Of One Heart (St. Briac Novel #2): Special Author's Cut Edition

Crowns & Kilts #2

by Cynthia Wright

Special Author's Cut Edition Originally Published by Ballantine Books as A BATTLE FOR LOVE Readers say: "The perfect medieval read... sweet, funny, touching, and romantic!" "The book that hooked me on romances!" When the reckless Marquess of Sandhurst is forced by King Henry VIII into an arranged marriage with a young French widow, he conceives a bold masquerade to outwit the king. Disguised as a humble portrait painter, Sandhurst travels to the French court to have a look at his would-be bride. Micheline Tevoulere has agreed to marry an unseen English nobleman because she has given up on love. Yet, when she sits for a portrait by a dashing artist with tender eyes, her heart begins to thaw. As passion blooms, Sandhurst refuses to reveal his true identity unless Micheline renounces her betrothal to the wealthy and powerful Marquess of Sandhurst... even though he is his own rival! In this magical novel of love and renewal, Cynthia Wright illuminates the world of Tudor England and France. "Cynthia Wright is back! Are you in for a great read!" Catherine Coulter, New York Times Bestselling Author

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical, Audiobook, Chick Lit, 16th Century

ebook

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Cynthia Wright is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, best known for her Rakes & Rebels series, 16 intertwining historical romances starring the irresistible Raveneau & Beauvisage families. Her other acclaimed series are Crowns & Kilts and Rogues Go West. Romantic Times Magazine hails Cynthia's novels as "Romance the way it was meant to be."

Cynthia lives in northern California. She enjoys riding a tandem bike and taking road trips in an airstream trailer with her Colombian-born husband, Alvaro & their corgi, Watson. She is also devoted to her two teenage grandsons who live nearby.

You are invited to visit Cynthia's website (where you can sign up for her newsletter and peruse the Books Page):
http://cynthiawrightauthor.com/

You are invited to join Cynthia's private Facebook reader group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/98606...

View her "Behind the Books" boards on Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/cynthiawright77/

RAKES & REBELS: The Raveneau Family series:
1 - SILVER STORM (André & Devon)
2 - HER HUSBAND, THE RAKE: a sequel novella (André & Devon)
3 - SMUGGLER'S MOON (Sebastian & Julia)
4 - THE SECRET OF LOVE (Gabriel & Isabella)
5 - SURRENDER THE STARS (Ryan & Lindsay)
6 - HIS MAKE-BELIEVE BRIDE (Justin & Mouette)
7 - HER IMPOSSIBLE HUSBAND (Justin & Mouette)
8 - HER SECRET ROGUE (Anthony & Frederica)
9 - HIS FIERY ANGEL (Benedict & Camille)
10 - HIS RECKLESS BARGAIN (Nathan & Adrienne)
11 - TEMPEST (Adam & Cathy)

RAKES & REBELS: The Raveneau Family intertwines with RAKES & REBELS: The Beauvisage Family series:
1 - STOLEN BY A PIRATE: a prequel novella to RESCUED BY A ROGUE (Jean-Philippe & Antonia)
2 -RESCUED BY A ROGUE (Alec & Caro)
3 - TOUCH THE SUN (Lion & Meagan)
4 - SPRING FIRES (Nicholai & Lisette)
5 - HER DANGEROUS VISCOUNT (Grey & Natalya)

CROWNS & KILTS: The St. Briac Family
1 - YOU & NO OTHER (Thomas & Aimee)
2 - OF ONE HEART (Andrew & Micheline)
3 - ABDUCTED AT THE ALTAR (Christophe & Fiona)
4 - RETURN OF THE LOST BRIDE (Ciaran & Violette)
5 - QUEST OF THE HIGHLANDER (Lennox & Nora)

ROGUES GO WEST
1 - BRIGHTER THAN GOLD (Jack & Katie)
2 - IN A RENEGADE'S EMBRACE (Fox & Maddie)
3 - THE DUKE & THE COWGIRL (Geoff & Shelby)
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Reviews

[Caz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review from 2017

I've given this a B+ for narration and a C- for content at AudioGals, so I reckon that's 3.5 stars overall.

Of One Heart (originally titled A Battle for Love) is the second in Cynthia Wright’s St. Briac series and was originally published in 1986. It’s set in Paris and London in 1532/3 and charts the romance between an English Marquess and the beautiful young French widow he is ordered to marry, sight unseen. I am a big fan of the arranged marriage trope, and given I’m a bit of a Francophile to boot, I thought I’d find much here to enjoy. Sadly, however, I found a dull story that is stretched out for far too long, a couple of cardboard cut-out protagonists, a romance that isn’t particularly romantic and an ending so ridiculous that I couldn’t wait for it to be over. It’s largely thanks to the engaging performance by Tim Campbell that I was able to make it to the end without falling asleep.

Beautiful widow, Micheline de Tevoulaire, was inconsolable after the death of the husband she adored until she overhears some fellow courtiers discussing his womanising ways. Micheline is devastated to learn of this – she and Bernard had grown up together and she thought she knew him – and decides that love is a lie and that she is done with it. So when King François announces that she is to be sent to England to marry to the Marquess of Sandhurst, she agrees without protest. She’s never going to fall in love again so what does it matter whom she marries?

When Andrew Weston, Marquess of Sandhurst is informed by his father, the Duke of Aylesbury, that a marriage has been arranged between him and an unknown Frenchwoman, Sandhurst is not pleased. He and his father do not see eye-to-eye and it’s almost a matter of principle for Sandhurst to go against his father’s wishes, but with King Henry in favour of the match, it’s difficult for him to refuse. But he’s resolved to make his own choice, so he decides to go to the French court disguised as a lowly painter of portraits named Andrew Selkirk with a view to getting sight of his prospective bride before he makes his mind up one way of the other.

Fortunately, Sandhurst is a skilled artist. Lucky, that.

What we have here is a ‘hero-in-disguise’ romance, where the heroine doesn’t know the true identity of the hero while he knows who she is. Sandhurst is naturally delighted to discover that his would-be-betrothed is a very lovely young woman, and given that his first commission from King François is to paint her portrait, the pair are afforded plenty of time to get to know one another. Yet there is no sense that here are two people falling in love; we’re told rather than shown, the ILYs come almost out of the blue, and well before the halfway point in the book, so I was left wondering what on earth the remaining five hours would be about.

Not much, as it turned out.

The book moves at what I will charitably call a ‘leisurely pace’ anyway, but once Sandhurst and Micheline are in luuurve and in England preparing to marry, things grind almost to a halt and we are immersed in the minutiae of everyday life at King Henry’s court – down to the colours of doublet and trimming Sandhurst or the King are wearing and what Micheline feeds her horse. There are a few smallish hiccups along the path of Twu Wuv – the two-dimensional, evil former mistress, for example – although fortunately these aren’t allowed to drag on (if only the rest of the book hadn’t been allowed to do the same!), but otherwise all that happens is Andrew and Micheline mooning over each other and Micheline being repeatedly snubbed by practically everyone she meets. I started feeling sorry for the poor woman – wasn’t she ever going to be allowed to have even ONE friend in England?!

Around three-quarters of the way through, the author picks up a plotline for which she laid the foundation in the first half, namely that of a threat against Micheline’s life. She received an unpleasant note, which was followed at intervals by a couple of “accidents”, until finally, the baddie – the identity of whom is obvious from the beginning – concocts a plan to dispose of both Micheline and Sandhurst separately and in ways that (he hopes) will not call down suspicion on him. While there is perhaps a grain of plausibility in the scheme to get rid of Sandhurst, the rest is just silly.

Tim Campbell is recording quite a lot of historical romance these days, and I’m listening to him more frequently and generally enjoying his performances. He’s a talented narrator and vocal actor who delivers the narrative at a good pace and is able to imbue the dialogue with the right amount of expression and nuance. His character differentiation is excellent, and so are his female voices – they’re never too highly pitched and there is no hint of falsetto. His French-accented English is also very good – I am particularly fond of his interpretation of Gabriel St. Briac in this author’s  The Secret of Love  – and here he applies a French accent successfully and consistently to Micheline and other members of the French court. His interpretation of Sandhurst presents him as everything a romantic hero should be – attractive, authoritative and devoted to his lady, and while I’ve been critical of his English accent on several occasions – it’s very good but was marred by a number of consistent mispronunciations – I’m pleased to note that they have almost all been eliminated.

Unfortunately however, the material Mr. Campbell has been given to work with here is poor and even his strong performance isn’t enough to turn an essentially dull, uneventful story into something I can recommend.

[pinK · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a soft spot for historical romance, so this was a pleasant read for me. Sandhurst and Michelina are both very well developed characters, but I do admit there were definitely lulls in this read.

This book was made up of four different parts. The first was excellently written (well, technically they were all excellently written, but the first part stood out to me). I found the last part of the book to be exciting and quick to read. The middle? I wasn't as fond of. It seemed like the length of the book was not really congruent with the amount of story. The middle was just very drawn out and didn't seem to really be necessary to the movement of the plot.

I still enjoyed the book. I had a fun time reading it, it just didn't always hold my attention as much as I would have liked it to.

[Carol Storm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the warmest and most rewarding Medieval romance novels I have ever read! Micheline is not the usual perky heroine Cynthia Wright usually serves up. She's a widow, quietly strong, deeply wounded by her late husband's many betrayals. But when she meets the English nobleman she's been ordered to wed, he awakens the passionate woman within!

[Mireille Duval · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank god I am finally done with this book. Wasn't it so very very long? I would have cut at least a third.

All right, before I start on the litany of criticisms, two things biased me against this book, and I feel I must disclose them before you think I'm just ragging on that poor author: I bought this book in a boxet of "marriage of convenience" books, and though the characters are supposed to get married for convenience, they actually fall in love before that, with one of the parties not even knowing that this is her fiancé. So, no catnip trope for me. And secondly, I'm just not that big of a fan of historical romances. Really, I should have just stopped the book at the beginning, but I'm a compulsive finisher.

The hardest thing for me to get over was how the heroine was introduced. She was naive, sad all the time, and just didn't seem that bright, since she was fooled by her husband for so very long. We were constantly told how beautiful and smart she was, but never really shown it. The hero was better at first - I can always get behind a good rake - but then he caused incredible pain to the heroine by not revealing his true identity to her, and it just made him seem dickish, and I couldn't get over it (at a later trial in their relationship, I could have screamed to him - of course she doesn't trust you!!! you lied to her from the beginning!!).

I was also annoyed by how François I mooned over Micheline, and Anne Boleyn over Sandhurst. It just seemed a little convenient. Really, a lot of historical name-dropping I could have done without. There was also a little too much of the previous book's couple (which I hadn't read). And finally, yeah, the book went on forever. Every time I thought it was done, another part started. It could have ended with them off to England to get married.

(I always feel bad when I leave such reviews on goodreads! But I spent a lot of time reading this book and I had a lot of thoughts! I'm sure some people will enjoy this book much more than I did!)

[Cozen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had a great start. I followed it easily, but after the first part the second and third became a bore. The four parts picked up just fine but the two in the middle left me just starved for something else. I loved the heroine and the hero was fair too. The story became sappy though and I felt the hero lost some of that spark after the first part. There was no comic relief. I wanted Anne d'Heill to get some punishment for her hand in the scheme. Sex scenes were dull, brief, and fair but hardly any sizzle. I almost expected to find this level of writing to be on the line of a YA book. Overall, I give it a 3 Meh rating. It defiantly drag on too long to make it a great find.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading as part of the Lords of the Isles boxed set by Kathryn Le Veque, et al.

When I read the premise for this book, I didn't think I would like it very much. Was I wrong! I enjoyed it so much that as soon as I finished it as part of this boxed set, I immediately purchased the first book in this two-book series. Looking forward to reading that book as well.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that I keep returning to over and over again, simply because it is so wonderful. It has the perfect mix of romance and intrigue, and it's all set during the reign of Henry VIII which is one of my favourite periods in history, so for me, this book is perfection.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the first book in this series. This one fell flat. I never understood why the H & h fell in love. It happened too quickly, there was no chemistry, and the rest of the book was boring. :-(

[Ruthie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me quite awhile to find this book on Goodreads. The title I read it under was "Of Pne Heart".

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a favorite. Everyone was "clad" in something while exclaiming!

Tough read to finish, which is very sad b/c I usually enjoy Cynthia Wright.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh sweet Jesus.
Michelene is married to Bernard, an awful cheating asshole who's banging a married woman. His mistress's husband finds out, and manages to kill Bernard during a lancing "accident." Good times.
Michelene, who thinks her husband was the best thing ever, is devastated. Her best friend Aimee invites her to go to the French court to take her mind off things, and Michelene agrees. While there she draws the eye of the French king, whose mistress Anne is super jealous. Anne manages to talk King Henry VIII into arranging a marriage between Michelene and a playboy English lord, Andrew, son of a duke.
Andrew's not down for that, though, so he and his friend Jeremy head to France to check out the woman Andrew's being forced to marry. He poses as a portrait painter with little means, and Francoise asks Andrew to paint Michelene. Of course Michelene is attracted to him, but she's also found out that her dead husband was an asshole and her heart is broken and she never wants to love again. Anne arranges for the two of them to be snowbound in a cabin for a night, and... well yeah, of course they have sex, duh.
Michelene is still reluctant to give in to her feelings, and also someone's FUCKING TRYING TO KILL HER. Someone poisons her and she's crazy woozy and when Andrew asks if she loves him, Michelene babbles some nonsense and he's like "fuck this, back to England." Then she realizes she loves him and follows him to Paris, where he's staying for the night, and waits for him in his bed, naked, as you do.
So, hooray, Michelene and Andrew are in love. Except Michelene doesn't know Andrew is her arranged marriage partner. She finds that out, and that Andrew has a mistress, Iris, whom he completely abandons in favor of Michelene. Andrew also has a jackass sniveling half-brother and wife, and a little sister. Said little sister is insanely jealous of Michelene.
Anyway. So Michelene gets pregnant and the half-brother and wife are trying to kill Michelene and Andrew so the evil half-brother will inherit. Michelene just dismisses all the murder attempts until her half sister in law FUCKING DRUGS HER AND THEN SETS FIRE TO HER EFFING BED. She's saved by the (full) sister in law, who finally feels bad for all her teen angst bullshit and actually kills the evil half sister in law. Good times.
So, yeah. Michelene saves Andrew (jackass half brother managed to have Andrew thrown in the Tower for treason/attempting to seduce Anne Boleyn) and hooray, happily ever after.

[AnnMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of One Heart is the second book in the St. Briac series by Cynthia Wright.

Michelene Tevoulere is a French widow who is in attendance at the court of French King Francois the 1st. She isn't looking for love, but many men, not least the King, find her attractive and wouldn't mind a dalliance with her. King Francois' mistress feels threatened by Michelene and comes up with a plan to remove her from France and from tempting the King. The plot involves King Henry the 8th arranging for an English nobleman to marry Michelene.

Andrew, Earl of Sandhurst is that nobleman. He is estranged from his father but is content with his lot. He even enjoys a dalliance with another man's wife. His father is involved in the decision with King Henry to order Sandhurst to marry Michelene. Andrew won't even entertain the idea unless he gets a look at Michelene first, and makes plans to go to the French court under the guise of Andrew Selkirk, an artist.

This is a very long book and I don't want to write any spoilers with regards to what happens between Sandhurst and Michelene. What I will say is that their story is wonderous to read. Not only do we enjoy reading their relationship develop, but there is so much going on, plot twists, backstabbing, and such diverse characters. It all takes part in such beautiful opulent settings. The descriptions of the royal courts, the people in them, the clothes, it was all so vivid and made visualising the story easy. I loved reading the historical facts especially involving King Henry the 8th. This whole book was a pleasure to read, and I can't recommend it enough. If you get a chance to listen to the audiobook of this narrated by Tim Campbell please take it! He brings life to Cynthia Wright's words wonderfully.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened to this on Audible. The narration was good, the story moved along. It was slow in the beginning. Picks up some in the middle. Overall, I found myself skipping forward a lot. There really was not any suspense. The mystery of 'who is the villain' was (IMO) predictable. I also have a hard time with characters who keep secrets or argue and don't actually vet out the real issue. The argument at the end of the book was a mechanism to move the plot forward. The hero's response to the argument did not seem believable. I also felt the hero's sister's behavior was extremely juvenile for a 14 year old during this time period. It would have fit better to a much younger character. For me, the story was OK.

[Libby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Part of a Marriage of Convenience boxed set. This is an oldie - originally published in 1986. Too old school for my taste. We are told ad nauseam how beautiful and intelligent the heroine is and yet, she does nothing other than mope, be sad, be fooled, and despair. The hero carries on a 4 year affair with a married woman, is so immature he thinks nothing of his responsibilities as an aristocrat, and is basically a whiny, lying jerk. Don't care for either. And that's the plot. She's stupid but beautiful, he's an ass but beautiful. BORING?

[Jill Fetch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book directly after, "You and No Other". I might have given it five stars had I read it first, but coming after Aimee and St. Briac, the book paled. I loved that Aimee and St. Briac had large roles in this book as secondary characters. I liked Sandhurst and I understood his reasoning in his deception. Micheline was a bit hard for me to like. I thought she lacked backbone and tended to wallow in self-pity. The story was well written and enticing, but I would have preferred a fiercer heroine.

[Judy Struck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great adventure of intrigue in France and England

I have been to a England 6 times, twice in the North in Bolton and Chorley. Once to Liverpool, but other times on a stitchery tour of England with private showings of 16th century stitchery at the V&A, and private homes , and another to Hampton Court, where the Royal School of Needlework is headquartered. (I do reproductions of that type of work). The descriptions of Hampton Court are exquisite. I particularly remember the grounds, the kitchens and the tennis court... All referenced in the novel. Bravo!

[Crystal Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming Story

Micheline was heartbroken after hearing that her dead husband Bernard who was killed in a jousting event by a man whose wife Bernard had layed with as well as others at court. She was unwilling to give her heart to anyone else.

Andrew Marquess of Sandhurst was told by Henry the king of England that his marriage was arranged with Micheline Tevoulere of France. Andrew was not happy and wanted to know more of Micheline so he constructs a plan with his friend to go to France.

A wonderful story!

[JackEllena · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely wonderful historical romance!

A delightful humorous romantic novel. Wonderful is the love that developed. The evil undercurrents slowly became apparent. Well hidden the crime suddenly threatens to destroy the family, but love and courage saves the wonderful couple, thank you, Jack.

[John Boles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of One Heart

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this story. This book was filled with suspense , intrigue and love. I find that I like stories about that period of time in England or Scotland. The way this story came together reached out to me. I would recommend this book to anyone.

[Patricia Schuette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author always writes the best stories

The Marquees of Sandhurst has been ordered to marry a French widow by King Henry VIII sight unseen. He goes to France disguised as an artist to see what she is like and is very surprised.

[EILEEN ROTH · Rating 4 out of 5]

bon mot…sweet and enticing.

Wonderful characters with a wonderful story to tell. Happy endings, and a little intrigue. Make a good reading. Thank you for the comfortable easy reading.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of One Heart ( Crowns & Kilts Book 2)

King Henry and Sandhurst’s father chose a wife for him. Going to France as an artist to see what the lass looked like and paint her. They did fall in love. After marriage Sandhurst’s in laws tried to kill them.

[Holly Lenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of One Heart is an entertaining period romance about a rake of a marquess who pretends to be a painter in order to meet his betrothed, a heart broken widow. The man is a bit of a cad, but it’s a fun story. Contains sex scenes so reader discretion is advised.

[Christine Loder · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I need to say is when is the next book in the series coming out?

[Freda · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always Cynthia Wright writes a brilliant story. I've read every book she's written I think and I've never been disappointed.

[Su M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read all of the series!

[Wilson Delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book!

I am loving the St. Briac books! This second book was full of adventure, betrayal and passion! It kept me on the edge of my seat till the very end. Highly recommended to be read! I am loving this author's style of writing. Now to start book 3!

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read

There is alot of action and intrigue involving several bad people. Still all the deception worked out in the end

[Kathern Wisniewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

One heart

I am enjoying the series of crowns and kilts, I have read 2 books in 3 days. The stories heated passion along with mystery and suspense is intriguing.



So

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting love story

I always love historical stories. Give love in the story and crime and lies combined and you have a great story.