Cover of The Cruel Count

The Cruel Count

  • 1973 first published
  • 169 pages
  • 7 editions

Published in 1973, The Cruel Count is a historical romance novel by Barbara Cartland. The story is set in Island of Katona and Islands of the Mediterranean, in 1819. Characters include Lady Vesta Cressinton-Font, Count Miklos Czako and Prince Alexander of Katona. Key subjects include foreign Affairs, Marriage of Convenience and Love Triangle.

42 Open Library readers have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 7 editions.

At about 169 pages, most readers finish it in 3–4 hours.

About The Cruel Count

In 1819, Lady Vesta Cressinton-Font travels alone to the small Mediterranean island of Katona as bride by proxy to its hereditary Prince. As soon as she left her ship and set foot on to Katona, the blue-eyed, exquisitely beautiful Vesta felt frightened and totally alone. It was certainly not the reception she had expected. Where, she wondered, were Prince Alexander's representatives? Surely His Royal Highness would not let his future bride arrive on Katona without a formal greeting. Really, it was quite unthinkable: traveling all the way from England to marry a man she had never met and then being rudely abandoned.... "They tell me you have arrived alone." The words cut across Vesta's indignant reverie. Startled, she directed her gaze toward the man who spoke them. His stern, domineering manner, his penetrating glance quite alarmed her. And yet he was so darkly handsome.... "I am Count Miklos Czako," the stranger continued harshly. "I will take you to His Royal Highness." To her dismay the imperious Count Miklos tells Vesta that revolution has broken out and she must return to England. This Vesta refuses to do and commands the unwilling nobleman to take her to the Capital. After a hazardous journey and capture by brigands, Vesta arrives at the Royal Hunting Lodge only to face new dangers for the Count who aroused in her an ecstasy such as she had never imagined.
Description from Open Library

Themes, setting & tropes

Genres

Tropes

Setting

  • Island of Katona
  • Islands of the Mediterranean

Era

  • 1819

Characters

  • Lady Vesta Cressinton-Font
  • Count Miklos Czako
  • Prince Alexander of Katona

Subjects

  • Historical Romance
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Marriage of Convenience
  • Love Triangle

Quick answers

Who wrote The Cruel Count?

The Cruel Count was written by Barbara Cartland and first published in 1973.

What genre is The Cruel Count?

It is usually shelved as Historical Romance.

How long is The Cruel Count?

The median edition has 169 pages, about 3–4 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.

What books are similar to The Cruel Count?

Readers who like it often enjoy It Started With a Scandal, Desire and Naledi His Love.

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