Books › Desperate Defiance
Desperate Defiance
First published 1975 · 349 pages
A glamorous, globe-trotting historical romance where a shattered heart in Monte Carlo leads to a perilous, secret-laden adventure.
What it feels like
This vintage historical romance delivers a brisk, emotionally heightened experience that sweeps the reader from the glamorous, shadowy gardens of Monte Carlo to perilous destinations across the globe. The mood shifts rapidly from the swoony ecstasy of young love to the sudden, crushing shock of heartbreak, only to pivot again into a suspenseful, secret-laden adventure. The prose is breathless and earnest, capturing the melodramatic intensity of a heroine caught between a lost dream and a mysterious new reality. It is a story built on clandestine whispers and sudden journeys, perfect for readers who love classic, sweeping romances where a broken heart is merely the catalyst for a thrilling, unexpected rendezvous with destiny.
- Mood
- swoony
- shadowy
- glamorous
- perilous
- Tone
- melodramatic
- earnest
- romantic
- suspenseful
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- lost love and sudden heartbreak · clandestine secrets · globe-trotting adventure · unexpected romance
- The writing
- Breathless and emotionally heightened, leaning heavily into the dramatic ecstasy and sudden shocks of vintage romance.
- The arc
- From the crushing heartbreak of a shattered romantic dream to the thrilling, perilous rush of a mysterious new adventure.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave classic, sweeping historical romances filled with glamorous locales, sudden betrayals, and mysterious strangers.
Content notes
- heartbreak
- peril
About the book
To be alone with him was all Vivian desired. To feel Jimmy Loring's lips on hers, to hear his tender words of love was a dream of ecstasy. Then one night, as they stood together in the shadows of a summer-hous in Monte Carlo, she knew his love was hers no more.
Before she could recover from her shock or summon the breath to speak, she sensed another's pressence somewhere in teh quiet garden. A mystery man whom she could no see, but whose voice urged her to keep a secret. That secret would sweep her half way round the world on a perilous rendezvous with love!
Description from Open Library.
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