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A legendary warrior. A mission to tame the rebellion of the Welsh Borderlands. A wild Welsh beauty. Teleri of the Woods was shunned by superstitious villagers, so for years she has lived her solitary life in a hidden cottage deep in the forest. But when she discovers a man in the wood, hanged and left for dead, she must try to save him with her tender healing skills. She does not know he is a knight charged by the King of England to establish a stronghold and build a castle. Sir Roger FitzAlan awakes without the ability to speak and to discover that none of his fabled diplomacy and skills of war will help him with his most immediate problem--a wild woman who has tied him to stakes in a small woodland cottage and is forcing vile brew down his throat. Teleri is his match in wit and will, but she opens his eyes to the wonder of a simple world he has never known. As Roger slowly heal, he fomulates his plan for catching his would-be-murderer, and he realizes something else: his real challenge won't be taming the borderlands but winning over his wild Welsh healer. He understands that he cannot live in her world and she may not survive in his. He teach her to trust him, even though he is the one person who threatens all she holds dear.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 9, 1998
949 people are currently reading
1131 people want to read
About the author
Jill Barnett
47 books545 followersNew York Times Bestselling Author Jill Barnett is master storyteller known for her beautifully-written love stories rich with humor, emotion, and poignancy. She is the winner of Lifetime Achievement Awards for Love and Laughter and Historical Romance and is a six-time Romance Writers of America RITA nominee and winner of both a Persie Award for Literature and a Waldenbooks Award. Her books have been named Best of the Year by Dallas Morning News, Detroit Free Press, and Kirkus Review and she was the first historical romance author to ever receive a starred review from Publishers Weekly. She stands alongside Judith McNaught as one of only two authors to ever receive a six-star review from Affaire de Coeur Magazine and her work has been published in 23 languages and appeared on numerous bestseller lists. She lives in the PNW with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
March 25, 2015
Young Teleri finds a wounded knight in the forest and nurses him back to health
I really enjoyed reading this, simply wonderful
The story
Upon arriving to the place where his new castle should be, Roger finds a young woman in the middle of the stone field, trying to heal a bird, and to his shock, succeeding. There wouldn't be anything weird about it if she wasn't chanting and praying to the heavens for help
. And even THAT wouldn't mean anything much, if she didn't have a horse that was stolen from his friend Merrick a few years ago. He begins the chase after her, and finds himself lost in the forest. A day or two after that, Teleri stumbles upon a dead man, well, not completely dead, but very close to it. She recognises the man who hunted her. Still, she can't leave him there, and decides to help him as best she can.
This part of the story was very interesting
just loved it! Roger is angry like hell when he wakes up, and Teleri is afraid of him. Still, she nurses him slowly to health, and they get to know each other, and them falling in love was just beautiful
Teleri
A descendant of the old Druids, Teleri is now considered as a witch, and the people from her village had banished her long ago. She now lives in a forest, surrounded by animals and trees, her life is almost completely wild. The only human contact she has is people throwing stones at her, and occasional visits from her grandmother, another "witch". She's unable to harm a single living thing, she lives in peace with the forest, and understands the animals (no, she's not Tarzan
) She's a healer, and that's why she wasn't able to leave Roger to die. She nursed him back to health even if that meant he could hurt her when he recovers.
I just felt so sorry for her. It was pretty sad watching her life in the woods, even though she was happy (sort of) living that way. And her connection with her animals was just so funny, but that one scene when she said goodbye to the horse, omg, I actually cried, yes, real tears leaking from my eyes
This is how I picture her lool, it's perfect XDXD
Roger
Roger was recently dumped by Elizabeth, a woman he loves since they were teenagers. A married woman whose husband just returned from war. Afraid of those two killing each other, the king sends Roger as far away as he can, into Welsh territory. But someone still wants him dead, and tries to hang him in the woods where he was chasing Teleri. She finds him, and he gets better, even though he can't talk because of what the rope did to his throat. He really can't stand her at the beginning, thinking she's nothing but a thief, but soon realises she's pure goodness
. She nurses wounded animals, is a bit of a nature child, always says exactly what's on her mind :) I loved the way he slowly began to realise how great she is, and what kind of life she'd had so far.
When he went hunting to find supper, she went into hysterics because she wouldn't hurt an animal, ever. Poor guy, only was trying to help
So, this was such an enjoyable read! Just loved the story, them living together in a little cabin, him sick, healing, and slowly falling in love with her
It would have been 5 stars if it wasn't for the last 15% or so of the book. Again, like in the first one from this series, the story was going in one direction from the beginning, and it was all good and great, then it all gets resolved at 20% from the ending, and starts a new story that's just there to get some tension or something that I just don't like
It was still great, but could have been better with the conclusion of it all.
The best scene, OMG I laughed like crazy
Teleri was attacked by some idiots from the village, and Roger and his friend Merrick are taking care of her, as in making something to eat XDXD But considering she's a vegetarian, they can't just hunt an animal and roast it XDXD It was just hilarious XD
I really enjoyed reading this, simply wonderful
The story
Upon arriving to the place where his new castle should be, Roger finds a young woman in the middle of the stone field, trying to heal a bird, and to his shock, succeeding. There wouldn't be anything weird about it if she wasn't chanting and praying to the heavens for help
. And even THAT wouldn't mean anything much, if she didn't have a horse that was stolen from his friend Merrick a few years ago. He begins the chase after her, and finds himself lost in the forest. A day or two after that, Teleri stumbles upon a dead man, well, not completely dead, but very close to it. She recognises the man who hunted her. Still, she can't leave him there, and decides to help him as best she can. This part of the story was very interesting
just loved it! Roger is angry like hell when he wakes up, and Teleri is afraid of him. Still, she nurses him slowly to health, and they get to know each other, and them falling in love was just beautiful
Teleri
A descendant of the old Druids, Teleri is now considered as a witch, and the people from her village had banished her long ago. She now lives in a forest, surrounded by animals and trees, her life is almost completely wild. The only human contact she has is people throwing stones at her, and occasional visits from her grandmother, another "witch". She's unable to harm a single living thing, she lives in peace with the forest, and understands the animals (no, she's not Tarzan
) She's a healer, and that's why she wasn't able to leave Roger to die. She nursed him back to health even if that meant he could hurt her when he recovers. I just felt so sorry for her. It was pretty sad watching her life in the woods, even though she was happy (sort of) living that way. And her connection with her animals was just so funny, but that one scene when she said goodbye to the horse, omg, I actually cried, yes, real tears leaking from my eyes
This is how I picture her lool, it's perfect XDXD
Roger
Roger was recently dumped by Elizabeth, a woman he loves since they were teenagers. A married woman whose husband just returned from war. Afraid of those two killing each other, the king sends Roger as far away as he can, into Welsh territory. But someone still wants him dead, and tries to hang him in the woods where he was chasing Teleri. She finds him, and he gets better, even though he can't talk because of what the rope did to his throat. He really can't stand her at the beginning, thinking she's nothing but a thief, but soon realises she's pure goodness
. She nurses wounded animals, is a bit of a nature child, always says exactly what's on her mind :) I loved the way he slowly began to realise how great she is, and what kind of life she'd had so far. There were moments, brief snatches of time, when he caught her looking at him or when she smiled, and something more than life came from her. Whatever it was, this strange power he felt, seemed to be linked to him in some powerful but odd way. As if some part of her were also a part of him. A part he had never known existed until the past few days.
When he went hunting to find supper, she went into hysterics because she wouldn't hurt an animal, ever. Poor guy, only was trying to help
So, this was such an enjoyable read! Just loved the story, them living together in a little cabin, him sick, healing, and slowly falling in love with her
It would have been 5 stars if it wasn't for the last 15% or so of the book. Again, like in the first one from this series, the story was going in one direction from the beginning, and it was all good and great, then it all gets resolved at 20% from the ending, and starts a new story that's just there to get some tension or something that I just don't like
It was still great, but could have been better with the conclusion of it all.The best scene, OMG I laughed like crazy
Teleri was attacked by some idiots from the village, and Roger and his friend Merrick are taking care of her, as in making something to eat XDXD But considering she's a vegetarian, they can't just hunt an animal and roast it XDXD It was just hilarious XD 
June 27, 2016
This was....cute. The pacing was a little off and some parts were super cheesy but the cheese factor helped make it entertaining, if for no other reason than it made for some funny recitation (which my husband got to enjoy!).
There's a few good moments that pull at the heart strings, there's some sexy times, but there's also things like the our lead girl It was very instalove-ish (but with less than 300 pages I guess that's to be expected) and it almost seemed like the author forgot about some of the main conflicts until literally the last few pages where BOOM she wraps it all up, kind of out of nowhere.
So, would I ever say "YOU MUST READ THIS!!!!"? No. It's definitely not like Juliet Marillier's stuff (which is kind of what I was hoping). I think it had potential but fell a little flat in execution. However, if you're looking for a corny romance with a touch of whimsy then this is not far off the mark.
There's a few good moments that pull at the heart strings, there's some sexy times, but there's also things like the our lead girl It was very instalove-ish (but with less than 300 pages I guess that's to be expected) and it almost seemed like the author forgot about some of the main conflicts until literally the last few pages where BOOM she wraps it all up, kind of out of nowhere.
So, would I ever say "YOU MUST READ THIS!!!!"? No. It's definitely not like Juliet Marillier's stuff (which is kind of what I was hoping). I think it had potential but fell a little flat in execution. However, if you're looking for a corny romance with a touch of whimsy then this is not far off the mark.
July 7, 2016
WILD is the second story in Ms. Barnett's medieval trilogy. It is Roger's turn at finding love. In case you did not read WONDERFUL, Roger FitzAlan is one of King Edward's closest knights and Lord Merrick's BFF. He played the lighthearted nobleman to Merrick's more serious character in the first book.
Roger has been in love with Elizabeth de Clare since they were young. He wanted to marry her but was not permitted to wed her. She was married to someone else but thought her husband had died; he had been gone for several years. And so they carried on. But not long after the start of the story, the husband was found alive and Elizabeth told Roger their relationship had to end.
Angry and upset, he was on his way to perform a mission for the King when he was caught unaware and hanged. Fortunately for him, his weight and armor caused the branch to break. Left for dead, he is found by the kind angelic Teleri. Though initially afraid, she does her best to try to save him.
Teleri drives this story. Mistaken for a witch, the townspeople have attempted to stone her on several occasions. Because of this, she lives in the nearby woods. Animals are her closest friends and they lighten up the more serious tone of the story.
Roger is furious with his physical shortcomings. He misunderstands Teleri and is annoyed with her. She wants him well, then gone, and doesn't put up with his huffy ways. And it is like setting a match to fire. Neither trusts the other and it comes across in some very funny ways.
I liked Roger but I really empathized with Teleri. WILD was my favorite in the medieval trilogy because of this very likable heroine and her buddies: Pig, Horse and Hawk. Roger became more endearing because of the sweet Teleri. Silly one moment and serious the next, the story had me jumping. And with the exception of a somewhat rushed ending, I enjoyed 'visiting' with this charming twosome.
Roger has been in love with Elizabeth de Clare since they were young. He wanted to marry her but was not permitted to wed her. She was married to someone else but thought her husband had died; he had been gone for several years. And so they carried on. But not long after the start of the story, the husband was found alive and Elizabeth told Roger their relationship had to end.
Angry and upset, he was on his way to perform a mission for the King when he was caught unaware and hanged. Fortunately for him, his weight and armor caused the branch to break. Left for dead, he is found by the kind angelic Teleri. Though initially afraid, she does her best to try to save him.
Teleri drives this story. Mistaken for a witch, the townspeople have attempted to stone her on several occasions. Because of this, she lives in the nearby woods. Animals are her closest friends and they lighten up the more serious tone of the story.
Roger is furious with his physical shortcomings. He misunderstands Teleri and is annoyed with her. She wants him well, then gone, and doesn't put up with his huffy ways. And it is like setting a match to fire. Neither trusts the other and it comes across in some very funny ways.
I liked Roger but I really empathized with Teleri. WILD was my favorite in the medieval trilogy because of this very likable heroine and her buddies: Pig, Horse and Hawk. Roger became more endearing because of the sweet Teleri. Silly one moment and serious the next, the story had me jumping. And with the exception of a somewhat rushed ending, I enjoyed 'visiting' with this charming twosome.
October 12, 2010
I loved this one. Although not based on a fairy tale, WILD has a beautiful, very romantic, fairy-tale feel to it. The heroine, shunned by the town because they fear she's a witch, lives in a tiny isolated shack and spends her time caring for wounded beasts. When she stumbles across an injured man (who turns out to be a knight), she can't help but drag him back to her home to heal him. Her honesty, gentle ways and lifestyle change him forever and make him look at life differently. This story has some very funny moments as these two very different people get to know each other, but it's also one of the most tender and loving romances I've read in a while and I thought it was extremely sensual. Their love is apparent in every word, touch, look and action they share and there are lots of moments to "sigh" over. An all-around fantastic romance.
dnf
July 27, 2023DNF at 35%. I’m 1/3 of the way in and it feels like nothing has really happened.
January 24, 2025
Grouchy H survives a terrible attack, thanks to h's care. When he wakes, he sees her life of poverty, and judges her. She's sweet but he feels sorry for her. As he heals, he understands some of her ways and learns how to be a better man. Nice easy read, good balance of steam and sweetness.
November 7, 2019
I think I liked this one more than the first one in the series :) I adored Teleri and her innocence. Yet she had a backbone for what she believed.
On to the next one....
On to the next one....
July 14, 2023
Outcast from the small village in wales, the heroine has secluded herself deep in the woods where she lives with her rescued animals. One day she's chased by an English knight who thinks she's stolen the horse from a friend of his. She loses him in the forest but returns next day to find him severely injured. Someone has had him hung, but his chain mail has snapped the branch and saved his life. She's absolutely incapable of leaving any animal to suffer, so she drags him back to her cottage.
When the hero finally awakens from his injured, he's found that he's lost his voice and captured by a mad woman. But soon, he's able to see that she wants only to help him and without his voice to argue with her, he's able to listen and understand someone who's completely different from him. Before he came to be in the woods with the witch, he was spoiled, conceited and estranged from his father because of his behavior. He's bitter over the loss of the woman he loved to another man and depressed because she has called off their affair. The heroine has lived by herself for most of her life and is innocent and childlike in a lot of things. She in tune with nature and doesn't know of societies rules or how she should behave. That makes her open with her desire to 'mate' with the hero and allows her to say whatever she wants whenever she wants. But she's lonely. She has had only animals to keep her company and now she finally has a human to play with. And she teaches the hero how to play. It takes him until the heroine is stoned by the villagers to realize just how deeply he loves the woman.
I really liked this story. It was a story of opposites attract and makes you really think about what's important in life.
When the hero finally awakens from his injured, he's found that he's lost his voice and captured by a mad woman. But soon, he's able to see that she wants only to help him and without his voice to argue with her, he's able to listen and understand someone who's completely different from him. Before he came to be in the woods with the witch, he was spoiled, conceited and estranged from his father because of his behavior. He's bitter over the loss of the woman he loved to another man and depressed because she has called off their affair. The heroine has lived by herself for most of her life and is innocent and childlike in a lot of things. She in tune with nature and doesn't know of societies rules or how she should behave. That makes her open with her desire to 'mate' with the hero and allows her to say whatever she wants whenever she wants. But she's lonely. She has had only animals to keep her company and now she finally has a human to play with. And she teaches the hero how to play. It takes him until the heroine is stoned by the villagers to realize just how deeply he loves the woman.
I really liked this story. It was a story of opposites attract and makes you really think about what's important in life.
April 8, 2020
Medieval romance with a touch of mysticism
I really enjoyed this story. I especially liked learning about historic Welsh traditions and beliefs, and how they sometimes clashed with England's. Teleri was pretty well developed. We understand her fear, solitude, loneliness, and love for animals. Roger was less so; I don't think we get enough of his warrior or his home lives to really know him. The plot moved quick enough.
Sex: 3 scenes, plus one nudity
Language: 0 F words, 31 Lord's name in vain, 0 S words
Violence: hanging, stoning, choking, stabbing
Cliffhanger: no
Do I need to read books before this one: I can tell it would've made scenes with Clio and Merrick better, plus Roger makes a reference that Teleri (and I) didn't understand and the readers are supposed to
Would I read more of the series: yes
I really enjoyed this story. I especially liked learning about historic Welsh traditions and beliefs, and how they sometimes clashed with England's. Teleri was pretty well developed. We understand her fear, solitude, loneliness, and love for animals. Roger was less so; I don't think we get enough of his warrior or his home lives to really know him. The plot moved quick enough.
Sex: 3 scenes, plus one nudity
Language: 0 F words, 31 Lord's name in vain, 0 S words
Violence: hanging, stoning, choking, stabbing
Cliffhanger: no
Do I need to read books before this one: I can tell it would've made scenes with Clio and Merrick better, plus Roger makes a reference that Teleri (and I) didn't understand and the readers are supposed to
Would I read more of the series: yes
November 15, 2018
This medieval was book #2 following Jill's Wonderful
(book #1), the superior story.
Sir Roger, warrior and diplomat, was ambushed in the woods
& left to die but ultimately rescued by Teleri, considered the
village witch. Villagers stoned her in x's past. Thus explain
-ing her guarded nature.
Sir Roger had a personality transplant from book #1 to book
#2. In the 1st book he was flirty, witty and optimistic. In bk
#2, his 'story' he was angry and morose. He never re-gained
his baseline joy.
Teleri served as a healer and rescuer of animals & lived in a
small hovel. At one point she refused to kill a fly! Eventually
our couple kissed and frolicked in a natural spring. But could
he live in her world or vice versa? I think not.
(book #1), the superior story.
Sir Roger, warrior and diplomat, was ambushed in the woods
& left to die but ultimately rescued by Teleri, considered the
village witch. Villagers stoned her in x's past. Thus explain
-ing her guarded nature.
Sir Roger had a personality transplant from book #1 to book
#2. In the 1st book he was flirty, witty and optimistic. In bk
#2, his 'story' he was angry and morose. He never re-gained
his baseline joy.
Teleri served as a healer and rescuer of animals & lived in a
small hovel. At one point she refused to kill a fly! Eventually
our couple kissed and frolicked in a natural spring. But could
he live in her world or vice versa? I think not.
June 7, 2016
3.5 really
The story wasn't as "magical" as I thought it would be and the plot was pretty by-the-numbers so nothing really different. I did however enjoy it and I always appreciate a book that can make me laugh.
The story wasn't as "magical" as I thought it would be and the plot was pretty by-the-numbers so nothing really different. I did however enjoy it and I always appreciate a book that can make me laugh.
March 12, 2019
I read Teleri and Roger’s story in the Once Upon A Valentine bundle, which aggregates many of my favorite authors.
As soon as I met Roger in WONDERFUL, I wanted to learn more about him, and WILD was an awesome read.
Teleri is such an amazing woman, she sees the world through wide open eyes, never letting pain or fear clouds her judgement. She does not act in half-hearted measures, she is a lover of every living being, why she decided to help a close-to-death knight who might not have been so kind with her if he had caught her before being left for dead.
Her way of in the world is to cherish every life, from flies to horses. Never will she harm a soul, it is against her inner core.
Roger has become cynical and bitter, his longing for the one woman he was refused changed him, he spent years doing the opposite than what his father told just to spike him. And now that his affair with the woman he thought was his one had been ended, he must find a new meaning for his life and stay away for her. So when his very life is threatened, at death’s door, he is brought back in the realm of the living by an angel or the horse’s thief he is pursuing since a while.
Their encounter is like night and day colliding, he watches everything she does with an evil eyes while she does not understand his jests, she talks her mind, he hurts her by laughing as her beliefs. When thinking to help, he went hunting, Teleri’s explanation why she does not eat meat is just perfect. She lives of nothing when he never lacked a thing but her life is fuller than his.
It was a wonderful read.
As soon as I met Roger in WONDERFUL, I wanted to learn more about him, and WILD was an awesome read.
Teleri is such an amazing woman, she sees the world through wide open eyes, never letting pain or fear clouds her judgement. She does not act in half-hearted measures, she is a lover of every living being, why she decided to help a close-to-death knight who might not have been so kind with her if he had caught her before being left for dead.
Her way of in the world is to cherish every life, from flies to horses. Never will she harm a soul, it is against her inner core.
Roger has become cynical and bitter, his longing for the one woman he was refused changed him, he spent years doing the opposite than what his father told just to spike him. And now that his affair with the woman he thought was his one had been ended, he must find a new meaning for his life and stay away for her. So when his very life is threatened, at death’s door, he is brought back in the realm of the living by an angel or the horse’s thief he is pursuing since a while.
Their encounter is like night and day colliding, he watches everything she does with an evil eyes while she does not understand his jests, she talks her mind, he hurts her by laughing as her beliefs. When thinking to help, he went hunting, Teleri’s explanation why she does not eat meat is just perfect. She lives of nothing when he never lacked a thing but her life is fuller than his.
It was a wonderful read.
February 5, 2023
4.5 ⭐️ This was so much fun to read!! I loved that the majority of it was set in Wales. Teleri was the absolute sweetest. I loved that she held her ground against Roger but was still kind and soft-hearted. The only thing that bothered me is how completely random things seemed at the end when it comes to solving the mystery of the whole big. It was a bit mystifying, but I loved this romance so much.
April 1, 2018
She is a very good writer but fantastic story lines are not to my liking. Also h was a bit too wishywashy for my taste.
December 6, 2021
3.5 stars
Some parts I liked but also some felt cheesy? I think this one felt it read fast where I would have liked more. I'm actually looking forward to others in this series.
Some parts I liked but also some felt cheesy? I think this one felt it read fast where I would have liked more. I'm actually looking forward to others in this series.
March 6, 2025
4.75⭐️
August 17, 2020
Initial thoughts:
Wow. Wow. Wow. Loved it. Loved it Loved it. Will be reading this again for sure that’s how much I loved it.
After marinating and thinking about it for awhile. Here’s a very detailed and LONG review of my thoughts and feelings on the story:
MAJOR Plot spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.
This was even more than I was expecting going in. Oh my goodness. I loved this book so much. All I’m going to do in this review is gush, gush and gush some more because it was that good. Even with all the gushing, I don’t think I’m going to be able to gush enough because so much I could gush about. This one just deserves to be gushed about. Can you tell that a little this book a little bit?
The first thing that came to mind while reading this story was that it reminded me a lot of The McCabe trilogy by Maya Banks that I absolutely loved and adored. I think with story and The McCabe trilogy they may have taken place around the same time period, but just different locations. I don’t know if highlanders, which was The McCabe trilogy taken place was consider to be part of the Medieval time period like this story was, but it had a similar type of feel and time period to me. This one just took place in Wales while Maya Bantus trilogy took place in Scotland. Rodger was a knight while the McCabe’s were highlander brothers. They just gave me similar vibes while reading It that gave me all the warm and fuzzies. It was really atmospheric between the setting and the plot that it kept me locked in and really consumed by all the goings on that were happening, which was fantastic.
All the themes and tropes were spot on, and I really enjoyed seeing them play out within the great setup that was provided, which I absolutely loved and adored so much because they were written so well. Again I was sucked in and consumed from almost word one that continued on for the duration of the book. In fact I would say it grew and grew even great the more that I got into the book. It just made me not want to stop reading because I was so into and really invested especially with the characters of Teleri and Rodger. So, amazing.
Being that this took place in the Medieval era, there was a lot of superstitions as well as fear going on in the public because they didn’t know about science or other things that they couldn’t explain that we could today. So, there was a bit of a supernatural/paranormal vibe happening even though that wasn’t what it was, but that was feeling I got when reading it, which was interesting. Mostly that vibe surrounded Teleri because they thought she was witch and they thought she was this weird creature that they just couldn’t explain. Rather than try to understand her they bullied her by stoning her out of town so that she forced to live out in the wood by herself with only her animals as her friends. Teleri felt safest that way, which absolutely heartbreaking to see, but also amazing because of how she survived and was able to make life for herself on her own. It showed her strength even though she was deeply scarred because of those cruel taunts and actions by the others. She was content to live with her animals only and not interact with a human until she met Rodger then her world just turned upside.
It really spoke to her character though when she did decide to save Rodger after someone attempted to hang him. After all she hadn’t been able to trust anybody, yet she knew the right thing to do was help him and nurse him back to death even though he wound up chasing her right before that in order to bring her justice because he thought she stole horse. It was really impactful moment for her on so many levels, and it made me love her even more of the length she went through for him. It just touched my heart so much.
Some of my favorites moments of the story was her taking care of him while he tried to heal from his wounds. Again it wasn’t easy, but she did it. She was so very loving and gentle with him even when she had to tie him up after he accidental punched her in the eye when he was unconscious. She didn’t want to have to tie him up, but knew she had to in order to be safe as well as allow her to take care of him during that time. She did this all in sanctuary of her home with the animals that she saved watching on as she mopped his brow, fed him broth, and tended to his wound so it wouldn’t get infected. It was such a beautiful and impactful moment especially considering she didnt’ know him and still didn’t know him because he was passed out with the fever. She was just caring for him on her own. Again it showed so much of her character and just how sweet and pure of person that she truly was, and how much she truly didn’t deserve the treatment she faced at others’s hands. She needed a happily ever after.
The development between these two after he woke up was just amazing, and I loved it so much. It showed the arc of their romance that went from point A to point B very nicely yet very naturally with the pacing. I liked that they had to build trust between them first before their attraction came into the picture. As you can imagine they weren’t in place to a hundred percent trust each other right away when he woke up for a plethora of different reasons. Rodger woke up tied up, barely being able to move, barely being able to talk, and hurting all over while she didn’t people period because of what happened to her. They wary of each other. So, there was this slightly cat and mouse type of came where they tip toed around each other while she still took care of him, and he healed. They both were very stubborn too, not wanting to give into the other even if it was for the best. So, they had a little tussle. I loved the moment where he refused the medicine to help him, and she pried his mouth opened and practically shoved it down his throat. It was done and written that had me laughing out loud.
Another dynamic that really added and enhanced their romance was the fact that at first he couldn’t speak due to his wound. It made for a very interesting way for them to learn how to communicate with one another without words. They managed to find a way, and I think that made them bond more because they had to do that. They had to have patience and understanding between each other in order know what worked for each of them and what each other needed. It also just build a great amount of trust between them because they had to interact that way, and I loved that. I just showed how strong their relationship could be because they already had to overcome some obstacles together, which would later make the shift to couple easier because they had dealt with that.
The silence didn’t last long and eventually he did start speaking even if it was only in whispers. He could communicate with her that, but what was more impactful about that was that he chose to speak to her instead of remaining silent. He knew his voice wasn’t back to normal but he could say things in whispers. Even though he hated that because he thought that showed weakness and vulnerability, he did it for her because he was beginning to trust her. He let his guard down for her and showed how he was as a vulnerable man not the mighty knight that world saw. Again it showed how important their relationship had become as well as how impactful it was.
I loved seeing his progression as he started trusting her more and more. It started off in little ways, but then continued to grow and grow. The turning point for him was when he saw her with that deer and fawns who trusted her completely, letting her feed them from her hands. It was just a beautiful scene in general, but it became even more beautiful to see his reaction as he watched that scene happen before his eyes. I could that he was letting his guard down even more for her and knowing without a doubt in his mind that she would never hurt him especially after she had healed him and saved him just like she did with her plethora of animals. It was a poignant scene.
Once that trust continued to grow the more time they spent with each other, the more their attraction to one another grew. It grew in every way both physically and emotionally as they got to know each other more and more. It got pretty steamy and intense once that foundation was built between them. They just caught fire after that. It made me smile and swoon at the same time. That lake scene was something else. I wasn’t expecting it to get that steamy at that point. A passionate kiss, sure, but the caressing and the pleasuring not so much. Not that was a bad thing just I wasn’t expecting them to be all in as of yet. It was still delicious and foreshadowed what was to come. It just upped my anticipation for the love scenes between these two even more.
It wasn’t all roses though because at the lake scene he did pull away, believing what he was doing wasn’t right because he believed he was in love with someone else,which made him have some guilty moments as well as a struggle with himself of his attraction to her. That lead to some great head butting moments while both of them were dealing with these intense feelings that they had for each other. It was a struggle for both of them because they never experienced these type of feelings. These feelings caused some hurt feelings because there were fighting against them. There were some lighthearted fight moments that were very funny and humorous as they interacted with one another. But some were very serious and heartbreaking because of the misunderstandings between them that was complicated even more because of these growing feelings they had for each other. For example, the rabbit part. I know that he thought he was doing a good thing by providing her with meat and what he considered as taking care of her, but at the same time it was stupid because he didn’t realize that she was a vegetarian when he so should have especially seeing the way she lived. I even might have called him a boob as soon as he did that. I just couldn’t believe that after all they been through and that he learned about her that he didn’t realize that about her. So, that created all types of tension and friction to their relationship, which made it all the more entertaining to see them have those struggles before they fully could come together and embrace what they have with one another.
Another really tense moment between them that nearly broke them was the fact she learned that he loved someone else and he still believed he loved this other woman even though he claimed to love Teleri the night before after sharing a very steamy night together. This was right after he nearly got hypothermia, and she once again took care of him by helping him to get warm. Even using her own body heat to help get his temperature up, which how the steamy scene came about. This was directly after the whole rabbit thing, but though she was still peeved about that she didn’t want to freeze to death so she cuddled with him. It was a special moment for her as they brought each other pleasure so when she found out about this other woman it was like a slap in the fact to her. That just earned a whole host of other intense emotions going on for her with the prominent ones being hurt and betrayal. It was so heartbreaking to see happen to her because I could feel her heart breaking, thinking she found this special person that she loved and loved her in return then he just took it away from her with those simple words. It made her feel so alone again. It was a gut punch moment, which just really increased the angst to premium levels.
The next sucker punch moment was when she got stoned after Rodger left. Teleri was already in all sorts of pain due to Rodger’s betrayal then to have this abuse and assault take place directly after was just heartbreaking. So not only was she hurt on the inside, but the outside too. It broke me up and had me tearing up because the amount of suffering that she went through
But I think what broke me up the most and had more tears pooling in my eyes was when Teleri’s hawk, which didn’t fly before all this, flew to get get help for Teleri from Rodger. It was so devastating because there was such desperation with Hawk, trying to get Rodger to go back and help Teleri, but he wasn’t getting it. Hawk pecked at him, pulling the cuff of his shirt in the direction, even squawked at him to get his attention until he finally pecked at Horse’s butt in order to get Rodger to fall off him and get some sense knocked into him. It was such a powerful moment because it showed how much these animals loved her. She meant the world to them because she took care of them, heal them, gave them a safe haven, and treated them like friends. It was apparent that they felt the same way about her. It made my heart soar yet break at the same time. Not that I didn’t know this already, but showed how truly special Teleri was. That scene just really touched me on so many levels. It was an amazing scene that I loved.
After the stoning, Rodger found an unconscious Teleri in a bloody mess with severe wounds on her face. Then a role reversal took place between Rodger and Teleri where he was taking care of her and trying to heal her like she did with him. It was so beautiful and so powerful because more emotions were into play now that Rodger knew Teleri and her kind heart. It was very intense for him because he didn’t know if she was ever going to wake up or not. He was very gentle, tender, and loving while pleading for her to wake up and come back to him. His feelings were very loud and clear of what he was feeling while he was taking care of her. He was breaking down with every moment that passed by didn’t wake up, realizing that he could loose her. Just to see that devastation in him was absolutely heartbreaking to read, and I felt every part of him in those moments. It gave me a lot of feels. It was such a punch in the heart, but it made him wake up to the fact that did love her and just how much he did. It was so amazing. I absolutely loved that revelation that he had, and how he had it. It was beautiful and powerful all at the same time. Again I loved it.
When she woke up, then the game changed, and he was no longer messing around. He set about to woo her and earn her trust again after he broke it. Woo her he did, not only with his words, but his actions as well. He still took care of her because she wasn’t a 100 percent back yet while unabashedly showing his feelings for her. It was very clear. There were no games. Nothing was hidden from her eyes or ears. He very much declared his intentions for her and his unending love for her. It was so good. It gave me all the feels and made my heart filled with nothing but warm and fuzzies. It just made everything that they went through worthwhile because they had these very beautiful and powerful moments where they could bask in their love for each other. It was amazing.
The steamy scenes that followed were just amazing. They were beautiful, tender, loving, passionate, and hot both before they married and after. They were just so intense, and very much emotional as they sealed their bond. They formed this deeper connection when they came together that just consumed them both, but also cemented what they had together. They were each other’s missing piece that no one could fit but each other. It was shown very clearly in those moments. I loved those scenes because of that alone. They were so amazing and all so satisfying because of what they had to go through in order to get to this point.
The ending was a little abrupt if I had to say one thing that bothered me. There was just all this build up of who was trying to kill Rodger for a majority book to just leave it to the last two pages was weird. I even thought that the would be killer wouldn’t be revealed because it was getting to the end, but then there it was. Then kind of wasn’t ready for it, and it felt a little out of left field. I don’t think I even saw it coming of who it was, nor do I know if it made complete sense to me, because there were no clues leading in that direction. I thought there were two directions it could go, but it didn’t got either of those ways so then it just felt weird. I don’t know. But despite that little fact, the story was amazing, ad it didn’t deter me from giving this a five stars. It was that incredible of a story.
Overall this gave me all feels. It probably didn’t come across just how amazing I thought this story was with this review. I could go on and on forever about it and try to explain it further, but I don’t think I could do justice to it even still with this detailed review that I just gave. It just had good intensity and great romantic development. I loved the setup of this scarred woman, living in the woods by herself with only her animal friends save a knight from attempted hanging then falling head over heels for him as he did with her as they faced obstacles, tension, chemistry, and intense feelings along the way. It was beautiful. It was touching. It was powerful. It was heartbreaking. It gave me pretty much everything that I wanted and not even a tiny thing that bothered me could deter me from my love of this story. This story just went beyond my expectations. I literally could not put it down for a second because I was just so immersed in the world, and I didn’t want to leave it. I was in love with this story, the romance, and the characters. I was just in awe and enamored with it. As I was reading this and even before I got to the end, I pretty much knew that I was going to want to read this one again and again, reliving all the feels all again. It was that amazing for me. Because I don’t tend to reread ebook, I needed to get my hand of a physical copy of this book just so I can reread this one over and over again. I just loved it so, so much.
Wow. Wow. Wow. Loved it. Loved it Loved it. Will be reading this again for sure that’s how much I loved it.
After marinating and thinking about it for awhile. Here’s a very detailed and LONG review of my thoughts and feelings on the story:
MAJOR Plot spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.
This was even more than I was expecting going in. Oh my goodness. I loved this book so much. All I’m going to do in this review is gush, gush and gush some more because it was that good. Even with all the gushing, I don’t think I’m going to be able to gush enough because so much I could gush about. This one just deserves to be gushed about. Can you tell that a little this book a little bit?
The first thing that came to mind while reading this story was that it reminded me a lot of The McCabe trilogy by Maya Banks that I absolutely loved and adored. I think with story and The McCabe trilogy they may have taken place around the same time period, but just different locations. I don’t know if highlanders, which was The McCabe trilogy taken place was consider to be part of the Medieval time period like this story was, but it had a similar type of feel and time period to me. This one just took place in Wales while Maya Bantus trilogy took place in Scotland. Rodger was a knight while the McCabe’s were highlander brothers. They just gave me similar vibes while reading It that gave me all the warm and fuzzies. It was really atmospheric between the setting and the plot that it kept me locked in and really consumed by all the goings on that were happening, which was fantastic.
All the themes and tropes were spot on, and I really enjoyed seeing them play out within the great setup that was provided, which I absolutely loved and adored so much because they were written so well. Again I was sucked in and consumed from almost word one that continued on for the duration of the book. In fact I would say it grew and grew even great the more that I got into the book. It just made me not want to stop reading because I was so into and really invested especially with the characters of Teleri and Rodger. So, amazing.
Being that this took place in the Medieval era, there was a lot of superstitions as well as fear going on in the public because they didn’t know about science or other things that they couldn’t explain that we could today. So, there was a bit of a supernatural/paranormal vibe happening even though that wasn’t what it was, but that was feeling I got when reading it, which was interesting. Mostly that vibe surrounded Teleri because they thought she was witch and they thought she was this weird creature that they just couldn’t explain. Rather than try to understand her they bullied her by stoning her out of town so that she forced to live out in the wood by herself with only her animals as her friends. Teleri felt safest that way, which absolutely heartbreaking to see, but also amazing because of how she survived and was able to make life for herself on her own. It showed her strength even though she was deeply scarred because of those cruel taunts and actions by the others. She was content to live with her animals only and not interact with a human until she met Rodger then her world just turned upside.
It really spoke to her character though when she did decide to save Rodger after someone attempted to hang him. After all she hadn’t been able to trust anybody, yet she knew the right thing to do was help him and nurse him back to death even though he wound up chasing her right before that in order to bring her justice because he thought she stole horse. It was really impactful moment for her on so many levels, and it made me love her even more of the length she went through for him. It just touched my heart so much.
Some of my favorites moments of the story was her taking care of him while he tried to heal from his wounds. Again it wasn’t easy, but she did it. She was so very loving and gentle with him even when she had to tie him up after he accidental punched her in the eye when he was unconscious. She didn’t want to have to tie him up, but knew she had to in order to be safe as well as allow her to take care of him during that time. She did this all in sanctuary of her home with the animals that she saved watching on as she mopped his brow, fed him broth, and tended to his wound so it wouldn’t get infected. It was such a beautiful and impactful moment especially considering she didnt’ know him and still didn’t know him because he was passed out with the fever. She was just caring for him on her own. Again it showed so much of her character and just how sweet and pure of person that she truly was, and how much she truly didn’t deserve the treatment she faced at others’s hands. She needed a happily ever after.
The development between these two after he woke up was just amazing, and I loved it so much. It showed the arc of their romance that went from point A to point B very nicely yet very naturally with the pacing. I liked that they had to build trust between them first before their attraction came into the picture. As you can imagine they weren’t in place to a hundred percent trust each other right away when he woke up for a plethora of different reasons. Rodger woke up tied up, barely being able to move, barely being able to talk, and hurting all over while she didn’t people period because of what happened to her. They wary of each other. So, there was this slightly cat and mouse type of came where they tip toed around each other while she still took care of him, and he healed. They both were very stubborn too, not wanting to give into the other even if it was for the best. So, they had a little tussle. I loved the moment where he refused the medicine to help him, and she pried his mouth opened and practically shoved it down his throat. It was done and written that had me laughing out loud.
Another dynamic that really added and enhanced their romance was the fact that at first he couldn’t speak due to his wound. It made for a very interesting way for them to learn how to communicate with one another without words. They managed to find a way, and I think that made them bond more because they had to do that. They had to have patience and understanding between each other in order know what worked for each of them and what each other needed. It also just build a great amount of trust between them because they had to interact that way, and I loved that. I just showed how strong their relationship could be because they already had to overcome some obstacles together, which would later make the shift to couple easier because they had dealt with that.
The silence didn’t last long and eventually he did start speaking even if it was only in whispers. He could communicate with her that, but what was more impactful about that was that he chose to speak to her instead of remaining silent. He knew his voice wasn’t back to normal but he could say things in whispers. Even though he hated that because he thought that showed weakness and vulnerability, he did it for her because he was beginning to trust her. He let his guard down for her and showed how he was as a vulnerable man not the mighty knight that world saw. Again it showed how important their relationship had become as well as how impactful it was.
I loved seeing his progression as he started trusting her more and more. It started off in little ways, but then continued to grow and grow. The turning point for him was when he saw her with that deer and fawns who trusted her completely, letting her feed them from her hands. It was just a beautiful scene in general, but it became even more beautiful to see his reaction as he watched that scene happen before his eyes. I could that he was letting his guard down even more for her and knowing without a doubt in his mind that she would never hurt him especially after she had healed him and saved him just like she did with her plethora of animals. It was a poignant scene.
Once that trust continued to grow the more time they spent with each other, the more their attraction to one another grew. It grew in every way both physically and emotionally as they got to know each other more and more. It got pretty steamy and intense once that foundation was built between them. They just caught fire after that. It made me smile and swoon at the same time. That lake scene was something else. I wasn’t expecting it to get that steamy at that point. A passionate kiss, sure, but the caressing and the pleasuring not so much. Not that was a bad thing just I wasn’t expecting them to be all in as of yet. It was still delicious and foreshadowed what was to come. It just upped my anticipation for the love scenes between these two even more.
It wasn’t all roses though because at the lake scene he did pull away, believing what he was doing wasn’t right because he believed he was in love with someone else,which made him have some guilty moments as well as a struggle with himself of his attraction to her. That lead to some great head butting moments while both of them were dealing with these intense feelings that they had for each other. It was a struggle for both of them because they never experienced these type of feelings. These feelings caused some hurt feelings because there were fighting against them. There were some lighthearted fight moments that were very funny and humorous as they interacted with one another. But some were very serious and heartbreaking because of the misunderstandings between them that was complicated even more because of these growing feelings they had for each other. For example, the rabbit part. I know that he thought he was doing a good thing by providing her with meat and what he considered as taking care of her, but at the same time it was stupid because he didn’t realize that she was a vegetarian when he so should have especially seeing the way she lived. I even might have called him a boob as soon as he did that. I just couldn’t believe that after all they been through and that he learned about her that he didn’t realize that about her. So, that created all types of tension and friction to their relationship, which made it all the more entertaining to see them have those struggles before they fully could come together and embrace what they have with one another.
Another really tense moment between them that nearly broke them was the fact she learned that he loved someone else and he still believed he loved this other woman even though he claimed to love Teleri the night before after sharing a very steamy night together. This was right after he nearly got hypothermia, and she once again took care of him by helping him to get warm. Even using her own body heat to help get his temperature up, which how the steamy scene came about. This was directly after the whole rabbit thing, but though she was still peeved about that she didn’t want to freeze to death so she cuddled with him. It was a special moment for her as they brought each other pleasure so when she found out about this other woman it was like a slap in the fact to her. That just earned a whole host of other intense emotions going on for her with the prominent ones being hurt and betrayal. It was so heartbreaking to see happen to her because I could feel her heart breaking, thinking she found this special person that she loved and loved her in return then he just took it away from her with those simple words. It made her feel so alone again. It was a gut punch moment, which just really increased the angst to premium levels.
The next sucker punch moment was when she got stoned after Rodger left. Teleri was already in all sorts of pain due to Rodger’s betrayal then to have this abuse and assault take place directly after was just heartbreaking. So not only was she hurt on the inside, but the outside too. It broke me up and had me tearing up because the amount of suffering that she went through
But I think what broke me up the most and had more tears pooling in my eyes was when Teleri’s hawk, which didn’t fly before all this, flew to get get help for Teleri from Rodger. It was so devastating because there was such desperation with Hawk, trying to get Rodger to go back and help Teleri, but he wasn’t getting it. Hawk pecked at him, pulling the cuff of his shirt in the direction, even squawked at him to get his attention until he finally pecked at Horse’s butt in order to get Rodger to fall off him and get some sense knocked into him. It was such a powerful moment because it showed how much these animals loved her. She meant the world to them because she took care of them, heal them, gave them a safe haven, and treated them like friends. It was apparent that they felt the same way about her. It made my heart soar yet break at the same time. Not that I didn’t know this already, but showed how truly special Teleri was. That scene just really touched me on so many levels. It was an amazing scene that I loved.
After the stoning, Rodger found an unconscious Teleri in a bloody mess with severe wounds on her face. Then a role reversal took place between Rodger and Teleri where he was taking care of her and trying to heal her like she did with him. It was so beautiful and so powerful because more emotions were into play now that Rodger knew Teleri and her kind heart. It was very intense for him because he didn’t know if she was ever going to wake up or not. He was very gentle, tender, and loving while pleading for her to wake up and come back to him. His feelings were very loud and clear of what he was feeling while he was taking care of her. He was breaking down with every moment that passed by didn’t wake up, realizing that he could loose her. Just to see that devastation in him was absolutely heartbreaking to read, and I felt every part of him in those moments. It gave me a lot of feels. It was such a punch in the heart, but it made him wake up to the fact that did love her and just how much he did. It was so amazing. I absolutely loved that revelation that he had, and how he had it. It was beautiful and powerful all at the same time. Again I loved it.
When she woke up, then the game changed, and he was no longer messing around. He set about to woo her and earn her trust again after he broke it. Woo her he did, not only with his words, but his actions as well. He still took care of her because she wasn’t a 100 percent back yet while unabashedly showing his feelings for her. It was very clear. There were no games. Nothing was hidden from her eyes or ears. He very much declared his intentions for her and his unending love for her. It was so good. It gave me all the feels and made my heart filled with nothing but warm and fuzzies. It just made everything that they went through worthwhile because they had these very beautiful and powerful moments where they could bask in their love for each other. It was amazing.
The steamy scenes that followed were just amazing. They were beautiful, tender, loving, passionate, and hot both before they married and after. They were just so intense, and very much emotional as they sealed their bond. They formed this deeper connection when they came together that just consumed them both, but also cemented what they had together. They were each other’s missing piece that no one could fit but each other. It was shown very clearly in those moments. I loved those scenes because of that alone. They were so amazing and all so satisfying because of what they had to go through in order to get to this point.
The ending was a little abrupt if I had to say one thing that bothered me. There was just all this build up of who was trying to kill Rodger for a majority book to just leave it to the last two pages was weird. I even thought that the would be killer wouldn’t be revealed because it was getting to the end, but then there it was. Then kind of wasn’t ready for it, and it felt a little out of left field. I don’t think I even saw it coming of who it was, nor do I know if it made complete sense to me, because there were no clues leading in that direction. I thought there were two directions it could go, but it didn’t got either of those ways so then it just felt weird. I don’t know. But despite that little fact, the story was amazing, ad it didn’t deter me from giving this a five stars. It was that incredible of a story.
Overall this gave me all feels. It probably didn’t come across just how amazing I thought this story was with this review. I could go on and on forever about it and try to explain it further, but I don’t think I could do justice to it even still with this detailed review that I just gave. It just had good intensity and great romantic development. I loved the setup of this scarred woman, living in the woods by herself with only her animal friends save a knight from attempted hanging then falling head over heels for him as he did with her as they faced obstacles, tension, chemistry, and intense feelings along the way. It was beautiful. It was touching. It was powerful. It was heartbreaking. It gave me pretty much everything that I wanted and not even a tiny thing that bothered me could deter me from my love of this story. This story just went beyond my expectations. I literally could not put it down for a second because I was just so immersed in the world, and I didn’t want to leave it. I was in love with this story, the romance, and the characters. I was just in awe and enamored with it. As I was reading this and even before I got to the end, I pretty much knew that I was going to want to read this one again and again, reliving all the feels all again. It was that amazing for me. Because I don’t tend to reread ebook, I needed to get my hand of a physical copy of this book just so I can reread this one over and over again. I just loved it so, so much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2017
Well.. Well... Well.... This is a good story and I super love the heroine and her animals! I love everything about Teleri! I keep imagining this kind of image while reading about her and her animal friends....
I love almost everything except for her the fact that she easily forgave the hero and accepts him willingly again... I really don't like the hero.... I got so annoyed reading the name of his ex and the love he felt for her... The heck STOP MENTIONING YOUR F%#r#^^$@@* EX! The heroine is too good for him, I hope he was given a different less beautiful and less perfect heroine... I was really struggling if I should give it 5 stars because I really don't like the hero and the ending is so rush... but I felt like I would betray Teleri and my admiration for her if I give her lesser star than she deserve.. so for Teleri's sake I gave it 5 stars!
I love almost everything except for her the fact that she easily forgave the hero and accepts him willingly again... I really don't like the hero.... I got so annoyed reading the name of his ex and the love he felt for her... The heck STOP MENTIONING YOUR F%#r#^^$@@* EX! The heroine is too good for him, I hope he was given a different less beautiful and less perfect heroine... I was really struggling if I should give it 5 stars because I really don't like the hero and the ending is so rush... but I felt like I would betray Teleri and my admiration for her if I give her lesser star than she deserve.. so for Teleri's sake I gave it 5 stars!
October 31, 2012
2nd in the medieval Trilogy an Endearing Love Story
The second in Barnett’s Medieval trilogy is a good one. It can also be read as a stand alone.
Set in the Welsh Marshlands in 1280, it tells of Sir Roger FitzAlan and Teleri, a girl who lives wild and alone in the Brecon woods near the hamlet of Bleddig with only the animals around her for company. She fears humans as they call her “witch” and throw stones at her. When she discovers a man hanged and left for dead in the woods, she saves him with her healing skills. She does not know he is a knight charged by King Edward to establish a castle nearby. Sir Roger awakens to discover a madwoman (Teleri) has tied him to stakes in a small woodland cottage. In fact, she is only protecting herself but he doesn’t know that. As Roger recovers and thinks of revenge on the man who tried to kill him, he begins to realize he desires the wild Welsh healer.
I loved the character of Teleri, a gentle soul who lives in innocence—and loneliness. Oh yes, she’s a vegetarian (she won’t eat anything with a face). Roger, who we met in book 1, now shows a fearful and insecure side for all his bravado. Teleri speaks to the needs of his soul and she becomes precious to him. We also get to see some of the other characters we’ve come to love, including Sir Merrick, Roger’s friend, and the young Sir Tobin de Clare who will star in book 3.
As always, Barnett delivers wonderful dialog and an intriguing match in the hero and heroine and some wonderful secondary animal characters. All in all, it’s a great installment in a delightful medieval trilogy. I recommend it.
The trilogy:
WONDERFUL tells the story of Merrick de Beaucourt
WILD tells the story of Merrick’s friend, Roger FitzAlan
WICKED tells the story of Merrick’s squire, Tobin de Clare
The second in Barnett’s Medieval trilogy is a good one. It can also be read as a stand alone.
Set in the Welsh Marshlands in 1280, it tells of Sir Roger FitzAlan and Teleri, a girl who lives wild and alone in the Brecon woods near the hamlet of Bleddig with only the animals around her for company. She fears humans as they call her “witch” and throw stones at her. When she discovers a man hanged and left for dead in the woods, she saves him with her healing skills. She does not know he is a knight charged by King Edward to establish a castle nearby. Sir Roger awakens to discover a madwoman (Teleri) has tied him to stakes in a small woodland cottage. In fact, she is only protecting herself but he doesn’t know that. As Roger recovers and thinks of revenge on the man who tried to kill him, he begins to realize he desires the wild Welsh healer.
I loved the character of Teleri, a gentle soul who lives in innocence—and loneliness. Oh yes, she’s a vegetarian (she won’t eat anything with a face). Roger, who we met in book 1, now shows a fearful and insecure side for all his bravado. Teleri speaks to the needs of his soul and she becomes precious to him. We also get to see some of the other characters we’ve come to love, including Sir Merrick, Roger’s friend, and the young Sir Tobin de Clare who will star in book 3.
As always, Barnett delivers wonderful dialog and an intriguing match in the hero and heroine and some wonderful secondary animal characters. All in all, it’s a great installment in a delightful medieval trilogy. I recommend it.
The trilogy:
WONDERFUL tells the story of Merrick de Beaucourt
WILD tells the story of Merrick’s friend, Roger FitzAlan
WICKED tells the story of Merrick’s squire, Tobin de Clare
December 8, 2014
3.5 เรื่องนี้มาแนวคล้ายเรื่อง The Touch of Fire ตรงที่พระเอกบาดเจ็บแล้วนางเอกมาช่วยดูแลรักษา น่ารักเหมือนกัน แต่ชอบเรื่อง The Touch of Fire มากกว่า จริงๆก็คนละสไตล์อ่ะนะ ตอนแรกๆเรื่องอืดหน่อยๆนะความรู้สึกเรา แต่หลังจากเลยต้นๆ(ช่วงที่เราว่ามันอืด)ไปก็น่ารัก ออกแนวหวานๆเลยแหละ เรื่องจะเน้นที่ความสัมพันธ์พระนางมากกว่าการสืบหาคนที่ทำร้ายพระเอก ซึ่งเราว่ามันโอเคแหละ ไม่ได้อยากอ่านแนวเ���รียดๆอยู่แล้วเจอเน้นความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างพระนางแบบนี้ก็โอเคเลย ชอบตอนที่พระเอกกำลังเดินทางจากไป แล้วนางเอกโดนทำร้ายต้องกลับมาดูแล แถมยังถามเพื่อน(พระเอกเล่มหนึ่ง) ว่ารู้ตัวเมื่อไรว่าหลงรักเลดี้ไคลโอ ฮ่าๆ น่ารัก เราว่าเล่มนี้น่ารักสุดในสามเล่มเลย
December 19, 2011
This is the second installment of the trilogy. The first one was better. This story deals with Sir Roger, Merrick's best friend and how he is hung (no literally) in the forest and nursed back to health by some weird outcast witchy woman. He is known for being a real casanova and yet this is the woman he chooses to wed. I was not impressed. This story went on forever. You know it isn't that good when you have to count the pages you have left. It wasn't really abysmal but it wasn't that great. I'll read the third installment, just not right away.
December 28, 2011
I actually enjoyed the whole series, though I read them in backwards order, so some of it was a bit disorienting to me.
The heroine's a bit of a barefooted hippie (complete with a bit of a "free love" attitude, despite her innocence), the hero (thinks he) is in love with another (married) woman, there's a whisper of magic (not really enough to make me classify it as "paranormal", but definitely there), and there's enough lighthearted angst (if there truly is such a thing) to fill a bathtub.
In other words? Lots of fun, and easy to read.
A very solid 4/5 Stars.
The heroine's a bit of a barefooted hippie (complete with a bit of a "free love" attitude, despite her innocence), the hero (thinks he) is in love with another (married) woman, there's a whisper of magic (not really enough to make me classify it as "paranormal", but definitely there), and there's enough lighthearted angst (if there truly is such a thing) to fill a bathtub.
In other words? Lots of fun, and easy to read.
A very solid 4/5 Stars.
September 6, 2021
Slog fest with a stupid twist
The book focused more on a medieval vegetarian diet than an actual story. They didn't talk about anything. The villain wasn't established at all and the twist was dumber than my expectation of a lost heir. It was truly a book about nothing that was paced so slow that I had to force myself to finish.
The book focused more on a medieval vegetarian diet than an actual story. They didn't talk about anything. The villain wasn't established at all and the twist was dumber than my expectation of a lost heir. It was truly a book about nothing that was paced so slow that I had to force myself to finish.
July 29, 2014
(★★★½) Sweet & light-hearted, with a little steam and paranormal twist. Interesting nod to Arthurian legend. :)
July 8, 2017
Painful read
July 13, 2020
Pretty good. A disappointment from 1st book in the series.
July 31, 2021
This was a mixed bag for me. I liked the idea of Teleri making her way independently after enduring the cruelty inflicted on her by others. She relates much better to animals - she finds them to be more genuine and predictable. She also notes that animals defend themselves but aren't violent or hurtful for the sake of cruelty. She has a point. :)
Also why did her grandmother
The story starts off well but runs into some trouble for me. I liked the interactions between Teleri and Roger - she initially holds all the power and is leery of this strange man. As he recovers slowly from his near-death, they reach an accord of sorts and then things shift as attraction takes over.
There are hints of magical realism with shades of Cinderella in the way the animals befriend her and interact with her. Other things like a tree's branches visibly drooping when she cried leaning up against it and the sun beams spotlighting lost things after Teleri recited some sort of chant made me feel the author couldn't quite decide if this was meant to be regular fiction versus fabulism. It was alluded to again at the end when it was revealed . It could have been interesting to use that as an element to explain how Roger went from not being able to speak at all to being able to talk in full sentences (granted at a whisper, but to go from gargled grunts to intelligible lengthy speech felt completely unrealistic to me).
The story took a turn for the worse when Teleri and Roger
Where things really became a problem for me and resulted in dropping my rating was the last part of the story. I would go so far to say that the ending ruined this book for me. The mystery of who tried to kill Roger was incredibly lame. I hate mysteries where
When the villain is revealed, it was just so ridiculous.
I also thought the strained relationship between father and son (and father and Teleri) was resolved too neatly. It was like his father did a 180 in the last 15 pages - going from complete a-hole to Best Dad Ever.
Also why did her grandmother
The story starts off well but runs into some trouble for me. I liked the interactions between Teleri and Roger - she initially holds all the power and is leery of this strange man. As he recovers slowly from his near-death, they reach an accord of sorts and then things shift as attraction takes over.
There are hints of magical realism with shades of Cinderella in the way the animals befriend her and interact with her. Other things like a tree's branches visibly drooping when she cried leaning up against it and the sun beams spotlighting lost things after Teleri recited some sort of chant made me feel the author couldn't quite decide if this was meant to be regular fiction versus fabulism. It was alluded to again at the end when it was revealed . It could have been interesting to use that as an element to explain how Roger went from not being able to speak at all to being able to talk in full sentences (granted at a whisper, but to go from gargled grunts to intelligible lengthy speech felt completely unrealistic to me).
The story took a turn for the worse when Teleri and Roger
Where things really became a problem for me and resulted in dropping my rating was the last part of the story. I would go so far to say that the ending ruined this book for me. The mystery of who tried to kill Roger was incredibly lame. I hate mysteries where
When the villain is revealed, it was just so ridiculous.
I also thought the strained relationship between father and son (and father and Teleri) was resolved too neatly. It was like his father did a 180 in the last 15 pages - going from complete a-hole to Best Dad Ever.
October 25, 2021
Spoilers including ending……
I was actually really enjoying this book for about 90% of it and it was easily going to be a 4 star rating. I loved seeing some Welsh representation, although I would have perhaps liked to have seen more hostility as it were given the Welsh and English were never on good terms at this period in history but nevertheless it was lovely to see. Teleri is an outcast, living in the woods looking after broken animals, a wild but kind hearted woman. She rescues English/Roger after a failed hanging attempt and nurses him back to health.
The story is cute and seeing a woman live a simple rustic life seemed so idyllic you almost felt like you wanted to be with her in this forest utopia. I did love the interactions with the animals too as they took the role of secondary characters. There wasn’t too much to the plot it is very much about English recovering and then them living this country lifestyle.
Taking a step back and putting aside whether I liked the book or not, the side characters did feel under developed, it is so much about Teleri/English the farm and animals, that everything else ceases to exist, it is hard to say if I would have liked to have seen more (more of the village? More of Teleri’s hardships with superstitions, her grandmother even) but on the other hand, the strength of the novel is these two characters appreciating simple beauty so I felt this was a moot point.
However I have had to mark the rating down purely from the rushed ending. After so long of pretty much just describing the daily life of a little forest cottage, we see Teleri transform into a lady living in a castle (before she didn’t even wear shoes), Roger’s attempted murderer found out (are we meant to know this person? I felt no connection It may as well have been Roger tripped in the woods for the impact I got at the reveal), the father accepting the union, and even Teleri’s heritage is revealed, all within a couple of pages. It is like the author realised that the story had to be wrapped up at a set page number and just threw everything on the same page.
Sweet read and a novel you can easily get lost in for a few hours, yes more could have been made of the overall plot some extra drama, and the ending was certainly rushed, but I liked reading it.
Free on kindle unlimited
I was actually really enjoying this book for about 90% of it and it was easily going to be a 4 star rating. I loved seeing some Welsh representation, although I would have perhaps liked to have seen more hostility as it were given the Welsh and English were never on good terms at this period in history but nevertheless it was lovely to see. Teleri is an outcast, living in the woods looking after broken animals, a wild but kind hearted woman. She rescues English/Roger after a failed hanging attempt and nurses him back to health.
The story is cute and seeing a woman live a simple rustic life seemed so idyllic you almost felt like you wanted to be with her in this forest utopia. I did love the interactions with the animals too as they took the role of secondary characters. There wasn’t too much to the plot it is very much about English recovering and then them living this country lifestyle.
Taking a step back and putting aside whether I liked the book or not, the side characters did feel under developed, it is so much about Teleri/English the farm and animals, that everything else ceases to exist, it is hard to say if I would have liked to have seen more (more of the village? More of Teleri’s hardships with superstitions, her grandmother even) but on the other hand, the strength of the novel is these two characters appreciating simple beauty so I felt this was a moot point.
However I have had to mark the rating down purely from the rushed ending. After so long of pretty much just describing the daily life of a little forest cottage, we see Teleri transform into a lady living in a castle (before she didn’t even wear shoes), Roger’s attempted murderer found out (are we meant to know this person? I felt no connection It may as well have been Roger tripped in the woods for the impact I got at the reveal), the father accepting the union, and even Teleri’s heritage is revealed, all within a couple of pages. It is like the author realised that the story had to be wrapped up at a set page number and just threw everything on the same page.
Sweet read and a novel you can easily get lost in for a few hours, yes more could have been made of the overall plot some extra drama, and the ending was certainly rushed, but I liked reading it.
Free on kindle unlimited
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2021
A true fantasyland
I really enjoyed this story and that surprised me. I haven’t read this type of story (an Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table tale) in a long time and thought that I was no longer interested in the genre. Instead, it seems, I just needed the right book to bring me back.
Book 2 focuses on Roger and Teleri ( I did not read book 1 and it didn’t seem necessary to follow what’s going on). Roger is a man born of privilege and wanting to make a name for himself that is separate from his father, while also nursing a broken heart. He’s out scoping the land for a new castle for his king but happens upon some large blue stones. Within the stones, he sees a young woman praying but, most important to him, also has a horse that was stolen many years ago. He gives chase, loses the girl/horse but is ambushed and left for dead. Teleri finds him and, given her kind nature, brings him back to her cottage to nurse back to health.
It’s already a lot, I know. But, the important part of the story is not the beginning. No, the important part is watching 2 people learn and understand each other. Move from enemies to grudging co-habitants and slowly shift to love and all the complications that come with it.
Teleri was a joy to read. She is a lover of all things living and wants nothing more to be loved. To know that she gets her HEA was incredibly satisfying.
So, if you’re in the mood for something different with hints of magic, fantasy and lots of passion, you will not be disappointed by this book!
I really enjoyed this story and that surprised me. I haven’t read this type of story (an Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table tale) in a long time and thought that I was no longer interested in the genre. Instead, it seems, I just needed the right book to bring me back.
Book 2 focuses on Roger and Teleri ( I did not read book 1 and it didn’t seem necessary to follow what’s going on). Roger is a man born of privilege and wanting to make a name for himself that is separate from his father, while also nursing a broken heart. He’s out scoping the land for a new castle for his king but happens upon some large blue stones. Within the stones, he sees a young woman praying but, most important to him, also has a horse that was stolen many years ago. He gives chase, loses the girl/horse but is ambushed and left for dead. Teleri finds him and, given her kind nature, brings him back to her cottage to nurse back to health.
It’s already a lot, I know. But, the important part of the story is not the beginning. No, the important part is watching 2 people learn and understand each other. Move from enemies to grudging co-habitants and slowly shift to love and all the complications that come with it.
Teleri was a joy to read. She is a lover of all things living and wants nothing more to be loved. To know that she gets her HEA was incredibly satisfying.
So, if you’re in the mood for something different with hints of magic, fantasy and lots of passion, you will not be disappointed by this book!
Want to read
June 8, 2022Reddit review:
"Medieval historical with Arthurian themes.
She was raised in the Welsh forests by her grandmother. Her life is quiet and isolated but she finds joy in her animal companions and harvesting plants.
He’s a war-weary knight whose heart was recently broken, and he needs some distance from the woman who betrayed him. When he’s almost murdered by a mysterious stranger, she rescues him, heals him, and they fall in love in the forest while he regains his strength.
I love this book so much, I reread it regularly. It’s so gentle and atmospheric!"
Another review:
"HR set in Wales, M/F. Teleri lives alone in a cottage with numerous animal companions after being outcast from her village. She finds a nearly-murdered knight in the woods and drags him home to nurse his wounds.
One trope I love later in this book is Roger going bonkers when he sees some village boys throwing stones at Teleri— the alpha male protection here is chef’s kiss.
There is also some guilt/grovel when Roger realizes that while he was out of it he accidentally hurt Teleri hitting her in the face.
Jill has a way of making romance novels quite funny, particularly in regards to the animals. There’s also a mystery element of who tried to kill Roger and why.
Spice level: there are a couple of steamy scenes but I wouldn’t call them habanero. This trilogy was one of my entries into romance as a young adult and I thought it was hottttt back then- but I’ve since read much steamier stuff so I’d say maybe a green bell pepper.
This is the second in a loosely related series: Wonderful, Wild, Wicked — but can be read standalone. The other two are good as well but this was my favorite."
"Medieval historical with Arthurian themes.
She was raised in the Welsh forests by her grandmother. Her life is quiet and isolated but she finds joy in her animal companions and harvesting plants.
He’s a war-weary knight whose heart was recently broken, and he needs some distance from the woman who betrayed him. When he’s almost murdered by a mysterious stranger, she rescues him, heals him, and they fall in love in the forest while he regains his strength.
I love this book so much, I reread it regularly. It’s so gentle and atmospheric!"
Another review:
"HR set in Wales, M/F. Teleri lives alone in a cottage with numerous animal companions after being outcast from her village. She finds a nearly-murdered knight in the woods and drags him home to nurse his wounds.
One trope I love later in this book is Roger going bonkers when he sees some village boys throwing stones at Teleri— the alpha male protection here is chef’s kiss.
There is also some guilt/grovel when Roger realizes that while he was out of it he accidentally hurt Teleri hitting her in the face.
Jill has a way of making romance novels quite funny, particularly in regards to the animals. There’s also a mystery element of who tried to kill Roger and why.
Spice level: there are a couple of steamy scenes but I wouldn’t call them habanero. This trilogy was one of my entries into romance as a young adult and I thought it was hottttt back then- but I’ve since read much steamier stuff so I’d say maybe a green bell pepper.
This is the second in a loosely related series: Wonderful, Wild, Wicked — but can be read standalone. The other two are good as well but this was my favorite."
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