The Key

Very good book and lots of fun. Iliana knew she had to marry Duncan in order to keep herself and her mother safe. But she was dismayed and disgusted by the condition of the keep and the people. The keep was filthy, the people dirty and dressed in rags and her new husband was the worst of the lot. The first thing she did was to put on the chastity belt she had brought along as a curiosity to protect herself until she could convince her husband to bathe. Then she rolled up her sleeves and got to work cleaning the keep. It was hard at first getting the people to cooperate with her, but she won over the women pretty quickly by be willing to participate in the work herself. Duncan was not very happy about being married without the benefits show more of it. But he refused to change his ways just for her when it had worked for him for most of his life. He also didn't like the way that everything around him seemed to be changing. I loved the confrontations between the two as both are strong willed and determined that the other be the one to give in. There are also some wonderful scenes involving other people in the keep. I loved the part where Iliana was passing out new plaids and the women lined up to get them and also for a chance to bathe, but the men were still being stubborn and following Duncan's lead. I also loved Iliana's creativity when they were under attack and how she helped defend them all. There was some very good character growth in both Iliana and Duncan as they learned that to have a good marriage involves both love and compromise. I really enjoyed Duncan's father and how he was always ragging on Duncan about his "randy ways" when Duncan wasn't getting any at all. I also enjoyed seeing him and Iliana's mother together and the way they tried to help Duncan and Iliana. I also loved the insights into Duncan's character that came out in various places in the book that helped Iliana see that he wasn't quite the barbarian the she thought he was. The ending was fantastic. show less

Iliana Wildwood agrees to a marriage to a Scottish laird to make it possible to rescue her mother from a brutal forced marriage. When she arrives at the castle she finds it, its people and its lairds a filthy, smelly lot. On her wedding night she puts on a chastity belt her father got from a visit to Italy and refuses to remove it until her new husband has bathed. This part of the plot is very humorous. The whole theme on getting the castle back up to par is great. The other plot concerning the evil stepfather is traditional historical romance fare and well done.

Lynsay Sands Has the Key to Historical Romance

The Key by Lynsay Sands is a wealth of humor, romance, and danger. The tale engulfs readers in a world that is beautiful, but wild. Life is a matter of traditional form and death is mourned, but moreover seen as an annoying part of life that cannot be avoided.

Sands breathed the breath of life into each character and the spark not only took, but expanded, creating characters that leap from the page. Each is a full-out personality with pride, strength, care, and insecurities. The main couple is Iliana Wildwood and Duncan Dunbar. Both are strong-willed, complex, and set in the ways of their raising. Though the story revolves around Iliana and Duncan, Sands has created numerous other characters show more to backup and enhance the story. Each is just as lively and complex as Duncan and Iliana.

The work is extremely well planned and written. Some of the interchanges will have readers laughing aloud, while others, just the opposite. The language is straightforward and easy to follow. The plot has a few twists and turns, but nothing extreme. Readers will be thoroughly enthralled, be more invested in the characters, and plot with each turn of the page. One thing is for sure, all will have a good time. show less

Not a bad medieval romance about a clever Englishwoman who wears a chastity belt until she gets her unkempt Scottish husband to take a bath! Better than it sounds with funny moments.

http://ktleyed.blogspot.com/2010/02/key-by-lynsay-sands.html

From the very start of this book one cannot but feel the dread and hilarity that this arranged marriage brings. From denying her husband his rights to flipping his world upside down and inside out...He not only accepts what she gives and takes but returns it in his own manner ten fold. One of my favorite reads and I cannot wait to move onto the next book in the series!

Really enjoying Sands' historicals. Cute premise with fun characters. I like that both the h/h had growing to do and worked on it together. I am seeing a trend w/ the suspense plot, but I'll reserve judgment for now.

a good story exept for the part about the dirt. in somme passages I couldn't see past the dirt to get in touch with the romance