Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

A sweeping tale of passion, romance and adventure, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss' groundbreaking classicThe Flame and the Flower remains as beloved today as when it first appeared in print. Now, at long last, the story that has enchanted the world for decades continues.

Cerynise Kendall has been left destitute and in dire need following the death of her doting patron and protectress.A brilliant young artist tossed from her home with only theclothes on her back, Cerynise must now turn to a childhoodcompanion for assistance-the dashing sea captain BeauregardBirmingham-and beg him to provide her with passage to theCarolinas. She seeks a new home and a new life across the waters,but all depends upon the kindness of a charming adventurerwho was once the object of her youthful infatuation.

Beneath Birmingham's rugged exterior beats a heart as large and wild as the Atlantic, and Beau readily agrees to aid Cerynise--even offering her his name in marriage, albeit temporarily, to protect his longtime friend from scandal. But perilous secrets, determined enemies and tempests of the sea and soul threaten their future and safe passage even as bonds of camaraderie are miraculously reforged as bonds of desire ... and affection becomes passion and love.

The long-awaited sequel to one of the most cherished love stories of our time!

Average Customer Rating:

An Entertaining Read

Customer Rating:

I was surprised by some of the bad reviews this book recieved. I thought this book was wonderful. The two main characters are interesting and their romance obvious, but thrilling. Although my personal favorite by Woodiwiss is A Rose in Winter, I found this one much to my liking as well. It was a little less stormy then The Flame and The Flower. The sub-characters were also well developed and amusing. All in all a good read.

A Little Lacking, But Worth Reading

Customer Rating:

The Elusive Flame the much awaited sequel to The Flame & The Flower was not at all what I expected my own fault I must admit I went into this book highly expecting the man/woman undeniable desire which this book surely lacked it had more of a teasing teenage first love scenario which by all aspects was written fairly well Beau Birmingham was a gallant (mentioned quite a lot though out the book) a through and through gentleman Cerynis was an awed stuck naive girl she did play the virginal role well at first !! Won't go into to much detail about the lust fevered first time ~ya'll that read the book know what I am talking about ~ I wasn't buying it it was written well enough but it bother me on how it happened I loved reading about Heather and Brandon (from Flame & the Flower) and how they faired in a long desirable marriage it was like visiting with old friends The villains were laughable at best the bubbling buffoons All in all the book was good but lacking in some aspects but faired really well in the other parts Beau was a wonderful husband to Cerynis and like wise she was a wonderful wife you could see that love was blossoming but like I stated earlier it lacked the desire but that is only my opinion If you think that this book will hold a torch to the Flame and the Flower you will be disappointed but the Elusive Flame has a flare of it own , read the book and make your own conclusion but it is sure a good book to waste time away from your ordinary lives

My most favorite writter.	Customer Rating:
I havn't read it yet but I've waited 30 years for a seaqual to The Flame and The Flower, which was the very first romance novel I ever read and I was hooked from then on. I hope this seaqual will up to her talent and my expetations! If it dose it will be a very good read, one you won't want to put down or end either.

My second and last

Customer Rating:

In "Elusive" there isn't much character development with the protagonists (we're supposed to be satisfied with the information that they've known each other since youth) but you'll get plenty of saccharine descriptions of Beau and Cerynise's mutual affection (Ms. Woodiwiss went so far as to describe theirs as a love that rivaled anything written by Shakespeare). Hmm. The high action saved until the very end was overly contrived as well (gotta love those villains who explain to each other, in great detail, what had just transpired and what will happen - all within earshot of someone). This is my second and probably last Woodiwiss. I just haven't read anything by her worth the praise I've seen in the other reviews for her work.

blah. boring.	Customer Rating:
Watery romance, thin plot, poorly developed characters. This author produced much better work earlier in her career.