Ravished (1992) is by far my favorite Amanda Quick novel. It might very well be my favorite romance novel since it, along Miranda Lee's A Weekend to Remember (1996), is the one I've re-read every year, sometimes multiple times a year. Both guarantee to satisfy my romance novel cravings every.single.time.An Aside: I've read many romance novels, and to be honest, after a while, they all blend into one another: I can't differentiate the details of one from another. Which is why I am in awe of those who can recall the details, titles, and authors of various romances as exemplified by Smart Bitches, Trashy Book's HaBO feature. In any case, of the the books I've read, in addition to the two previously mentioned, the only other romance novel whose details are etched in my memory and I think of fondly is Judith McNaught's Perfect (1994), though I've not read it in quite some time.
One of the reasons I was drawn by these romances is their covers. By romance standards, they are rather tame and bland. Quick's one word titles featured a relevant artifact, a pastel main color, and the title written in fancy script of a darker shade of the main book color. Judith McNaught's covers were similarly simple but featured a beautiful flower bouquet. I liked the consistency and what I considered to be elegant aspects of those covers. That's why I don't want to buy a new copy of these books with their updated covers: They're not improvements over the 1990's versions. I may change my mind because I've been itching to re-read a couple of McNaught's romances. This is all to say that those three are my all-time favorite romances, not including Jane Austen's Persuasion.
Ravished is old school Amanda Quick, representing her 1990's one word historical romance titles (Dangerous, Reckless, Scandal, Seduction, etc.). Each title reflects the key theme of the particular novel and features an unconventional, quirky heroine and a super alpha and honorable hero. In a way, the heroes and heroines are social outcasts who finally meet their exact match in each other, though it takes the hero some time to acknowledge what the heroine has accepted from the get-go: they are meant for each other.
In this case, Harriet Pomeroy of Upper Biddleton is a 25-year old amateur and avid fossil collector whose cave explorations have been sidelined by criminal activity. Unwilling to put up with the delay, she summons Gideon Westbrook, Viscount St. Justin, to take care of the matter, post-haste. Curious, Gideon responds and makes an appearance despite his misgivings about returning to a place that has caused him so much grief. When Harriet seems unfazed by his looming size and ugly facial scar, he becomes intrigued, especially because she also does not seem to fear his tainted past.
Six years before, Gideon's fiancee announced that she was with child. In response, he ended their engagement. She was later found dead of an apparent suicide. From that moment, Gideon became The Beast of Blackthorne Hall, an outcast perceived to lack honor after supposedly ravishing a poor rector's daughter and casting her aside to her doom. When Harriet gets trapped overnight in a cave with Gideon, everyone else fears that history is repeating itself, for Gideon has compromised another rector's daughter. What follows is a heartwarming and delightful story about a headstrong beauty's attempt to transform a "beast" into a "man" through blinding trust and love.
I love everything about this story: the writing is solid, the main characters are charming, the supporting characters are endearing (so much so, I wish they had gotten their own stories), and the message is inspiring. In all, Ravished is a timeless, satisfying, and one of the best historical romance novels ever written.
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