Review: Prisoner of My Desire by Johanna Lindsey

Prisoner of My Desire by Johanna Lindsey is a staple in the historical romance genre; originally published back in 1991, it has not lost any of its steam, and is still regarded to be one of the best of its kind.  Warning:  It is quite rapey.

CAPTIVE OF LOVE

Spirited Rowena Belleme must produce an heir--or incur the dangerous wrath of a ruthless stepbrother, who stands to forfeit his ill-gotten wealth. And the magnificent Warrick deChaville is the perfect choice to sire her child--though it means imprisoning the handsome knight...and forcing him to bend to her amorous whims.

SLAVE OF PASSION

Vowing to resist but betrayed by his own virility, noble Warrick is intoxicated by Rowena's sapphire eyes and voluptuous beauty. Yet all the while he plans a fitting revenge--eagerly awaiting the time when his sensuous captor becomes his helpless captive ... and is made to suffer the same rapturous torment and exquisite ecstasy that he himself has endured.
@Goodreads

In my teenage years, I absolutely loved historical romances.  I've read everything the masters in the genre, like Judith McNaught, Julie Garwood, and Jude Deveraux, have published.  I have never read anything by Johanna Lindsey, though, and even though I am not really into historical romances as I once was, the rape warning was what had me wanting to read this.

In an overly complicated series of events that I skimmed through (the beginning was a bit slow, to say the least), Lady Rowena is forced to marry an older man at her step-brother's insistence.  She is to become pregnant with a male heir post haste.  Unfortunately, her husband dies on her wedding night.  Rowena's step-brother then decides to capture a man that resembles her deceased husband somewhat, so she can be impregnated before they release the news of her husband's untimely demise.

Enter Warrick deChaville, a man mistaken for a peasant, that happens to be a knight.  Rowena is forced to "rape" him repeatedly.  After doing so several times, Rowena feels badly, and arranges for her captor to escape.  Escape he does, but he comes back soon to imprison Lady Rowena herself.  She spends time getting raped in retaliation, and made into a servant at Warrick's estate.  Blah blah blah, they fall in love, blah blah blah.

The good:  I feel like a lecherous twat for saying this, but... the rape scenes were hot.  They weren't overly rapey or brutal; they were more of a shameful experience for the rapee, as their body betrays them and longs for the rapist's touch.

The not-so-good:  Who falls in love with their rapist?  Also, the writing was overly wordy, the and beginning was riddled with non-important details, resulting in a very slow read for me.  2.5 stars.  If you're looking for some great historical romances, I'd skip this one, unless you, too, are intrigued by those rape scenes, you weirdo.