Review - Defiant

Title: Defiant
Author: Kris Kennedy
Publishing Date: April 2011
Genre: Medieval
Rating: B
Sensuality: Warm
Book Disclosure: I received a free copy from the author.

Jamie Lost is on a mission to retrieve a Priest who is a very valuable figure amongst the powerful men in Medieval Europe. Jamie’s task is to find the priest before the enemies of his King do. When he finds the priest he is distracted by a woman, Eva who also appears to want the priest. When the priest is taken by the enemy, both Eva and Jamie unite their forces to get the king back.

Defiant is a very well written medieval romance novel. You can tell the author really did her research to bring this period of history to life in her novel. As I was reading the book, the forests and people of the past were very easy to envision. There is a lot of political intrigue in the book. I don't really like politics in my historical romance books. Mostly, I find it difficult to follow along, and really I would just rather get to the good stuff. You know... the romance! And if I had to have a complaint about this book, it would be that.

However, I really did enjoy this story. I liked the characters Eva and Jamie. Both characters are very intelligent, stubborn and honorable. There is a lot of sexual tension between Jamie and Eva which made the book so enjoyable. Also, the author keeps us guessing at Eva's identity. We know she is an important character, but we don't know exactly how until the end of the book. What was so interesting was that most of the book you are directed to wonder about Eva's identity when really you don't know Jamie's either. Then it is all sprung on you at the end of the story. It made for a nice surprise. Defiant is another enjoyable read by Kris Kennedy.

Review - Bound to a Warrior

Title: Bound to a Warrior
Author: Donna Fletcher
Publishing Date: September 2010
Genre: Medieval
Rating: C-
Sensuality: Warm
Book Disclosure: I bought an ebook from Barnes & Noble for my Nook.

Duncan MacAlpine, on his way back home to Scotland finds himself captured by the English. He is handcuffed to a brave English woman, Mercy. At the first opportunity Duncan and Mercy break away from their captors. They must travel over treacherous land riddled with English soldiers avoiding recapture while literally bound to each other by their wrists. Talk about teamwork. These two must learn to master the art of hiking, eating, bathing and sleeping as one unit.

Sounds like a winning scenario for a great romance, right? Not so much. After the first chapter I knew this book wasn't for me. I am one of those optimistic readers who hope that the book is going to get better. While it did get better, it still wasn't a stellar read.

My main problem with the book was the writing style. It was overly simplified and too explanative. I didn't need to be given an explanation for every little action made by either Mercy or Duncan. Readers aren't idiots. We don't need every little nuance spelled out. Give us good action and we can intuit what is going on between the characters for ourselves. Also, the characters especially Mercy seemed a little too "fairy tale" perfect. Their personalities were not realistic enough for my taste. It is difficult for me to recommend this book.

Review - The Irish Warrior

Title: The Irish Warrior
Author: Kris Kennedy
Publishing Date: June 2010
Genre: Medieval
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Hot
Book Disclosure: I purchased a new copy.

Senna de Valery, an English woman who has journeyed to Ireland to make a business deal with Lord Rardove, finds herself in a terrible situation. She believed that she would be selling her prized sheep for their high quality wool, but instead she finds that the man intends to marry her and have her make the recipe for a legendary dye. Meanwhile deep in the dungeons of Rardove's castle he has imprisoned Finian O'Melaghlin an important emissary to the king of Ireland and a great warrior. Senna helps Finian to escape Lord Rardove with the hopes that Finian will help her to return to England.

I really enjoyed Kris Kennedy's debut novel The Conqueror and was looking forward to reading her next medieval. These days good, meaty medieval books are few and far between. The Irish Warrior was another solid, enjoyable read. Thank you Ms. Kennedy!

A large part of the focus to The Irish Warrior is this special legendary dye that only a handful of people know how to create. Senna happens to be the daughter of one such person who knew the secret recipe. I found the legend quite interesting and it helped to make the story unique. Reader's will note how much research the author did to make the legend come alive and seem plausible.

The romance between Senna and Finian is very volatile. I could feel the flames licking the pages of this book. These two had great chemistry. Most of the romance takes place with Finian and Senna on the run. Fans of cabin or road romances will enjoy this story. I also liked that Senna and Finian never played games with each other. Senna, although unversed in the ways of love was not afraid to be herself and accept her own sexuality as it was awakened by Finian. She was honest and open with her feelings and likewise Finian was upfront, as well. Most of the conflict came from outside factors. I'd definitely recommend this book. It's well written with an interesting plot and enjoyable main characters.

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Review - Highland Dragon

Title: Highland Dragon
Author: Kimberly Killion
Publishing Date: October 2009
Genre: Medieval
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Hot
Book Disclosure: Received an ebook from the author

Calin is the Lard of Clan MacLeod and has been engaged to the daughter of the rival clan Kinnon since he was ten years old. The match was made to bring peace between the two clans, but on the night Akira was born things went terribly wrong. Calin's father was murdered right before his very eyes and Akira would have been killed too if it wasn't for Calin's quick thinking. He secreted Akira away, to grow into a young woman and when the time was right, Calin would come back for her and make her his wife.

Akira had always known she was different. She didn't look like any of her family. She also was sent to school through her benefactor and she knew that one day she would marry him. She hoped he would be kind to her and give her the babies she longs for. At eighteen, her family believed that her betrothed had come for her, but instead she is kidnapped. Calin finds this out when he comes for Akira himself. Along with Akira's foster brother, Calin rides to get back his bonny bride.

Akira is an interesting combination of a forthrightness, but she is also inexperienced in the ways of the world. Yet for only being eighteen, which I think is young for a heroine (I am showing my age here) she comes across as older. Although, she does have her moments of immaturity, but for the most part she is a thoughtful individual. I found the exchanges between Akira and Calin, especially in the beginning of the story when they first meet, to be a lot of fun to read. There are some really good conversations between the two of them. Calin likes to tease Akira for her naivete.

Calin has a lot of secrets he is keeping from Akira and this eventually drives a rift between the two. Readers know early on that this is going to happen because there is plenty of foreshadowing. That is the one drawback to big misunderstandings. They tend to leave a black cloud over the romance, because the reader knows that eventually the secrets will come out. They just don't know when.

There are also some complicated politics between the clans. I felt like I followed along fine, but there were a few shaky moments. I got a little confused when the English were brought into it. Fortunately, I felt like everything was clearly wrapped up at the end. One interesting secondary character Catriona, Calin's former mistress was a surprise. Her character starts out as a vindictive woman, but later on changes her tune due to Akira's forgiveness. I always enjoy reading about a villain who is redeemable. Some villains aren't redeemable and there is one of those in this story too.

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This book can be purchased in print or kindle format at Amazon.

Review - Maiden and the Monster

Title: Maiden and the Monster
Author: Michelle M. Pillow
Publishing Date: 2005
Genre: Medieval (Erotic)
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Hot

Lady Eden unconscious after being severely beaten and smelling of pig manure is left to die just outside the Duke of Lakeshire's castle. He mistakenly believes the bundle of fowl smelling furs is just that, but his servant discovers that the pile is actually a woman who is barely alive. Vladamir against his will at the insistence of his servant and friend Ulric, places the woman in Ulric's care to recover. However, after Eden is cleaned up and the swelling in her face lessons he realizes how attractive Eden is and wonders where she came from and how she came to be found in her condition on his doorstep, so to speak.

I was pleasantly surprised by Maiden and the Monster. It is published by Ellora's Cave, which is known for their erotic romance, but also the stories are generally shorter. Maiden in the Monster is 355 pages and wasn't quite as erotic as other Ellora's Cave books I have read in the past, but this is actually one of the reasons the story worked as well as it did for me. I thought the history of the time period was well researched and the characters true to the time period. I was expecting one thing and got something else and it was a pleasant surprise.

Vladamir is a bit of a beast. He was jilted by his first wife of whom he adored and loved. She in turn was a selfish, horrid woman who scarred Vladamir deeply. He has built up walls to keep people out and he puts on a mask of indifference and cruelty when in reality his is a very sensitive, affectionate man. Eden discovers that his bark is worse than his bite and believes that he is a good man. His actions have spoken louder than words in the way he cares for her. She has been around other men who have treated her cruelly and Vladamir is not one of them.

My one little complaint about the book is that there is a very passionate love scene towards the latter half of the book in a very beautiful outdoor setting. This scene took me by surprise and this time, not in a good way. The scene went in a direction that seemed out of character for Vladamir and Eden. It seemed as if it was to be more sexually explicit for the reader as a way to titillate, instead of being the true motivations of the characters. Of course, this is just my opinion and I could be reading to much into how a publisher might influence the outcome of a book and that one scene did not overly influence my experience when reading this book. I just felt like mentioning it. Anyone who wants more details feel free to email or comment.

This book can be purchased in print from Amazon.

Review - The Conqueror

Title: The Conqueror
Author: Kris Kennedy
Publishing Date: 2009
Genre: Medieval
Rating: A-
Sensuality: Hot

Guinevere de l'Ami finds herself facing marriage to a man she has no desire to marry after her father passes away. As his heir, she comes with vast lands that many noble men want to acquire. There is much political unrest currently in England. King Stephan is slowly losing his loyal vassals to Henry. Guinevere tries to run away to an abbey the night one of her neighboring lords tries to forcibly wed her. On her way to the abbey she is rescued by an unknown knight. The knight turns out to be none other than Griffyn Sauvage. Their father's were once good friends, but a treasure came between the two men and Gwyn's father took Griffyn's home from him. Griffyn had made a vow to take it back one day and soon he would at the war's end. Complications arise when Griffyn finds himself inexplicably drawn to Gwyn. She is the light in his dark existence.

I read this book because of Holly's and Wendy's reviews. I happen to really enjoy the medieval genre and I haven't come across any recently published books that have caught my attention. I am so happy to say that The Conqueror lived up to my expectations and actually managed to surpass it! This is Kris Kennedy's first book and hats off to her, because it is a great read!

I really enjoyed the connection that Griffyn and Gwyn form for one another at the beginning of the story. They are both amazed by their attraction to the other and they easily express their affection and act on it. They don't play any games when it comes to expressing their feelings, but there is plenty of conflict in terms of politics. The angst in this story is derived from each person's loyalty to a different king. While some readers may find Gwyn's loyalty excessive, I found it in keeping with her personality. It kept my heart thumping along this intense ride.

What really makes The Conqueror stand out from the masses is the interesting subplot with the treasure that Griffyn and Gwyn's families have guarded for centuries. Neither one of them fully understands what it is they are guarding and as they are discovering clues about the treasure so is the reader. I also enjoyed Griffyn's relationship with his friend and Alex. I liked that Alex was multi-faceted and he brought a depth to Griffyn that was needed to balance out the story. Kris Kennedy has the ability to really draw the reader into her story with a creative plot and likable characters. I highly recommend this one for fans of the medieval genre.

This book can be purchased in print or kindle format from Amazon.

Review - A Kingdom of Dreams

Title: A kingdom of Dreams
Author: Judith McNaught
Publishing Date: 1989
Genre: Medieval
Rating: A-
Sensuality: Warm

Headstrong, seventeen year old Jenny Merrick has been living in a convent for the last two years. After causing her father one to many headaches, he shipped her off in the hopes that she would learn some discipline. Meanwhile the Scots and English have been waging war against one another. Many fierce battles have been fought and won by Royce Westmoreland in the name of the English King, Henry. He has been ordered to take the Scottish Earl of Merrick's keep. Stephan, Royce's brother happens to be in the right place at the right time and utilizes the opportunity to kidnap Jenny and her sister Brenna.

Judith McNaught is well known for her sweeping sagas rich with angst and passion. A Kingdom of Dreams is no exception. It happens to be one of the most memorable medieval stories I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Jenny and Royce are extremely vivid characters with larger than life personalities. Jenny is prideful and headstrong, but loyal and clever. Royce is presumptuous and stubborn, but intelligent and compassionate too. These two personalities ignite passionately against one another - first in anger, then eventually with love. Oh, but the journey is fraught with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

This is actually my second time reading A Kingdom of Dreams. I wondered if I would still enjoy it now, as much as I did a few years ago when I first started reading romance. I am very happy to say that it still holds the same magic it once did for me. As I was reading it again, there were some things that bothered me about the characters. I hated how Royce so quickly jumps to a conclusion about Jenny, when there wasn't any evidence. I could understand later on, once some things came to light, but not right away. Jenny annoyed me with how long she clung to her loyalty to her family even though they didn't deserve it. I will say that even though these things might bother a reader, McNaught does a beautiful job of getting the reader to empathize with her characters' plight. The dramatic ups and downs of the book are what make it so memorable and special. It is a true testimony to her talent that she can write flawed characters and still keep them lovable.

Review - Master of Surrender

Title: Master of Surrender
Author: Karin Tabke
Publishing Date: July 2008
Genre: Medieval
Rating: B-
Sensuality: Hot

Master of Surrender is book one in Karen Tabke's Blood Sword series. Rohan du Luc, also known as the Black Sword has been assigned the task of holding the castle Alethorpe in the name of William the Conqueror. When he arrives he meets the beautiful and fearless Isabel, whom has been left in charge of the castle in her father and brothers' absence. Rohan seeing right away what a treasure Isabel is decides to lay claim to her, as well. However, Isabel has other ideas and swears to keep her heart to herself.

While Master of Surrender doesn't necessarily bring anything fresh to the classic romantic medieval tale, it does follow the adage, "If it ain't broke, then don't fix it." Spirited and bold Isabel is determined to remain free from Rohan. She might be his captive, but she will never willingly give him her heart. But as the story unfolds she realizes what a good man Rohan is. His bark is always worse than his bite. He blusters and bluffs, but when it comes down to it, he is quite the chivalrous knight.

Isabel and Rohan were nice to read. I wouldn't say that anything in particular stood out about them. The villain did come across as a little flat, evil for the sake of being evil. I didn't understand his motivation. All in all, I would say Master of Surrender was an enjoyable, if somewhat predictable read.

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Review - Winterbourne

Title: Winterbourne
Author: Susan Carroll
Publishing Date: 1987
Genre: Medieval
Rating: B
Sensuality: Warm

Lady Melyssan has devised a plan to escape from King John's lecherous clutches by pretending to be wed to Lord Jaufre de Macy, better known as the Dark Knight. She sets herself up in his castle, Winterbourne while he is away in France. When he arrives home he goes along with her charade calling her bluff, wanting to see just how far she is willing go on with her deceit.

Lady Melyssan and Lord Jaufre could not be more opposite. Melyssan is sweet and innocent and believes first and foremost the best in everyone. Jaufre, on the other hand quickly jumps to the worst conclusions about everyone and is an angry, disillusioned man. He has good reason to be this way because of some terrible things that have happened in his past. Also, the current political state of affairs are pretty disheartening as well.

Winterbourne had plenty of angst and drama. I like angst but too much can be a drag. Jaufre and Melyssan were very quick to jump to the wrong conclusion and instead of talking through their problems, they just sulked and avoided them. After a while this became troublesome. Even though that bothered me, for the most part this was a very fast read. The characters were well drawn and even though Melyssan was a very sweet person, she wasn't syrupy. Jaufre was your typical medieval man, close-mouthed about his feelings and yet protective of his wife and child.

One thing that you don't see to much of today is books that scan a long period of time. Winterbourne did and it took place over several years. It read like an eighties book with the misunderstandings and the sweeping length, but it didn't come with the negatives the eighties were known for, the rape or the womanizing. Winterbourne wasn't without its problems, but it was a good solid read for me.

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Review - The Bride

The Bride is February's book for Nath's Re-read Challenge. I had a poll posted on my sidebar and this one was the most popular, although it was a close race. The Bride was one of the first romance books I ever read and I just fell in love with it. I originally gave it a B+ rating. I went on to glom many of Julie Garwood's other books. After reading The Bride for a second time, I find that it just doesn't hold the same magic for me that it once did. I believe my tastes have evolved and what once worked for me doesn't now. I will try to explain in my review below.


Title: The Bride
Author: Julie Garwood
Publication Date: 2002
Genre: Medieval
Rating: C+
Sensuality: Hot

Alec Kincade is a very important Scottish laird. He has been ordered by his king to choose one of Baron Jamison's very English daughters. Alec immediately comes to the conclusion that Jamie, the Baron's youngest daughter is the prize out of all the sisters. He chooses her and sets back for Scotland right away. Jamie has a feisty spirit and is well matched with Alec. He has never had a woman look him in the eye, let alone stand up to him as Jamie does.

When I first read The Bride a few years ago, I was completely engrossed in Alec and Jamie's story. I very quickly read through the book almost non-stop, without any breaks. While with the second time it easily held my attention, I didn't read it with the same enthusiasm. I started noticing little things, negative things. I came to realize that Jamie and Alec are far too perfect and seem almost fairy-tale like. Jamie can do no wrong and everybody is easily captivated and won over by her. Alec is the epitome of patience and understanding. It bordered on syrupy, and overly sweet.

I realize that this can be appealing, especially as an escape from reality. Once upon a time, it did appeal to me. Now, however, I want a little bit more realistic characters in my story. I think I would categorize this book under a guilty pleasure read. A guilty pleasure read for me is defined as a book that creates an escape from reality. It's not a book that is a great literary masterpiece. It is just easy, mindless entertainment.

Other parts of the book I found humorous then and I still did this second time around. Jamie has a way of doing things a little differently than others. This leads to Alec's exasperation, but the reader will get a kick out of it. There is a villain in this story. It's laughably ridiculous. It's supposed to add tension, but the villain is cartoonish at best. The villain's part is small, so the annoyance is relatively minor.

Bond of Blood

Title: Bond of Blood
Author: Roberta Gellis
Publishing Date: 1965
Genre: Medieval
Rating: B
Sensuality: Warm

This book is a very hard to book for me to grade. It is a very well written and researched book, but some things in it were very hard to swallow. Bond of Blood is one of the first books Roberta Gellis wrote, if not the first. It is a story of two families who come together by marriage. Politics plays a major reason for the marriage. The Earl of Pembroke ultimately wants to kill his son-in-law to gain control of his lands. So he hatches a scheme to wed his daughter Leah to Cain, Lord of Radnor.

Cain and Leah are instantly attracted to one another and are pleased with the arranged marriage. Cain has never had luck with the ladies. He was in love once before, but she was cruel to him and hurt him pretty badly. Cain is unlike other men from his time. He was taught by priests when he was a boy, so he can read and write unlike other men of war. Cain also has a deformed foot. He has made adjustments for it and has over compensated all his life to be a better warrior because of it. He also has emotional scars from people thinking his foot is the mark of the devil. Even his own Father has said this to him.

Cain is very intelligent and Wiley. He easily picks up on traitorous feelings from his father-in-law and takes precautions against him. I really liked Cain. Gellis made him very human, which means he makes a lot of mistakes. Even though, he does some things that are cringe worthy, I still really liked him. He learns from his mistakes and when he did something wrong and he knew it, he would apologize. I found him endearing.

Let’s talk about Leah. Okay, she is fifteen. I know. It goes against everything I like in a romance and yet I still liked this book. Cain is twice her age and yet somehow Gellis made it work. I think the reason for this is that Leah and Cain truly felt like characters from the twelfth century. I could believe that they were a product of the times they lived in and all their decisions and actions remained true to the era. Leah was just precious. She was very obedient and sweet, but when something really mattered to her she could become mulish and take a stand. She was always honest. Thank God, because there were enough lies floating around with all the political intrigue.

That is where the story stumbled for me a little bit. I had a very hard time keeping track of all the different Lords and Ladies and Kings and Queens and who was on who’s side and who was going to stab who in the back. Did I confuse you? That’s because I am still scratching my head over what exactly happened in the book as far as that goes. After thinking on this book for a few days, I must say that I did really enjoy it. It is a lot different from the romances of today, but different in a good way. This book is definitely not for the faint of heart. Leah and Cain have a difficult journey to their “Happily Ever After”, but wow, what a journey.

Review - Lord of Midnight

Title: Lord of Midnight
Author: Jo Beverley
Publishing Date: 1998
Genre: Medieval
Rating: B-
Sensuality: Warm

Claire’s father, Clarence of Sommerbourne was a part of a rebellion against the current King. He dies in a fight at the beginning of the story. The winner of that fight, the king’s champion Renald de Lisle is given Clarence’s land and holdings along with the order to wed either his daughter Claire or one of his two sisters. Renald allows the women to choose who will become his bride. One thing leads to another and Claire is the one who stubbornly accepts her duty to her people.

At first Claire is confused about her feelings for Renald. On the one hand, she knows he is a battle hardened warrior unused to her gentle way of life. Her father was more of a scholar than warrior. Claire expects Renald to treat her badly, by groping her or being cruel to her. When he is actually very gentle and kind, she starts to feel an unwanted attraction for him. She is confused by these new feelings he stirs within her and she feels guilty about her new attraction. She wonders if she is being disloyal to her father.

Where I had trouble with this story is that there is a very big secret hanging over Renald and Claire’s relationship. I knew the truth was going to come out, I just didn’t know when and because of this, it made it hard for me to really focus on the development of Renald and Claire’s relationship. Also, most of the conflict is internal and this leads to a slow development of the story. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if things would have moved a little quicker.

I really enjoyed both Renald and Claire’s personality. Renald especially made for a very nice hero. His personality is unusual in a medieval knight. He was very patient with Claire and very kind. When he was angry he was controlled and never cruel. I think readers who enjoy a beta hero would really like Renald.

Review - Laird of the Mist

 

Title: Laird of the Mist
Author: Paula Quinn
Publishing Date: December 2007
Genre: Medieval
Rating: C
Sensuality: Hot

Kate Campbell is fighting for her life. The only home Kate has ever known in southern Scotland, Glen Orchy, is attacked by raiders. As she tires from fighting the McColls, Callum MacGregor comes to her rescue and saves her life. The problem is Callum and Kate’s families have been enemies for many generations. Callum kidnaps Kate to flush out her cowardly uncle, Duncan Campbell. He takes her back with him to his home in remote northern Scotland.

Both Callum and Kate are likeable characters. Callum is very tortured and brooding, yet he is kind and caring. Kate is feisty, yet sweet and innocent too. There is quite a long list of secondary characters; all of which I liked as well. But for me, something was missing. Even though I liked the characters well enough, my emotions weren’t engaged on a deep enough level to care what happened to them.

Another thing not going for this book is the tragedy surrounding both families. Each family has caused the other insurmountable suffering. To me, this over shadowed the love story. The “happy ever after” seems hopeless and unbelievable. There is a “happy ever after,” but I wish certain issues would have been explained more clearly. I just couldn’t get into this story. I think people who like Julie Garwood’s characters would probably like this book. For some reason, I was just not able to connect with this story.

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Review - Midnight's Bride

Title: Midnight’s Bride
Author: Sophia Johnson
Publishing Date: October 2007
Genre: Medieval
Rating: DNF (Did Not Finish)
Sensuality: DNF

Netta is the daughter of Baron Wycliffe, who is a cruel father who wants to marry Netta off to the first husband he can find. Netta has been doing a good job of scaring away her suitors by any means possible. Meet Mereck of Blackthorn; who is a Welsh barbarian, nicknamed Baresark. It is said he becomes an animal when enraged on the battlefield. Mereck comes to castle Wycliffe, and meets Netta. She ends up on a trip to Caer Caldwell with her friend Elise and Mereck is their escort.

This is all the summarizing I am going to do because it is very confusing and, ultimately, I did not finish this book. I only made it half way through before I finally gave up. It is very hard to follow this story with all of the characters involved. I could not keep track of who was from where and how they all were tied into the story. On top of all that, the characters all seem very one-dimensional. Netta is sickeningly sweet and naive. Mereck is the typical dominant male, walking around thinking “mine, mine, mine” when it came to Netta. Also, Netta has the stereo-typical “Eeevil Father”. You know the one who beats her and is willing to marry her off to another “Eeevil Villian” just so he can be rid of her and have more wealth. My overall impression of this book is boring, boring, boring with confusion mixed in.