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Loading... Besieged and Betrothedby Jenni Fletcher
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. This was my first time reading this author's writing but will not be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed BESIEGED AND BETROTHED. Fast paced, adventure filled, with romance, danger, love and finding a HEA. A page turner with secrets, passion, danger and did I mention feisty ladies who are strong and determined to keep her secrets close to heart and a brave, brawn and ruthless warrior who lays siege to her heart, all is not fair in love and war. Powerful, compelling and intriguing. A must read and a keeper. Medieval Romance at its best. I received a complimentary copy, however, all opinions are my own. Rating: 4.5 Heat rating: Mild Reviewer: AprilR no reviews | add a review
Belongs to Publisher SeriesHarlequin Historical (1358)
Bound to her enemy¿Ruthless warrior Lothar the Frank has laid siege to Castle Haword, but there's a fiery redhead in his way - and she's not backing down! More tomboy than trembling maiden, Lady Juliana Danville would rather die than lose the castle. Caught on opposite sides of a war, Lothar and Juliana find a marriage bargain is being brokered to bring peace. But is blissful married life possible when Juliana has a dangerous secret hidden within the castle walls...' No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 2000-RatingAverage:
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Despite the title implying that there's a siege, it's actually fairly unimportant and is over in the first couple of chapters. The rest of the book is Lothar waffling between his duty to the Empress Matilda (who becomes just another wise mother figure by the end) and his desire to protect Juliana from lechers. Meanwhile, Juliana is trying to prevent him from discovering the identity of the person she's hiding. Just when you think you know where the plot is going, it switches on you.
For those that love a feisty heroine, you'll definitely find that in Lady Juliana. Personally, I really liked her. She didn't argue for the sake of arguing, and the things that pissed her off pissed me off, as well. I thought fight scenes between her and Lothar were believable, and her insecurities about constantly being compared to the Empress Matilda, either by her father or Lothar, were justifiable. I do wish she'd been a bit more confident, as she wavered between a tough chatelaine and a naive ingenue, especially when she's been in charge for so long. Overall, I thought she was a fine heroine.
Lothar really pissed me off, though. Not only was he so emotionally stunted that he literally flees after the two of them have sex (and it's a very rushed encounter too where it's a miracle the heroine gets off at all), he was also rather violent. There's a particular scene where he's restraining himself from hurting a baron who tried to assault Juliana, but he squeezes Juliana's arm so hard that he hurts her. That's just not attractive, and for a man who suffered at the hands of an abusive father, you would've thought he'd be more sensitive. Don't even get me started on his refusal to spar Juliana because she's a woman. He might think he's being gallant, but we all know it's sexist behavior. Lothar's basically a rock who has never talked to women in his life, and it shows.
If you like medieval romances without vikings and lairds, just know this one's a bit slow, but it has some interesting political scenes that are fun because romances so rarely include historical figures. ( )