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Medieval Herb Garden #1
Lavender Vows
A short novel in NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Colleen Gleason's lush, romantic Medieval Herb Garden Romance Series... A compelling, sweet romance... A story of passion and love in Medieval England.
Gruff, brooding Lord Bernard of Derkland needs to find a wife, if for no other reason than to satisfy his father and his incessant badgering. He has no interest in marrying, but when he meets the beautiful and gentle Joanna of Swerthmore, he immediately knows she is the one.
The only problem is: she's already wed...to a monster.
Readers who like Roberta Gellis, Catherine Coulter, Tina St. John, and Paula Quinn will enjoy this book of romance about ladies, lords, knights and castles.
Gruff, brooding Lord Bernard of Derkland needs to find a wife, if for no other reason than to satisfy his father and his incessant badgering. He has no interest in marrying, but when he meets the beautiful and gentle Joanna of Swerthmore, he immediately knows she is the one.
The only problem is: she's already wed...to a monster.
Readers who like Roberta Gellis, Catherine Coulter, Tina St. John, and Paula Quinn will enjoy this book of romance about ladies, lords, knights and castles.
72 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 15, 2011
168 people are currently reading
1030 people want to read
About the author
Colleen Gleason
105 books1,686 followersAward-winning, NEW YORK TIMES and USA Today bestselling author Colleen Gleason (who also writes as Colleen Cambridge) has written more than fifty novels in a variety of genres…but always feature smart, strong women determined to right wrongs and get shit done.
Colleen lives in the Midwest United States where she is fortunate enough to be working on her next book.
She loves to hear from readers via her website, Facebook, or GoodReads.
Colleen lives in the Midwest United States where she is fortunate enough to be working on her next book.
She loves to hear from readers via her website, Facebook, or GoodReads.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 93 reviews
June 14, 2016
This was free on Amazon and introduced me to a new author and a new series so I gave it a try. This was a very short novel and I read it in under an hour. Overall, I really enjoyed this and will be checking out the other novels in this series.
Bernard is a young man, heir to a great holding, and under persistent pressure from his father to marry. However, when Bernard finally discovers the woman he wants, he finds that not only is she already married, but she is wed to an abusive monster. Joanna has been living in hell for the past year since being wed to Ralf. She has spirit, but sadly, most of that has been beaten out of her as she fears for her life. Upon meeting Bernard, she feels a spark of life and a desperate hope for a different future.
This was only 70 pages so you can predict where the story was going and what would happen to the villainous Ralf. Despite this predictability, I still enjoyed the story and thought that Gleason did a nice job introducing new characters for her other books in the series, while also crafting a nice romance that felt complete in the short page length.
The writing style had a lot of medieval flavor and I enjoyed the chivalry theme that wove throughout. I will definitely be trying out the next story!
Bernard is a young man, heir to a great holding, and under persistent pressure from his father to marry. However, when Bernard finally discovers the woman he wants, he finds that not only is she already married, but she is wed to an abusive monster. Joanna has been living in hell for the past year since being wed to Ralf. She has spirit, but sadly, most of that has been beaten out of her as she fears for her life. Upon meeting Bernard, she feels a spark of life and a desperate hope for a different future.
This was only 70 pages so you can predict where the story was going and what would happen to the villainous Ralf. Despite this predictability, I still enjoyed the story and thought that Gleason did a nice job introducing new characters for her other books in the series, while also crafting a nice romance that felt complete in the short page length.
The writing style had a lot of medieval flavor and I enjoyed the chivalry theme that wove throughout. I will definitely be trying out the next story!
November 12, 2016
Although the hero is supposed to be all chivalrous and good, I really didn't like him. His treatment of Joanna, while not horrible, nevertheless seemed a slightly rough way to handle someone currently suffering physical abuse.
January 21, 2013
"But mayhap you are too beautiful and aught should be done to remove that temptation from his sight."
The abuse. I felt so sorry for Joanna, suffering the barbaric brutality of her husband. Bernard's abject horror and ferocious rage at her wounds and bruises and his gentle giant nature soothed, contrasting with Ralf's despicable cruelty and her father's indifference to his daughter's pain.
"One with my strength has no need to prove his power at the expense of a weaker one. Nor should any man need have that urge."
Lady Maris is an independent, ballsy woman refusing to marry having no need of a man when she is willing and able to do everything a man can. Seeing how bold she is, offering her fellow woman her skills and help, and then looking at Joanna's spirit -she's Maris beaten down by fear. It will be entertaining to see Maris meet her match.
This is a strong short story. I only wish Joanna and Bernard had snatched a few more moments together before the finale.
The abuse. I felt so sorry for Joanna, suffering the barbaric brutality of her husband. Bernard's abject horror and ferocious rage at her wounds and bruises and his gentle giant nature soothed, contrasting with Ralf's despicable cruelty and her father's indifference to his daughter's pain.
"One with my strength has no need to prove his power at the expense of a weaker one. Nor should any man need have that urge."
Lady Maris is an independent, ballsy woman refusing to marry having no need of a man when she is willing and able to do everything a man can. Seeing how bold she is, offering her fellow woman her skills and help, and then looking at Joanna's spirit -she's Maris beaten down by fear. It will be entertaining to see Maris meet her match.
This is a strong short story. I only wish Joanna and Bernard had snatched a few more moments together before the finale.
July 30, 2025
His father is pushing him to marry, but the only woman who has caught his attention is married to an abusive brute. I thought Colleen Gleason was a new to me author, but, lo and behold, I’ve already read and enjoyed two of her historical cozy mystery series under a different pen name, Colleen Cambridge. No surprise, I enjoyed this first in the quick-read novellas of the Medieval Herb Garden series updated to The Castle Garden series.
Because this is a short novella, the description of setting, characters, and the plot get underway quickly and move along at a clipping pace. Lavender Vows opens at the scene of a wedding hosted at a lord’s castle. Lord Bernard is attending with his father who insists Bernard find a wife at the event or he’ll find one for him.
Bernard encounters a drunken brawler who is also a guest and also manages to slip away from his father’s latest matchmaking effort. He ends up in the stables and encounters a sweet, gorgeous woman inspecting a new batch of kittens. She’s all he could want, but he soon learns she’s married to the brute and she carries the scars to show the man isn’t all bluster. Bernard can’t leave Joanna to go home with the man.
The conflict comes swiftly to a head and this sweet romance was the quintessential castles, knights, and ladies with the knight to the rescue. It didn’t try to do more than it should and works great for an afternoon idyll. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.
My full review will post at That's What I'm Talking About 7.29.25.
Because this is a short novella, the description of setting, characters, and the plot get underway quickly and move along at a clipping pace. Lavender Vows opens at the scene of a wedding hosted at a lord’s castle. Lord Bernard is attending with his father who insists Bernard find a wife at the event or he’ll find one for him.
Bernard encounters a drunken brawler who is also a guest and also manages to slip away from his father’s latest matchmaking effort. He ends up in the stables and encounters a sweet, gorgeous woman inspecting a new batch of kittens. She’s all he could want, but he soon learns she’s married to the brute and she carries the scars to show the man isn’t all bluster. Bernard can’t leave Joanna to go home with the man.
The conflict comes swiftly to a head and this sweet romance was the quintessential castles, knights, and ladies with the knight to the rescue. It didn’t try to do more than it should and works great for an afternoon idyll. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.
My full review will post at That's What I'm Talking About 7.29.25.
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June 4, 2021🎁 FREE on Amazon today (6/4/2021)! 🎁
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December 24, 201417 April 2014: $0.00 FREE on Kindle
January 13, 2021
I read the expanded, 152 page version of this story and not the 72 page listed.
I got another book from this series for free and thought I would try Book 1 (this book) first. This book is listed as a "Compelling, sweet romance". No, it isn't. At all.
Bernard meets Joanna in the stable of the castle where her sister is getting married. He is drawn to her and knows she is the one who he wants to marry. But then he finds out she is already married. Even worse, he finds out her husband is physically abusing her. His repeated physical abuse, often on page and almost to the point of death, is the main focus of the book. It makes Bernard angry and he wants to protect her, to get her away from Harmon, her husband. But he cannot do that unless Harmon somehow dies.
It was just a really depressing book until the last chapter when it gets pulled together for an HEA. I'm not sure I will be reading anything else from this author.
I got another book from this series for free and thought I would try Book 1 (this book) first. This book is listed as a "Compelling, sweet romance". No, it isn't. At all.
Bernard meets Joanna in the stable of the castle where her sister is getting married. He is drawn to her and knows she is the one who he wants to marry. But then he finds out she is already married. Even worse, he finds out her husband is physically abusing her. His repeated physical abuse, often on page and almost to the point of death, is the main focus of the book. It makes Bernard angry and he wants to protect her, to get her away from Harmon, her husband. But he cannot do that unless Harmon somehow dies.
It was just a really depressing book until the last chapter when it gets pulled together for an HEA. I'm not sure I will be reading anything else from this author.
Read
December 21, 2020So I bought this book on accident- I was going to skip it and read the third book (which was free) but then I accidentally bought this one so figured I might as well try it- after all, maybe it would surprise me!
It didn't, it's exactly what the premise makes it sounds like. Bernard is in love with a married woman and spends the book obsessing about her. Yes, her husband is terrible, but she needs help, not a guy obsessing over her
Also, wasn't super excited about how it all was resolved 😳
Anyway! No rating because it seems silly to rate a book negatively for being exactly what the synopsis said it would be 🤣 But I wanted to mark it as read so I remembered and it counted toward my reading goal xD
It didn't, it's exactly what the premise makes it sounds like. Bernard is in love with a married woman and spends the book obsessing about her. Yes, her husband is terrible, but she needs help, not a guy obsessing over her
Also, wasn't super excited about how it all was resolved 😳
Anyway! No rating because it seems silly to rate a book negatively for being exactly what the synopsis said it would be 🤣 But I wanted to mark it as read so I remembered and it counted toward my reading goal xD
June 26, 2018
Classic trope, well written
The purpose of a hero, is to rescue.
It can rescue the world, the country, the state, the town, the family, or, of course, a true love.
Or several of the above.
This is usually the case in romance, so the question turns to how well the author twists and turns things inside the story. How much of a villain is the bad guy (very bad, in this story),. How far gone in need of rescue is the love interest ( near!y given up). And how much does the good guy have to suffer before winning. The interesting part is, I think a case could be made for the heroine being the strong one here...
The purpose of a hero, is to rescue.
It can rescue the world, the country, the state, the town, the family, or, of course, a true love.
Or several of the above.
This is usually the case in romance, so the question turns to how well the author twists and turns things inside the story. How much of a villain is the bad guy (very bad, in this story),. How far gone in need of rescue is the love interest ( near!y given up). And how much does the good guy have to suffer before winning. The interesting part is, I think a case could be made for the heroine being the strong one here...
March 31, 2018
72 pages. 72 PAGES!!!
There should be a "novella" disclaimer somewhere on the cover. I started reading, expecting a full-length book because of the pacing of the story. It was as though it reached a sudden drop-off. Maybe the author realized after writing the first few chapters that she was running close to her total word-count and she decided to wrap it up as quickly as possible because the ending felt rushed.
There should be a "novella" disclaimer somewhere on the cover. I started reading, expecting a full-length book because of the pacing of the story. It was as though it reached a sudden drop-off. Maybe the author realized after writing the first few chapters that she was running close to her total word-count and she decided to wrap it up as quickly as possible because the ending felt rushed.
November 5, 2024
This is a story of love and passion in Medieval England. Lord Bernard of Derkland's father is pressuring him to marry but, Bernard has no desire to marry. Bernard sees Joanna of Swerthmore working in a stable and he becomes smitten with her. The only problem is she is already married to her abusive husband Ralf. Bernard must figure out a way to get Joanna away from her abusive husband. I really enjoyed this sweet medieval historical romance novel.
December 31, 2020
This has been updated and expanded. It is rare for a historical romance to talk about abuse. This does so and brings out how very little help there was for women then. Bernard meets Johanna and things he has found his bride only to discover that not only is she married but is being abused. He is unable to help. Luckily, Maris is a healer and helps them both. The HEA takes time and cleverness.
January 17, 2021
This was my first medieval story from this author ( I read all the books of „The Gardella Vampire Hunters Series“), so I was very curious how Colleen Gleason writes in this totally different genre. The story is quite short, but very compelling.
June 23, 2021
Well-written clean story with a lovely cover about a newly married young woman married to a brute and the son-of-a-lord, who is being pressed into marriage, desiring to save her at all cost. Accurately reflects the brutal medieval times in culture and dialect. Great short story for a bedtime read.
June 25, 2017
This story was definitely sad, short but well done. I just wasn't a huge fan of how dark and twisted the story was. It was kind of hard to read.
March 3, 2018
it was way too quick even though it was a short novel!
March 27, 2018
i did not like this...
the story lacked a strong foundation. it tipped over and collapsed.
the story lacked a strong foundation. it tipped over and collapsed.
December 17, 2020
It was rather short and not much to enjoy .
June 4, 2021
Delightful
Charming characters with wonderful personalities to help create ambiance of joy and honor. Great scenes to establish an atmosphere of triumph and peace.
Charming characters with wonderful personalities to help create ambiance of joy and honor. Great scenes to establish an atmosphere of triumph and peace.
July 27, 2021
Great
This is a wonderful short story. It is a great afternoon read. Such wonderful, sweet love develops and great ending
This is a wonderful short story. It is a great afternoon read. Such wonderful, sweet love develops and great ending
September 24, 2021
Short medieval romance about domestic violence. Very short.
December 23, 2021
Lavender
This read was a great one. I enjoyed every minute. I would recommend it to anyone I interested in this time period.
This read was a great one. I enjoyed every minute. I would recommend it to anyone I interested in this time period.
March 9, 2023
Cute and sweet. Light read.
August 11, 2023
romance
A light and sweet romance. The handsome lord rescues the beautiful but abused wife of another lord, and marries her after the death of her cruel husband
A light and sweet romance. The handsome lord rescues the beautiful but abused wife of another lord, and marries her after the death of her cruel husband
March 16, 2017
I was in the mood for something light, short, and sweet. While I didn't get the first, I got the last two.
I liked how the author made it work but it could've been longer. Joanna and Bernard are practically strangers so it would've been better if their life story together was told.
I surmise they would be mentioned in the next books in the series.
I liked how the author made it work but it could've been longer. Joanna and Bernard are practically strangers so it would've been better if their life story together was told.
I surmise they would be mentioned in the next books in the series.
March 16, 2017
This was short and sweet. Unfortunately the writing left much to be desired. You could tell the author tried to incorporate historical details in her writing and dialogue, but the rest of it had a modern sound, with figures of speech and idioms that were not true to be period. The insta-love was also a little too sappy and the poor h a little too sad and helpless for my tastes.
July 30, 2011
** Mild Spoiler Alert ** I downloaded this for free during Smashwords summer sale. I reviewed it for my new book blog, NovellaReviews.blogspot.com.
From time to time I come across a story that causes me to reach for my red editing pencil. I'm not an editor. Actually, my writing mechanics are very weak. This story just made me want to write critique notes in the margins.
The language seemed forced and choppy. The author's word choices frustrated me. I understand that she most likely wanted to include vocabulary from this era. Ms. Gleason knocked me out of the story repeatedly by tossing in terms I had no clue the meaning of. At times she offered enough of an explanation for me to grasp her meaning - mostly she did not. Examples include: lief, trestle, brooked, haring, nonce, intoned, rood, termagent, destrier, and demesne.
Perhaps I haven't read enough medieval romance. I feel an author can cushion these words with lead in text or imagery to give the reader enough understanding. In the case of this story, that did not happen. It left me thinking, "Oh, she's pulled out the dusty, ancient-times thesaurus again." In my opinion, authors should avoid interrupting the flow.
There was also a fair amount of same page, point of view head hopping going on. Bothersome. I also found the connection between Bernard and Joanna flat. Some of the other reviews stated this story needed to be longer. I disagree. These scenes were plenty long. It needed to be better.
Those of you who have read my reviews or Rknow my rating scale may be wondering why I gave this three stars. It sounds more like a two. About 50% through the story it really picked up. I enjoyed the jousting scene very much. I thought it was well done. Colleen Gleason can write action. She also made me hate the villain, Rafe. I disliked him so much by the end of the story I wanted to see him die a slow and painful death. I stayed up late finishing the novella just to see him die.
Well done.
Lavender Vows has its ups and downs. It firmly falls in the middle of my scale - three stars.
~ Jenna
From time to time I come across a story that causes me to reach for my red editing pencil. I'm not an editor. Actually, my writing mechanics are very weak. This story just made me want to write critique notes in the margins.
The language seemed forced and choppy. The author's word choices frustrated me. I understand that she most likely wanted to include vocabulary from this era. Ms. Gleason knocked me out of the story repeatedly by tossing in terms I had no clue the meaning of. At times she offered enough of an explanation for me to grasp her meaning - mostly she did not. Examples include: lief, trestle, brooked, haring, nonce, intoned, rood, termagent, destrier, and demesne.
Perhaps I haven't read enough medieval romance. I feel an author can cushion these words with lead in text or imagery to give the reader enough understanding. In the case of this story, that did not happen. It left me thinking, "Oh, she's pulled out the dusty, ancient-times thesaurus again." In my opinion, authors should avoid interrupting the flow.
There was also a fair amount of same page, point of view head hopping going on. Bothersome. I also found the connection between Bernard and Joanna flat. Some of the other reviews stated this story needed to be longer. I disagree. These scenes were plenty long. It needed to be better.
Those of you who have read my reviews or Rknow my rating scale may be wondering why I gave this three stars. It sounds more like a two. About 50% through the story it really picked up. I enjoyed the jousting scene very much. I thought it was well done. Colleen Gleason can write action. She also made me hate the villain, Rafe. I disliked him so much by the end of the story I wanted to see him die a slow and painful death. I stayed up late finishing the novella just to see him die.
Well done.
Lavender Vows has its ups and downs. It firmly falls in the middle of my scale - three stars.
~ Jenna
March 2, 2013
I don't usually read novellas, the only reason I read this one is because the other books in the series are full length. As to be expected in a novella, everything was rushed, but it really fell short. Something just felt off about it. I think it was the fact that the characters had no depth. We never really learn anything about the heroine's personality except That is literally the only personal characteristic we learn about her, and it isn't much. As for the hero Not badly written, I understand the restrictions since the novella was only 60 pages, but without the depth of character, the lack of story line It was a waste of time.
June 24, 2016
As most historical romances go, this was a typical story. Guy meets girl and falls in love at first sight, but there are several obstacles that stand in the way of their happiness. In this case, it's an abusive husband, as our hero's beloved is already married.
I did love the story, but I had two major issues with it that made me feel the need to dock a start from the rating.
First off, the book was much too short to cover the story that Gleason was trying to tell. The basic building blocks of the story are there, but there was not enough space in the book to cover all the details for the main plots or the sub-plots.
The other main issue I had was with Ralf. I have never read a story where I absolutely hated a character and spent time after I finished the book plotting out their demise. Ralf had no redeeming qualities, nothing to make me not want to whack him as soon as I saw him. Even Voldemort had redeeming qualities--not many, but they were there.
All-in-all, an iffy book. It's a good read, but one that I feel could have been better if it was a bit longer.
I did love the story, but I had two major issues with it that made me feel the need to dock a start from the rating.
First off, the book was much too short to cover the story that Gleason was trying to tell. The basic building blocks of the story are there, but there was not enough space in the book to cover all the details for the main plots or the sub-plots.
The other main issue I had was with Ralf. I have never read a story where I absolutely hated a character and spent time after I finished the book plotting out their demise. Ralf had no redeeming qualities, nothing to make me not want to whack him as soon as I saw him. Even Voldemort had redeeming qualities--not many, but they were there.
All-in-all, an iffy book. It's a good read, but one that I feel could have been better if it was a bit longer.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 93 reviews