Fierce Eden

By: Jennifer Blake

Narrated by: Allyson Johnson

She was living in fear....

Beautiful young widow Elise Laffont embraces her freedom during the daylight hours, running the farm she loves so dearly, but the night brings with it painful reminders of the torment she endured at the hands of her abusive husband. Fate may have taken her husband, but it hasn't erased the scars he left, and Elise wonders if she will ever be able to bear the touch of a man again.

He was a man torn by desire....

From the moment he laid eyes on the beautiful widow, Reynaud Chevalier wanted her. When disaster offers him the chance to claim her as his own, Reynaud seizes the opportunity to bind Elise to him, unaware that behind her determined bravado lays a heart shattered by the past.

©1985 Patricia Maxwell (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Wow, this was so good

I got this while looking for kindle unlimited books that included audio and put off listening to it because it's not my normal type of book. Wow I was missing out. At first, I was a little put off by the way the pompous Renault was treating Elise. Then I realized it was actually pretty historically accurate. This takes place in the early 1700s. You get a ton of history and a picture of life at the time. The story and relationship was much different than what I'm used to reading but it was good. What I didn't realize until later, was this was written in 1985! The writing is excellent.

The narration was great, too!

Endearing Romance - Distracting Narration

This is one of my favorite romance novels having read the hard back numerous times since the late 80s. Unfortunately, the narration leaves much to be desired in that the voice for Reynaud does not represent the masculinity he exudes in the written words ruining the more intimate exchanges between the characters. Elise is also portrayed as overly petulant. The narrator is clearly talented representing French accents and varied female voices. I would better enjoy this re-released with narration for the male characters recorded in a natural male voice.

More history than romance...

This is well written and incredibly rich in historical detail romance but It’s chapter 10 and almost 6 hours into this story and I am ready to give up...
I have no liking for heroine, who is supposed to be “strong” but comes across as cold, shallow and narrow minded, even after she succumbs to hero’s charms she still calls him “half bread” and “savage” ..... really?
Hero on the other hand is too passive, the “butcher the baker and candlestick maker” (merchant, apprentice and small time planter in this case) can haul abuse and shout demands at him and he is taking it in his stride without taking offence. I don’t like beta heroes, too many of them in real life...
On the positive side, If you enjoy history of Louisiana and Native Americans in the region with a bit of romance thrown in, this is probably the perfect choice ...

Outstanding Kick-Off to This Series

Jennifer Blake has done an outstanding job with the kick-off novel in this series. Her attention to detail and imaginative plot kept me riveted. I hope to see more of these characters in subsequent novels in the series.

Rather boring

I had a hard time getting through this book. It was rather boring to me. It has interesting historical theme but needs more excitement.

after chapter 12 I had enough

I am trying to figure out Reynaud and Elise story and getting no where like all Indians romance story the some old line Indian man see pale face blond woman and lost their damn mind really!