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    Petals on the River
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    Petals on the River
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    Petals on the River
    Ebook648 pages11 hours

    Petals on the River

    By Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    A proud and spirited woman whose life was stolen from her. . .A man of secrets accused of a terrible crime. . .In a place of new beginnings their destinies are joined—in a gloriously romantic new work from the incomparable storyteller.

    The fiery and outspoken adopted daughter of one of England's most formidable women, Shemaine O'Hearn has made powerful enemies. And now her adversaries have found a way to remove the hot-blooded beauty from her life of privilege: by falsely convicting Shemaine of thievery and sending her in shackles to America, where she is to be sold in indentured servitude to the highest bidder.

    In a bustling port city in the colony of Virginia, she becomes the servant of Gage Thornton-a shipbuilder with a young child in need of a nanny. And despite whispered rumors condemning the handsome widower for the untimely death of his wife, Shemaine cannot ignore her desire for this caring, generous and enigmatic stranger who silently aches with his growing need for her-even as grave peril reaches out from across a vast ocean to threaten their flowering love.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 6, 2009
    ISBN9780061983818
    Author

    Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

    (1939 - 2007) Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, creator of the modern historical romance, died July 6, 2007 in Minnesota. She had just turned 68. Her attorney, William Messerlie, said that she died after a long illness. Born on June 3, 1939 in Alexandria, Louisiana, Mrs. Woodiwiss was the youngest of eight siblings. She long relished creating original narratives, and by age six was telling herself stories at night to help herself fall asleep. At age 16, she met U.S. Air Force Second Lieutenant Ross Woodiwiss at a dance, and they married the following year. She wrote her first book in longhand while living at a military outpost in Japan. Woodiwiss is credited with the invention of the modern historical romance novel: in 1972, she released The Flame and the Flower, an instant New York Times bestseller, creating literary precedent. The Flame and the Flower revolutionized mainstream publishing, featuring an epic historical romance with a strong heroine and impassioned sex scenes. ""Kathleeen E. Woodiwiss is the founding mother of the historical romance genre,"" says Carrie Feron, vice president/editorial director of William Morrow and Avon Books, imprints of HarperCollins Publishers. Feron, who has been Woodiwiss's editor for 13 years, continues, ""Avon Books is proud to have been Kathleen's sole publishing partner for her paperbacks and hardcover novels for more than three decades."" Avon Books, a leader in the historical romance genre to this day, remains Mrs. Woodiwiss's original and only paperback publisher; William Morrow, Avon's sister company, publishes Mrs. Woodiwiss's hardcovers. The Flame and the Flower was rejected by agents and hardcover publishers, who deemed it as ""too long"" at 600 pages. Rather than follow the advice of the rejection letters and rewrite the novel, Mrs. Woodiwiss instead submitted it to paperback publishers. The first publisher on her list, Avon, quickly purchased the novel and arranged an initial 500,000 print run. The novel sold over 2.3 million copies in its first four years of publication. The success of this novel prompted a new style of writing romance, concentrating primarily on historical fiction tracking the monogamous relationship between a helpless heroines and the hero who rescued her, even if he had been the one to place her in danger. The romance novels which followed in her example featured longer plots, more controversial situations and characters, and more intimate and steamy sex scenes. ""Her words engendered an incredible passion among readers,"" notes Feron. Bestselling author Julia Quinn agrees, saying, ""Woodiwiss made women want to read. She gave them an alternative to Westerns and hard-boiled police procedurals. When I was growing up, I saw my mother and grandmother reading and enjoying romances, and when I was old enough to read them myself, I felt as if I had been admitted into a special sisterhood of reading women."" New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips, a leading voice in the women's fiction arena, says, ""We all owe our careers to her. She opened the world of romance to us as readers. She created a career for us to go into."" The pioneering author has written 13 novels over the course of 35 years, all New York Times bestsellers. Kathleen E. Woodiwiss's final literary work, the upcoming Everlasing, will be published by William Morrow in October 2007. ""Everlasting is Kathleen's final gift to her fans,"" notes Feron. Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, who was predeceased by her husband and son Dorren, is survived by sons Sean and Heath, and numerous grandchildren.

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    Reviews for Petals on the River

    3.5/5

    133 ratings5 reviews

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    • 5/5
      When Shemaine O Hearn finds herself engaged, and falling in love with a wonderful man she thinks nothing could go wrong, everything is going right, but she has one person that doesn't approve of the match, his grandmother. So before Shemaine knows it, she has been falsely accused of thievery and is sent to America and sold into servitude for seven years. The ride on the ship was hard enough and she doesn't know what is in her future. Then she is surprised when she is sold to a Gage Thornton, who is a shipbuilder and in need of someone to care for his son and to cool and clean....Shemaine figures it couldn't get any worse now. Shemaine is surprised by how well Gage treats her, with courtesy and respect and kindness something no one has treated her since she was taken. So even though Shemaine misses her old life, she is prepared to start a new life with Gage and his son, and in Gage's arms finds "Home".Petals On The River would have to be one of my all time favorite books from this author...one that I have probably read over and over....but its been a while since I have read it, and when I saw it in the library I just wanted to read this old favorite of mine. Petals On The River is such a sweet and charming story, and both Gage and Shemaine are such endearing characters you can't help but love them. Also one thing that I love about this story is how there is much more to this story than a mere love story, it has some difficult conflicts that both Shemaine and Gage have to go through, and there some suspenseful scenes that kept the story going...and I just loved the blossoming romance that developed between these two. And I just thought Gage's little boy Andrew was just charming and adorable.....Overall a loveable story filled with a charming characters, a exciting plot, and a love story that will make you cry, written by a Legend......A Sensational Romance!!!!
    • 5/5
      When outspoken Shemaine O’Hearn arrives in America her life is far from the privileged one she held back in England. Wrongly accused by her enemies and now an indentured servant to a man with a shadowy past, Shemaine needs to escape her confides and return to the life she knows. Gage Thorton was in need of a nanny but Shemaine was not what he was expecting nor did he expect the desire that came with her.Once again Woodiwiss does not disappoint in this enigmatic tale of conspiracies and attempted murders. Gage is a hero to love with his mysterious past but easy going manner and Shemaine is a strong lead in this male dominated time. Woodiwiss lets Shemaine’s own character shine through creating an adventure and love standing against lies and betrayal.
    • 5/5
      This is another very good book by a master story teller that is no longer with us. The story is set in colonial Virginia when indentured servants were sent to colonies to clear out the prisons of England. The story follows Shemaine, a rich young lady, whe has been framed for a crime she didn't commit. She decides she has a better chance of surviving as an indentured servant than staying in Newgate. She has already had several attempts to her life while find bars. Ms. Woodiwiss shows the harshness of the wilderness and the things that people did to just live one day to the next. The book is a wonderful glimpse into colonial life and the area around Williamsburg. I have read this story more times than I want to count and it was enjoyable this time as it was the first time.
    • 1/5
      Typically I go to the library and pick up a bunch of books which I have ordered, and then on top of them I pick up one random romance novel. Usually, they're readable, and I don't bother putting them in here because they're so forgettable. This one was unforgettable. Why? Well, here's why. The heroine's hand has just accidentally gotten caught between the hero's son's sleepy kid head and the hero's package:"A shocked gasp was torn from Shemaine as she sought to extricate herself from the tightening wedge into which her hand had been caught. Thought restrained no more than a fleeting moment, a grueling eternity might as well have passed before she managed to drag her hand free, in the course of which she heightened a multitude of sensations that had already been sharply stimulated in the man."1. The heroine's name is SHEMAINE. 2. How do you even write like that? It gives me a headache to read, much less retype! Oh, but there's more:"The hot blood had surged through Gage with swift and fiery intensity at the very instant of her hand's entrapment, making him achingly aware of his ravaging desire. Now, long moments after her hand had been safely clasped within her other, the ravenous flames still pulsed with excruciating vigor through his manly loins, searing holes in the thin wall of his restraint."Yeah, manly loins, you hear that? Oh, but that's not all. A few sentences later:"'I'm...I'm sorry!' Shemaine's strangled whisper seemed to fill the night, attesting to her shame. Though she clutched the offending hand against her breast, she could still sense the branding heat of his maleness against the back of it, the unexpected firmness that had grown rapidly pronounced, leaving her breathlessly aware of the bold, mature difference between the man and his son."1. You had an awkward accidental moment, it happens, deal with it. 2. You just spent pages and pages living with whores! Why are you so freaked out by the possibility that a dude might have dude bits? 3. Maleness?! Firmness?! 4. The son in question? Is four years old. That ish is just wrong.Suffice to say I won't be reading any more Woodiwiss... except maybe for the lulz. "Woodiwiss means never having to say 'I'm kidding,'" almost as much as Twilight does.
    • 2/5
      Too predictable. Sex, sex, and not very good sex. All the panting!, on and on stuff where the couple just cant get enough of ea other. All the yearning, on and ON! Maybe I'm just getting too old for that stuff!!9/11/98