Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
Recorded Books (2000), Edition: Unabridged Audiobook, 9 cassette tapes, 13 hrs
Description
He was playing a dangerous masquerade...Griff Knighton�?�s found the perfect way to avoid being trapped into marriage with one of the Earl of Swanlea�?�s daughters: he�?�ll swap identities with his man of affairs during their next visit to Swan Park, and be free to pursue his own desires! After all, he�?�s not about to marry some homely spinster just to claim his rightful title. But Griff didn�?�t reckon on the brazen, voluptuous Rosalind, who could tempt even a saint into sinning, and Griff is no saint. She was determined t
User reviews
LibraryThing member Anniik
"A Dangerous Love" is the first book in the Swanlea Spinsters series. It is the story of Marsden Griffith Knighton ("Griff"), who has been wrongly denied his inheritance of the Earldom of Swanlea, and Lady Rosalind, a passionate and rather eccentric young lady who is the daughter of the current
This book is fun, if a little complex. It's also a bit unrealistic that Daniel Brennan would be taken for a gentleman, although Jeffries counters that by the fact that Griff is a tradesman, so people expect him to be a little gruff. There are some anachronisms in this book - I found myself constantly asking myself if that would have really happened, or if Rosalind really could have gotten away with that, and the language seems a bit modern for my taste. Nonetheless, it's an enjoyable book, and a quick read. This, like the rest of Sabrina Jeffries' books, is also packed full of sex and innuendo, which is generally pretty steamy. ;)
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Earl. Wanting to see his daughters taken care of before he dies, the ailing Earl of Swanlea blackmails Griff with proof of his legitimacy. He can have the proof of his parents' marriage if he marries one of the Earl of Swanlea's daughters. Griff is having none of the marriage, but decides to play along and recover the marriage certificate himself. To do this, he switches places with his man of affairs - Daniel Brennan - the son of a notorious Irish highwayman who must pretend to be Griff while the real Griff searches the house. Rosalind is suspicious as soon as she finds the (real) Griff snooping around her father's desk the first night he is there. Following him around wherever he goes, a passion ignites between them that neither of them expected...This book is fun, if a little complex. It's also a bit unrealistic that Daniel Brennan would be taken for a gentleman, although Jeffries counters that by the fact that Griff is a tradesman, so people expect him to be a little gruff. There are some anachronisms in this book - I found myself constantly asking myself if that would have really happened, or if Rosalind really could have gotten away with that, and the language seems a bit modern for my taste. Nonetheless, it's an enjoyable book, and a quick read. This, like the rest of Sabrina Jeffries' books, is also packed full of sex and innuendo, which is generally pretty steamy. ;)
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LibraryThing member theshadowknows
Griff Knighton is a successful businessman, but he’s got a bit of a chip on his shoulder. His inheritance was stolen from him after his birth when the Earl of Swanlea (though he wasn’t the earl then) stole his parents’ marriage certificate and contested Griff's legitimacy in court. The
So begins a plot that is very convoluted and stretches the imagination, so I found the first 100 pages or so of set up pretty tedious. (Though a note from the author at the end says such cases of contested legitimacy did happen, so maybe you shouldn’t listen to me at all. Though it's mostly Griff's masquerade that I found silly.) There is also a Shakespeare obsession in this book, with quotes that can be pretty awkwardly handled at times. But they fade out eventually, or become less awkward, or maybe I get used to them. Besides that, once the hero and heroine meet, I fall for the story, hook line and sinker. Rosalind is one of the Swanlea sisters, and I liked her a lot, barring a ridiculous encounter in which she mistakes Griff for a thieving gypsy and, I kid you not, attacks him with a sword – this was just too much for me. I thought, in that episode at least, Rosalind was an idiot. But thankfully it was a passing moment for her, and she acted perfectly normal/sane forever after. She likes bright colors, has a lot of spirit, is impetuous and emotional. Her chemistry with Griff is sizzling, their verbal battles intelligent and snappy, their interactions fun and full of tension - A Dangerous Love is another very hot book from this author. When they're together I could let the background of why Griff was at Swan Park and his masquerade fade into the background. And even better, we have Griff's unwilling partner in crime, Daniel Brennan, who's there to point out just how much of an “arse” Griff is being, in his relations with Rosalind, his elaborate deception, and his desire for revenge. And Griff does act pretty rascally throughout - he's a man on not the noblest of missions. To which end, we have Daniel interceding on Griff's behalf and trying to explain to Rosalind why Griff is the way he is, telling her that his whole life he’s only known about money and business, so he doesn't know about love (or being a fairly decent human being). Ok, I'll go with it, but the hero should be able to carry his own weight without guru Daniel making excuses for him.
Despite small objections to the basic premise of the story, I found myself engrossed by Griff's romance with Rosalind and smiling throughout the book - especially when Daniel sticks it to Griff, who deserves, at the very least, to get his ego punctured. And Rosalind can certainly hold her own against him too. Even though she's very susceptible to Griff’s charms, (and who wouldn’t be?) she's not stupid when confronted with so many reasons to be suspicious of him, and she never lets down her guard. Unfortunately, her worst suspicions are confirmed and Griff's dastardly plan is exposed. Cue betrayal and dramatics, which take up the rest of the book and which start to drag for me. Rosalind gets kind of annoying, especially when she runs off to be an actress, but then she has every reason to turn from Griff and doubt his feelings for her. And Griff gets annoying because he seems like such a jerk, but at the same time I’ve got to love him because he's so determined to hold onto Rosalind no matter what – so there’s really no black and white in this book, I don’t think. They each have their flaws, but they all have their own sides to the story as well. Though the book does make Griff jump through many hoops to make up for his past behavior, making me wonder if his total abasement was really necessary. I believed in their love without it. Then again, some might find his actions at the end terribly romantic. Even though I wish things could have been a little less complicated, and even though the book is pretty heavy handed in moralizing against Griff’s selfishness, the tangled plot threads are bit by bit resolved into a satisfactory, sigh-worthy happily ever after, and except for the beginning, I'm loving the story, so 4 ½ stars for A Dangerous Love.
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evildoer was successful, and so the title and Swan Park came to him. The earl’s dying now, though, and in a desperate bid to provide for his three unmarried daughters, he bribes Griff into marrying one of them in exchange for the marriage certificate. Griff plans on getting the certificate back, but he won't give into blackmail and marry anyone. Instead, he’ll travel to Swan Park and steal the certificate. To do this, he has his sidekick Daniel Brennan switch places with him. Griff will be Daniel, and Daniel will be Griff, so that Griff will be free to search the house for the marriage certificate. And then he'll ruin the earl and strip him of the title. Muahahahaha. So begins a plot that is very convoluted and stretches the imagination, so I found the first 100 pages or so of set up pretty tedious. (Though a note from the author at the end says such cases of contested legitimacy did happen, so maybe you shouldn’t listen to me at all. Though it's mostly Griff's masquerade that I found silly.) There is also a Shakespeare obsession in this book, with quotes that can be pretty awkwardly handled at times. But they fade out eventually, or become less awkward, or maybe I get used to them. Besides that, once the hero and heroine meet, I fall for the story, hook line and sinker. Rosalind is one of the Swanlea sisters, and I liked her a lot, barring a ridiculous encounter in which she mistakes Griff for a thieving gypsy and, I kid you not, attacks him with a sword – this was just too much for me. I thought, in that episode at least, Rosalind was an idiot. But thankfully it was a passing moment for her, and she acted perfectly normal/sane forever after. She likes bright colors, has a lot of spirit, is impetuous and emotional. Her chemistry with Griff is sizzling, their verbal battles intelligent and snappy, their interactions fun and full of tension - A Dangerous Love is another very hot book from this author. When they're together I could let the background of why Griff was at Swan Park and his masquerade fade into the background. And even better, we have Griff's unwilling partner in crime, Daniel Brennan, who's there to point out just how much of an “arse” Griff is being, in his relations with Rosalind, his elaborate deception, and his desire for revenge. And Griff does act pretty rascally throughout - he's a man on not the noblest of missions. To which end, we have Daniel interceding on Griff's behalf and trying to explain to Rosalind why Griff is the way he is, telling her that his whole life he’s only known about money and business, so he doesn't know about love (or being a fairly decent human being). Ok, I'll go with it, but the hero should be able to carry his own weight without guru Daniel making excuses for him.
Despite small objections to the basic premise of the story, I found myself engrossed by Griff's romance with Rosalind and smiling throughout the book - especially when Daniel sticks it to Griff, who deserves, at the very least, to get his ego punctured. And Rosalind can certainly hold her own against him too. Even though she's very susceptible to Griff’s charms, (and who wouldn’t be?) she's not stupid when confronted with so many reasons to be suspicious of him, and she never lets down her guard. Unfortunately, her worst suspicions are confirmed and Griff's dastardly plan is exposed. Cue betrayal and dramatics, which take up the rest of the book and which start to drag for me. Rosalind gets kind of annoying, especially when she runs off to be an actress, but then she has every reason to turn from Griff and doubt his feelings for her. And Griff gets annoying because he seems like such a jerk, but at the same time I’ve got to love him because he's so determined to hold onto Rosalind no matter what – so there’s really no black and white in this book, I don’t think. They each have their flaws, but they all have their own sides to the story as well. Though the book does make Griff jump through many hoops to make up for his past behavior, making me wonder if his total abasement was really necessary. I believed in their love without it. Then again, some might find his actions at the end terribly romantic. Even though I wish things could have been a little less complicated, and even though the book is pretty heavy handed in moralizing against Griff’s selfishness, the tangled plot threads are bit by bit resolved into a satisfactory, sigh-worthy happily ever after, and except for the beginning, I'm loving the story, so 4 ½ stars for A Dangerous Love.
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LibraryThing member nancynova
rabck from JudyJoy Racy regency romance. The earl is determined to marry off one of his daughters to Knighton to make sure they're provided for. Only they don't want any part of his scheme. Determined to make up his own mind, Knighton and his man-of-affairs, Daniel, switch places. And Griff (aka
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Knighton) falls in love with Rosalind. But she leaves him, when she discovers that he's really after some papers of her father's, not her. And he almost loses her, until he discovers that's not the only reason he wants to stay in Swanlea. Show Less
LibraryThing member dukedukegoose
Never have I ever more deservedly given a book 3 stars. Let’s do this pro/con style.
PRO:
Lovely, lively, intelligent, robust, loyal, protective, self-sufficient heroine.
CON:
Total asshole, deceitful, easy to anger, belligerent hero.
PRO:
Use of the word cock!
CON:
Use of the word honeypot!
PRO:
Wonderful side characters. Hell, I cared more about the hinted at romance for the second book than I did this one.
CON:
The sex was WAY too dubiously consensual and always seemed to be the hero’s way of shutting up the heroine. And it worked. :(
PRO:
DANIELLLLLLLLL.
CON:
Daniel’s not the hero. Sigh.
Marsden Griffin “Griff” Knighton runs Knighton Trading, only second in success to the East India Company. He’s also (falsely) labeled a bastard by society (and the law?). You see, his uncle stole his parents’ marriage certificate after the chapel in Gretna Green burned down and denied him his birthright. For the majority of the book you don’t know why, and it doesn’t really make a huge difference in the end. But there ya have it.
Only now the, not so rightful, Earl of Swanlea has offered Griff proof of his legitimacy … if he’ll marry one of his daughters, The Swanlea Spinsters. (Though one of them is 17, so really, poor girl don’t deserve the label.) Griff, in no hurry to do anything to please the Earl, devises a plan that involves his right hand man, Daniel, posing as him and charming the girls while Griff searches high and low for the marriage certificate in secret.
Rosalind is the middle daughter of the Earl of Swanlea, elder sister to Juliet, and younger sister to Helena. Clearly, their father is a huge fan of Shakespeare and passed that passion onto Rosalind herself. Much of the banter between Griff and Rosalind involves quoting Mr. Shakespeare. Though, at one point, Griff notes that it wouldn’t kill Rosalind to branch out a little bit.
Rosalind and Griff have a meet cute that involves her brandishing a sword and shield and mistaking him for a gypsy (author’s words) thief. It’s actually a nice meet cute, but to say they get off on the wrong foot is an understatement. Rosalind doesn’t for one moment believe that Griff’s intentions are innocent in snooping about the estate, and Griff constantly underestimates how intelligent Rosalind is.
It is a lovely book. I just have as many quibbles with it as I have enjoyable aspects. I really cannot forgive the dubious nature of the sex scenes. Just one sex scene that wasn’t the result of trying to end and argument would’ve been so very, very nice. And one sex scene that he didn’t drag her into it by undressing her as she protested ALSO would’ve been really appreciated. Also, please never use the word honeypot for a vagina. Just. Don’t. Ever. Do. It.
But when they weren’t having sex, I enjoyed their banter and I really did love Rosalind and her sisters and Daniel. I just have never wished for a better hero quite so hard as I did with this one.
PRO:
Lovely, lively, intelligent, robust, loyal, protective, self-sufficient heroine.
CON:
Total asshole, deceitful, easy to anger, belligerent hero.
PRO:
Use of the word cock!
CON:
Use of the word honeypot!
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:(((PRO:
Wonderful side characters. Hell, I cared more about the hinted at romance for the second book than I did this one.
CON:
The sex was WAY too dubiously consensual and always seemed to be the hero’s way of shutting up the heroine. And it worked. :(
PRO:
DANIELLLLLLLLL.
CON:
Daniel’s not the hero. Sigh.
Marsden Griffin “Griff” Knighton runs Knighton Trading, only second in success to the East India Company. He’s also (falsely) labeled a bastard by society (and the law?). You see, his uncle stole his parents’ marriage certificate after the chapel in Gretna Green burned down and denied him his birthright. For the majority of the book you don’t know why, and it doesn’t really make a huge difference in the end. But there ya have it.
Only now the, not so rightful, Earl of Swanlea has offered Griff proof of his legitimacy … if he’ll marry one of his daughters, The Swanlea Spinsters. (Though one of them is 17, so really, poor girl don’t deserve the label.) Griff, in no hurry to do anything to please the Earl, devises a plan that involves his right hand man, Daniel, posing as him and charming the girls while Griff searches high and low for the marriage certificate in secret.
Rosalind is the middle daughter of the Earl of Swanlea, elder sister to Juliet, and younger sister to Helena. Clearly, their father is a huge fan of Shakespeare and passed that passion onto Rosalind herself. Much of the banter between Griff and Rosalind involves quoting Mr. Shakespeare. Though, at one point, Griff notes that it wouldn’t kill Rosalind to branch out a little bit.
Rosalind and Griff have a meet cute that involves her brandishing a sword and shield and mistaking him for a gypsy (author’s words) thief. It’s actually a nice meet cute, but to say they get off on the wrong foot is an understatement. Rosalind doesn’t for one moment believe that Griff’s intentions are innocent in snooping about the estate, and Griff constantly underestimates how intelligent Rosalind is.
It is a lovely book. I just have as many quibbles with it as I have enjoyable aspects. I really cannot forgive the dubious nature of the sex scenes. Just one sex scene that wasn’t the result of trying to end and argument would’ve been so very, very nice. And one sex scene that he didn’t drag her into it by undressing her as she protested ALSO would’ve been really appreciated. Also, please never use the word honeypot for a vagina. Just. Don’t. Ever. Do. It.
But when they weren’t having sex, I enjoyed their banter and I really did love Rosalind and her sisters and Daniel. I just have never wished for a better hero quite so hard as I did with this one.
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LibraryThing member Lauren2013
A Dangerous Love
3 Stars
While slow to start, the story picks up speed 1/3 of the way in and is entertaining overall despite the secret keeping and runaway heroine tropes that often rub me the wrong way.
Griff and Rosalind are likable enough and their sex scenes are well-written and steamy.
3 Stars
While slow to start, the story picks up speed 1/3 of the way in and is entertaining overall despite the secret keeping and runaway heroine tropes that often rub me the wrong way.
Griff and Rosalind are likable enough and their sex scenes are well-written and steamy.
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Nevertheless, it is actually Helena and Daniel's opposites attract chemistry that is most intriguing. Looking forward to reading their story. Show Less
LibraryThing member PNRList
Great angst. Loved the characters. I wish there had been a bit more focus of the angst on Rosalind's supposed plainness, but she was vulnerable and insecure on that front so it played nicely into one of my favorite tropes. On to the next in the series!
LibraryThing member JorgeousJotts
I've definitely read worse books, but I didn't enjoy this one at all. If it weren't the first of a series, (and that I've liked previous books by this author so I hate to just write off an entire series out of hand), I wouldn't have bothered finishing it. Some of the stuff is personal preference,
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I'm not a fan of a hero kissing the heroine as a manipulation just to shut her up, or distract her. He actually thinks to himself that kissing her is a weapon. The heroine also really suffers from Body Betraying Me. All the time she's angry at him for something and he starts kissing her and she loses every thought in her head. She's just powerless to resist. I feel kind of eye roll about that, but some people really go for it. This was written over 20 years ago, and some of this was just pretty common for the novels at the time. Other things, the characters go straight from opposition and bickering to love and needing the other desperately. It made the heroine, especially, seem super naive. And the hero is dishonest about so much! I just didn't buy any of it. And I didn't find either character very likable. A big ol' miss from me. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2000-11
ISBN
1402503695 / 9781402503696
Local notes
Summary:
The Earl of Swanlea has no sons to inherit the family estate. To keep his daughters in their home, he offers Griff, his illegitimate nephew, the title in exchange for marrying one of them.
From Back Cover:
He was playing a dangerous masquerade...
Griff Knighton's found the perfect way to avoid being trapped into marriage with one of the Earl of Swanlea's daughters: he'll swap identities with his man of affairs during their next visit to Swan Park, and be free to pursue his own desires! After all, he's not about to marry some homely spinster just to claim his rightful title. But Griff didn't reckon on the brazen, voluptuous Rosalind, who could tempt even a saint into sinning--and Griff is no saint.
She was determined to unmask him...
Rosalind wants no part of the plan to marry her off to her father's wealthy heir--and his man of affairs is even more intolerable! The arrogant man clearly doesn't know his place, but the sparks that fly whenever they're together make her wish he's no mere servant. There's something slightly dangerous--and a little mysterious--about this man...
Does she dare to risk her heart to a man whose secrets could destroy that love?
The Earl of Swanlea has no sons to inherit the family estate. To keep his daughters in their home, he offers Griff, his illegitimate nephew, the title in exchange for marrying one of them.
From Back Cover:
He was playing a dangerous masquerade...
Griff Knighton's found the perfect way to avoid being trapped into marriage with one of the Earl of Swanlea's daughters: he'll swap identities with his man of affairs during their next visit to Swan Park, and be free to pursue his own desires! After all, he's not about to marry some homely spinster just to claim his rightful title. But Griff didn't reckon on the brazen, voluptuous Rosalind, who could tempt even a saint into sinning--and Griff is no saint.
She was determined to unmask him...
Rosalind wants no part of the plan to marry her off to her father's wealthy heir--and his man of affairs is even more intolerable! The arrogant man clearly doesn't know his place, but the sparks that fly whenever they're together make her wish he's no mere servant. There's something slightly dangerous--and a little mysterious--about this man...
Does she dare to risk her heart to a man whose secrets could destroy that love?