into his arms.
Pleasantly stunned by the unexpected reaction, Gideon allowed himself to be toppled backward onto the bed. His arms closed around Harriet and he pulled her down across his chest.
“You are the most attractive, most handsome, most magnificent man I have ever met,” Harriet murmured shyly against his throat.
“I see that, in addition to your other minor faults, we must conclude you have poor eyesight.” Gideon slid his fingers into her thick hair. “But that seems a very slight and no doubt extremely useful sort of flaw in our situation. ”
“Your eyesight must be just as poor if you truly find me beautiful.” Harriet giggled. “Well, there you have it, my lord. Matching flaws. Obviously we are ideally suited.”
“Obviously.” Gideon caught her face between his hands and brought her mouth down onto his.
┈┈・୨✦୧・┈┈
➸ Pre-read Thoughts:
My very first Beauty and the Beast retelling and I am way too excited. I’ve heard glorious things about this book — from the protective energy between the leads, to the adorably nerdy fossil-obsessed heroine, to the grumpy, scarred hero who absolutely melts for her. EEEEEK. 😮💨🪭
┈┈・୨✦୧・┈┈
January 17, 2021
I read until 65% but after that, I just skip-read because this book bored me to death! So yeah, I'm now a ghost, writing this review because I think I should warn you that *boo-huuu-huu* , this book is boring and *boo-huu-huu* predictable.
A stupid 24 yo obsessed with fossils discovers in a cave, stolen goods. She sends for the viscount of the lands and asks him, his help because the law reinforcement is overrated. But this girl is so brave *to be read " stupid" * that she is watching the caves closely *literally* and finds herself in a dangerous situation with the thieves, and of course, the viscount is the only one able to help her.
After they spend a night together in the cave, where the viscount " ravishes" her, he proposes because she is compromised. She thinks that he marries her as an obligation but *OMG!!! WHAT A SCHOCK! HE TRULY LOVES HER! UN-SUPER-DUCKING-BELIEVABLE*.
It is important for the reader to find out that the hero has a reputation. Allegedly, 6 years ago, he " ravished" another girl, he said that he would marry her, but he left her after he found out that the girl is pregnant. And the girl killed herself * Ups, another ghost in my space! Go away ghost! Go away! *. Now, the viscount is considered to be a Beast * also, he has a scar on his face, like Lorenzo Gambini from "MENACE" by Darhower, the only difference being that he doesn't eat oranges like that guy*.
I swear to God, if I hear/read/whatever one more time the word " ravished" I'm gonna commit murder *neah, just joking, I'm a ghost, you forgot that already? *. The author was obsessed with that word and she used it for like.. 2627517574997886724316477998524146 times only in the first chapter.
I read the last chapter, to see how it ends and, as I said, it was just how I expected * it begins with " they lived happily ever".. and it ends with "after" and don't tell me I should have put a " SPOILER ALERT" warning because c'mon.. even a child would have guessed that- not that I recommend this book for children but you get the point *.
Because I want my life back, I'm gonna forget about this book.
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A stupid 24 yo obsessed with fossils discovers in a cave, stolen goods. She sends for the viscount of the lands and asks him, his help because the law reinforcement is overrated. But this girl is so brave *to be read " stupid" * that she is watching the caves closely *literally* and finds herself in a dangerous situation with the thieves, and of course, the viscount is the only one able to help her.
After they spend a night together in the cave, where the viscount " ravishes" her, he proposes because she is compromised. She thinks that he marries her as an obligation but *OMG!!! WHAT A SCHOCK! HE TRULY LOVES HER! UN-SUPER-DUCKING-BELIEVABLE*.
It is important for the reader to find out that the hero has a reputation. Allegedly, 6 years ago, he " ravished" another girl, he said that he would marry her, but he left her after he found out that the girl is pregnant. And the girl killed herself * Ups, another ghost in my space! Go away ghost! Go away! *. Now, the viscount is considered to be a Beast * also, he has a scar on his face, like Lorenzo Gambini from "MENACE" by Darhower, the only difference being that he doesn't eat oranges like that guy*.
I swear to God, if I hear/read/whatever one more time the word " ravished" I'm gonna commit murder *neah, just joking, I'm a ghost, you forgot that already? *. The author was obsessed with that word and she used it for like.. 2627517574997886724316477998524146 times only in the first chapter.
I read the last chapter, to see how it ends and, as I said, it was just how I expected * it begins with " they lived happily ever".. and it ends with "after" and don't tell me I should have put a " SPOILER ALERT" warning because c'mon.. even a child would have guessed that- not that I recommend this book for children but you get the point *.
Because I want my life back, I'm gonna forget about this book.
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September 8, 2021
4 stars
A very charming beauty and the beast retelling, this (surprisingly) low-angst variation on the theme leans heavily on the side of romantic comedy. While its placid, sensible tone might not leave much lasting impression comparing to other more hard-hitting, dramatic titles, it is still a well-crafted historical romance that's completely immersive while you're in the midst of it.
Harriet and Gideon might be the most rational pairing I've encountered in a historical romance; the author clearly had 'communication' in mind as a major theme, because the journey we go on is witnessing conflicts being slowly chipped away through the gradual deepening of their conversation and mutual understanding—a very clever symbolic tie-in to the heroine's passion in paleontology. Readers looking for intense drama might find this levelheaded approach dull, but for me this is a nice change of pace from reading relationships suffering from misunderstanding and holding grudges.
In contrast to a romance that plays out in a very reasonable fashion, the book is quietly unpredictable in its plotting; between its paleontology bent, exaggerated comedic moments, and a few mystery-focused subplots, it manages to stray away from genre template, and branches off into a few unexpected paths. Even though its lightheartedness prevents it from diving too deep into any of these territories, and the plot ultimately returns to the expected destination (without suffering much consequences), the fact it takes a detour to get there is worth praising.
Overall, even though it was published in the early 90s, Ravished remains extremely readable; it's gentleness might translates to boredom if one picked it up in the wrong mood, but between the sharp writing, unexpected events, and likable characters, I was thoroughly entertained.
***Historical Hellions Book Club | August 2021 Selection***
A very charming beauty and the beast retelling, this (surprisingly) low-angst variation on the theme leans heavily on the side of romantic comedy. While its placid, sensible tone might not leave much lasting impression comparing to other more hard-hitting, dramatic titles, it is still a well-crafted historical romance that's completely immersive while you're in the midst of it.
Harriet and Gideon might be the most rational pairing I've encountered in a historical romance; the author clearly had 'communication' in mind as a major theme, because the journey we go on is witnessing conflicts being slowly chipped away through the gradual deepening of their conversation and mutual understanding—a very clever symbolic tie-in to the heroine's passion in paleontology. Readers looking for intense drama might find this levelheaded approach dull, but for me this is a nice change of pace from reading relationships suffering from misunderstanding and holding grudges.
In contrast to a romance that plays out in a very reasonable fashion, the book is quietly unpredictable in its plotting; between its paleontology bent, exaggerated comedic moments, and a few mystery-focused subplots, it manages to stray away from genre template, and branches off into a few unexpected paths. Even though its lightheartedness prevents it from diving too deep into any of these territories, and the plot ultimately returns to the expected destination (without suffering much consequences), the fact it takes a detour to get there is worth praising.
Overall, even though it was published in the early 90s, Ravished remains extremely readable; it's gentleness might translates to boredom if one picked it up in the wrong mood, but between the sharp writing, unexpected events, and likable characters, I was thoroughly entertained.
***Historical Hellions Book Club | August 2021 Selection***
February 16, 2025
Re-read on 14th of July 2022:
I wanted something light and fluffy after a couple of emotional reads and this one definitely delivers. I would rate this book at 4.5 stars. Ms Quick books are like Oreo cookies; they're not necessarily good for you but they're definitely comforting. I was a bit annoyed by some of Harriet's actions; she does border on TSTL. She kept disregarding Gideon's instructions when it comes to her safety. She did this a few times and it gets old. I'd say reading this book is like greeting an old friend. Familiar and oh, so comforting.
I wanted something light and fluffy after a couple of emotional reads and this one definitely delivers. I would rate this book at 4.5 stars. Ms Quick books are like Oreo cookies; they're not necessarily good for you but they're definitely comforting. I was a bit annoyed by some of Harriet's actions; she does border on TSTL. She kept disregarding Gideon's instructions when it comes to her safety. She did this a few times and it gets old. I'd say reading this book is like greeting an old friend. Familiar and oh, so comforting.
July 29, 2021
5-Fossils-Are-Life-Stars!!!
What a delightful read. This book is a very well written retelling of Beauty & the Beast. I love the characters. Hariette is hilarious, stubborn, and jolly. While Gideon (my soft boi) is the opposite. And everybody knows that I have a soft spot for grumpy giant teddy bears right?
I would like to welcome Gideon to my long list of book boyfriends. LOL
What a delightful read. This book is a very well written retelling of Beauty & the Beast. I love the characters. Hariette is hilarious, stubborn, and jolly. While Gideon (my soft boi) is the opposite. And everybody knows that I have a soft spot for grumpy giant teddy bears right?
I would like to welcome Gideon to my long list of book boyfriends. LOL
February 8, 2017
There was a good deal I liked about this book. Gideon was great. Even though early on he's all 'I've forgotten what love is', you can tell he cares for Harriet a lot and will quickly grow to love her. The rumors about him are pretty messed up, but you know instantly they don't fit his character. The sex scenes, while not always as descriptive as I would have liked, were hot.
My main problem was the heroine. She constantly put herself in dangerous situations. Then she was always telling Gideon to stand down and let every offense slide. The one that really bugged me (because she tried to dissuade Gideon against it for manyyyy pages) was when Gideon wanted to duel someone and Harriet is like, 'I know this psycho trapped me and planned to rape me had I not escaped, but stop this foolishness right now and don't you dare duel him over my honor.' Now maybe I've read too many mafia romances or something but I would've been like, 'Gut him like a fish and bring home his testicles so I can make a necklace out of them and mail it to his mama.' But hey, that's just me.
The whole mystery behind the fossil tooth and who the mastermind of the ring of thieves was ok. I didn't really care either way. But the person behind it was surprising, as well as some of the other things he confessed to.
My main problem was the heroine. She constantly put herself in dangerous situations. Then she was always telling Gideon to stand down and let every offense slide. The one that really bugged me (because she tried to dissuade Gideon against it for manyyyy pages) was when Gideon wanted to duel someone and Harriet is like, 'I know this psycho trapped me and planned to rape me had I not escaped, but stop this foolishness right now and don't you dare duel him over my honor.' Now maybe I've read too many mafia romances or something but I would've been like, 'Gut him like a fish and bring home his testicles so I can make a necklace out of them and mail it to his mama.' But hey, that's just me.
The whole mystery behind the fossil tooth and who the mastermind of the ring of thieves was ok. I didn't really care either way. But the person behind it was surprising, as well as some of the other things he confessed to.
July 9, 2014
A delightful book!
I laughed at Harriet's reasoning and her explanations! :)
It was wonderfully written!
I felt pity for Gideon - he didn't have a chance! LOL
The mistery part of the story is filmsy, but it gave their love story a nice touch!
I don't know why I haven't read this author before! I will correct that ASAP!
I laughed at Harriet's reasoning and her explanations! :)
It was wonderfully written!
I felt pity for Gideon - he didn't have a chance! LOL
The mistery part of the story is filmsy, but it gave their love story a nice touch!
I don't know why I haven't read this author before! I will correct that ASAP!
February 21, 2025
It took me some time to finish this book. I liked the characters well enough, but I wasn't particularly intrigued by the plot. I don't care about fossils, and they were discussed quite a bit in this book. That said, this was a nice, light read.
September 22, 2021
“When you are rich and powerful, no one will challenge you to your face or give you a chance to explain yourself. All the whispers are behind your back. You are left with no means of clearing your own name. And after a while you realize there is no point in even attempting to do so. No one wants the truth. All anyone wants is the chance to add more fuel to the fires of gossip. The whispers become so loud that sometimes you think you will drown in them.”
Known as Beast of Blackthorne Hall for his scarred face and notorious past, Gideon Westbrook, Viscount St. Justin is summoned by Miss Harriet Pomeroy for there are some thieves hiding precious jewels in her beloved caves where she hunts fossils. From there ensues the whirlwind of activities - catching the crooks, being held hostage, spending a night in caves, engagement, kidnapping, marriage...
What I absolutely adored is Harriet's trust in Gideon. Despite his shady past, Harriet looked right past his defenses. She was quick to defend him from all those people who called him Beast. Also, Gideon's honor and his care for Harriet was another heartwarming factor. I loved their witty banter and oh-so-sweet fights!!
As for the story, it was sweet, entertaining, funny with a pinch of mystery! Though I found Harriet's reactions to some events as unusual and childish, I blame that to her characterization for being quirky. I read and ended the book with a bright smile on my face! 😄
"There she goes again,” Gideon warned his mother. “You had better stop her quickly unless you want the conversation to revert to fossils.”
Known as Beast of Blackthorne Hall for his scarred face and notorious past, Gideon Westbrook, Viscount St. Justin is summoned by Miss Harriet Pomeroy for there are some thieves hiding precious jewels in her beloved caves where she hunts fossils. From there ensues the whirlwind of activities - catching the crooks, being held hostage, spending a night in caves, engagement, kidnapping, marriage...
What I absolutely adored is Harriet's trust in Gideon. Despite his shady past, Harriet looked right past his defenses. She was quick to defend him from all those people who called him Beast. Also, Gideon's honor and his care for Harriet was another heartwarming factor. I loved their witty banter and oh-so-sweet fights!!
As for the story, it was sweet, entertaining, funny with a pinch of mystery! Though I found Harriet's reactions to some events as unusual and childish, I blame that to her characterization for being quirky. I read and ended the book with a bright smile on my face! 😄
"There she goes again,” Gideon warned his mother. “You had better stop her quickly unless you want the conversation to revert to fossils.”
May 9, 2018
5/5
Lo que he disfrutado con este libro. No puedo ponerle ningún pero, o no quiero, y por eso le doy las 5.
Hacía tiempo que no me encontraba con dos protagonistas que me resultaran tan perfectos. Ay Gideon!!!! Ay la Bestia!!! cómo me ha gustado!!!
Algunos momentos divertidísimos.
También algunos secundarios de lujo...
MARAVILLOSO
Lo que he disfrutado con este libro. No puedo ponerle ningún pero, o no quiero, y por eso le doy las 5.
Hacía tiempo que no me encontraba con dos protagonistas que me resultaran tan perfectos. Ay Gideon!!!! Ay la Bestia!!! cómo me ha gustado!!!
Algunos momentos divertidísimos.
También algunos secundarios de lujo...
MARAVILLOSO
June 23, 2022
This is an Amanda Quick novel, so of course Meg owns and loves it. Featuring an innocently wise vicar's daughter/paleontologist and a horribly misunderstood viscount, this novel is trademark Quick: fun and funny.
31-Word Summaries:
Meg: Ravishing fossil hunter meets the beastliest viscount (and heir to an earl) in England and single-handedly rehabilitates his reputation. Fake fossils, fake duels, and fake suicides all play a role.
Laine: Preacher's daughters are either the Madonna or the Whore in this weird mystery. Gideon refuses to challenge the reputation he did nothing to earn. Bluestocking spinster is shocked by society's standards.
31-Word Summaries:
Meg: Ravishing fossil hunter meets the beastliest viscount (and heir to an earl) in England and single-handedly rehabilitates his reputation. Fake fossils, fake duels, and fake suicides all play a role.
Laine: Preacher's daughters are either the Madonna or the Whore in this weird mystery. Gideon refuses to challenge the reputation he did nothing to earn. Bluestocking spinster is shocked by society's standards.
October 14, 2021
Such a fun book. From the first page I loved Gideon. It might have been his reserved and serious dialogue that carried within it a strong feeling of integrity and honesty.
Harriet like him immediately. They liked each other from the get go. So where is the drama, you might ask? The main antagonist of the whole story is the whole society and the bad reputation that Gideon received.
The plot of this book is really good and rich. It was so enjoyable.
Oh and Harriet was the type of heroine that all readers must love. She saw through everything, did not once get caught up in gossip even though few times she got herself in dangerous situation.
Very much recommend this book.
Harriet like him immediately. They liked each other from the get go. So where is the drama, you might ask? The main antagonist of the whole story is the whole society and the bad reputation that Gideon received.
The plot of this book is really good and rich. It was so enjoyable.
Oh and Harriet was the type of heroine that all readers must love. She saw through everything, did not once get caught up in gossip even though few times she got herself in dangerous situation.
Very much recommend this book.
March 15, 2018
A very amusing, entertaining HR read. The heroine annoyed me a bit at first, but then I warmed up to her and ended up really enjoying the book.
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