By Design – so-so
By Possession – so-so
Stealing Heaven 12/06. This one was ok. We meet David as a young merchant.

By Arrangement – Really enjoyed this one. David is a self-made man.
The Protector – Ok.
Lord of the A Thousand Nights – Ok.

People, including myself, have recommended Hunter's medievals as being pretty good. But not sure By Arrangement holds up as well in 2020 as I remembered. Need to read a few more. And compare to Penman or Chadwick or Kingston. ( )

This was an easy weekend read - a bit of brain candy. It is not the best historical romance I have read but was sufficiently entertaining to keep me reading. I found I was more interested in the political intrigue plot than the romance itself; if I had seen the heroine's eyes described as "diamonds" once more I might have retched. There were a few editing/grammatical errors and missing words, as well, which in my experience is unusual for this genre and was distracting to me.

Overall, not a fabulous book but I generally do not expect too much from romances so it was fine. ( )

By Arrangement has more human characters, and more human conflicts, that most romances - and I find that often, more realism equals less romance. I think that is the case here, where the dark atmosphere and gritty portrayal of David and Christiana's relationship made the book more intense, and more satisfying, but also less fun.

Hunter writes very well and I think she should get major kudos for writing about a period that is generally ignored - late medieval/early Renaissance - and for her attention to period detail and historical accuracy.

A lot of the book revolves around the class distinction between David and Christiana - David is a merchant, Christiana a baron's daughter. Christiana's marriage to David entails real sacrifices, and Hunter doesn't gloss these over - Christiana is taking a step down in the world. But Hunter also explores the changes in lifestyle and the freedoms that may have been possible for women in the merchant class.

One thing that I thought that Hunter handled very well was Christiana's age. She is very young and very innocent. She really thinks and feels like an 18 year old. David, on the other hand, is 30 - and a mature 30, at that, hardened by experience. This kind of disparity can be really disturbing, but I thought that Hunter did an amazing job of showing how David fostered her growth - he seems to be in love with the woman he knows she'll become even more than the girl that she is.

So much of the novel takes place while the two are actually married and the plot seems to revolve around issues that will impact their ability to live together and love one another long-term, rather than the excitement of the moment. Emphasizing Christiana's future, and the potential that David sees in it, adds to that aspect of the novel.

On the whole, definitely a cut above. Character driven, well put together, well written, with a core of emotional truth. ( )

A medieval romance about a young noblewoman forced to marry a merchant who has a secret she is trying to unravel. It was okay, but I don't seem to be as crazy about this author's books as others are.

http://ktleyed.blogspot.com/2010/05/by-arrangement-by-madeline-hunter.html ( )

Back Cover Blurb
The lady and the commoner...

Lady Christiana Fitzwaryn was not opposed to marriage. But she demanded to be married on her own terms, not as punishment for a romantic indiscretion, and especially not to a common merchant. Yet she was in for a shock when she met David de Abyndon. For she was confronted by no ordinary merchant but a man of extraordinary poise and virility. He was unaffected by their difference in social status. And even less affected by her well-thought-out arguments against their upcoming betrothal. Instead, it was Christiana who felt uneasy in the presence of this naturally lordly man behind whose cool blue eyes she sensed the most uncompromising of passions.

David de Abyndon understood Christiana's dilemma, for he too harbored a secret pain. How could he tell her that there was more to this arrangement than met the eye? How could he tell her about his deal with the king-a deal that meant he had all but bought Christiana sight unseen?

What's more, now that he had seen this beautiful, spirited woman, how could he convince her that the love she sought was not in the callow knight she had romanticized but in the flesh-and-blood arms of the man who may have bought her body-but in the bargain lost both his heart and soul?

My Review

Wow. This book completely blew me away. I've read one other Madeline Hunter book and that was By Possession which I enjoyed but never really connected with the characters. I went into By Arrangements with similar expectations and was pleasantly surprised.

First off the characters. Christiana and David are definitely up there in my top 10 couples. At first I was worried that Christiana was going to ruin the book for me since she was so incredibly naive and girlish at the beginning but part of what makes this book so great is the character growth you see from Christiana by the end of the book she has turned into a woman who is totally deserving of David. As for David, I think he will be a hard hero for some people to love. He has a definite dark streak and can be ruthless at times but with the exception of one incident he is gentle and kind with Christiana and it really shows what a good person he truly is on the inside. I love complex heros and angsty books so David worked for me on so many levels.

This was also one of those "butterflies in the stomach" love stories. Watching these two fall in love with one another against their own will was romantic and the love scenes were well written and passionate although they could be a little "purple" at times.

The other thing I should point out that may turn some people off is that this book does have a "Big Misunderstanding" in it. This isn't a plot device that bothers me though because I find the scenes where the characters get back together some of the most emotional. This book is no exception the last scenes in this book had tears welling up in my eyes.

All in all this book is definitely a keeper for me and for anyone out there looking for a solid Medieval Romance I would highly suggest you pick this one up. ( )