The Windflower is a historical romance novel by Laura London (pseudonym of Tom and Sharon Curtis).

Plot:
Merry gets kidnapped by pirates and subsequently suffers from Stockholm Syndrome. Devon is a hot, rich pretend-pirate with a good heart(TM). He thinks that Merry is a spy and decides to seduce the information out of her. But maybe in the end, he’s the one getting seduced…

I read this one because it was recommended by Smart Bitches, Trashy Books for the banter between the two main characters. Plus Pirates! But I was sorely disappointed. Instead of being lighthearted fun, I had to explode from rage every two pages.

Read more about the book at my blog: http://kalafudra.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/the-windflower-laura-london/ ( )

I picked this up because I’ve heard from multiple people I generally trust, that this was the BEST HISTORICAL ROMANCE EVAR!!!! And, seriously, on the surface, you can understand why - it’s got pirates, the Second American Revolution, spying, being marooned on random Caribbean islands, characters near death, and more man titty than you can shake a stick at. So why did I keep wishing the book wasn’t so darn long?

Maybe I haven’t read enough of these 1980s historicals, but I couldn’t figure out why this is such a stunning example of it. Plus, it was a giant list of my pet peeves - a heroine who is so darn innocent and sweet that even dastardly pirates can’t help loving her (and who cries at the drop of a hat), the alpha hero who demands to know all the heroine’s secrets but won’t share any of his own, the eeeevil pirate who decides to be a match maker (WTF?)…. And yet, even when I was questioning why I was reading this, I kept on reading. Did I really care for the characters? No, not really. But the prose was pretty fun at times - at one point, the heroine lists all of the needlework items she’s completed (8 bargello cushions! 4 whitework bedspreads!). When the book was witty, it was good. When it involved the heroine crying and moping over her conflicted feelings for her captor, it made me roll my eyes.

Enjoyable for what it is, but I really don’t think it’s stood the test of time. ( )

http://grerp.blog-city.com/windflower.htm ( )

Many writers and readers consider Laura London (the pen name of Sharon and Tom Curtis) the finest historical romance writer who ever stopped publishing too soon. This book is why.

The Windflower is probably one of the greatest historical romances ever written, period. Nothing matches it for creativity, story or characterization. I simply loved it from the first time I read it and had carted my copy around the world with me since 1984 so I'd always have it with me. I have reread this book more than any other I own, except for maybe the Bible.

It won't be to everyone's taste, but if you read it and appreciate the talent and magic that went into the writing of it, it will spoil you for every other historical romance out there. ( )