Her Only Hope For The Season

With their father gone this Christmastide, Bronwyn de Breton and her two younger sisters are utterly vulnerable at unprotected Hunswick Castle. And their troubles are compounded when a fearsome knight arrives on the king's orders to take Hunswick as his own--and the youngest de Breton daughter as his wife.  

Is A Man She's Never Met

Bronwyn would never let her little sister be forced to marry a man as rough and wild as the new lord is whispered to be. Yet someone must form an alliance with him, or all of Hunswick will be at risk. So she steps forward, pretending to be her own sister.

And A Love She Never Expected

But the new lord is not so easily fooled. He knows Bronwyn is not the woman he has promised to marry. And yet, no matter how duty-bound he may be, there is no resisting the golden-haired beauty who so fearlessly gives herself to him. . . and awakens a passion unlike any he's ever known... 

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I have never read Michele Sinclair before but I can't resist a Christmas tale and this one seemed right up my street with a scarred man made whole by the love of a good woman. I'm glad to say that I wasn't disappointed.

Ranulf was, for me, the perfect kind of hero - brooding and angry but underneath so vulnerable; I just wanted to hug him! Bronwyn was also an exceptional character and was a spirited and likeable female that still felt right for the medieval time period. They worked fantastically together and I liked their chemistry and how together they were stronger - once they got over their insecurities, that is.

The book mainly covered the relationship between Bronwyn and Ranulf although there was a little bit of intrigue and danger. Some might find this makes the book a little slow but I was gripped from start to finish. There were also lovely little snippets about Christmas and festivities in the medieval period which were a nice touch and really fascinating. There were a few too many modern Americanisms for my liking but I'll admit that this is a personal peeve of mine in any historical book.

I see that there are books planned for Bronwyn's sisters and I very much look forward to reading them and hope that I enjoy them as much as I did this one. Overall, this was an entertaining book that I couldn't wait to continue reading and one that I would very much recommend. A high 4 stars from me.

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481 pages

Click to see other books by Michele Sinclair

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

Click to see other books by Julie Garwood