Orphaned and besieged, Princess Alesandra knew that only hasty marriage
to an Englishman could protect her from the turmoil in her own land. To
the amusement of her makeshift guardian, Colin, younger brother of the
Marquess of Cainewood, the bold raven-haired beauty instantly captivated
London society. But when Alesandra was nearly abducted by her
unscrupulous countrymen, the fighting instincts that won Colin a
knighthood for valor were kindled.
Deceiving himself that he
wanted only to protect her, Colin swept her into a union meant to be a
marriage in name alone...yet Alesandra's tender first kiss and hesitant
caress ignited a wildfire in his soul. As the lovely princess dashed
headlong into unforseen dangers, Colin would follow, knowing he must
claim her as his own forever. Now he would risk life itself before he
would lose this sweet, tempestuous angel...
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Princess Alesandra has been living in a convent when she becomes the target of an evil general, hell bent on marrying her so he can become king. In order to protect her, Alesandra is shipped off to England where she finds herself living with confirmed bachelor Colin.
Colin has no desire to wed. Alesandra wants to marry for love. But with the two in such close quarters, sparks are soon to fly and their best laid plans might be far behind them. But that doesn't mean it will be easy with so many obstacles to keep them from finding happiness together.
This is the fourth book in a series by Julie Garwood, after The Lion's Lady, Guardian Angel and The Gift. However, reading it without having read the others doesn't detract from the story or the enjoyment gained from the book.
The characters of both Alesandra and Colin were spectacularly depicted and you couldn't help but fall in love with them both and really root for them to get together. They both had flaws but the way they interacted together and how chemistry flared between made it truly magical when they finally got together.
Couple the amazing romance with some laugh out loud moments and a murder mystery sub plot and you get a fantastic book that won't leave you disappointed.
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384 pages
When Lady Johanna learned that she was a widow, she vowed she would
never marry again. Only sixteen, she possessed a strength of will that
impressed all who looked past her golden-haired beauty. Yet when King
John demanded that she remarry, and selected a bridegroom for her, it
seemed she must give in, until her beloved foster brother suggested she
wed his friend, the handsome Scottish warrior Gabriel MacBain.
At first
Johanna was shy, but as Gabriel tenderly revealed the splendid pleasure
they would share, she came to suspect that she was falling in love with
her gruff new husband. And it was soon apparent to the entire Highlands
clan that their brusque, gallant laird had surrendered his heart
completely. But now a desperate royal intrigue threatened to tear her
from his side, and to destroy the man whose love meant more to her than
she had ever dreamed!
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This book is definitely one of Julie Garwood's best. Set in Medieval England and Scotland this book tells the story of Johanna and Gabriel and the problems that they overcome on the path to living happily ever after. As well as the love story there are also enough sub-plots and twists to make this a really enjoyable and enthralling book.
Johanna is a wonderful leading lady and despite starting off timid she blossoms into a feisty and passionate heroine that you can't help but admire. The hero of Gabriel is also a fabulous character - strong, handsome, and a man every woman would want to fall in love with. The secondary characters in this book were believable, realistic and played a genuine part in the story rather than just being there to make the main characters look good as can be found in so many other novels.
The interaction all the characters shared made the book very enjoyable and a truly interesting and touching story.
If you haven't read Julie Garwood before I would recommend this book to you. Yes it is a historical romance but it has depth and a great plot to go along with the romance and I am sure that you won't be disappointed by this book or any others by Ms Garwood.
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432 pages
