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Chronicles Of Claerwhen #1
Desire's Prize
1347: Calais has finally fallen and Alaun de Montisfryth, first Earl of Montisfryn, powerful lord and companion of Edward III, is dispatched back to England with orders to secure the Welsh border. Halfway home, pride tempts Montisfryn to attend a tournament held by his family's old foes at Versallet Castle.
Eloise de Versallet, the widowed Lady de Cannar, rules her father's castle with a tongue sharper than any sword. She has no great opinion of men in general and of knights in particular.
Montisfryn and Eloise meet and sparks fly. He is intrigued. She is irritated.
He is under royal edict to wed. An experienced lady, well-born, still young, and exceedingly well-endowed with both wealth and beauty, Eloise is a matrimonial prize beyond compare - and has vowed to remain unwed.
Potent and powerful, will Montisfryn be able to breach her walls, storm her castle, and succeed where all others have failed? Or will Eloise, haughty and defiant to the last, prevail? The gauntlet is flung, the challenge accepted. And desire enters the fray.
Eloise de Versallet, the widowed Lady de Cannar, rules her father's castle with a tongue sharper than any sword. She has no great opinion of men in general and of knights in particular.
Montisfryn and Eloise meet and sparks fly. He is intrigued. She is irritated.
He is under royal edict to wed. An experienced lady, well-born, still young, and exceedingly well-endowed with both wealth and beauty, Eloise is a matrimonial prize beyond compare - and has vowed to remain unwed.
Potent and powerful, will Montisfryn be able to breach her walls, storm her castle, and succeed where all others have failed? Or will Eloise, haughty and defiant to the last, prevail? The gauntlet is flung, the challenge accepted. And desire enters the fray.
458 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 18, 2013
About the author
Stephanie Laurens
217 books5,633 followersStephanie Laurens was born in Sri Lanka, which was at the time the British colony of Ceylon. When she was 5, her family moved to Melbourne, Australia, where she was raised. After continuing through school and earning a Ph.D. in Biochemistry in Australia, Stephanie and her husband moved to Great Britain, taking one of the last true overland journeys from Katmandu to London.
Once in London, Stephanie and her husband both began work as research scientists in Kent. They lived in an area surrounded by history. Their own cottage was built in the 16th century, while next door were the protected ruins of an early Roman villa, and nearby was a 14th century castle.
After four years in England, Stephanie and her husband returned to Australia, where she continued to work in cancer research, eventually heading her own research laboratory. One evening Stephanie realized that she did not have any more of her favorite romance novels to read. After years of thinking about writing her own novel, during nights and weekends for the next several months, she began crafting her own story. That manuscript, Tangled Reins, was the first of her books to be published. After achieving a level of success with her novels, Stephanie "retired" from scientific research and became a full-time novelist. Her novels are primarily historical romances set in the Regency time period.
Stephanie and her husband live on peaceful acreage on the outskirts of Melbourne. If she isn't writing, she's reading, and if she's not reading, she's tending her garden.
Once in London, Stephanie and her husband both began work as research scientists in Kent. They lived in an area surrounded by history. Their own cottage was built in the 16th century, while next door were the protected ruins of an early Roman villa, and nearby was a 14th century castle.
After four years in England, Stephanie and her husband returned to Australia, where she continued to work in cancer research, eventually heading her own research laboratory. One evening Stephanie realized that she did not have any more of her favorite romance novels to read. After years of thinking about writing her own novel, during nights and weekends for the next several months, she began crafting her own story. That manuscript, Tangled Reins, was the first of her books to be published. After achieving a level of success with her novels, Stephanie "retired" from scientific research and became a full-time novelist. Her novels are primarily historical romances set in the Regency time period.
Stephanie and her husband live on peaceful acreage on the outskirts of Melbourne. If she isn't writing, she's reading, and if she's not reading, she's tending her garden.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
November 1, 2013
In the midst of a bad streak of books, I often turn back to a good old comfort read. For me, that is the time-tested genre of Historical Romance. But here is where I made a crucial error---I should have stuck to the Regency era instead of going back to Medieval.
It's kind of hard to fuck up a good old-fashioned love story...but apparently, it's not impossible. Not when the story is set in the Medieval Era. Regency romances are familiar, soothing, like a warm cup of apple cider on a crisp fall day. Medieval romance are as comforting as choking down an ice-cold kale, spinach, and lemon colon cleanse on a frigid winter morning.
This book also deals with sexual abuse in a way that completely pisses me off. We have always known that Eloise has been sexually tortured by her first husband. Let's get one thing straight: the way to earn a woman's trust after sexual trauma is not to screw her silly. Alaun thinks that's the way things should go, he knows of Eloise's pain, her previous experience with abuse, her shame, her horror. Yet, he seems to think that the way to earn Eloise's trust and ease her mental scars is to fuck it out of her. And Eloise lets him. THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS. Eloise is not "half a woman" because she has been abused. Fuck you, Alaun.
To be fair, this book is considerably less aggravating than other Medieval romances I've read. At least there's no justification of attempted rape on the part of the love interest. At least theprisonerheroine doesn't fall in love with a brutish raping pillaging motherfucker of a captor husband, but it still includes far too many Medieval tropes than I would like. In her author's note, Ms. Laurens said that she chose the Medieval era for this book's setting because the brute reality of the time means that the characters must be strong to survive. I will concede that the characters in this book are strong, but not in a good way; they are headstrong, they are contrary, their actions and thoughts are contrary, and I found both main characters to be altogether grating on the nerves.
Needless to say, when one of the best thing I can say about this book is "At least the main character doesn't get raped by her true love," it's not a terribly good sign.
We first meet Eloise when she is little more than a child, on the eve of her wedding to a brute, de Cannar. Nine years later, she is blissfully widowed, and living on her father's estate, ruling the roost as its intelligent, capable chatelaine. After her mercifully short marriage, Eloise is now satisfied with her life. She has her own money, her own estate, she is happy living with her father's household, running things like clockwork. She is beautiful, smart, everyone wants to marry her, but Eloise has vowed to never marry again (and with good reason).
Naturally, the men in her life don't give a fuck about what she wants. Lord Henry is her creeptastic father. He looks at his busy, competent daughter who is running his household like a dream and decides that's she's unhappy. Eloise is an awesome daughter. He loves her so very much.
I see Eloise as a mostly-smart woman turned generic by her acquiescence of Alaun's brand of love, which is not so much love as a brand, much like one would put on a horse or a cow, to demonstrate ownership. I pity Eloise, despite her occasional stupidity at times, because it is a difficult thing to be a woman at this time. Despite her independence, despite her widowhood, she is still more or less owned by her father, and then, owned by Alaun. Eloise is not so much a woman as she is chattel, the property of the men in her life. She is a moron sometimes. She goes off skinny dipping in a frigid lake in the middle of a freezing night and ends up getting seduced. She thinks, oh, Alaun is soooooooooo different because instead of wanting to marry her, he just wants her body!
Alaun is a typical Medieval leading man, which is to say, he is a fucking douche. Yet, he is physical perfection, so naturally it makes it perfectly good to go weak in the knees for him. Eloise, please, you are so much better than that. Alaun is built like a 300-muscle-packed-pound linebacker with the grace of a ballet dancer, with the agility of a man half his size. He defeats all his opponents, wins every impossible test in order to win Eloise. He is a physical anomaly. He is Gary Stu at its finest.
Alaun does not talk like a normal human being. He growls. He snarls. He roars. He scowls. He needs to take a course on anger management.
Alaun is completely astounded by the fact that Eloise (the "damned witch," the "virago," the "fire-witch") is not completely soaking wet in her panties for him despite the fact that he goes out of his way to win the tournament so she can become, more or less, his property.
The Sex: If you wanted a bodice-ripper, you've got it. Rest assured, Eloise and Alaun rut like a couple of horses in heat in this book.
Reach for a Regency romance instead. This book was so much more trouble than it was worth.
It's kind of hard to fuck up a good old-fashioned love story...but apparently, it's not impossible. Not when the story is set in the Medieval Era. Regency romances are familiar, soothing, like a warm cup of apple cider on a crisp fall day. Medieval romance are as comforting as choking down an ice-cold kale, spinach, and lemon colon cleanse on a frigid winter morning.
This book also deals with sexual abuse in a way that completely pisses me off. We have always known that Eloise has been sexually tortured by her first husband. Let's get one thing straight: the way to earn a woman's trust after sexual trauma is not to screw her silly. Alaun thinks that's the way things should go, he knows of Eloise's pain, her previous experience with abuse, her shame, her horror. Yet, he seems to think that the way to earn Eloise's trust and ease her mental scars is to fuck it out of her. And Eloise lets him. THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS. Eloise is not "half a woman" because she has been abused. Fuck you, Alaun.
To be fair, this book is considerably less aggravating than other Medieval romances I've read. At least there's no justification of attempted rape on the part of the love interest. At least the
Needless to say, when one of the best thing I can say about this book is "At least the main character doesn't get raped by her true love," it's not a terribly good sign.
We first meet Eloise when she is little more than a child, on the eve of her wedding to a brute, de Cannar. Nine years later, she is blissfully widowed, and living on her father's estate, ruling the roost as its intelligent, capable chatelaine. After her mercifully short marriage, Eloise is now satisfied with her life. She has her own money, her own estate, she is happy living with her father's household, running things like clockwork. She is beautiful, smart, everyone wants to marry her, but Eloise has vowed to never marry again (and with good reason).
Naturally, the men in her life don't give a fuck about what she wants. Lord Henry is her creeptastic father. He looks at his busy, competent daughter who is running his household like a dream and decides that's she's unhappy. Eloise is an awesome daughter. He loves her so very much.
She was a daughter an old warrior could be proud of, with her matchless beauty and indomitable pride.So of course, the only reasonable decision to make is to give her away because Lord Henry wants the prestige of the famous Alaun de Montisfrey brings to his festive tournament. It's for bragging rights.
Henry couldn’t hide his exasperation. “Name your prize,” he growled, “and if it’s within my power, it’ll be yours for the taking.”Father knows best? Fuck you, Lord Henry. I called Lord Henry creeptastic, and I meant it. He watches his daughter suck face in an alley with Alaun and just chuckles because his plans are coming to fruition. He overhears his daughter moaning with pleasure as Alaun fucks her from behind and continues eating his dinner. I have a newfound appreciation for my own father after this book.
Slowly, [Alaun] raised his goblet. Sipped. “Your daughter.”
...it seemed as if [Lord Henry's late wife] stood at his shoulder, urging him on. “Ah, yes. My daughter, I believe you said? Should you compete in this tournament and be declared its victor, when you leave this castle, my daughter, Eloise, will be in your care.”
I see Eloise as a mostly-smart woman turned generic by her acquiescence of Alaun's brand of love, which is not so much love as a brand, much like one would put on a horse or a cow, to demonstrate ownership. I pity Eloise, despite her occasional stupidity at times, because it is a difficult thing to be a woman at this time. Despite her independence, despite her widowhood, she is still more or less owned by her father, and then, owned by Alaun. Eloise is not so much a woman as she is chattel, the property of the men in her life. She is a moron sometimes. She goes off skinny dipping in a frigid lake in the middle of a freezing night and ends up getting seduced. She thinks, oh, Alaun is soooooooooo different because instead of wanting to marry her, he just wants her body!
...he was not, nor had he ever been, interested in marrying her. It was her body he sought—he had made that abundantly clear from the first; he was the first man to approach her with no interest in her hand and the fortune that went with it. It was a novel situation—she wasn’t sure what she thought of it.I'll tell you what you should think, Eloise, you should think he's a douchewad.
Alaun is a typical Medieval leading man, which is to say, he is a fucking douche. Yet, he is physical perfection, so naturally it makes it perfectly good to go weak in the knees for him. Eloise, please, you are so much better than that. Alaun is built like a 300-muscle-packed-pound linebacker with the grace of a ballet dancer, with the agility of a man half his size. He defeats all his opponents, wins every impossible test in order to win Eloise. He is a physical anomaly. He is Gary Stu at its finest.
Alaun does not talk like a normal human being. He growls. He snarls. He roars. He scowls. He needs to take a course on anger management.
Alaun is completely astounded by the fact that Eloise (the "damned witch," the "virago," the "fire-witch") is not completely soaking wet in her panties for him despite the fact that he goes out of his way to win the tournament so she can become, more or less, his property.
After their visual duel, let alone the little matter of his prize, she should have been quivering with reaction, uncertain, vulnerable to a subtle, more gentle assault. He’d expected to find a woman primed for seduction.Alaun is not a gentle lover, he does not want an equal partner in Eloise. He wants to conquer her. He wants to "break her". His declaration of love is ever so romantic.
What he’d found was a woman only one step removed from the virago of the woods. Instead of melting into his arms, she’d tried to summarily dismiss him.
He wasn’t used to being dismissed, summarily or otherwise.
“You are not a burden!”So fucking romantic.
Startled by the force behind his words, she glanced up to see him cast a mute appeal heavenward. He looked down, impaling her with golden spears.
“You are mine! Tis time you understood that.”
The Sex: If you wanted a bodice-ripper, you've got it. Rest assured, Eloise and Alaun rut like a couple of horses in heat in this book.
“Nay, lord.” She turned to come up on her knees before him. “Come—plant your seed deeply, as do your stallions.” She glanced over her shoulder; her eyes gleamed. “Long, strong—and very slow.”Despite her widowhood, despite her sexual abuse, Eloise is still a virgin. That pisses me off. Is there such a need for virginity in a romance novel that you would actually contrive to have an abused WIDOW who is a virgin as well? And to have her come to orgasm when she loses her virginity. Despite the fact that Alaun is hung like a particularly well-endowed horse? Oh, and of course it's ok to have sex twice on the night you lose your virginity. OF COURSE IT DOESN'T HURT.
“Will it hurt?”Fuck you, Alaun. You lying liar.
“Nay.”
Reach for a Regency romance instead. This book was so much more trouble than it was worth.
Read
April 4, 2022So far the story is pretty good. I'm just not in the mood for the story.
65 pages
65 pages
March 18, 2022
Fantastic mediaeval book filled with details that enrich the reading experience. To top it off this is probably the most extreme of possessive H and fiesty yet demure h that is characteristic of ms Laurens. The love scenes are plenty, very detailed and yet each one adds another unique element to their relationship. Wish she had written more mediaeval books.
October 28, 2014
A disappointing read. A promising independent heroine somehow became a doormat dancing to the drum of the hero. I would have loved this book had it lived up to the promise of it's synopsis.
Eloise's 'rebellions' and acts of wilfulness against him are paltry at best and certainly not up to a standard which the premise of the story set Eloise up to be. She seems to forget her own principles rather quickly once Alaun steps into the scene (I do admit that after 9 years of being alone, I can give her a bit of leeway in desiring someone though). One scene in particular that rankled - one out of a very many, I can assure you - was when Eloise had decided to take a stand on a certain issue and Alaun started to seduce her (as he does, repeatedly) on purpose to make her drop the issue. What made that scene even worse was that at the end of their 'love making', Alaun asked her what she had wanted to talk about, and Eloise said she'd 'FORGOTTEN'. I would have preferred more consistency in Eloise's character; one minute she's all 'regal' and ordering around Alaun's people, and the next she's bending over backwards to Alaun's will.
Alaun repeatedly calls Eloise his "prize" and "lady-witch" which I found EXTREMELY unpleasant. As endearments go, these are hardly complimentary and it was one of the factors that added up to my gradual dislike of Alaun. I recognised the cookie-cutter hero Alaun was supposed to be - hero who initially seeks to only seduce the woman but then wants to marry her - but it was not carried out well at all. Alaun's answer to everything is to have sex (an occurrence which at the beginning was bearable, but after the dozenth time was unwelcome).
I could not finish this book (I ploughed through 310 pages with grim determination before I finally gave up in disgust) because the main characters quickly became tedious and quite frankly, boring. Another point of contention I had with this novel was that after a while, we do not see much from Eloise's perspective. I would have liked to heard more about what she was thinking and her motivations and not have to had guess whether her abuse 9 years ago was still the main factor in her decisions.
My review is based on an incomplete reading of the novel and my personal preferences, so take what you will from this. Desire's Prize is the second book I have read by Stephanie Laurens (M.S. Laurens) (the first of which being Devil's Bride which I absolutely loved!) I believe I shall steer clear of her pseudonym M.S. Laurens and stick to purely Stephanie Laurens books which I have so far enjoyed.
Eloise's 'rebellions' and acts of wilfulness against him are paltry at best and certainly not up to a standard which the premise of the story set Eloise up to be. She seems to forget her own principles rather quickly once Alaun steps into the scene (I do admit that after 9 years of being alone, I can give her a bit of leeway in desiring someone though). One scene in particular that rankled - one out of a very many, I can assure you - was when Eloise had decided to take a stand on a certain issue and Alaun started to seduce her (as he does, repeatedly) on purpose to make her drop the issue. What made that scene even worse was that at the end of their 'love making', Alaun asked her what she had wanted to talk about, and Eloise said she'd 'FORGOTTEN'. I would have preferred more consistency in Eloise's character; one minute she's all 'regal' and ordering around Alaun's people, and the next she's bending over backwards to Alaun's will.
Alaun repeatedly calls Eloise his "prize" and "lady-witch" which I found EXTREMELY unpleasant. As endearments go, these are hardly complimentary and it was one of the factors that added up to my gradual dislike of Alaun. I recognised the cookie-cutter hero Alaun was supposed to be - hero who initially seeks to only seduce the woman but then wants to marry her - but it was not carried out well at all. Alaun's answer to everything is to have sex (an occurrence which at the beginning was bearable, but after the dozenth time was unwelcome).
I could not finish this book (I ploughed through 310 pages with grim determination before I finally gave up in disgust) because the main characters quickly became tedious and quite frankly, boring. Another point of contention I had with this novel was that after a while, we do not see much from Eloise's perspective. I would have liked to heard more about what she was thinking and her motivations and not have to had guess whether her abuse 9 years ago was still the main factor in her decisions.
My review is based on an incomplete reading of the novel and my personal preferences, so take what you will from this. Desire's Prize is the second book I have read by Stephanie Laurens (M.S. Laurens) (the first of which being Devil's Bride which I absolutely loved!) I believe I shall steer clear of her pseudonym M.S. Laurens and stick to purely Stephanie Laurens books which I have so far enjoyed.
June 30, 2025
DNF at 91% and liberally skimmed after the halfway point. As far as medieval romances go, this one followed the same pattern as most others I’ve read – once the love interests get together at the halfway mark, not much else happens plot-wise other than the plot dragging for another few hundred pages.
THE GOOD
I was looking for a medieval romance to break up my fantasy streak, and this delivered exactly as I expected it to.
THE BAD
1) Dreadfully boring from both a characterization and plot perspective.
2) Need I say it…too much sex?
3) Repeating one more time how boring this was.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This book delivered on my mediocre expectations for the genre and for that I am happy with it.
THE GOOD
I was looking for a medieval romance to break up my fantasy streak, and this delivered exactly as I expected it to.
THE BAD
1) Dreadfully boring from both a characterization and plot perspective.
2) Need I say it…too much sex?
3) Repeating one more time how boring this was.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This book delivered on my mediocre expectations for the genre and for that I am happy with it.
November 10, 2018
I love ALL the books of Stephanie Laurens, also this one.
I agree that the way to restore the trust of a sexually tortured woman isn’t by fucking her silly. We all know that now, but we also must realise that in the Middle Ages female satisfaction was unknown here and was therefore not sought after (in contrast to some Easter civilisations). The taks of a married woman was to give birth to children (and to survive!).
(By the way, the existence of the female orgasm was only proven and recognised in the mid-1960s.)
AND, in the Medieval Era and during many, many centuries later, women(*) didn’t have any right. They were very often an object of negotiation and were forced to wed, by their father or elder brother, in order to gain capital or more power, or to restore peace. The women only had to obey.
(*) the women that are written in Medieval novels
I agree that the way to restore the trust of a sexually tortured woman isn’t by fucking her silly. We all know that now, but we also must realise that in the Middle Ages female satisfaction was unknown here and was therefore not sought after (in contrast to some Easter civilisations). The taks of a married woman was to give birth to children (and to survive!).
(By the way, the existence of the female orgasm was only proven and recognised in the mid-1960s.)
AND, in the Medieval Era and during many, many centuries later, women(*) didn’t have any right. They were very often an object of negotiation and were forced to wed, by their father or elder brother, in order to gain capital or more power, or to restore peace. The women only had to obey.
(*) the women that are written in Medieval novels
May 17, 2026
Sem diminuir a força histórica das justas, o volume de vilões, conspirações aliado aos traumas da protagonista, sua teimosia e ainda a maestria como se mete em problemas, e o quanto Mortsfryn nos brinda com inteligência, sagacidade, voluptuosidade e força torna a leitura um verdadeiro brinde ao período medieval e as justas. Me apaixonei e já quero reler!
April 14, 2021
Loved it
Not historically accurate, but who cares. It does give a flavour of some aspects of life and happily it had a intriguing underlying storyline with sensual overtones.
Not historically accurate, but who cares. It does give a flavour of some aspects of life and happily it had a intriguing underlying storyline with sensual overtones.
September 1, 2026
Heart stopping medieval romance. Eloise seeks to maintain her independence in a time when women are bargaining pawns. Alaun presents an option she hadn't considered. Spicy content. Enthralling read.
October 21, 2013
Classic Style Romance with Strong Main Characters. Desire's Prize is a medieval rather than Stephanie Lauren's normal Regencies. Thus, the pseudonym M.S. Laurens. The main characters in the story Alaun and Eloise are strong, confident characters.
The reader is first introduced to Alaun and Eloise at Eloise's marriage at the age of 15. Alaun is one of the wedding guests. During Eloise's short marriage, she is tormented, abused and degraded by her husband. After her husband's death, she spends the next nine years first living at a convent and then serving as chatelaine for her father's castle.
At a tournament that her father hosts, she meets Alaun, the Earl of Montisfryn. Alaun is instantly attracted to Eloise and quickly comes to admire her intelligence, strength and skills as a chatelaine. Being under the edict of the king to marry soon, Alaun decides that Eloise will do nicely as a wife. Eloise, haunted the her short marriage, has decided to never again marry and has rejected many suitors brought to her by her father. Alaun, determined to have Eloise, engages in a wager with her father over her person. If he wins the tournament, Eloise will be placed in his care as his chatelaine and run his castle.
That is where the story starts. I found the story very engaging. Until the last portion of the book there is not much action, but I found that I loved the slow courtship that Alaun and Eloise engage in. Laurens allows the characters to build up trust and caring between them. It makes the relationship more realistic and interesting.
The drama of the story mostly comes from Eloise's history and her fears. Alaun is a confident, caring man from the start. He respects Eloise and is not threatened by her intelligence, her sharp tongue or her strength. From the start, he is attracted to her because of these reasons and there is far more discussion of her personality and character than of her beauty.
Towards the end of the book, there is some drama caused by outside forces, but I truly appreciate a book where the characters are not ninnies wallowing in misunderstandings and weakness. These characters are strong and their relationship grows from that strength. Eloise's fears are present, but she deals with them with intelligence, rational thought and strength.
It should be obvious that I really like strong characters. Apparently, this story was written several years ago and is only now being published. The story and romance is more classic than many books I have read in the last several years.
I recommend this book and give it 4 stars.
Note on my ratings system:
5 stars (I only give 5 stars for books I have read multiple times and would read again and again -- a true keeper)
4 stars (4 stars is a book, I like a lot but lacks that extra special quality or a book I really love but have only read once)
3 stars (a decent book that I enjoyed at the time but probably wouldn't read again)
2 stars (book I couldn't finish or didn't like)
1 star (yuck)
The reader is first introduced to Alaun and Eloise at Eloise's marriage at the age of 15. Alaun is one of the wedding guests. During Eloise's short marriage, she is tormented, abused and degraded by her husband. After her husband's death, she spends the next nine years first living at a convent and then serving as chatelaine for her father's castle.
At a tournament that her father hosts, she meets Alaun, the Earl of Montisfryn. Alaun is instantly attracted to Eloise and quickly comes to admire her intelligence, strength and skills as a chatelaine. Being under the edict of the king to marry soon, Alaun decides that Eloise will do nicely as a wife. Eloise, haunted the her short marriage, has decided to never again marry and has rejected many suitors brought to her by her father. Alaun, determined to have Eloise, engages in a wager with her father over her person. If he wins the tournament, Eloise will be placed in his care as his chatelaine and run his castle.
That is where the story starts. I found the story very engaging. Until the last portion of the book there is not much action, but I found that I loved the slow courtship that Alaun and Eloise engage in. Laurens allows the characters to build up trust and caring between them. It makes the relationship more realistic and interesting.
The drama of the story mostly comes from Eloise's history and her fears. Alaun is a confident, caring man from the start. He respects Eloise and is not threatened by her intelligence, her sharp tongue or her strength. From the start, he is attracted to her because of these reasons and there is far more discussion of her personality and character than of her beauty.
Towards the end of the book, there is some drama caused by outside forces, but I truly appreciate a book where the characters are not ninnies wallowing in misunderstandings and weakness. These characters are strong and their relationship grows from that strength. Eloise's fears are present, but she deals with them with intelligence, rational thought and strength.
It should be obvious that I really like strong characters. Apparently, this story was written several years ago and is only now being published. The story and romance is more classic than many books I have read in the last several years.
I recommend this book and give it 4 stars.
Note on my ratings system:
5 stars (I only give 5 stars for books I have read multiple times and would read again and again -- a true keeper)
4 stars (4 stars is a book, I like a lot but lacks that extra special quality or a book I really love but have only read once)
3 stars (a decent book that I enjoyed at the time but probably wouldn't read again)
2 stars (book I couldn't finish or didn't like)
1 star (yuck)
March 21, 2014
This was my first Stephanie Laurens. I absolutely love Medieval romance and overall this was a good one. It is nice to see an author with such talent step outside of her comfort zone by trying a new genre. It's a great first effort. I loved the h/h! They were perfect for each other. Alaun was so understanding, protective and loving towards Eloise. Eloise is strong, practical, wary and sometimes a big too stubborn. I enjoyed seeing their love progress. Secondary characters were engaging but didn't overshadow the h/h (Roland was a favorite and I enjoyed the scenes with King Edward III). The descriptions of the castle and surroundings were amazing,I felt like I was there!
Audio Version: I only had two issues w/ the book: The overall length and # of sex scenes. 1) While I enjoyed the plot, the story was drawn out. The book could have been scaled down some and still achieved the the desired result. I love long books in general but not when it is full of fillers. This book was 15 hours long--about 5 hours more than needed IMO. Which brings me to issue #2, I love a good steamy romance more than anyone else and enjoy the sex scenes but I found myself ffwd'ing through scenes because there were so many and they were over long at times.
Despite those two issues I really enjoyed it. Overall I'd rate this about a 3.7'ish. If you love Medieval and/or Stephanie Laurens, give this one a try. I am slowly starting to get into Regency and Victorian and SL's books are high on my list to read. I say that because I don't want to give the impression that the two issues I had with the story would keep me from this author. I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style, she writes beautifully.
The narrator Jim McCabe was great, I enjoyed his accents and tones. He was perfect for the time setting.
Audio Version: I only had two issues w/ the book: The overall length and # of sex scenes. 1) While I enjoyed the plot, the story was drawn out. The book could have been scaled down some and still achieved the the desired result. I love long books in general but not when it is full of fillers. This book was 15 hours long--about 5 hours more than needed IMO. Which brings me to issue #2, I love a good steamy romance more than anyone else and enjoy the sex scenes but I found myself ffwd'ing through scenes because there were so many and they were over long at times.
Despite those two issues I really enjoyed it. Overall I'd rate this about a 3.7'ish. If you love Medieval and/or Stephanie Laurens, give this one a try. I am slowly starting to get into Regency and Victorian and SL's books are high on my list to read. I say that because I don't want to give the impression that the two issues I had with the story would keep me from this author. I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style, she writes beautifully.
The narrator Jim McCabe was great, I enjoyed his accents and tones. He was perfect for the time setting.
January 1, 2015
This is the first book I have read by Stephanie Laurens that is set in Medieval times. I have enjoyed, to varying degrees, her Cynster family novels.
I am of two minds with this book, which I purchased as an audiobook. The first is that I enjoyed all the characters and the way the way the H and h had a slowly deepening love for each other. Ms. Laurens is a master of clever dialogue and steamy, heartfelt bedroom scenes. My problem, as ever, is the seemingly unending roadblocks that are thrown at our couple. Truly, two instances of narrowly escaping death is plenty. Except for the epilogue, which is lovely, the last hour and a half were completely unnecessary. I knew the H and h were in love, they knew, and so did everyone at the castle. I have noticed this tendency in her Regency era books, but it seemed I could tolerate it less in this book.
I really enjoyed the performance of the audiobook and would listen to the performer again. He did an excellent job with female voices and differentiated very well with a great many male voices.
I will have to think hard about purchasing another book set in this timeframe by Ms. Laurens. The details in the book were well done and probably the reason I kept listening when I thought the book had become over long. B.
I am of two minds with this book, which I purchased as an audiobook. The first is that I enjoyed all the characters and the way the way the H and h had a slowly deepening love for each other. Ms. Laurens is a master of clever dialogue and steamy, heartfelt bedroom scenes. My problem, as ever, is the seemingly unending roadblocks that are thrown at our couple. Truly, two instances of narrowly escaping death is plenty. Except for the epilogue, which is lovely, the last hour and a half were completely unnecessary. I knew the H and h were in love, they knew, and so did everyone at the castle. I have noticed this tendency in her Regency era books, but it seemed I could tolerate it less in this book.
I really enjoyed the performance of the audiobook and would listen to the performer again. He did an excellent job with female voices and differentiated very well with a great many male voices.
I will have to think hard about purchasing another book set in this timeframe by Ms. Laurens. The details in the book were well done and probably the reason I kept listening when I thought the book had become over long. B.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to Read
October 21, 2013Read the excerpt of the prologue and ch. 1 on Laurens' website, was drawn in right away. Was intrigued by the characters, especially Eloise, dying to learn more about her and her bad marriage. I'm highly interested in reading the whole thing, but really, really would rather a print edition as I'm not real big on ebooks, 'specially not full paperback price for an ebook. What can I say, I like real books, especially of authors I collect. But, I'm keen to see how Laurens does the medieval period, what I've seen so far in the excerpt is good! Maybe I'll try and figure out if I can borrow this from the library or something because the author stated that at this point in time, it's ebook only with no plans for a print edition. (On a related side note, she also said that while books 2 and 3 of the Casebook of Barnaby Adair series will definitely have print editions, she can't guarantee that any future books by her will, due to the changing face of publishing, etc. Which that news is no good at all :( I definitely want the future Cynster books, etc to have print copies!)
*Edit! A print edition is now available on Amazon! I want!*
*Edit! A print edition is now available on Amazon! I want!*
December 7, 2013
I loved this book! This is the Stephanie Laurens writing style that I first feel in love with. Don't get me wrong - I like her new stuff - but this is classic. It is not as wordy and it is much steamier than her current work.
I read the authors note and see that this book was written between Captain Jacks Lady and Devils Bride (my personal favorite) and it has the protective/possessive hero/warrior with a strong yet feminine heroine.
Alaun the hero in the story reminds me of Devil - he sees Eloise and decides then and there that she and only she will be his wife. Eloise is a widow currently acting as her fathers chatelaine - I am not sure that I believe that in 1347 a widow had the right to decide if she was to remarry or not - but for the sake of the story I went with it.
Once Alaun makes a wager with Eloise's father to "win" her all bets are off and the fun begins
I hope Ms Laurens decides to write another medieval story - because this one was fantastic !
I read the authors note and see that this book was written between Captain Jacks Lady and Devils Bride (my personal favorite) and it has the protective/possessive hero/warrior with a strong yet feminine heroine.
Alaun the hero in the story reminds me of Devil - he sees Eloise and decides then and there that she and only she will be his wife. Eloise is a widow currently acting as her fathers chatelaine - I am not sure that I believe that in 1347 a widow had the right to decide if she was to remarry or not - but for the sake of the story I went with it.
Once Alaun makes a wager with Eloise's father to "win" her all bets are off and the fun begins
I hope Ms Laurens decides to write another medieval story - because this one was fantastic !
January 26, 2014
I wasn't sure if I would like this book, as I am not a fan of medieval or knight romance novels. I do, however, love Stephanie Laurens, and she did not disappoint in the book. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters and the book wasn't overburdened with "whilst", "tis", "thou" and all those medieval words other other authors like to put in novels to "transport us back to the realm of kings and knight's errant". I good read and would recommend it.
November 13, 2013
Enjoyable. Not terribly heavy historically, but there wasn't much to jolt me out of the story. (I just wish she'd quit using the word "fossicking".) It looks like it might have been a book she wrote between Captain Jack's Woman and Devil's Bride.
January 5, 2014
This was Stephanie Laurens, writing as MS Laurens, first medieval book and I thought it was excellent. There are strong characters, particularly the hero and heroine, and very interesting story lines that kept me turning the pages. I loved it!
May 9, 2014
MS Laurens does it again. I would to see more books from her in this time period. I have enjoyed all of her books and see the same threads in this. Independent heroine meets arrogant hero and bring each to their knees!
January 6, 2014
2.5 stars rounded up.
I'm not a fan of medieval historical romances, but read this one because of the author's other works.
I'm not a fan of medieval historical romances, but read this one because of the author's other works.
March 5, 2014
A little bit too long, but a very intriguing story. However, if my dad gambled me away like that I'd be angry a lot longer than the heroine was.
March 8, 2014
I enjoyed reading this book. I did though feel it was a bit long. I loved the story in the whole
March 11, 2014
Powerful. A true romance. Very strong characters, a lovely view of medieval life. I love all Ms. Laurens works, I am a huge Cynster fan. But this book is truly special.
April 20, 2014
3.25 stars
July 29, 2014
I love Stephanie Laurens. As usual, could not put it down.
June 6, 2015
Great
I enjoyed this book, it would be great if she could write more in the same period. I'm sure she can incorporate the Cynsters too as part of the family trre
I enjoyed this book, it would be great if she could write more in the same period. I'm sure she can incorporate the Cynsters too as part of the family trre
August 19, 2020
Thoroughly captivating. Couldn't put it down.
November 7, 2014
Would Love to read another Medieval after the Cynsters Next Generation
December 23, 2014
purchased audiobook on Audible website & it was fantastic!
November 2, 2018
The story was overally good. The ingredients - an alpha male, a reluctant bride to be, a villain, a weird family feud... and a happily ever after. It was fast paced enough so that I finished the book in 3 days. My copy of this book is a german translation
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