Monday, January 18, 2010

Debt of Honor



Debt of Honor (also known in the UK as The Smuggled Heart) is a Jove publication from October 1978. This story is about Leona, whose brother becomes involved and indebted to a local smuggler. Leona's only hope is Lord Chard, who has returned to the area to stop the smuggling on the coast and Leona may be the sacrifice either to her brother's debts or to her country!

Francis Marshall illustrates a wonderful regency cover for this book! I love the hero's pose of the gun and rose, seemingly to signify his desire to love and protect the girl that stands with him! The pink roses are lovely and the girl stands slim and slight in a simple white gown. We see a house in the background, but it's a beautiful cover with a very handsome hero and one that I think is one of FM's best!

The Smuggled Heart was published by Arrow (UK) in 1967 and while it's a good FM cover, it's not as attractive as the Jove version. I'm not sure why they changed the title unless they thought that US readers wouldn't understand. This copy has our couple meeting in a hallway. The hero has arrived and the heroine is anxious because of her brother's activities. It has more of a sketch aspect with the hero looking away from us and the heroine's face almost drawn into a previously made picture. It just seems rushed next to the Jove copy. What do you think?

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