The Protector

Medievals #5

by Madeline Hunter

Historical Romance

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Medieval, Historical, Medieval Romance, Historical Fiction, Fiction

339 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Madeline Hunter is a nationally bestselling author of historical romances who lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons. Her books have won two RITA awards and seven nominations, and have had three starred reviews in Publishers Weekly. In a parallel existence to the one she enjoys as a novelist, Madeline has a Ph.D. in art history and teaches at an East Coast university.

Reviews

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reread this book almost exactly a year later, which for me is a shockingly brief gap and testament to how much Morvan does it for me, actually. He's still insanely domineering, but on this second go-around I was able to dredge up more sympathy for him, and appreciate his total devotion to Anna (who is still an excellent heroine). My only wish is that Anna weren't a noblewoman, so we could see his snobbishness from the previous book get taken down a peg.
_
This one has an AMAZING heroine.

Anna de Leon is a Breton noblewoman along the lines of Joan of Arc - a tall, strapping lass who rides out with her men in order to defend her home. She saves the life of Morvan, a Scottish knight who's obsessed with her from day one but is -

Okay, I was about to call him an arse of the first order, but to be honest, that would kind of do him a disservice. He's from the FOURTEENTH CENTURY, the fact he's not tripping over himself with glee at the thought of a woman with a sword is understandable. He's incredibly domineering, and I really did want to slap him many times, but when the chips are down he does seriously value Anna's happiness and proves it.

There's one scene where he forbids her to fight, but then makes sure he leaves her weapon in an accessible place in case she disobeys him, and honestly it just shows how well he knows her and doesn't want her hurt. Actually the whole book is about two very inflexible, alpha characters bending and finding some sort of compromise. Morvan has the advantage of being a man with all the social/economic power that entails, but Anna is no shrinking violet and he knows that. All in all it was a great romance.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book if you like strong, warrior type romance novel heroines. I thought that Ms. Hunter did a great job of showing Anna as a strong woman but not making the hero seem wimpy in comparison. Anna didn't have to back down and pretend she was 'less' somehow to be a worthy mate. Morvan is a man of his times, so it took him an adjustment period to get used to this strong, fighting woman who didn't want to sit in the solar and do needlework. She was basically running her keep and protecting her people by fighting on the battlefield, so of course, she wasn't going to turn into a sweet, retiring lady-wife type.

This book is fairly gritty in its descriptions of the plague and warfare. I prefer medievals that have this element because it is more realistic for the period. The medieval age was a fairly dark, violent time, where survival was never guaranteed. Reading a good medieval romance is like getting a history lesson but with a happy ending for me. Ms. Hunter has a way with words, and she really brought this period to life and has some very beautiful passages that touched my heart by the skill with which they were written. Although By Arrangement is still my favorite, I really enjoyed this for the unusual heroine that Ms. Hunter created in Anna.

[seton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even like medievals. The medieval I read before and after this one were both DNFs. However, The Protector grabbed me right from the beginning with the hero facing the spread of the Black Death. It was everything I could want in a medieval if I had to read one: meditative and gritty, political, and lots of action (there are at least 3 different battles shown in detail).

The hero was introduced in this very loose series in the 1st book - By Arrangement. I had been avoiding his story because he was, and still is, one of those super alphas who expects to steamroll everything and everyone in his way. His pairing with a woman warrior alpha female herself, who will probably make him want to pull his hair out for the rest of his days, went a long way toward making me enjoy their romance.

The only thing I did not like, and I decided this was a minor quibble because the focus was always on the romance since this was a romance novel, was that a subplot regarding the hero's patrimony was left dangling by the end of the book. It was finished in the next book - Lord of a Thousand Nights - which starts approximately seven years after Protector (with two new H/Hs).

Grade: A-

[Amarilli 73 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 - I sei romanzi di questa serie hanno in comune unicamente l'ambientazione medievale (per la precisione la metà del 1300, con al centro la lotta Francia-Inghilterra), ma per il resto sono tutti autonomi e leggibili in modo separato.
Lo preciso proprio perché, avendo poco apprezzato gli altri volumi che mi era capitato di leggere, devo fare invece una netta distinzione per questo: "The Protector" è un romanzo corposo ma solido, vibrante e con personaggi incisivi.

Lady Anna de Leon è una giovane castellana bretone; non si è mai sposata, anzi era già novizia in convento, ma i decessi dei parenti maschi e il pericolo di lasciare la rocca e la gente dei villaggi intorno alla mercé di altri vassalli francesi, invasori inglesi o predoni in genere, l'ha convinta a tornare e a prendere il comando.
Con l'unica assistenza di un prete e di un manipolo di guardie leali, Anna cavalca e combatte in armatura, dopo aver negato ogni dettaglio femminile che la può rendere vulnerabile e non accettata da alleati e nemici. Il suo caschetto da suora è rimasto tale sotto l'elmo, la sua generosità è stata temperata dalla freddezza di negoziare patti e successioni per il bene di chi si è affidato a lei in un mondo di guerra, stupri e saccheggi continui.

Ed è così che la incontra Morvan, al servizio del re d'Inghilterra, in fuga dal campo della battaglia e dal contagio della Peste Nera che si è aggiunta allo sfacelo dei territori.
Morvan è da principio sospettoso e critico per l'approccio della nobildonna, cerca di offrirsi come protettore, ma lo fa a suo modo, tentando di relegarla a una condizione di secondo piano. Lui è il cavaliere, lui comanda i soldati, lui difenderà il castello.
E invece Anna non ci sta.

Ho amato questa ragazza indomita, conscia di dover lottare il doppio degli altri, conscia che appena cederà un passo, la ricacceranno in convento o in cucina o a partorire figli senza possibilità di esprimere la propria opinione.
Semmai è Morvan che deve pian piano convincersi a rivedere i propri pregiudizi e ad adattarsi: ad esempio, proibendole di combattere in pubblico (per non perdere consensi), ma lasciandole le armi a disposizioni e aiutandola ad allenarsi, perché lei possa farcela da sola.

Una storia d'amore intensa, consigliata a chi predilige le eroine che vanno avanti per la loro strada, per quanto in modo coerente con i limiti della loro epoca.

[Celia {Hiatus until August} · Rating 5 out of 5]

•| ⊱✿⊰ |• 4,5 Stars •| ⊱✿⊰ |•

Morvan, não retorna a Inglaterra, após ajudar na salvação de David e a sua irmã Christiana.
E nesta altura é ele que necessita de ajuda, a peste está a provocar muitas baixas, a guerra tornou tudo caótico e é o "salve-se quem puder".
Anna é um anjo que aparece para o salvar, em todos os sentidos…

════ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ════ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ════ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ════ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ════

Morvan does not return to England, after helping to save David and his sister, Christiana.
And at this point he is the one who needs help, the plague is causing many casualties, the war has made everything chaotic, and it is “save yourself”.
Anna is an angel who appears to save him, in every way…

════ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ════ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ════ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ════ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ════

[Adeselna · Rating 2 out of 5]

SPOILERS ALERT:
This has EVERYTHING to be a great historical book, if the guy was not a pervert, whose only goal was to get in Anna's pants. The author had some great ideas, but to make it a "best-seller" she had to make everything so obvious... Anna de Leon is a great heroine - independent, she manages both sword and bow, she does not want to get married, because she knows that it will end her Independence. Unfortunately that means that she will have to give up her estate as well. I find it quite accurate when Morvan is portrayed as an authority guy, who doesn't want Anna to get hurt - let's face it, women in Medieval Ages did not struggle in battle or had any type of own will. The point that I find lacking of in the book is the fact that sex heals everything. I feel that Anna de Leon betrays herself with the end. Personally the only end I would write for this novel was suicide or her being locked in a tower. Yet that would not make it a "best-seller", but at least I wouldn't be turning my main char into an hypocrite.

[Jaqueline Miguel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mais um livrinho desta autora que finalmente pude ler! Adoro estes romances históricos com algum erotismo à mistura…
E aqui temos uma mulher ao poder! Anna é uma mulher guerreira que não hesita em passar por um soldado para defender a sua terra e os seus amigos e servos. Como presa a sua independência, não faz questão de se casar e menos ainda com Morvan, um homem habituado a comandar. Mas o amor troca-lhe as voltas…
Então, neste livro temos o ponto de vista dos dois protagonistas, o que nos faz compreender melhor toda a situação. É um livro bastante curto e lê-se de forma rápida.
Recomendado aos amantes do género, apesar de não ser o meu favorito da autora!

[Aou]

Dnf but probably it’s me, not the book!

[Darla · Rating 2 out of 5]

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS**** OMG! I didn't think I would ever get thru this book! It just seemed to drag and drag and DRAG some more! I hate having to say that, but it was true. Of all the books I have read thus far in the series THIS is the WORST one yet!!!!! Both our hero and heroine began to tick me off to the point I was in no rush to read the book, but just to be done with it! Morvan, for all his sex appeal and masculinity was an overbearing pain in my ass!!!!! I mean DAMMIT man! Ease up just a little and stop acting like such a freaking cave-man! WTF!!! Then there was Anna: this was the oldest young woman I had ever read about, she acted like she was a 50 year old widow, virgin widow on top of that!! "Oh boohoo, no man wants a woman that is tall and homely and plain and dresses in men's clothes and fights like me so I guess to avoid heartarch I will just join the Abbey and never dream of encountering a man that actually would.." GET OVER YOURSELF WOMAN! I would choke her if we were face to face!!! She was a total walking contradiction, oh so strong,the "lord" of her household who could lead her men in battle and maintain her holdings practically alone, but then totally weak in her opinions of herself and her value as a woman! That makes no sense how she was both of those women when they were polar opposites!! Morvan and Anna literally drove me crazy with the power tug-of-war going on between them, it was like damn, there is no real chemistry between them, attraction yes, but I felt like the connection between them was a weak one at best, they spent all their time trying to either make the other do what they wanted or to just get over on the other in their plans. UGH! The whole storyline between these two really was a pain in my ass!!!! The highlight was when we saw Morvan's sister Christiana and her husband David again, and this was almost the end of the book if that tells you anything. Then we were back to dull ass reading and praying that it would soon come to an end. Once we hit the end of the book, it was like a switch flipped and all of a sudden they were on the same page and realized they felt the same way and there was trust between them....after all the pointless in-fighting, they were in love!!! Pfft!!! The ending felt totally rushed like our author realized late in the game that our characters had been mentally duking it out for a majority of the book and it was time for them to fulfill their destiny together!!!! Having said that, I actually enjoyed the ending very much, just wish it didnt feel counterfeit. I'm just glad to be done with it, so I'm moving on to the last in the series. Phew!! Fingers crossed for an amazing comeback on the last installment!

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Protector - VG
Hunter, Madeline

Anna de Leon is like no other woman Morvan Fitzwaryn has ever met. She dresses like a man and fights alongside her troops to defend her people. Morvan is a landless knight, struggling to retain his honor as he leads a mercenary company through the political and social quagmire created in Brittany in the middle of the 14th century by a cruel combination of plague and war. From the first, the handsome English knight finds Anna a double temptation. He longs to win this fascinating woman's love -- and he knows that if he had her castle as a secure base, he could reclaim his father's lost estate. At first Anna is determined to make certain Morvan resists both temptations. She dreams of a time when she can return to the peace of the convent, because she knows that can only happen when she's certain that all those under her protection are safe. She has no wish to lose her freedom, or her land, to any husband...until Morvan convinces her to accept his protection against a fearsome threat outside her stronghold's walls. Rising star Madeline Hunter has created a beautiful medieval love story about a man and a woman equally matched in honor, passion, and devotion.

Books by Hunter tend to be a notch above other romance authors. I thought this one was very good.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️

[Susy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have now read 2 of Hunter's Medieval series, By Arrangement and The Protector. As with the first, I really liked this novel. Hunter does a very good job of recreating the medieval time period and not just as window dressing as happens in so many historical romances. No, Hunter's characters are products of their times right down to their inner struggles. That is one of the reasons I have enjoyed this series, but also the reason, I suspect that many other readers don't.

Morvan Fitzwaryn, the handsome, charismatic brother of Christiana from By Arrangement, is a landless knight who operates under a chivalric code, but he is Alpha Male- bossy, presumptuous, imperious, inflexible. He is cocksure of the necessity of his taking charge of the people around him, particularly the women. I think modern women readers may be put off by him and how relatively unbending he remains even to the end of the book.

I loved him.

Anna de Leon, de facto lord of the castle and warrior princess, is a highly unusual young woman who may claim to have been driven to act in man's world, but who actually has been blessed by circumstances to have an excuse to do so. She loves the activity, the challenge, the danger and especially the freedom.

Irresistible Force, meet Immovable Object.

In the hands of many if not most authors, this set-up would culminate with a nice set-down to the Alpha Male hero in a feminist-approved, Grrl-power sort of resolution. "Spunky heroine tames Evil Rake"--That sort of thing.

That doesn't happen here. There is giving and taking to make this relationship work, but true to the time period, most of the giving is borne by Anna. (If one can pit aside our cultural indoctrination, one can see and admit that Morvan's reasoning is correct, sad as it may be for Anna.)

Anyway, I really enjoyed Morvan's story and was pleased with the heroine Hunter created for him. The heat and passion between the two starts as early as page 10and never really lets up. This is a soul mates story. Morvan and Anna are not just two characters who fall in love; The Protector's hero and heroine are destined for each other,'and Hunter sells this from 30 pages into their story.

I enjoy Hunter's writing style, particularly her effective use of repetition and symmetry. Some examples of repetition: the phrases "It is done," "I would have you stay with me," and "it sounded a lot like a command." And this long one--

"Although Anna saw nothing of Morvan for several days, she heard about him. He was the main topic of conversation for the bored courtiers.
Especially among the women.
Everyone expressed interest in his adventures, and relief that he survived the plague.
Especially the women.
They all seemed very happy to have him with them again.
Especially the women.
Aye, any number of ladies were very excited that Morvan Fitzwaryn was back at court."

Hunter uses repetition throughout the book and makes both the narration and especially the dialogue seem natural and cohesive.

I appreciate that effort.

Definitely a 4.5

[belle ☆ﾐ (thisbellereadstoo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

actual rating: 2.5 stars

i might have a love-hate relationship with medieval romance. i liked some parts in this book while others, not so much. anna's stubbornness and independence are two things that i liked about her. for morvan, while i understand that he's being protective, his initial actions towards restricting her was icky. luckily though, he realized what he was doing to the anna he fell in love with. i don't particularly enjoy the setting but it might just be something different for me.

[Jena]

Self note
MCs are both Alphas.
I enjoy strong females (in personality), but I still want them to act and look like a female. If I want to read a romance about 2 guys, I'd just read a LGBTQ romance.

The h is a tall warrior (some reviews said homey and plain Jane? Then another review said she thinks shes ugly but shes a beauty), who's as strong as a male, in my mind I'm imaging a female version of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
She can use the sword as well as a male...yea sure, she must have massive manly arms- and lead the men ... *massive eye roll*

[Célia Loureiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

ENG

In this book, we have two strong charactered characters: Morvan and Anna de Léon. They're both strong and independent and when the plague threatens to take them both during war, they get connected by that almost-death experience. Now what I didn't like about the book is the fact that Morvan keeps trying to fasten Anna's freedom, for "her protection", that argument infuriates any woman with brains. And she, at times, allows it! Maybe I read it focusing on my 21st century, but if the characters were as open-minded as Madeline tried to make us believe about so many other things... why couldn't them behave like two PEOPLE in love, and not a “man” and a “woman”, therefore a man that must protect his woman and a woman who must be submitted to her man? I understand that this is a medieval novel, but please don’t shove it down my throat under the label “bigger love”. I consider it a poor reading. The historical element saves it from a lower rate.
------------
PT

Neste livro temos duas personagens de carácter marcado: Morvan e Anna de Léon. São ambos fortes e independentes, e quando a peste negra ameaça tomá-los durante a guerra, os dois ficam ligados por uma situação de quase morte. O que não gostei no livro foi o facto de o Morvan procurar constantemente cingir a liberdade da Anna, “para sua protecção”. Esse argumento enfurece qualquer mulher com cérebro. E, tantas vezes, ela acaba por ceder!
Talvez me esteja a focar demasiado no século XXI, mas se as personagens fossem tão mente-aberta quanto a autora nos tenta fazer crer, sobre tantos outros assuntos, porque não podiam comportar-se como duas pessoas apaixonadas, e não um “homem” e uma “mulher”, logo um homem que deve proteger a mulher e uma mulher que deve submeter-se ao homem? Entendo que estejamos a falar de um enredo medieval, mas não mo venda sob o rótulo de “grande amor”. Considero uma leitura fraca, e apenas o elemento histórico o salva de uma nota pior.

[☮ mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let Me start by saying what an awfuL cover for such a fantastic book !! Please do not let that discourage you from reading it ...

As far as Medieval romances are concerned "THE PROTECTOR" portrays one of the best Hero you can find out there !! He is only second best to another of Madeline Hunter's protagonist ADDIS DE VALENCE in "By Possession"!!

Morvan Fitzwaryn is everything you want and expect in a Knight, honorable, strong, smart and of course handsome ;) We learn of his sacrifices and his burning desire to reclaim his family's birth rights and lands... He meets an unusual lady who defies medieval conventions and shatters the walls of this jaded cold-hearted warrior !!!

I cannot express precisely how beautiful and original this romance really is, you need to experience it first hand ... Madeline Hunter is more often than not a miss or hit author who can weave the most memorable tale as well as crafting dull and washed out stories ... THIS ONE is a jewel you should try it at once !! The historical background of Brittany is a great glimpse into the chaotic times where females had to become extraordinary to survive those circumstances ... you will learn and enjoy Anna de Leon and her protector's Journey of love and friendship...

[Maureen]

Books I Own.
******************************************************************************
Review I Liked: I don't even like medievals. The medieval I read before and after this one were both DNFs. However, The Protector grabbed me right from the beginning with the hero facing the spread of the Black Death. It was everything I could want in a medieval if I had to read one: meditative and gritty, political, and lots of action (there are at least 3 different battles shown in detail).

The hero was introduced in this very loose series in the 1st book - By Arrangement. I had been avoiding his story because he was, and still is, one of those super alphas who expects to steamroll everything and everyone in his way. His pairing with a woman warrior alpha female herself, who will probably make him want to pull his hair out for the rest of his days, went a long way toward making me enjoy their romance.

The only thing I did not like, and I decided this was a minor quibble because the focus was always on the romance since this was a romance novel, was that a subplot regarding the hero's patrimony was left dangling by the end of the book. It was finished in the next book - Lord of a Thousand Nights - which starts approximately seven years after Protector (with two new H/Hs).

[Dina Batista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muitas vezes neste tipo de livros, passamos a maior parte do livro a ler acerca dos encontros eróticos das personagens até não podermos mais, mas nesta historia (claro que existem esses encontros) não são a única coisa a acontecer, tem mais enredo o que tornou a historia mais interessante. A relação dos personagens principais Morvan e Anna é bastante complexa, com a rebeldia de Anna (muito moderna para o seu tempo) e com Morvan constantemente a tentar controla-la (compreendo que era assim naquela época, mas para uma mulher do séc. XXI, as vezes as suas atitudes de macho irritavam-me solenemente), ainda tivemos direito a um pouco de Historia dessa época, guerra entre a França e Inglaterra, traição de amigos, batalhas, peste negra, corte inglesa (o horror para mim, de um rei ter o direito de controlar a vida de uma mulher ao ponto de mandar com quem deve casar, prendê-la se lhe convém mais, tudo pelo bem de uma coroa). O enredo segue sempre a passos, sem muitas partes mortas, sempre algo a acontecer para nos manter interessados até chegarmos ao fim. Confesso que gostei muito da ultima batalha, foi muito interessante e criativa.
Uma boa leitura de fim-de-semana.

[Gabriella Zuccarello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna viene considerata dalla sua gente alla stregua di una santa, ma la prima volta che Morvan la vede lei indossa un’armatura ed è armata. Lui ha fatto per buona parte della vita, vita di corte ed è abituato a dolci castellane.
Lei gli salverà la vita diverse volte e non sempre semplicemente curando le sue ferite. Riuscirà lui a farsene una ragione?

Lettura molto scorrevole, ben scritto e lei sicuramente non è la classica castellana che dirige una magione occupandosi di dirigere una casa, lei è tosta e dire che fa diventare gli attributi blu a Morvan è dir poco. Naturalmente non posso che dire che il libro mi è piaciuto, mi sono piaciuti tutti i personaggi e lui... assolutamente perfetto!
La fine? Assolutamente epica! :D

[Ermione · Rating 3 out of 5]

Che noooiaaa... Ancora non so come e perché sono arrivata alla fine.
3 stelline solo perché non è scritto male.

[Maria Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

O Protetor de Madeleine Hunter é um romance bastante leve e agradável. Tal como verifiquei em outros romances da autora, esta pretende retratar dois poderes distintos: o poder de uma mulher livre, e o desejo de um homem a subjugar. A autora procura uma época histórica, onde a subjugação seja evidente, e cria uma heroína.

Anna de Leon é essa heroína. Numa altura assolada pela vinda da peste na Bretanha (condado independente no norte da França), Anna recebe nas suas propriedades todos os enfermos e cuida deles com zelo e devoção. Tendo sido destinada a uma vida eclesiástica, é nas suas propriedades que desempenha o seu papel como Senhora das terras, criação de cavalos, e arqueira e protetora de La Rocher. Ignorante quanto aos homens, os seus desejos e motivações, vive simplesmente e da forma mais humilde, partilhando com os seus soldados as montadas, os arcos, as cotas de malha, e o mais importante de tudo as calças.

Morvan é resgatado e tratado da peste por Anna. Desde o início que afirma o seu desejo pela jovem e bela mulher. A sua ingenuidade convencem-lhe o coração. Após recuperar, e sucessivas aproximações a Anna, este é destacado para ir com ela a Inglaterra reivindicar terras e direitos. Não sendo reconhecidos tais direitos a uma mulher solteira, Morvan apresenta-se como pretendente para o casamento com Anna de Leon.

Achei O Protetor uma leitura bastante prática e sem demoras. Romances que focam o papel da mulher e demonstram a vontade da sua independência nunca são demais. Segue o mesmo esquema dos outros livros da autora.

O única parte que me marcou pela negativa é o excessivo machismo concedido a Morvan. Sempre a ideia presente de um desejo sexual incontrolável por ele, por vezes mostra-se “chatinho” e “desesperado”.

[Jules2016 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a mixed bag for me. While I love me some woman warrior, which is our heroine in the story, I do not like the rich heiress/impoverished and landless hero trope, which we also have in the story.

What we have here is a rich retelling of life during the time of the plague. The heroine's father and brother have died so she has left the abbey where she was planning to take The vows to become a nun.

She returns home to take charge of her family castle and vast the estates. In this new role she also leads the few knight who remain in defense of the castle. She is an excellent archer, swordswoman and leader.

The hero comes upon her estate looking for refuge with his squire who is suffering from the plague. Since she has already been infected and survived she is now immune and takes care of the Squire, who eventually dies and the hero who is also beset by the plague but recovers.

The Majority of the story is focused on the heroine's childhood betrothed, whom she had rejected because he tried to rape her, trying to take her as his bride so he can get her wealth and land.

When she goes to court to appeal to the king suggesting a solution to this problem, instead, the king decrees that she should marry the hero.

The H/h butt heads constantly over what the role of a lady should be in a marriage. As you can probably guess he wants her supervising the household staff, which she does not find appealing at all. So she is rebellious and uncooperative.

While the hero has loved her from the start she takes a while to come around to his side. Eventually, there is a lovely romance with some sexy times.

A really good read if you like A side of history with your romance.

[RyReads]

SOOOO I thought this would be a timely read-- we're following two knights in the 1300s, Morvan and Anna, who both are dealing with the plague. When Morvan is exposed, Anna takes him to her castle where she will nurse him during his 10-day quarantine.

...sadly, I'm 40 pages in, and I cannot stand the male character.

From consistently assuming how she feels
"She didn't smile often these days. He just knew that."



To this line...
"When the angels visit you next time, you must demand that I get full credit for my restraint."

Which is said mere HOURS after meeting Anna for the first time, and after kissing Anna twice since then.
She should be grateful that you're not forcing yourself on her? Better question: I should find this romantic?

Due to my strong dislike towards the male character already, and my lack of success with my other Madeline Hunter book, this is a big DNF.

[Mariana · Rating 1 out of 5]

This. Was. So. Bad.
This is not historical fiction, as I thought it was when I innocently bought it years and years ago.
The translation is not bad - I can tell it's the original story that is sloppy and 100% focused on the erotic aspect instead of developing and actual plot.
The descriptions and "erotic" are almost always borderline sexist,like calling a women that doesn't feel sexual desire and prefers to go to battle as acting as a men, and having the male protagonist almost approaching her first while she is CLEARLY unconfortable.

I wanted a fast read and had had it for so long on my shelves that I picked it up, but as soon as the semester started and I had to read my mandatory readings I completely, and happily, closed this book.

There's much better romantic novels and there's MUCH BETTER historical fiction.
D.N.F.

[Ashleighloveland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Hunter's best. Didn't like the characters much, her hero just too dominating and manly, and the jealousy and protecting, got old and annoying, granted, it's historical and it's call the protector, all that, and he comes around, but he was really kinda a jerk. And she, she was supposed to be in denial, but come on, there's denial and stupidity. And she being rebellious, and there's rebellious and then there's stupidity. So much of these problems could have been worked out with one honest conversation between two intellegent people.

Still better than most romance novels, however, because Hunter is just that good.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall an enjoyable book. I read this in two sittings. However, I'm a big fan of more descriptive writing, and I felt that I wasn't getting enough of the story to fully enjoy everything. I liked the couples romance, but certain scenes (the Princess Isabella's party for ex) moved too quickly! I kept thinking ok...and....? And we're on to the next day! This habit also continues into the romantic scenes, where at first we are told everything and then later on it just becomes: "...and then we kissed. The next morning..."

and then finally by the end when you're happy they're so happy all you get is: "and we made love that night."

I mean come on.

[Ushmi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was bored to death
It took me ages to finish this
God How much I was tempted to dnf it. But i thought lately I'm doing it a lot, so I should give a try.

Lol! My son , your daughter... Really!!! 😤😤 Prejudiced people
I can't.. just can't like the h. And I just totally disliked the H. 🤮

Story was also boring.
Oh yeah. The writing is not totally my thing.
And it was not a strong woman story. It was about a woman who like take order from her husband while she was the owner of the kingdom 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Amanda Mc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna de Leon & Morvan Fitzwaren. Brittany England/France. Anna is warrior-saint set for convent but currently protecting her home/castle. Everyone's dead in the plague. She finds Movan who then gets the plague but survives it. Kind Edward makes her marry. She semi-chooses Morvan. They have to figure out how to allow her to keep her wild spirit while still letting him rule the land. Good. Same theme as seen before. Standard Hunter. Nice Characters. nothing too annoying. B+/A-

[Dion Ribeiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apesar de saber que Madeline Hunter é bastante apreciada, só agora tive a minha estreia com a autora e devo dizer que fiquei feliz por ter mais livros da sua autoria a aguardar leitura na minha biblioteca.
Adoro romances medievais e gostei muito de Anna de Leon, pela sua personalidade forte e independente, por ser destemida e rebelde. E o seu romance com Morvan, apesar das peripécias, foi romântico e encantador! :)

[Carolyn F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure whether I would like this book when I first started it, but I ended up liking it a lot. Anna had changed from an ugly duckling to a swan and wouldn't believe anyone who told her so. This ends up causing her to think anyone who tells her she's beautiful is a liar including Morvan. The ending was good. I would recommend this book.