Desire

I have read previous books from Quick and enjoyed them, but this one I did not. It's a little bit awful. The heroine is so spoiled and childish it's ridiculous. She hardly does one smart thing the entire book. It must be an alternate universe as well, because all her citizens who depend on her for their very lives, just find her reckless, irrational behavior amusing, AND she expects to keep ultimate power even after she's married, to the point she expects him to ask her permission for every little thing. That would be a hard sell in *modern* times, much less medieval ones! At every turn she makes these very public power grabs, or throws a tantrum. Ugh. The hero has the tolerance of a saint apparently.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book written over twenty years ago. Desire, first published in 1993, brought me back to my teenage years when all the romance books I read were chalked full of passive voice, purple prose and clever euphemisms for sexual body parts.
Set in Medieval England, Lady Clare needs a husband to help protect her home, the Isle of Desire, and the prosperous perfume business she and the townsfolk run. The man her feudal lord sends her is not the type of man she requested but, alas… What is a noble lady to do? She needs the Hellhound of Wyrcmere’s skill as a successful and dangerous knight to protect her people and the Hellhound, whose given name is Gareth, needs a home and land to call his own.
They strike show more a bargain that results in marriage, but is love in their future?
The beginning of this was amazing. Fun, fast-paced, beautiful scenery and the reader really gets a feel for both the hero and heroine. We read in alternating POVs, learning more and more about the main characters and the people in their lives, and I found myself doubling over with uncontrollable laughter during the ‘wedding night’ scene.
The middle of the book dragged, however, and became repetitive. For example, we learn something important in the heroine’s POV and then, in the very next scene, we learn the exact same thing from the hero’s POV. The repeating of information wasn’t needed in the least and sometimes I’d already guessed what was going on before the main characters did, so I wasn’t surprised when I read it. Still, the story kept me interested and I kept turning the page.
The ending seemed drawn out and unnecessarily long. I mean, the bad guy is defeated long before the book ends and nothing else of importance happens except for Clare meeting Gareth’s parents which could’ve been done off-page.
I’ve debated on rating this book 3 Stars or 4 but I really did enjoy it despite a few boring scenes and repetition of information. It’s full of emotion, love and intrigue, detailed descriptions of the environment, a feisty heroine and moody hero, and fully-developed secondary characters who added extra flavor to the book.
All in all, it’s a great book and I definitely recommend it.
4 Stars

Disclaimer – I am a reader. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion. show less

This was a really good medieval romance. I wonder why there are not that many of these out there anymore? When I was growing up I always saw a romance cover with a heroine (bosoms heaving) being clutched by a man with a sword with a castle in the background.
Ah well.

"Desire" has Lady Clare of the Isle of Desire being forced to wed after her father's death. Her guardian suggest that she marry Sir Gareth of Wyckmere or her closet neighbor, Sir Nicholas of Seaborn. Due to Lady Clare being abducted by Sir Nicholas a few months back and not caring for him, she feels like she's trapped between no good choices. But without realizing it, Lady Clare starts to develop feelings for Gareth and his knights that chose to ride alongside him.

I have to show more say that I was more in love with the hero in this one. Gareth has an interesting backstory (no spoilers) but we know that he is a bastard that was raised in his father's household. All he wants is a place to call his own and a wife and he starts to see Clare and the rest of the people there as his to protect.

Clare is kind of stupid. Yeah I said it. She has a hair trigger temper at times and sometimes does really dumb stuff that if this was a different kind of book would probably have caused Gareth to beat and or rape her (thank God that didn't happen).

The two of them make a lot of sense and I can see why they were so strong together. The love scenes were pretty hot too though.

With all of this going on we have a murder mystery to solve that could lead to Clare and Gareth's death as well.

The writing is clever and I have to say that I laughed at the horrible songs that Clare's minstrel was playing. The rhyming was just bad.

I thought the ending was abrupt though. We just go to Clare throwing down another gauntlet that Gareth doesn't call her out on (and honestly I would have) and then the book ends. Still give it five stars though. show less

This book is so much fun! It starts out very similarly to Quick's novel Mystique. Both feature scholarly and independent heroines who would rather enter a convent than get married. A large, dangerous knight who also has a penchant for reading convinces her to be his wife. A knowledgeable prioress coaches the lovers together. There are murder mysteries at the core of each novel as the villain-whom you never suspect-searches for a priceless treasure that threatens the safety of a castle. Despite all these similarities, Desire is fun to read in its own right.

The heroine, Lady Clare, is very invested in her perfume business and her studies. However, unlike Lady Alice from Mystique, she is so scholarly that she has terrible social skills. show more Oh, the people of the Isle of Desire love her, but her dialogue can be so stilted and her opinions so obtuse that she is far more frustrating to read about than Lady Alice who needed saving every other chapter. Overall, the characters felt more cookie cutter than Quick's other novel, but it's a formula I like, so I'm not too upset with it.

Things really got going when the murder mystery cropped up. I was genuinely stumped right up until the end, which was so suspenseful that I was on the edge of my seat despite knowing that everything would turn out fine in the end. I'm finding that this is my favorite sub-genre of romance novels!

If you like nerdy heroines and big, masculine heroes with precocious children and murder mysteries, this is the book for you. Even if you don't, it's still a fun and entertaining read. show less

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖
Narration:🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨.5

First Impressions
Desire by Amanda Quick is a stand alone romance and I have a show more goal to get through her older historical romances and I absolutely adored everything about this one. It was authentic, funny and just entertaining from beginning to end. I have to say I can easily recommend the audio for this one, and I found it so refreshing to be reading a medieval as I have only read her regency ones. And it was utterly magnificent. It was just what I needed for this readathon that I am participating in and filled in so many of the prompts but also was just a delightful experience to read.

First Line
It is extremely unlikely that the lady of Desire is still a virgin.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Sir Gareth of Wyckmere
The Heroine: Lady Clare

Summary
Lady Clare knows that she will need to marry and that she won't have a choice in the matter even though she has been running the castle and isle of Desire very efficiently. But seeing as she will need to wed to secure her place and keep it running smoothly, she sends requirements she would have for a husband. What she doesn't expect is the man that is sent to her is the very opposite of what she requires. He isn't soft spoken, or slim limbs or smaller in stature and is a warrior knight. And he isn't afraid to tell her how things will be either. At first she is exasperated that this is the man to be her husband, but before long she begins to respect him and see that he isn't what he appeared to be. But both Gareth and Clare are determined not to fall in love with each other, but before long they take the love arrow but Clare wonders if the love she has for him will be enough for Gareth who has never had a home of his own....

What I Loved
Desire was captivating in every way. And while it wasn't a perfect story in how the relationship was built, it was a solidly portrayed story that had me laughing all over the place and just truly was so entertaining. I do think the narration had something to do with that. If you are curious where to find it, I found it on Anyplay's catalog. I really was enthralled with this story. The idea of a woman running an isle that creates perfumes and fancy soaps from a fragrance of florals that are on the island. The hero being a warrior and a bastard, so doesn't have a home of his own. And is the son of the man that Clare reached out to for a husband to be sent to her. It has the trope of an arranged marriage and it was delightfully expressed in the story. This is one of my favorite tropes for a reason and this book really showcased on why that was. The romance was endearing, the intimacy scenes while not many were very sensual and almost romantic in way respects. I loved the softer feel to a love scene and sometimes which they were done more often like this. The setting and atmosphere was so vivid in its description that it almost came alive from the story. Desire is probably my favorite Amanda Quick so far.

What I Struggled With
Nothing much to be honest. There was some over dramatics lol so it didn't quite make it to a five star rating, but it came close to one. Just some drama that seemed a bit excessive at some points in the story.

Narration
STUNNING!!! One of her best works in my opinion. She really capitalized on the personalities of the characters and the atmosphere was just right.

Overall View
Desire is a vividly enthralling medieval romance that brings forth lots of humor, characters that you can resonate with on a deep level, and the story so perfectly pictured it comes alive amongst your senses. Truly a stunning novel that will be burned in my memory for a long while.

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Historical Romance, Time-England-Plantagenet Era
Character Types: Knights and Ladies, Warriors
Themes: Nautical/Isles, Angsty, Medieval, World Building A Focus
Tropes: Arranged Marriage, Enemies to Lovers

Book Perspective
3rd POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
Relationship Conflict with a slight plot conflict

If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Julie Garwood
Kathryn Le Veque
Lynn Kurland

Steam/Spice Explanations

Simmering cup of tea---soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.

Narrators:
Anne Flosnik show less

This was a really good medieval romance. I wonder why there are not that many of these out there anymore? When I was growing up I always saw a romance cover with a heroine (bosoms heaving) being clutched by a man with a sword with a castle in the background.
Ah well.

"Desire" has Lady Clare of the Isle of Desire being forced to wed after her father's death. Her guardian suggest that she marry Sir Gareth of Wyckmere or her closet neighbor, Sir Nicholas of Seaborn. Due to Lady Clare being abducted by Sir Nicholas a few months back and not caring for him, she feels like she's trapped between no good choices. But without realizing it, Lady Clare starts to develop feelings for Gareth and his knights that chose to ride alongside him.

I have to show more say that I was more in love with the hero in this one. Gareth has an interesting backstory (no spoilers) but we know that he is a bastard that was raised in his father's household. All he wants is a place to call his own and a wife and he starts to see Clare and the rest of the people there as his to protect.

Clare is kind of stupid. Yeah I said it. She has a hair trigger temper at times and sometimes does really dumb stuff that if this was a different kind of book would probably have caused Gareth to beat and or rape her (thank God that didn't happen).

The two of them make a lot of sense and I can see why they were so strong together. The love scenes were pretty hot too though.

With all of this going on we have a murder mystery to solve that could lead to Clare and Gareth's death as well.

The writing is clever and I have to say that I laughed at the horrible songs that Clare's minstrel was playing. The rhyming was just bad.

I thought the ending was abrupt though. We just go to Clare throwing down another gauntlet that Gareth doesn't call her out on (and honestly I would have) and then the book ends. Still give it five stars though. show less

Desire
3.5 Stars

One of Quick's rare romances set in medieval times, which comes across as a more politically correct version of Kathleen E. Woodwiss's The Wolf and the Dove.

Although the romance is entertaining and the minor suspense plot has its moments, the characterization and dialogue are too anachronistic to be believable. To begin with, the idea that Lady Clare would be allowed a say in choosing her husband is completely unrealistic as the women of the time were considered nothing more than breeding mares, and the fact that warlords like Gareth and his rival play along is utterly ridiculous.

That said, Quick's storytelling is excellent as always and one cannot help turning the pages despite the problematic elements. Gareth and Clare show more are charming characters and their romance is sexy and lighthearted.

The murder mystery is smoothly interwoven within the storyline although the villain is rather obvious.

All in all, a fun read but Quick's characters are much more suited to Regency and Victorian periods. show less