Renaud

by Maryse Dawson

The Year of our Lord 1071 – Five years after the Norman invasion of England, most Saxons have learned to abide by the conquerors rules, but not all. Pretty Saxon girl, Cynwise Golderon, detests the arrogant Normans and cannot understand why her elder sister wishes to marry one. Not only that, but she will have to live alongside the newly married couple in their stone castle for safety. When she encounters Sir Renaud de Clairvoy, the groom’s brother, she takes pleasure in riling him, but it only ends up with her over his lap, receiving a sound spanking. By order of the king, Sir Renaud takes Cynwise as his bride, seeking to further their hold on England by joining Saxon with Norman. She detests his Norman heritage but cannot deny her attraction to her strong, handsome husband. Renaud thought to marry a fellow Norman and a woman less spirited than the feisty Saxon wench he has been given. He must tame her rebellious nature, and the best way he knows how is with a sound spanking. She must learn to obey him or accept the consequences. Will she continue to defy him?

Genres: Historical Romance

104 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 12, 2016

Reviews

[Rhonda Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A love story with a bit of spice

Mary's Dawson is a new author for me. I read the blurb in an ad I received and became intrigued, as I'm fascinated with England's history.
England was conquered by the Normans. Even though her older sister Elfreda had married Gerard, a Norman, Cynwise, proud of her Anglo-Saxon heritage and strong-willed, wanted no part of being compliant. Renaud, Gerard's younger brother, had his mind set on marrying a Norman woman. Unfortunately for our Hero and heroine, the King decreed otherwise. Between Cynwise's disobedience and mischievous personality and Renaud's heavy-handed discipline they became a love match but the trials along the way were fun to witness.
This is an enemies-to-lovers romance with a bit of domestic discipline and spice. I enjoyed it enough to read the next book in the series.

[Leona Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maryse had done it again. I had a wonderful time reading this story. great adventure to be had.
This is a great start to the series...looking forward to the mating game between strong knights of old and equally sassy wives as they come together in a battle of wills. I was given this stoy for a honest review.

[Kathy Heare Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I SUPPOSE I DO HATH A PENCHANT FOR GETTING INTO TROUBLE

The story is the beginning of a series where the Normans have conquered England, and King William rules the land. When King William comes to the castle of Gerard de Clairvoy right after his marriage to Elfredia Golderon, he decides that Gerard’s brother, Renaud, should marry, and the bride will be Efrieda’s sister, Cynwise.

The plot is full of angst that has two people, Renaud and Cynwise, forced into a marriage by the King. They neither wanted this but have no choice, if the King says you’ll marry, then you will marry. These two have a way of getting on each other’s nerves, and it adds to the humor of the story. What doesn’t kill you, will make you stronger and maybe closer and more in love. Cynwise does all kinds of things to aggravate her husband, and not all are accidents. The story does not end with a cliffhanger. The de Clairvoy brothers are called into service by the King, and the next book will pick up from there.

[Nancy Nicholson hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the time period of this book, before electricity, cell phones, etc. The main characters are Renaud, a Norman and Cynwise, a Saxon, who are forced to marry, decreed by the Norman King. Renaud had to resort to spanking his wife from the get go, as she is quite rebellious. True love blossoms, it's a fun book to read. I received this arc free for an honest review.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story was a great story with a naughty heroine who can't seem to help but get into trouble and hero who's always willing and able to correct her for naughty behaviour. I wouldn't necessary call this an erotic book so if you're looking for erotic spankings then I suggest you look elsewhere. But there are plenty of spankings here as the heroine gets into quite a bit of trouble while dealing with her jealousies regarding another woman and her efforts to untangle herself from a former would-be lover and other general mischief. I rather liked reading about the reasons she dreamt up in order to earn herself a spanking. However, I felt that, on the whole, the book was a bit short. I wish there was more of pretty much everything, more mischief, more romance, more depth to the story, etc. On a side note, the author uses some older styled language, like thee, thy, hath, etc. in order to help place the reader in the time period. As a bit of history nerd, I know it's not accurate language for the time period and was a bit hard to get past at first but in the end I felt it helped transport me back in time.

[Joanie M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book about Norman knights married to noble Saxon sisters. As befitting eleventh century England the language wasn't what I'm used to and the dialogue reminded me of Shakespeare. I found the mix of modern narration and old English dialogue a bit awkward, but the story was worth reading. The plot centers around the bitter Cynwise, who is forced to marry the dominant knight, Renaud, a few weeks after her older sister Elfreda happily married Renaud's older brother Sir Gerard. Renaud accepts the marriage forced upon him, but won't put up with his wife's disrespect. Cynwise purposely provokes him, even though she ends up sorry every time. Cynwise develops affection for her husband in spite of herself but she continues to get herself in trouble often. The playful banter between Renaud and Cynwise, as well as the brothers, was amusing and I grew to like all of them. Meanwhile there are battles and social events as well as several other characters scattered throughout the plot to keep things moving and interesting. This book has historical context, humor, romance, erotic scenes, danger, and suspense. I highly recommend it for those who won't be bothered by the language.

[ajjmb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new series was really enjoyable for a short read. I have always loved this time period. I have to admit I was feeling pretty bad for Cynwise at the beginning of the novel. She is a Saxon lady and she already has to put up with the Normans that have invaded her land. Now, against her will, she finds King William insisting that she be wed to a Norman knight named Renaud. What is worse is that he has already spanked her for what he considers poor behavior. She soon finds herself falling in love with her Norman Knight and yes he is often taking her to task. But that is because Cynwise is a rather mischievous girl. She is always disobeying her husband or purposely doing something that will get her into trouble with him. She kinda like to play pranks. I was very amused and I really enjoyed the book. I really look forward to reading future books in this series.

[Goldienut · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story begins with 2 sisters that have been left due to their parents death by pox. The oldest sister is Elfreda Golderon of noble Saxon birth and she is marrying Sir Gerard de Clairvoy a Norman. Cynwise Golderon her sister is to stay with Elfreda after she marries Sir Gerard de Clairvoy. Gerard's brother is Sir Renaud de Clairvoy. Renaud and Cynwise do not get along well at all. King William decrees that Renaud and Cynwise are to be married immediately. Cynwise doesn't want to leave with her husband and he helps her see the error of her ways. Cynwise is always in trouble and more than a handfull for Renaud. He mandates Norman rule and cynwise does not like the rules but he tries very hard to change the error of her ways. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Amy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start to this author’s new series. This book is a little short for my taste but it was an excellent way to be introduced to the characters that are going to be central to this series. I did enjoy the main couple in this book. Cynwise and Renaud, as they are fun, interesting and full of life. I love that Cynwise continues to be feisty throughout the book even once she realizes that her butt will pay a price for her feistiness. Renaud is a strong steady fellow that stays consistent throughout this book as he shows Cynwise his love. I pulled for this couple as I was reading this book and cannot wait to continue their story throughout the series. Please note, I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this my honest review.

[Alli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was certainly a unique read. The author couples modern prose with old english syntax to give the reader an immersive yet relatable experience. I found it easier to "translate" than Shakespeare, but a little difficult to read as quickly as I wanted to.

The plot itself is gripping. You want Cynwise to get away with her pranks and best her challengers, but its equally thrilling when she is caught and faces consequence.
The relationship between Cynwise and her husband is sweet, and romantic. But I love that his dominant guidance (discipline) doesn't diminish the gumption in her character. You can't help but smile at her antics. Marriage would certainly never be boring with Cynwise.

[MayCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this sweet short story! The Norman conquest of England in the early 11th century is the setting for the story of Renaud and Cynwise as they prove that there really is a fine line between love and hate. His brother has married her sister and they are commanded by William the Conqueror to marry. She continues to provoke him even after earning a spanking for her insults and he continues to take her in hand as they fight through treachery and battles to find their HEA. (I was provided an ARC copy by the publisher for an honest review.)

[Toni L · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in a new series & it got off to a great start. Set in a time when life, expectations & relationships were much different to how a contemporary story would play out. After a short period of thinking I wouldn't, I enjoyed the story & found Cynwise delightful in her mischievousness. I think the story would have benefited from a bit more depth to their relationship but perhaps that will come as the series progresses. A fun short story to fill some time.

[ScarlettPhoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Renaud and Cynwise are at odds from the start of the story. Renaud is the brother of Cynwise's sister and a Norman conquering hero. Cynwise wants to cling to the old days and hate the new Lords of the castle. The king decides the marriage of Cynwise and Renaud would be advantageous all. The story is filled with love and spankings. The way in which the characters speak takes a little getting used to, as it is written in the Old English style. Once you get past that, it's all good.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this author's books, especially about 10th century maidens and knights. To me the language is appropriate for that period of time and continues throughput the story. Great editing. The story has a great plot and I can hardly wait for book two. Lots of intrigue, spanking and adventure. I was given this book by the publisher for an honest review and the thoughts and opinions are mine.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful read i enjoyed it from the get go it was something different about the story and how it played out that made me smile and keep reading which to me is a good thing. I Loved the characters especially the sisters and the naughtiness it kept me smiling.