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I first read Shirley Busbee’s My Lady Vixen when I was 14 and became instantly obsessed with historical romances. It is my number one, all-time favorite novel.
I have read and agreed with the other reviews of Busbee’s recent offerings and I too found them predictable and plodding (though without the brain-numbing prose of Kathleen Woodiwiss). It seems that for every romance writer there is one particular book that epitomizes everything that is great about them, and this – unabashed bodice-ripper that it may be – is definitely “it” for Busbee. Outlandish plot and all, I cared so much for the characters that none of it threw me. Besides, isn’t outlandishness to be expected in the old school of romance novels?
Please bear with the following description – the book is over 500 pages long and there are more twists and turns than a country road.
My Lady Vixen is set in the early 1800’s in both England and the U.S. Heroine Nicole Ashford runs away while barely in her teens; her relatives are wicked and her circumstances dire. Disguised as a boy, she is taken aboard the ship of privateer Captain Saber. The captain hires Nicole for her literacy and numeracy skills. As such she is shielded from the rough life of the crew who pay her no attention, and her disguise goes unnoticed.
A few years later as she blossoms into womanhood, her disguise as young “Nick” begins to wear thin. Allen, a young man who is aboard the ship as a spy sees through it, but he is persuaded to live and let live – they become fast friends and he tries to keep Nichole’s secret.
Captain Saber is a notorious outlaw, once known in Britain as Christopher Saxon. He avoids returning home after a disastrous affair in his youth with married socialite Annabelle Ashford, who is none other than Nicole’s mother. He was 18 during the affair and eventually realized she cruelly used him to distract her jealous husband from her love affair with Christopher’s older brother Robert. Robert then had Christopher press-ganged to get rid of him, but Christopher becomes Captain Saber and a wealthy man in his own right.
Captain Saber stumbles on Allen’s plot to retrieve important military documents stolen from a British ship. That’s when he discovers the truth about “young Nick.”
My favorite scene in the entire novel occurs when Saber discovers Nicole’s identity. While the ship is in a remote island harbor, Nicole wanders off to swim and sunbathe in a secluded cove. Unhampered by social convention, she sheds her clothes without modesty, unaware she has a secret watcher. However, Allen comes looking for her. He is determined to return her to London where she belongs and is furious at how she flouts social conventions. While he succeeds in having her dress, both are unaware that Saber secretly watched her bathe, and that he liked what he saw. Unfortunately, he also believes he’s being played for a fool and his impression of Nick is colored by her friendship with spy Allen; he assumes she’s trying to double-cross him and intends to determine the truth.
After Allen’s plot is foiled, Nick desperately wants to save her friend and decides to bargain with Saber using her body, the only thing he makes it clear that he wants from her. However, and this is what I admire about Nick, she is no weeping Miss and when Saber pushes his luck she gives as good as she gets. Of course the physical chemistry is undeniably strong and thus begins the journey in which we see both characters restored to their rightful place in the world.
I love books where the hero and heroine are kept from being together by pride, history and emotional conflict. This is certainly the case here as Saber is unwilling to trust any woman, no less the daughter of his ultimate “Jezebel.” Nicole, unlike traditional female protagonists in this sort of novel, has a spine and stands up to him, trying at times to run away from him and resisting becoming his mistress. Once installed again in England, they are still very much physically attracted to each other despite the fact that Nichole is now a respectable young lady. As the story progresses, you’re on tenterhooks waiting for them to get together. I wasn’t tired of this old romance plot staple, in fact it stands as one of the classic examples.
The Anglo-American spy angle and distant rumbles of war allow the author to provide a rich backstory to My Lady Vixen. There’s a richness to Busbee’s storytelling, as exemplified by how Nicole readjusts to her new/old life once back in England.
My way of judging how good a book is this – if I haven’t warmed to the characters I can’t bear to read the love scenes and will skip them altogether if I really detest the protagonists. In this book I was riveted. Another way I tell is if I find myself wishing I were the heroine (don’t we all!), definitely true in this case. I’m also fond of very masculine heroes who may be considered un-PC these days but I find new-age sensitivity unsatisfying personally. My Lady Vixen is unfortunately (and criminally!) out of print, but can be located at second hand bookstores and online- I still have my same copy 10 years later, well thumbed and well loved.
Grade: A
Book Type: Historical Romance
Sensuality: Hot
Review Date: 02/02/03
Publication Date: 1980
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.