Michelle Willingham

Good enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story. Violet has spent the last three seasons as a wallflower due to her shyness and terrible stutter. She is mocked and bullied by members of the ton, even her mother. When Violet's mother plans to send her to her grandmother - a woman who believes she can beat the stuttering out of her - she enrolls herself in the School for Young Ladies, aka the School for Spinsters. Violet impressed me with her determination and ability to go after what she wanted, even show more if she lacked confidence in public.

Damian, the Earl of Scarsdale, is handsome and popular with a reputation as a rake. He put his rakish activities behind him when he learned that his father, the marquess, had put the family into massive debt with his gambling. Refusing to accept responsibility for his actions, the marquess pressures Damian into courting the Season's wealthiest debutante, Lady Persephone. She may be popular but is also cruel, selfish, and manipulative, keeping Damian dangling after her while she flirts with multiple other men. Damian detests her but will sacrifice himself to save his family. He will put up with a lot from Persephone, but he pushes back when he witnesses her treatment of Violet.

I liked the instructors at the school. Lady Harding and Cedric realize that helping Violet will not be easy and that she has to be all in for it to work. After setting Violet a challenge and seeing her meet it, they agreed to help her. They also realize that she will have to hit bottom before she can move up and settle on finding a way to break her down. After witnessing a confrontation between Violet and Damian, they hire him to break her down by making her angry at him. When Violet is angry, her stuttering lessens, and she loses her shyness.

I enjoyed the lessons that Violet and Damian shared. After the first couple, Damian realized he liked Violet and wanted to help her for her sake, not just because he was paid to do so. It was fun to see him tease her and rile her up. Though Violet began by disliking Damian, believing he was just like Persephone, she soon discovered he was nothing like her. I liked how Damian could see the real Violet underneath the shyness and stuttering and felt he could be himself when he was with her. It wasn't long before sparks of attraction flared between them, even though nothing could come of them. Damian needs Persephone's dowry, and Violet knows she has nothing to offer him. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is for Damian to accept what he needs to do.

I loved seeing Violet gain confidence through lessons and Damian's attention. The masquerade ball was terrific, and I enjoyed seeing how Violet did when no one knew who she was. That confidence came in handy later when Persephone pulled another of her cruel tricks, not knowing it would showcase one of Violet's strengths. I waited for Damian to see the light and realize that sacrificing himself wouldn't make things better for his family, and I almost gave up hope because of Persephone's antics. Fortunately, he came through in the end and realized their love was more important than the money.

The book does not end with their marriage but continues for a little while after, as Damian tries to repair the family finances. There were problems with an investment he made thanks to skullduggery from an unscrupulous man, but with some help, that problem was overcome. I also liked how Violet discovered something fishy about the family's financial troubles. By the end of the book, things look much brighter for the happy couple. My only disappointment was that Persephone and her father didn't pay for their actions. show less

If I hadn't read Willingham's MacEgan series before this, I would've avoided her like the plague. This book was so disappointing and completely unlike her usual fare. Willingham has a special place in my heart for writing stories about flawed and complex heroes and heroines. The heroines aren't your typical innocent virgins, and the heroes aren't your typical jaded warriors. In this book, they were more flawed than complex.

First of all, this book definitely crosses the line into adultery, show more no matter what Willingham states in her author's note. Historically, marriage was rarely for love. It was an alliance between families for resources, so it was common that the couple involved didn't actually care for each other. Infidelity was common, especially among husbands. Sometimes it makes sense in a historical novel, but I was disappointed in this romance. After all, these aren't completely historical. There's a fantasy element to them too in that the hero and heroine's love for each other is pure, and nothing taints that more than adultery.

Second, the characters weren't that great. Caragh is the stupidest woman I have ever read about, and I was astounded she wasn't dead by the end. She's a Disney Princess in a Game of Thrones world. Yeah, doesn't work. Obviously, stupidity runs in the family because her brothers were worthless pieces of trash. Her older brothers are the least effective "over protective" brothers ever. Every time they look away, she's in trouble, but by golly they will protect her to the very end. Good luck with that. She'd be dead a thousand times if it weren't for the hero because her older brothers are useless.

Even worse was her younger brother. The whole conflict of the book starts because of his stupidity. He attacks the Vikings that approach their settlement (when they'd intended peace), threatens the hero's wife, and gets all of Styr's men enslaved. Yet, Caragh begs Styr to save him time and time again. Stop. Not only did he endanger his sister, he endangered the entire tribe as well as the Vikings. This man deserved to be sold into slavery. He deserved to die. As the brother of the chief, he should've been punished severely for his reckless actions, but because he just came of age, we're supposed to believe this was the result of youthful folly. Nope. What he did was unforgivable. If Caragh won't forgive her former lover, she shouldn't forgive her brother either. Sorry not sorry.

I'm reading the sequel because I'm curious about Elena-Styr's wife's take on things. If he falls for a dunderhead like Caragh, Elena must have too much sense for him, and I like a woman with sense. In general, I would spare yourself this du0logy, unless you're diehard Willingham fan. Then, we can commiserate over this book together. show less

Good book about two emotionally scarred people brought together by chance and destined for love. Joan is a young woman who believes she is cursed. Betrothed three times, each man died before the marriage could take place. The latest betrothal, near her brother's lands in Ireland, leads her brothers to ask MacEgan's King Patrick's advice.

Ronan is on the run to save his life and his kingdom. His stepmother and stepbrother betrayed his father and stole the crown. He has no idea if his father show more lives, but Ronan knows he needs help to reclaim his lands. His best option is to appeal to King Patrick. The king promises some men to help and advises Ronan to marry a woman whose family has the resources to help him. A woman such as the one whose brothers sit at the other end of the table.

Neither Joan nor Ronan wants to be married. Ronan won't marry with no home for a bride. He also feels that he has no right to marry and be happy. He feels responsible for his brother and his nephew's deaths, and the guilt he feels overwhelms him to the point of refusing to have children of his own. Joan doesn't want another man's death on her conscience. Her belief in the curse is unshakable, and nothing anyone says will change her mind.

I liked the development of the relationship between Joan and Ronan. Each feels caught in a no-win situation. Joan is certain that Ronan will die if she marries him, but without it, he won't have the men he needs and will likely die anyway. Ronan needs those men, but he won't give Joan the child she wants so much. Joan believes the only solution is to break the curse. Instructions from the local wise woman entail Joan giving herself to Ronan in one passion-filled night. But it doesn't go quite as Joan planned, and she soon finds herself married to Ronan after all. The attraction that burns between them may not be enough to overcome the obstacles between them.

Meanwhile, plans go on for Ronan's attempt to regain his lands. The intensity ramps up as Ronan discovers the depths his stepbrother went to in order to secure the cooperation of Ronan's people. Ronan is determined to succeed and will take any chance he can to tilt the odds in his favor. Several twists and turns lead up to the final confrontation, but the biggest one involved Joan herself. I loved her decision about the curse and what she did with it. There were still some loose ends to tie up afterward and some healing to do, but the outlook is bright for the kingdom.

All that was left was for Ronan and Joan to work past their fears. Fortunately, both had some eye-opening moments during that last battle and were finally able to open up about their feelings. There is one last fight to endure, and it's one that Ronan can't do. I felt his fear as Joan struggled to survive and hoped for a happy outcome.

One of the things I love about the author's books is the attention to the minute details of daily life in medieval times. Those descriptions give an added depth and reality to the story that is hard to match. I also enjoyed revisiting the MacEgan Brothers from her series of the same name. Those were my introduction to her writing, and I've been a fan ever since. show less

Very good book with several unusual issues for a historical romance - biggest is that not all arranged marriages work out and the way it has affected four people. Also a large part is the effect that child abuse has on the adult's life, infertility, and a child with special needs. I loved the depth of emotion as both Elena and Ragnar have to deal with the twists and turns of their lives. This is the sequel to To Sin With a Viking, in which Elena's husband Styr was captured by an Irish woman show more and fell in love with her even though he was not free to do so. Now we get the story of Elena and Ragnar, Styr's best friend and the man who has always loved her. The first part of the book runs parallel to Sin, as we find out what happened to Ragnar and Elena when they were taken. Ragnar had promised Styr he would protect Elena, which he would have anyway. When he found a way for them to escape, he took it, getting injured in the process. With the two of them alone together the strain on Ragnar's honor is greater than it's ever been before.

I really liked Ragnar. He has been in love with Elena since they were young, but always knew that he wasn't good enough for her. His father was a drunk and abusive and Elena's father is the leader of their band. He is also Styr's best friend and Styr is the one who marries her. Over the years of their marriage, Ragnar has always behaved honorably. He has also continued his friendship with Elena, hurting for her because of her unhappiness in her marriage. When he is the one to save her after they are captured it puts a terrible strain him. After they are rescued by Styr, he has to watch as they attempt to save their marriage, even though Styr is in love with another woman. He is relieved for her sake when Elena and Styr split, but he still feels that he is not good enough for her. Because of his size, his background and his training he feels that fighting is all he is good for and that he would be dangerous for her to be around. Even when Elena shows him that she wants him, he thinks its only a reaction to the end of her marriage. I loved his fierce protectiveness, but I also liked the way that he was always a good friend to her. He was always happy to listen to anything she wanted to tell him and liked her just as she was. I loved his support of her when she adopted the young boy (likely autistic). It took a great deal of effort for Elena to finally break down his walls, but when she does it opens a whole new world for him.

Elena had been friends with Ragnar most of her life. She was aware of what his home life was like and often tried to help. She also found it very easy to talk to him and share her hopes and dreams. She knew she was supposed to marry Styr and that was okay with her, she loved him. Once they were married things weren't all that great. She never got any of those feelings that other women talked about and felt that it was something lacking in her. As the months and years went on, things got more strained between them. She was sure a baby would help, but that didn't happen either until it got to the point that she didn't even want to try any more. She felt her marriage falling apart and she didn't know what to do. She even tried changing her whole personality to try to be what she thought Styr would want. When she and Ragnar were captured while in Ireland, she feared that Styr was dead but held out hope that he would escape his captors and find them. I loved her strength when she and Ragnar escaped and she had to take care of him after he was wounded. She had a great deal of ingenuity that she used to build their shelter and heal him. She was also quick witted enough to find a way to save them from some raiders - loved the whole curse idea! While she was worrying about her husband, she also noticed that she was feeling things around Ragnar that she had never felt before. This disturbed her quite a bit. When they were found by Styr she was happy because she thought she was finally pregnant, but then found out that he had fallen in love with someone else. She was hurt but still tried to make their marriage work, even though she could tell he didn't care anymore. When she realized there was no baby, she cared enough about him to set him free, but that left her with no one. She wanted to continue her friendship with Ragnar but quickly discovered that even that was changing. Over the next few weeks she came to realize that she had never felt for Styr was she was now feeling for Ragnar, but she didn't know how to show him that. I really liked the way that she had always seen the good in him and didn't treat him the way that others had. I also loved her compassionate nature. Because she had wanted a child for so long, she noticed the orphaned children in the streets. Her rescue of the little boy who was probably autistic was just what she needed at that time. It also brought her and Ragnar a little closer together and did some great things for her own self confidence. I loved where that confidence took her when she finally decided to go after Ragnar. Her method of getting him to listen was fantastic! show less