War Bride

Chained #0.2

by Elise Marion

The last thing Leofred Toustain ever wanted was to be tied in marriage to the daughter of an enemy lord. Yet, when a peace treaty is forged in an attempt to mend the war-torn realm of Alemere that is precisely what he is faced with. To add insult to injury, the bride chosen for him is a sullen, silent shell of a woman who recoils from his every attempt at intimacy. Resigned to his fate, he strives to at least form a friendship of sorts with her. In the process, he will discover that there is far more to the woman he married than meets the eye.

After a harrowing incident left her broken and hideously scarred, Lady Emery Calliot fully intended to avoid marriage. However, when her only living male relative and guardian signs her life away in a peace treaty, she is left with no other choice. Determined to keep her scars—both physical and internal—a secret, she seeks to place as much distance between herself and Leofred as possible. Yet, the more time she spends with her new husband, the harder hiding from him becomes. Emery will face a daunting decision: reveal her scars and the dark secret accompanying them to her husband and risk his disgust and scorn, or bare her secrets and find acceptance, love, and perhaps, the strength she needs to become whole again.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Historical Romance

164 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 2015

About the author

Elise Marion is a lover books and has a special place in her heart for sweet and sensual romance. Writing about love across all walks of life is her passion, as is reaching people through the written word. The Army wife and stay-at-home mother of two spends most of her time taking care of her children. Her second job includes writing stories about characters that people can fall in love with. When the Texas native isn’t caring for her family or writing, you can usually find her with her nose in a book, singing loudly, or cooking up something new in the kitchen.

Reviews

[Kara Skinner (Lover's Quarrel Reviews)]

I love this book so much. It's amazing. Whenever I need to recover from a bad book or I need a guaranteed romance fix, I read this book.

[Laverne Brewster]

2.75 Stars. (WW/BM). Audible romance pkg. book with a lovely narration by Eric Burns. The story had the feel of England during the 12th or 13th century. Leofred Toustain is a Black royal warrior and third in line to rule. He is kind and gentle; but suffers night terrors for his time as a captive in the rat infested dungeons of one of his country's enemies and he is not open to love and doesn't want a wife. Lady Emery Calliot is a lady in waiting who finds archery, weaponry and swordsmanship more interesting than dressing fashionably, sewing and male company. Emery has been emotional and physically beaten and sexually violated and considers herself unattractive and undesirable. Leofred and Emery are betroth as part of a peace settlement between their two warring countries and in time the come to love and comfort each other. The story is mundane as tales of ole go; but the narrator is good.

[Quinesia Johnson]

Nice story. It's the classic story of a woman who's "damaged goods" and a man with scars of his own, plus it's interracial and somewhat Medieval. There's a bit of action. It's a cliché storyline done nicely. There's nothing wrong with cliché, and it's quite appropriate in romance stories often times. I've followed this series almost completely through, and if you're looking for more action or unique storyline, don't forget to read Chained 1, 2, and 3. Quite simply, I loved this story. It was heartwarming.

[Tj Walker]

Great story!

Loved the story about Leo and Emily and how their love blossomed. They are a couple meant to be if they would only realize that. Well worth the read. Recommended to read in order in the series.

[Kim]

I would have preferred this as a full novel rather than a novella.

[Jatana Fleming]

Really enjoyed this book.

[Nesy]

4.5 :)

[Jillian]

I really liked this book. Reading about how this hero helped the heroine overcome her past was terrific!

[HappyGay Bakunzi]

Amazing! Perfect book. I absolutely loved it!