I’m going to be recycling some book reviews I did at both of my former blogs, starting with the reviews from Lyndi’s Love Notes, as that blog will soon disappear forever when my web hosting runs out. This review is from August of 2009.
Stealing Heaven
by Madeline Hunter
I hadn’t read a Medieval romance in a long time, and this is a good one. It’s set in 1340 during the reign of Edward I. Marcus of Anglesmore, a knight who supports the king, is ordered to wed a Welsh maiden in hopes of staving off further rebellions. When he goes to visit his betrothed in a moonlit garden, he finds a sensual creature who responds to his advances. The next day he learns that the woman he thought he was to wed is the older sister, Nesta, a widow known as “the King’s whore”.
What actually happened between Nesta and the king isn’t revealed until very late in the story, but the encounter prompted her father to rebel. Nesta and her sister Genith are involved in plots to revive the rebellion, but not if Marcus can prevent it. When Genith runs away with a Welsh bard, he decides that one sister will do as well as the other. In truth, he had no real interest in Genith; Nesta is the one he has wanted from the beginning.
The attraction between Marcus and Nesta is palpable and the love scenes are sensual and emotional. This is an excellent, old-fashioned historical romance with a meaty plot, good conflict and great sexual tension between the hero and heroine. I kept reading late at night wondering how Hunter was going to resolve her very complicated plot and romantic conflict. This is the first Madeline Hunter romance I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. It won a Rita award in 2003 for Best Long Historical Romance, and I recommend it to any fan of Medieval romance.
The author’s website has a great history page: http://www.madelinehunter.com/.
What’s your favorite historical period? Or your favorite subgenre of romance. Everyone who leaves a comment this month will be entered in my monthly drawing for a $15 Starbucks e-gift card. Follow the blog and let me know in your comment for a second chance to win.
Linda