Gypsy Lord [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

I began reading romance novels almost two years ago. I have always been a voracious reader and shunned romance writing - assuming it would be all formula and no real story. Gypsy Lord was one of the first romance books I read and it greatly influenced my decision to begin reading romance novels seriously. Since then, I have discovered a wonderful array of excellent romance writers and have enjoyed this genre tremendously. Recently I picked up Gypsy Lord again to see if it still seemed that same rich and sexy story I recalled. I was not disappointed. It was as great on this second read as I had remembered it.

Dominic Edgemont, the Marquess of Gravenwold, is half English and half gypsy. His mother had raised him in the gypsy camps of France until his noble English father claimed him at the age of eleven. Since that time, most of Dominic's life had been spent at his father's English estate or in English schools. Dominic hated this new English existence and hated his father for deserting his mother. Although Dominic was still allowed to see his mother, the visits were infrequent and short. Gradually he had come to accept the English way of life. Although he was his father's bastard, Dominic was his heir to a vast fortune and estate. He is considered a dark, intriguing man among London society. It is rumored that he may have some gypsy heritage but he is still considered a most desirable man. Dominic rarely attends functions of the ton but is always a source of great speculation when he does. The ladies, always hoping to get a look at the mysterious, handsome man, wished Dominic would honor them with his attention. Dominic, however, seldom noticed any lady and remained an enigmatic and fascinating personage.

Catherine Barrington, Countess of Arondale, is a young noble woman entrenched in the social activities of the London ton. She is one of the wealthiest heiresses in England and knows she must marry and produce an heir. However, she is not very interested in marriage. Of course, Catherine is highly sought after in the marriage market. One night at a social event, she hears of the mysterious nobleman with the rumored gypsy heritage, and tries in vain to get a glimpse of him. He is much the talk among the ladies and Catherine wishes she could meet him. Within a few days of this party, Catherine is kidnapped, sold as a slave, and is taken to France. She lives a cruel life, beaten and abused, and is eventually sold to a gypsy.

Dominic, now twenty-eight years old, is spending several months with his mother's gypsy caravan in France. Since reaching adulthood, Dominic had chosen to spend these months each year with the gypsies of his childhood. Now maturity was forcing Dominic to accept his dual heritage and leave one behind. Although he loved the gypsy life, he knew he must now live in England year round. His father was close to death and he knew his responsibilities would require much of his time. Dominic hears a woman being beaten one night and runs to protect her. He discovers a beautiful young lady, obviously with no gypsy heritage, and in his attempt to keep her from harm, buys her from her gypsy owner. Dominic, of course, has just purchased Catherine, knowing nothing of her English heritage, and the love story begins. He is very attracted to her and informs her of his desire for her. Although he has saved her from a beating and worse, his expression of desire insults Catherine. She has changed from a quiet noble lady to a seemingly viscous and confrontational woman. She will not allow Dominic near her and their battle of the wills is one for the record books. I got a little tired of Catherine's hatefulness toward Dominic since he had rescued her from the whip of an enraged gypsy, paid a fortune for her, and treated her kindly when all other gypsies regarded her only with hostility and suspicion. But if she had not been so willful with Dominic, the physical aspect of their relationship would have begun earlier and somehow part of the story would have been missing. Although Dominic doesn't consider himself to be a gentleman, he is gracious and polite (mostly) to Catherine.

This book is almost divided in half. Most of the first portion of the book takes place in the gypsy camps in France. The second half of the book occurs in England. The eventual meeting of Dominic and Catherine in England, when each discovers the other's title and position in society, is priceless. The chemistry between these two is fantastic and covers nearly each page during the last half of the book. The sensual scenes rate about a 3.5 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines) but don't let that mislead you. This is one of those books that doesn't need specific descriptions of the sensual scenes to produce the chemistry between the leads.

Kat Martin continues to be one of my favorite romance authors. Her books are never shallow and she has the ability to write typical romance plot lines and make them seem totally atypical. I have now read eleven Martin books and I would give at least six of them a five star review. Only one of the eleven seemed weak to me. If you have not tried Kat Martin books, I recommend that you begin with some of her older novels. She has a very large backlist and nearly all of her "out of publication" books are available online for reasonable prices.

This is a very entertaining and moving tale of how badly love can go wrong, and how quickly love can make it all right again. I truly loved this novel. Catherine and Dominic are both head strong, stubborn, but also very passionate and very much in love. It takes a very long time for the both of them to realize just how much they love each other, and because of their stubborn pride, and they constant misunderstandings their love almost doesn't come into being. They both fight to keep their current lives under the control they feel they need, and struggle to stay apart from each other as if they know that in some way a life together would bring an end to all that they had promised themselves.

I found myself wantnig the best for both characters and scolding them for being so stubborn, but with that in mind I can never doubt Ms. Martin's ability to make a character true and believable. This was a book that kept me reading hour after hour and wanting to know what would happen next. I enjoyed it throughly, and would recommend it to everyone.

I just finished this book and thought it was a very well written love story. I absolutely loved it. I would recommend it. :)