The Conquest

The Bargain #2

by Julia Templeton

Rhiannon McKay, daughter of the wealthy laird of Clan MacKay, always knew she would one day be married to someone of her father's choosing. However, when he offers her hand and dowry to the older Norman baron Lord Malgor in exchange for the Lord's services to the king, it is nothing like she had imagined. Now she must spend her life with a man who could never satisfy the needs of someone so ripe and willing.When handsome Adelstan Cawdor is hired to escort Rhiannon to her betrothed, one look at her and he is smitten. He despises having to deliver this beauty to a rival. What's more, Rhiannon doesn't want to go. She yearns to be rescued-and taken by a man like Adelstan, regardless of betraying a formidable foe like the baron. But when Rhiannon's life is threatened, Adelstan's prepared to do anything to win his lovely prize, and save her from the terrible consequences of another man's vengeance.

Genres: Historical Romance, Erotica, Medieval, Romance, Historical, Fiction, Erotic Romance

272 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2008

About the author

I was born in Crescent City , California , a small logging town on the Pacific coast, home of enormous redwood trees and clear rivers. I have great memories of playing on stumps the size of small houses on my grandmother's acreage in a little town just north of Crescent City called Fort Dick . My sister and I would take daily walks to the main street store—an old, tiny white building that included the town's post office. The main street included just the market, a tavern (appropriately called The Stump) and a church we attended each Sunday morning. I loved that small town…and I still do.

In the early seventies my family moved to Washington, a state with gorgeous mountains, beautiful forests, and lots of green, which meant lots of rain, but I love all the seasons. I have wonderful memories of my childhood—a mother who was always at home, a father who worked hard to give us a good life, and a sister and brother who always looked out for me.

When I was all of 14 years old, I met Kip Templeton, my brother's best friend, and the man I would one day marry. Green eyes, dark hair, 6'1", and built like a Greek god , Kip had quite the reputation as a bad boy. I was absolutely terrified of him. Being that he was almost four years older than me, not to mention my brother's best friend, he was off-limits.

Yeah right…

Kip swept me off my feet and at the tender age of nineteen, I became pregnant with my first child. That same year I also discovered historical romance in the form of Kathleen Woodiwiss’s SHANNA. That book started a love of the genre that would spark a desire to write my own stories.

Two kids and many years later I sat down at my computer and started writing a romance novel. Realizing I had a lot to learn, I bought research books, and studied the craft of romance writing. I joined Romance Writers of America, and attended a Romantic Times convention. I went to every workshop and absorbed every word. I met authors like Heather Graham, Kat Martin, Virginia Henley and Susan Johnson who were all approachable and friendly. That trip solidified my desire to become a published author.

I sold six short stories to confession magazines, and felt like I was headed in the right direction when an untimely illness threw a wrench in my plans. Soon my focus turned from writing to fighting an inflammable bowel disease that would eventually cost me my large intestine in a radical surgery.

During my illness I had lost my desire to write, but eventually I felt that familiar urge to sit down and start a new story, and I did just that. I’ll never forget the phone call I received from Amy Garvey of Kensington saying she wanted to purchase the novel for their new Precious Gems Historical line. In that moment I had realized my dreams…and it felt incredible.

Since then, I have sold time-travel, historical, vampire and contemporary romances to Berkley, Avon, Ellora's Cave, Cerridwen Press, Hard Shell Word Factory and Triskelion. I’ve also made some incredible friends (Beth Ciotta, Jordan Summers, Tracy Cooper-Posey, Jolie Mathis, Mary Stella, Cynthia Valero, Patrice Michelle, Kathy Love, Arianna Hart & Kate Pearce) to name a few…who have gone through the ups and downs of publishing with me.

I still live in Washington with my husband Kip, who is my biggest cheerleader (I even talked him into modeling for my historical romance SURRENDER TO LOVE). Our daughter has left the nest but lives nearby and our youngest is attending college and still lives at home. We’re enjoying our lives and even bought a Harley, something we’ve been waiting twenty-plus years for. It’s a good life…and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Thanks for taking the time to read about me. I hope it gives you a good idea of who I am.

God Bless!

Julia

Reviews

[KarenH · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love erotic historical romance but the pickings have been getting pretty slim. Jess Michaels was good but she no longer writes this sub-genre. Sarah McCarty is hit or miss (basically "icked" my way through the Hell's Eight series so far) and finding the oddball stand-alone (i.e. Passion) is a rarity. Then recently I discovered Julia Templeton and all is, once again, right with my literary world. She doesn't weigh her stories down with endless pages of description; instead, she focuses on great character development and involves said characters in some seriously steamy sexual situations.

"The Conquest" is set in the Scottish Highlands during the 11th century. Sir Adelstan Cawtor has been sent to Castle MacKay to retreive Lady Rhiannon MacKay and escort her across the country to Lord Malgor, the Norman knight her father betrothed her to. Malgor, too lazy to make the trip himself and preferring to stay with his leman, fakes an injury so that Adelstan must go in his place. But the deception backfires...Adelstan & Rhiannon meet and it's love at first sight.

Although she is still an innocent, Rhiannon is fascinated with the idea of sex and cannot wait to do the wild thing with Adelstan. He is every female's dream...hot looks, a hard body and a sizable package. (In fact, he is described as looking just like the guy on the cover . Trying to do the honorable thing, Adelstan refuses the bold advances of Lady Rhiannon. But she soon wears him down and Adelstan finally takes her virginity. After that, the two are inseparable...making love anywhere and everywhere without anyone being the wiser. The secondary characters (Elspeth, Rhiannon's maid and Jorden, Adelsan's best friend) also hook up sexually but with a little kink thrown in. H/h are exclusive with each other. Although it was love at first sight for the H/h, they really didn't know each other well so jealousy (on both sides) played a big part in the tale. I love jealousy, especially when the hero is consumed by it. Unfortunately, the time comes and Adelstan must escort Rhiannon to her betrothed. Will Adelstan declare his love for Rhiannon and risk treason or will he ignore his heart and allow the marriage to continue as planned?

I thought this was an engaging story...steamy as hell but the plot stayed on course. This was the 3rd book I've read by JT and I'm enjoying her style...especially those set in medieval times because she doesn't make use of faeries, magic or time travel to give the story "oomph"...she uses sex. It works for me!

This book can be read as a stand-alone but I would suggest reading "The Bargain" first...the story of Adelstan's twin sister Aleysia. It is just as good and just as steamy and leads you right into "The Conquest". The author has quite a few books making up her back list and I either have them on my tbr or on my wish-list at PBS. I'm looking forward to JT's continued writing...keeping my favorite sub-genre alive!

[Missy · Rating 2 out of 5]

TONS of sex! Even sex scenes with side characters, including double penetration.

For readers who don’t like romance heroes to be with anyone after he meets the heroine. The heroine stumbles upon and watches the hero receive a blow job from a servant.

[Julie (jjmachshev) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Aug08

Chivalrous knights and braw Highlanders…both are enough to have women sighing. Put them together in the same story and the book will likely sell itself! Stir in a liberal helping of erotica and you have the recipe for “The Conquest” by Julia Templeton. This is her second erotic historical set in Scotland during the Middle Ages. I suspect it will be at least as popular as her first one, “The Bargain” since it features characters she introduced in that first book.

Adelstan is the brother of Aleysia who wed overlord de Wulf in “The Bargain”. Adelstan is an honored knight who has refused his own demesne to avoid talk of favoritism because of his close kinship with de Wulf. He knows he will win his own fief in time, but has never regretted that decision until Adelstan’s current lord, Malgor, sends him to fetch and escort back home his recently betrothed bride, Rhiannon. From the moment Adelstan first sees Rhiannon, he knows he’s in trouble…and bitterly regrets turning down the fief that went to Malgor. Because if he hadn’t turned it down, HE would be the one marrying this beautiful and spirited woman.

Rhiannon has been full of questions and fears since her father announced her upcoming marriage to Lord Malgor. Like any other young woman, she dreams of love with a handsome lord followed by marriage and children. When she catches sight of Adelstan, she mistakes him for Lord Malgor and is momentarily thrilled. Then she learns the truth. Lord Malgor is older than her father and very much involved with his leman. The more time she spends with Adelstan, the surer she becomes that he is the only man she will ever love. But to have Rhiannon, Adelstan would have to defy both honor and duty.

This was a quick, enjoyable read. It wasn’t difficult to figure out fairly early on where the plot was headed, but the devil is in the details and Ms. Templeton ‘did’ the details very well indeed. Her characters are likely not too terribly historically correct, but then again if they were, we probably wouldn’t like them so much! The story is definitely erotica. Sex between the main characters (and some sizzling ménage action between some secondary characters) is what leads to the deepening of their feelings and their resulting relationship and actions to preserve it. Templeton does a ‘bang up’ (I know, but I couldn’t resist) job writing some smoking hot and sensual love scenes that will have you reaching for a fan!

Although I’m not normally a big fan of Middle Ages historicals, I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent in Julia Templeton’s Scotland. The ‘happily ever after’ provided for her characters will leave a smile on your face and the lack of real violence and hot sex is just about a perfect way to spend an afternoon!

[anolinde · Rating 1 out of 5]

lmaoooo was there even an attempt

I'm not going to pretend The Bargain was award-worthy literature, but that at least had some semblance of a plot and character development. This just seemed like the author had been told to write a sequel, had no interest in doing it, and decided to phone it in. Like, I'm pretty sure Adelstan, the main character of this book, was more three-dimensional in the first book where he was a side character! Do we learn anything about him in The Conquest, other than that he really wants to have sex with Rhiannon? Other characters tell us that he's dutiful, but we're never actually shown any of this.

And wow, that ending. Rhiannon's betrothed isn't introduced until the last third of the book, and he's so cartoonishly evil you can't take him seriously. And don't even get me started on how ridiculous and convenient it was that his mistress killed him in a fit of passion so Rhiannon was free and all his lands went to Adelstan.

I mean, seriously, I know the whole point is the sex, but the sex in this wasn't even good, so. The only enjoyable parts were with Elspeth, Jorden, and Dante - they were a much more engaging group than Adelstan and Rhiannon.

Finally, I'm not a fan of written dialect, so all the "ye"s were really annoying. It was one of my pet peeves in Outlander ("cannae" omg enough), but at least you got the sense Diana Gabaldon knew her stuff, whereas this just felt like a cheap attempt to make Rhiannon and the other Scottish characters more "authentic."

[Auj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm I liked it, though for a while, it seemed like there would be no sex (it was listed under erotica). It seemed basically just to be lust that's how they fell for each other but it still somehow seemed believable. In addition, the ending was so anticlimatic and just I couldn't believe it. At the last few pages, I was thinking to myself how is this going to end so soon?

Both main character seemed absolutely gorgeous, and I guess Jorden was bi?

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, fun to read. Quickly captured my attention from the very beginning and didn't let go Being an Erotic Historical Romance it is full of hot, steamy passion, sex and sexuality. I would recommend this book to anyone who, like me, believes the hotter the better when it comes to the passion/romance.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glad I Finally Read This

I read the first book (The Bargain) in the series a week or so ago and I put off reading this book thinking it might have similarities in plot with the first book. I was pleasantly surprised by how this book captivated me from start to finish.

I liked the plot and the characters. I am glad the plot did not revolve around the misunderstandings and poor decisions brought about by A dark, tortured past. We have a heroine betrothed to the villain and the hero who set out to deliver the heroine to her betrothed in the process they fall in love and have an affair. The virgin heroine is assertive and showed strength of character. The hero was swoon worthy. Not your typical brooding hero. They do get their HEA but the plot twists made for a fast paced reading. It has multiple sex scenes from the main characters as well as the side characters. But if it is not your thing then skipping it will not detract from a fantastic plot. I like that there is an epilogue.

My only wish is that the ending could have been longer so I have more to read from this great book. But really this is a perfect read.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! So many funny moments. The author does a great job building up the tension so that finally when the two come together there is a euphoric release, like the world is now righted, everything is in its place and how it should be. This is definitely a must read!

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book. Easy read. Repetitive in places but not bad

[Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t bother

[✿-Anna-✿ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story was alright though the first book, "The Bargain" was much better.

I'm not a big fan of love at first sight stories, but I hate it especially when the only thing the person as to say about the other one is how beautiful they are, I must have her... to me that is and will always be totally based on lust... but what I really didn't care for was that even as the story goes, there still wasn't anything that I could tell that would make Rhiannon someone you would fall in love with right away. She had no character. She really didn't do anything through out the whole book except try to figure out ways to get Adelsten to sleep with her, to be her first... and that wasn't based on anything except his looks.

and to be honest had I not known what kind of man Adelsten was from the first book "The Bargain" I would have thought he was just an idiot who thinks with his dick... okay grant it he did resist her because of loyalty to his brother-in-law and how he trusted him to deliver Rhiannon to her betrothed, he probably would have taken her the same night she asked.

The only good thing about the book, and the thing that gave this one its second star was the relation ship between the second characters Adelsten's friend Jordan and Rhiannon's maid Elspeth... I actually wish the story would have just left Rhiannon and Adelsten and just stayed on those two... yes it probably had a lot to do with his open interest in men and the three way he had with the maid and another guard.

I was so disappointed, after reading "The Bargain" and all that Adelsten went through I SO wanted him to find romance, but this was so lame, he deserved more... someone who was only feisty and out spoken that to me made her seem more spoiled then strong minded. She was nothing like his sister.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. I have read other Julia Templeton books before and I have liked most of them. So, I was not surprised that I liked this one.

This book sees Riahnnon a Lairds daughter who had been promised for marriage to someone she did not even know and was chosen by her father. She is to be scorted to her bethroted by the handsome knight Adelstan Cawdor. Just as this stories generally go, they are both smitten and almost upon each other as soon as they meet. Adelstan soon has to decide if he values country or the woman he loves more.

The sex scenes were decent and numerous. The story moved along well enough. It is more novella length than full novel. And there lies a big issue I have with the book. It was as though there were two stories meshed together. The story was not only told from Riahnnon's and Adelstan perspective, but also from Elspeth (Riahnnon's maid), who sleeps with 3 men through out the story. Once with two of them at the same time. As many if not more sex scenes are shown between the servant and her lovers as the MCs. The most upsetting part is that at the end, we know what happedned to Riahnnon but not the maid. She gets a background and a lot of story time to just leave her out at the end. Also, if you have read The Bargain, than you might enjoy the cameo by De Wulf and his wife.

So, quick read, mind candy. Enjoyable enough.

[Jenni]

Good Until the End

This book had me hot throughout. I loved the attraction between the two characters and the several chapters of flirting and struggle. I even enjoyed the few extra glimpses we get into the maid's multiple relationships.
However, the end was a fast, sudden, and disappointing. I expected there to be more danger, like a threat of poisoning from the jealous lover of Rhiannon's betrothed. But to have it build up in drunken rage in a few short chapters...I was more worried for the life of the baby during it (though I did wonder how she would be saved).
Forgive me for my spoilers, but this is how I honestly feel. To me, Templeton can not hold a candle to the mystery Sands puts into her historicals (even if they're starting to follow a pattern). But as an erotic writer, she is well written.

[Maggie Chatterton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very gripping story filled with beautifully described characters and plenty of steamy moments.
I'm not a historical romance fan in general but Julian Templeton made a slam dunk when it came to writing a story that made me not want to put the story down.
With plenty of detail to create a perfect picture in my head of what each character looks like and how the world looks through their eyes, I will no doubt return to this book for more.
It took me a bit to adjust to the old fashioned way they spoke but it gave the story a real personality in a way.
And it even had one of my favorite themes. ~grins~
And there wasn't a shortage when it came to the more intimate scenes which were perfectly written without it seeming perverse.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I picked this up in the sales bin at Borders I thought it was a regular romance novel. I did not realize it was an erotic historical romance, which was a genre of romance I had never heard of. In short, this was pure hotness. The plot was predictable, but the characters were fun and it was all very hot and enjoyable without too much cheese involved. I was actually surprised at the character and plot development and how the sex scenes were used as a development of the character relationships rather than just throwing in sex scenes for the sake of it. I highly recommend to anyone looking for a fairly decent smutty novel.

[Renee Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very steamy and hot. First erotic historical I ever read. Though after a while the sex scenes seemed a bit much when it came to frequency, but I'm sure it was just my lack of experience reading an erotic historical. I am used to historicals with more plot depth without an emphasis on the sex.

That being said, I loved the hero. He was alpha from the word go and Julia Templeton had a way of describing him so vividly! Loved that!

Would recommend this book to anyone.

[Pamela(AllHoney) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second book in The Bargain series by Julie Templeton. Okay, if I'd been looking for erotica without a plot then this would have fit the bill. But I was really hoping for a story/plot. The synopsis sounded intriguing but sadly it did nothing for me. I give it 2 stars for the fact I did finish it.

[Vikisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first novel with Julia Templeton and I loved the story. Romantika(Romance and Erotica) was excellent. I seem to enjoy this genre more in a historical scene. This book is set in Medieval Scotland during the reign on King William.

Rhiannon is charming and likeable as all the characters especially her nurse Elspeth.

[Lisa Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out as a wonderful medieval tale with the brother from The Bargain; however, didn't follow through as it started sounding more modern.

[Cora Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

A page flipping book that takes you in a world that was... Filled with love, passion,hatred, desire, and honor. This is sure to take you in the past and let you experience a choice between honor and love, where honor was everything.

[Skladstaroci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cała seria nie jest najlepszym dziełem autorki. Ta książka była spójna i dobrze się ją czytało, ale zakończenie jest bardzo przyśpieszone. Szast prast i wszystkie problemy znikają. Liczyłam na więcej komplikacji. Ogólnie można przeczytać, ale są lepsze książki tej autorki.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very intriguing so far. Wanted a smutty romance book, and when you get sex in the first chapter, you know you've struck gold!

[Christa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delicious romance novel! I highly recommend this for anyone looking for something to warm up those lonely cold winter nights!!

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked it well enough. There was quite a bit of smut, and it was just what I expected. I'm going to let Danielle borrow it now. :)

[Char · Rating 3 out of 5]

Menage scene did not involve the H/h.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this story a while back, and now I can't remember anything about it. In similar cases, I've found this happens because the book wasn't good enough or bad enough to remember. Just ok.

[Gypsie Holley · Rating 3 out of 5]

lots of good, hot sex!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more than the first, although I'm not sure it was objectively better.

It was 90% sex and barely even attempted to have a plot. I was expecting a road trip book, but there was about one chapter dedicated to the journey. Most of this book was just them chilling at the heroine's father's castle and fucking. I mean, I don't really see what they saw in each other aside from being hot, so the romance wasn't that great, but the sex worked.

One of the major reasons this worked better was because of Elspeth. I liked her various relationships, and she was fun. Her story was the best part.

The resolution of Rhiannon's betrothal was ridiculous. There was barely any setup to it (he didn't even show until the very end), and it was just so overtop. At the very least, I think it would have been better if Rhiannon or Adelstan killed him instead of his barely developed mistress.

I also had an issue with the way the female characters were treated. All of them aside from Rhiannon and Elspeth were bitches and whores, which was hypocritical considering Rhiannon was cheating on her betrothed and Elspeth had multiple lovers. Rhiannon even has the "why do men get to sleep around but women don't" speech while judging other women for being attracted to and wanting to sleep with a man they didn't realize was taken...

A meh read, but better than the first. Ultimately, I'd say skip Templeton.