I appreciated that there were dark elements in this story and that it was heavily character driven. Even the villain had his small moment of vulnerability. I thought the ending conclusion was wrapped too quickly and I would have loved an epilogue.

I'm not sure that I buy it when the heroine just "knows" the hero would not hurt her. I do appreciate her conflict about wanting the hero but fearing the unknown after her years of living in a covenant. ( )

I've been on a Anne Stuart kick, reading a lot of her backlog and enjoying the books. However, this one is a miss for me. It's a medieval setting, unlike the Georgian/Regency books I'd previously read of hers. It's also a dual romance, like many of her books where she tells the story of two different couples.
The story was predictable, and some of the medieval details felt off where I usually find Ms. Stuart does a nice job with historical settings. None of the characters were especially notable. I also felt the ending was lacking; I don't know why but I wanted something more for Alys and Simon. Not my favorite of her books. ( )

3.5 stars, I deliberated whether to round up or down, but I think down is a bit more accurate for me. This stands out as a little unusual though for the genre, which I enjoyed. The side couple storyline was fine, but the main couple was much more interesting to me. The book wasn't great (to me) but I am quite pleased to have read it. This was my first from this author and I will read another. ( )

I really like Anne Stuart's Ice Series. I thought I would like this more than I did because she writes great anti-heroes. This book turned out to be too much of a romance for my taste. (I should have known that before I started...it is classified as a romance!) Simon was a good character, but the others didn't evoke much emotion from me, one way or the other. If you like Lords, Ladies and damsels in distress, this would be a great novel to choose. It just wasn't what I was looking for. ( )

I'm actually giving it 3.5 stars. I wish Goodreads had halvsies.

Anyway, this is my first Anne Stuart book, and I'm impressed. (Aside: The last few books I've read that have impressed me have been from the mid-90s. There's a pattern there, I suspect.)

I was well on my way to giving it 4 stars when, at the very end, there popped up a complete contradiction to something significant that was stated in the beginning, and upon which the resolution depended.

It wasn't really enough to dim my enjoyment of the story overall, but it stuck out like a sore thumb because I wasn't invested enough to fly right by the problem.

Still, I liked it and I'll be reading more of this author. ( )