Spitfire

by Bertrice Small

"Realistic, appealing characters and an entertaining tale."PUBLISHERS WEEKLYThe year is 1483. Just as beautiful Lady Arabella Grey, the young cousin of England's King Richard III, speaks her wedding vows to Sir Jasper Keane, the Scotsman Tavis Stewart, Earl of Dunmore, abducts Arabella as payment for Jasper's murder of his fiancee. Irresistibly, deliciously, Arabella surrenders to her enemy with fierce abandon--knowing that there may be only one way to get what is rightfully hers....

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

Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Bertrice Williams was born on December 9, 1937 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA, the daughter of Doris S. and David R. Williams, both broadcasters. She studied at Attended Western College for Women and Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School. On October 5, 1963, she married George Sumner Small, a photographer and designer with a History Major at Princeton. They had a son Thomas David. She lived on eastern Long Island for over 30 years. Her greatest passions were her family; Finnegan and Sylvester, the family cats; Nicki, the elderly cockatiel who whistles the NY Mets charge call; her garden; her work, and just life in general.

Published since 1947, Bertrice Small was the author of over 50 romance novels. A New York Times bestselling author, she had also appeared on other best-seller lists including Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and the L.A. Times. She was the recipient of numerous awards including Career Achievement for Historical Romance; Best Historical Romance; Outstanding Historical Romance Series; Career Achievement for Historical Fantasy; a Golden Leaf from the New Jersey Romance Writers chapter of Romance Writers of America; an Author of the Year (2006) and Big Apple Award from the New York City Romance Writers chapter of RWA, and several Reviewers Choice awards from Romantic Times. She had a "Silver Pen" from Affair De Coeur, and an Honorable Mention from The West Coast Review of Books. In 2004 she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by ROMANTIC TIMES magazine for her contributions to the Historical Romance genre. And in 2008 she was named by ROMANTIC TIMES along with her friends Jennifer Blake, Roberta Gellis and Janelle Taylor, a Pioneer of Romance.

Bertrice Small was a member of The Authors Guild, Romance Writers of America, PAN, and PASIC. She was also a member of RWA's Long Island chapter, L.I.R.W., and is its easternmost member on the North Fork of Eastern Long Island.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read: 2/16/25
2.5 stars round up to 3
It would have been 4 until the last 40% of the book was ruined

I have a lot to say but need to process my disappointment. RtC

[Kit★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bertrice Small's writing is somehiow becoming almost a naughty little pleasure for me. Yea, I know the prose tends to be a titch purply, but otherwise it's not that bad. Mostly, I like the epic saga-type style, the stories spanning over a number of years, with lots of stuff going on. I also gotta admit to likin' the naughty bits in a way too. This one wasn't as kinky as the two mid-east set stories I've read by her, but the heroine did have relations with more men than just the hero. It was tame though, for the most part. So, we have the heroine, Arabella Grey, young (and I mean young, Small keeps to the more realistic historical idea that women back then married around 13-14) heiress of a small but strategic keep on the Scottish/English border. Her father died in a battle a few years ago, and as the story starts, she and her mother, Rowena, are living with Rowena's beloved cousin, who happens to be Anne, the beloved wife of King Richard III of England. He decides Greyfaire needs a man to ward it, and arranges a marriage for little Arabella to man he believes to be worthy of the honor, Sir Jasper Keane. The only condition is that Arabella is to have a couple of years to decide if she and Jasper will suit before the formal betrothal is announced. So away they ride to Greyfaire, Sir Jasper, Rowena and Arabella. Little do any of them know that Sir Jasper is not the honorable man he seems, but a cruel and wicked man. It isn't long before he's telling Rowena that his manly needs must be met, and that he intends to have Arabella before the marriage... unless Rowena offers herself instead. She complies quickly, not wanting her daughter hurt, but also wanting some of what he's got, though she feels terribly guilty for her desire. Here though, if I was Rowena, I'd be sending one of my men who work in the castle with a little note to dear cousin Anne, complaining of Sir Jasper's nastiness, especially since everyone knows the king is such a stickler for good and honorable behavior. But Lady Rowena never thinks of it, and their torrid affair is soon begun. Sir Jasper uses her roughly, showcasing his cruelty and lack of regard, but like a fool, she has feelings for him anyway, even though her experience with her first husband was nothing but tender and loving. Some time passes, and eventually comes the threat of war. Henry Tudor (who will become Henry VII) is getting ready to make his bid for the crown, and since the betrothal was never formalized, Jasper fears that if Richard is unseated, he will lose his claim to Greyfaire. So the wedding is rushed forward with all haste, without informing the king or anyone. However, on the day of the ceremony, a clan of raiding Scotsmen come to call. Their leader, Tavis Stewart, Earl of Dunmoor, is seeking vengeance on Jasper for foully using and then murdering his betrothed, then burning down her family's keep. He calls Jasper out for some one on one combat to settle the score with honor, like a man, but Jasper hides behind the priest's robes, begging sanctuary of the church. So Tavis takes Arabella, a bride for a bride, though he vows that no one will harm her or touch her in any way. He's just taking her hostage until Jasper comes to fight him and reclaim her. Off they go to Scotland, to Tavis' home and people. Before they've gone very far though, Jasper commands the priest to marry him and Rowena, for he refuses to go after Arabella, and won't give up his chance to claim Greyfaire. Poor Rowena has no choice, as she's carrying his child. Over in Scotland, everyone gets the idea that Tavis should marry Arabella himself, and not seeing much of a choice, she agrees, on the condition that he help her get Greyfaire back, a sticking point that ends up being a huge part of the story. So, the deal is struck. But she still tries to make a last desperate escape attempt though. When Tavis catches her, her carries her home and decides to do the wedding right away. She makes a fuss about her drab clothes, but refuses to wear the fancy gown she was kidnapped in, and in a bit of a fit, he strips the clothes right off of her and forces her to go through the hasty wedding in the nude. Ok, I'm going to interrupt my narration here to comment on Arabella. She's 13 when Tavis takes her to Scotland, but she talks and acts like she's much older, which is partial cause for her spitfire name. She's also got a temper, but she's quick-witted and clever, stubborn and outspoken. I just had a little trouble believing her to be only 13, especially when she'd go into one of her impassioned speeches on things like politics and such. She spoke like a born politician or something. Now, I know back then, things in a 13 year-old girl's head were way different than things going through 13 year-old girls' heads nowadays, but she just seemed so adult. Anyway, she handles it all rather well for being in the nude, and then Tavis' mother takes her away, claiming she and Tavis both need time to cool down their tempers. A few months pass, Arabella learns more about Tavis through his family, and they all get along rather well. Eventually, Lona, Arabella's best friend from Greyfaire, comes with news of Rowena's death in childbed, and other news of the keep. She becomes Arabella's personal assistant now, and stays with Arabella through the whole story, a faithful helper and friend who even gets a little HEA of her own in the end, for which I was glad. Finally the time comes for Tavis and Arabella's marriage to begin in truth. Her fears are quickly soothed by his sweet attentions, and she agrees to return to his home and become his wife in full. I liked their first love scene, it was sweet because he was so careful with her, but also good and steamy. But be warned, the expected super-purple prose is all over the place here, from man-roots and love-grottos to glistening drops of pearlescent love-juices on both sides, it's wicked here, and in all the love-type scenes in this book. I guess it's better than reading it described in the technical terms, though, because that's kinda skeevy-sounding too. But anyway, I still liked it, and I liked Tavis a lot :) Aside from the whole "get Greyfaire back" thing, their marriage is going great. They can't keep their paws off of each other, and get along good while not conjoined too. Tavis is the bastard (but loved) half-brother of Scotland's King James, and so they spend some time at the court too. Arabella charms the king and queen, and they become good friends inasmuch as one can befriend a monarch. Arabella also attracts the roving eye of the young prince, Jamie, who is only a couple of years older than her (she's 14, he's 16 or 17, while Tavis by comparison is I think early 30's, late 20's maybe, correct me if I'm wrong) but still a well-known womanizer of high repute. He wants Arabella more than he's ever wanted anything ever before, and is quickly obsessed with her. More time passes, and the Scottish queen dies, throwing the king into a funk from which he never really recovers, though he does sort of try. Arabella finds herself pregnant, and again presses Tavis to get Greyfaire back. He puts it off again though. Soon, their daughter Margaret, named for the dearly departed queen, is born and again she presses Tavis to try and get Greyfaire back for Maggie's inheritance. Again Tavis puts it off. Eventually, Arabella goes to visit the king herself, and he sends a letter to King Henry, newly crowned in England. More time passes, no response from Henry, and eventually the Scottish prince rebels, and makes a claim for his father's crown. Before the battle can be fougt though, King James is found dead, and Jamie is crowned. Still Tavis puts off trying to get back Greyfaire, becoming absorbed in his new duties for the new king, and raising Arabella's ire to no extent. While he's off on an extended venture for his nephew, the king, Arabella goes to court to check for any messages from King Henry that may have gone overlooked in all the excitement. Jamie's lust for her though, has not lessened with his new role, and his price for his assistance is Arabella's body. She's terribly against the idea, but sees no other option to get Greyfaire for her daughter. She loves Tavis with everything she has though, and refuses to dishonor him by making him a cuckold, so the king goes to the bishop and pushes through a divorce posthaste so that Arabella will be a free woman when he comes to her bed. The bargain is for three nights only, and only one is detailed in the book. The king is sweet and easy with her, for all that he forced her into it. It surprised me really, I was expecting him to take what he wanted, ala Henry VIII in Blaze Wyndham, but he was very skilled and patient with her, and even though she didn't want to, he showed her great passion. Not that she was a stranger to the mind-blowing sex thing, since her and Tavis got on so great, but she figured out in her own head that she could experience pleasure without the warm and cuddly love-glow accompanying it. Jamie writes her a letter of introduction to King Henry, ensuring she'll at least get some sort of audience with him, and, packing up baby Maggie and some supplies, she sets off to London, loyal Lona (and her love) in tow. First stop is Greyfaire, and it's not a pretty sight at all. Jasper has run off with all but a few of the able-bodied menfolk, right down to boys as young as 12, forming them into his army. Only women, small children, and the old and the sick remain. The orchards are blighted, crops are struggling, and some families have left for better places. Arabella does what she can, and then with the loyal men remaining, Lona and her man, and Maggie, sets off for Henry's court. Once there, Henry and his queen are sympathetic to her plight, and agree to return Greyfaire to her, but Henry has a condition. She must go the French court for a year, and do some info-gathering, using whatever "skills" necessary. Since he's keeping little Maggie in his nursery as a safe-keeping, collateral kind of deal, she grudgingly agrees. Under the ruse of an exiled social outcast from the London court, off she goes to France to rendezvous with her partner, a guy who's been there for years under the same exiled guise as hers. He gives her her target and instructions to play the virtuous woman, holding off everyone's advances, but eventually giving in to the target, a duc, and getting some juicy info from him. The months pass and her refusals of the duc's advances only serve to arouse him more. Finally, she can put him off no longer and gives in to him, steeling her mind against his ministrations, refusing to give him the satisfaction of getting her off. She gives him everything but her climax, and it becomes a pursuit to him. Finally he blabs his good bits of info, and since the year's almost up, she gets prepared for her and her partner to return to England. But the duc comes to visit her a couple days before her (secret) departure, and he's brought a surprise, his twin-like half-brother, in a desperate effort to get her to climax. He's worried she's ill or something, since he's tried everything he can think of. So he thinks a threesome will do the trick. Well, it does, as the sensations are just too much for her to resist, and she can't hold it back any longer. At the end, she collapses, and when she awakes, the duc has sent his brother away, afraid they've harmed her. She rails at him for his ill-conceived surprise, and sends him away, using her "anger" as the perfect cover to get him gone so she can leave for England. However, when she and her partner are almost to the ship, the duc catches up with them, and asks her to marry him. She turns him down, and her partner takes him out for a night of drinking and such, and it all turns out well on that part. She returns to Henry, who gives her her reward , and her daughter. At long last, something like seven years since Tavis took her away, she returns to Greyfaire as its mistress by all rights. There's tons and tons of work to be done, however, while she was in France, Jasper took his revenge by destroying the place, all of the village buildings, crops, everything. The few who remain are huddled behind the walls of the keep. She sends a note to Tavis indicating that he will get his chance to kill Jasper when Jasper makes his next attack on Greyfaire, and if Tavis would like to come and take that opportunity, he would be welcome. After a little consulting with his mama, Tavis comes to Arabella's aid, bringing his army. He still loves her with everything, despite how she left him, because he knows why she did it, and understands, even though it took him time to come to that realization. Jasper is finally killed, although not at Tavis' hands, much to Tavis' anger. He decides to win Arabella back though, and starts a courtship, sending things Greyfaire could use from Dunmoor, and coming to visit often. Sadly though, little Maggie falls ill, and despite all ministrations, she doesn't make it, which made me pretty sad. Tavis rushes to Arabella's side. She's in a terrible depression, almost suicidal, but he pulls her out of it, though it's rough going. With no reason now to restore Greyfaire to its original glory, since it was all to be for Maggie, Tavis helps Arabella with a plan to a least help the tenants and reward their loyalty. The keep is dismantled, and the stones are used to rebuild the church and build new farmhouses for the land they divided up amongst the people (for rent of course). Tavis and Arabella remarry at long last, three years after she was pushed into leaving him. They return to Dunmoor, hopefully to live HEA and have more "wee bairns" to fill their castle. I liked the historical-ness of this story, the little info-dumps tossed into conversations were interesting, like I never really knew about how Henry VIII's father came into the crown, or if I did, I forgot, so it was like I learned new things. I liked how the monarchs were made to be more like regular people too. I also liked the little author's note at the end that went on to tell of how King James IV (Jamie who had to have Arabella) went on in real-life to marry Henry VII's daughter, and more historical info that was interesting (and educational) to me. I've decided that I like Small's writing, and for sure will be looking to get more of her books, definitely. If I can find any other authors that are similar (epic-saga-ness, lots of sex that's not vanilla, older hero, younger heroine) that'd be great too!

[Rabbit {Paint me like one of your 19th century gothic heroines!} · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5

I was txting Sarah earlier and I told her that Bertie Small is my trash!author. I have only read 3 of her books so far, and I enjoyed 2 of them. Her books are not quality, and the smut is hilariously bad, but that is part of the appeal for me.

This is another keeper for me.

Bertie Keepers: 2/3

[Naksed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historical romance follows the conventions of the genre: At first, Hero and heroine despise each other, then, they are forced together, and eventually, they fall in love. It is however mercifully free of my biggest pet peeve, The Great Big Terrible Misunderstanding. The main conflict between the protagonists is heroine's stubborn obsession with regaining land that was unfairly stolen from her family.

Though it is a small, arid, and rocky, it is a symbol, to the heroine, of her legacy. Fifteen Century Europe had a fair share of strong-willed, ambitious women determined to fight for their rights in the face of impossible odds, from Margaret Beaufort to Anne of Beaujeu and Catherine Sforza. Arabella Grey, for all her shortcomings, is part of that group. She is one of the bravest, most intelligent and interesting heroines in a genre filled with meek beauties surrendering to their captors and being satisfied with marriage and children. Arabella, at least, had more ambition.

I appreciated that the author remained true to the real life problems that plagued the era and I did not blame her for not giving me a super rosy ending all tied with a bow. But it may bother some readers who prefer purely escapist fantasies.

[Guilty Pleasures · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was not my favorite book I was not fond of the character Lady Arabella Grey. I found her very spoiled, vain and irritating, I had read this book years ago and was doing a re-read and to be honest did not finish the book.

[Travers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too historically accurate for some

Well written, this book is one of the most historically accurate I've ever read.

Most people criticize the heroine's age, and though I agree that it is disturbing to find a young girl in such a sexual role, the truth is that it was pretty common at that time. Back then people lived shorter lives so they became adults earlier than we're used to, so I don't look at it as a perverse scenario, for Arabella was very capable of making her own choices.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

However, I hated Arabella. I wouldn't say she was childish or immature but she was too stubborn, disloyal and impatient. She ruined her marriage, deserted the man she loved and prostituted herself for a pile of rock that she just couldn't give up. She kept justifying it by telling herself it was for her daughter -who's father was an earl and the king's uncle which would've guaranteed the girl had a promising future. She separated the girl from her father, then left her with strangers for over a year and in the end the poor girl died in that desolated place, all because her mother couldn't accept that she no longer owned anything of her own.

She was disgustingly selfish, I honestly don't know how on earth could Tavis forgive her, I would've loved if the book ended with Arabella dying alone and destitute in her crumbling keep while Tavis married a nice, kind, beautiful and LOYAL lady. It would've been awesome if after Arabella left for France the focus of the story would've changed to Tavis abducting his daughter and meeting a nice lass on his way to Dunmore, falling in love with her and leaving Arabella to deal with Jasper, her crumbling keep and her regrets.

I hated that this story had a happy ending and I LOVE happy endings, I can't stand anything but absolute happy with marshmallows and a cherry on top, but Arabella deserved much much worse than her daughter dying for her stupidity.

I think that what I hated the most was that the author tried to tell us that sleeping with this men was a "sacrifice" she made for "her daughters legacy" but at the same time she got off on it, and I think it would’ve been better if Arabella would’ve been empowered by discovering her sexuality, so the story could explore female independence at a time when there wasn’t any, and then having her realize that she could accomplish things with her brain and not only her body; so that in the end she could’ve gone home as a smarter and accomplished women, but instead she was basically the same person, with no power or sense of self, and she was just used by all those men and gained nothing from it.

The story was ruined for me the moment she became a high class prostitute with no growth from the experience, I just couldn't respect or understand her anymore. She didn't need to do that, she wasn't poor, she had a husband who loved her and was faithful to her, she had a wonderful life and she threw it all away for a legacy that she destroyed in the end because it was beyond saving. For Christ sake! Her daughter had to die for her to FINALLY realize that the place was just not worth it.

**END OF SPOILERS**

Ugh! Such a frustrating story, full of unnecessary angst and lots of disloyalty and intrigue, very truth to the period it portrays, which is why I didn't like it, I'm more of a chivalrous knight steadfastly loves virtuous lady kind of gal.

I usually like historically accurate stories but this one was a bit too real for me. However, if you're into historical facts this book is full of them, which I loved.

[Sarah]

DNF because I really don’t want to read sex scenes between a 14 year old and our more mature hero. Now, to be fair, a marriage and consummation of said marriage at 14 IS historically accurate for the time. As soon as you got your period, you were fair game because wasn’t life expectancy like 40, if you were lucky? So, I totally understand and am not one of those people who bitches about wanting historical accuracy and then moans about “problematic” consent. Don’t read medieval romance if you expect them to ask the 14 year old girl how they want to be treated and who they wish to be married off to. HOWEVER. I was hoping they would time jump at some point so the whole book isn’t just our heroine at 14. But when I realized they wouldn’t, I decided to dnf. And I’m not even saying she has to be 18 for it to be exceptable, I just personally wasn’t interested in reading about a child bride if that child wasn’t going to age at some point in the novel.

I have one more Beatrice Small to try and I hope that heroine is a bit older. 🙏🏻

[Romancing the Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Regan
Book provided by the publisher for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

For those not familiar with her work, Small has a very different style than other romance authors and tells complex, intricate and sometimes disturbing stories. This one is no exception. It begins with deception and treachery and a Scottish earl seeking vengeance. But it makes some strange twists and turns. To enjoy it, you must adjust your expectations from the typical historical romance to embrace Small’s unique style. If you do, you will plunge deep into the history of the time with well-developed characters whose life experiences are realistic for the era (late 15th century), and the place (the border between Scotland and England and France). She uses long narratives, repeated scenes told through different characters’ eyes, and “head hopping” from one character’s perspective to another when it suits her purposes. Her descriptions of clothing and food are intricate.

One has to love the “historical” part of historical romances (which I do), as Small goes into great detail as to what was going on at the time, including the politics. I give her full marks for her deep research. Some of her characters are real historic figures, like King Richard III and Henry Tudor of England, James III of Scotland and his son, Jamie Stewart (James IV), and King Charles of France. They make the story seem more historically accurate and bring these men to life.

Finally, you must adjust your expectations for the hero and heroine. In Small’s romances, not all have one love and live happily ever after. Oh, there is a happy ending, don’t get me wrong; this is romance. But it won’t be what you might expect and the heroine won’t always be with the hero. In fact, for long passages they aren’t together. Not all romance readers will like that. In this case, Arabella turns from a moral, headstrong young woman in love with her Scottish husband, and determined to take the right course, to a pragmatic woman four years later who makes some very odd, and seemingly incongruous choices, all for the sake of securing her family’s rundown English estate. Small attempts to explain Arabella’s whoring as understandable. In my view she was only mildly successful in that effort. For those turned off by a heroine’s considerable infidelity, I don’t think you’ll like this one. Then, too, the hero, Tavis Stewart may be a powerful Scottish earl and uncle to a king (I rather liked him at first), but he is too passive when it comes to his spitfire wife, even blaming himself for her bad behavior. It all comes right in the end but only in the usual Small way.

Small writes well and weaves an intriguing story. I just don’t think this one is for all, not even all of her fans, which I count myself as one.

Warning: The heroine is a part of a menage a trois in one of the later scenes. This is not erotica but that is very strange for a historical romance, though perhaps not for Small.

Favorite Quote: “No man, or woman for that matter,” the queen said softly, “should love another person so deeply. When ye love that much, ye are more often than not doomed to disappointment because ye make yer lover someone or something he isn’t. Eventually ye realize it, and then ye must come to terms with that disappointment, Jamie.”

[Hege · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time about 20 years ago. I've reread it numerous times since and I continue to love it. That first time reading it I was in a mountain cabin laying on a bunk bed stealing it from my mom because I wanted something to read. It was the first romance novel I ever read. So fond memories.

The book itself has created even fonder memories. It showed me that it is possible to be a strong and intelligent woman as well as soft and feminine. Arabella's story is fascinating, showing her development from a 13-year old girl who lived a pretty sheltered life to a woman facing impossible choices. It's a love story set in a rich historical and political context. It allows the read to span a range of emotions from elation to sadness to anger to excitement. And like so many of Bertrice Small's novels, it has it's moments of steamy heat.

[Debbie Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible book,

Started off ok but was disturbed with age of main character but the book is pure nonsense I mean just bad

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This shit is bonkers.

And before I say anything else, I should note that the heroine is 14. And frankly, I might have DNF'd right there if it weren't for the audiobook narrator who sounded like a grown-ass woman. But they were simpler times (it was 1990?!) and shit like this got written back then.

I guess it's more "historically accurate" to have a child heroine, but man is it icky.

But man, this book is a trip.

It begins with murder by gang rape. Transitions to a 14 year old betrothed to man twice her age, then abducted and married to a different man twice her age. Who nobly waits like 6 months to consummate the marriage? Then in order to get her birthright back she sells herself to a king, becomes a spy for another king, and finally gets her HEA with her first husband, 10 years later. So at the end she's like 24 and it feels better by then. But seriously, wow.

And I, like, enjoyed it? Though, to be honest, once they stopped mentioning that she was a child, I stopped thinking of her as a child. I just had to mentally make her 18.


Also it must be noted that the phrases "manroot," "silken love cave," and "love grotto" are used in this book. And love grotto refers to genitals, not a domicile.

[Marina Villalobos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was well written although it did tend to drag on especially when describing the political and historical details of the times. I am a history buff but I found myself glossing over many of these boring passages. The heroine I found to be unlikeable as well as amoral throughout the book. In spite of the fact she was unfaithful to her husband and whored herself to achieve the recovery of her patrimony, she remained unrepentant throughout and at one point, towards the end, stated she had nothing for which to apologize to her husband. Her husband, Tavis Stewart, gave her infidelity a pass, exonerated her, felt he was to blame for her duplicity and went on to imply she had been honorable and courageous, which I thought to be outside the bounds of believability. I am not sure if I will read another of Beatrice Small's books since most reviewers say what I have described above is fairly typical of her plots.

[Helen Robare · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest I bought this book because of the cover (I was fascinated by the woman's hair) and because I love the author's Skye O'Malley series. (well the ones dealing with Skye that is).

This book was good. It was a typical bodice ripper romance which I thought had long gone out of vogue but which I used to love back when I was a YOUNG adult. However, as a woman in my 60's, I found myself skipping over the sex parts.

On the whole this book was enjoyable. The characters were well written and the plot was interesting. It was set in a time and place that I love reading about (Scotland in the 1400's) and the fact that some historical figures showed up didn't hurt.

For anyone who has read this author before, this book follows her formula to a T. That doesn't make it any less an enjoyable read, just a predictable read. For those who have never read this author before, this is the perfect book to start with and I'm sure there will be some real surprises along the way.

[Anastasia Beaverhausen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bertrice Small has always been one of my favorite authors.

Having read Bertrice Small’s works in my youth, I was surprised to find that I missed one. This author’s history is always impeccably researched and her time period world building is exceptional, from period dress to what the characters dine on. Braised lettuce, indeed. Although we lost this author in 2015, her work lives on and serves distinctively stylistic comfort read that reminds me of growing up. The Spitfire is a tale of the borders of Scotland and England and the difficult conditions created by the constantly warring monarchy. Bertrice Small has always had the ability to craft a smartly determined and competent female characters in a time span that was not known for respecting women. Reading this book has caused me to reminisce and wonder if I don’t own some small measure of gratitude to Bertrice for my own view on finding my own path in self reliance.

[MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the one where the heroine divorces her husband so she can sleep with his cousin, the king, so she can have her decrepit childhood home back. It's also the one where the King of England then makes her prostitute herself as a spy in France, for the same pile of rocks. At some point, you would think a woman might consider that it's not worth it? That all avenues should be explored before divorcing your husband so you can be pimped out by men?

Side note: The prologue was completely unnecessary as its only purpose was to call a female character a whore over and over.

I usually love headstrong female characters but there's headstrong and there's just wrong. Arabella was not that great of a heroine. She lacked true intelligence and kindness. I wish she hadn't received a HEA because she didn't deserve it.

[Kay's Pallet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story. They characters were so likable and every time I felt my mind start to wonder away, the next paragraph pulled me back in. I give it 4 stars and not 5 because some of the events that happen feel a little unnecessary, like they don't add to the story. They are just there and could have been cut from this really long book so I could hone in on the story a little more. There aren't very many of these scenes, otherwise, I would drop another star. Overall, a really good book.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Arabella throwing away her peaceful, respectful, EXTREMELY LOVING life with her husband (Tavis) who adored and doted on her to become a whore for her inheritance was disgusting. Arabella was self-centered, single-minded, vain, and an awful person for divorcing her husband and taking her baby away from a loving family to get back her inheritance which is becoming rundown pile of rubble. I truly HATE Bertrice Small books because there is always so much deception, lying, treachery … we read romance novels for a fantasy and this is not fantasy. It’s disgusting and vile!

[Bookosaurous · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astounding!!

An emotional roller coaster ride - that is what this story is...A tale which has so many layers to it. One gets torn between the right and wrong, between love and hate, loyalty and treachery! It is not at all a small feat to weave a story with real historical characters in it, but the author has done it with aplomb. This book is a journey that one would make with Arabella...it is not a sweet romance, but a tale of life.

[Arthur Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spitfire

Although Ms Small passed away many years ago, her continuing legacy of her penmanship and creative historical novels are a testament to her life. I have read many of her books when she was still living and writing these historical stories about the Borderlands. MS Smal’s stories are still living on many shelves and are a joy to be reread. Rest In Peace, Beatrice Small

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF. I usually adore Bertrice Small books but I just couldn't get into this book. The characters didn't feel like anything special and the plot just seemed so done before. Three stars for the underlying history lesson. Even though I'm familiar with the War of the Roses, I appreciated how the author managed to intertwine it into the story.

[Thea McCurry · Rating 5 out of 5]

History plus Romance

If you like your history with a bit of spice and intrigue, then you really must read this masterpiece by Gertrude Small.
Heartbreak, revenge, villainy and accurate history combined by a master storyteller.

[Storm]

I cant give an honest rating as this was a purely personal DNF. The book is well written and historically accurate.

I got to chapter 7. The age of the heroine, younger than 14, was hard to get over and, besides that, I found her irritating. She came across as spoilt, brattish and over confident. She readily used bad language and was unnecessarily violent. The more I read the more irritating she became, so I thought I'd read a detailed review to see if things got better and, for me, they didn't.

The Hero, who at this point seemed to be all rugged, brawny and alpha-ish, according to the reviews. seems to lose that and become indecisive and inactive. The heroine goes about sleeping with different people, even though she married the Hero. She gets a divorce first, but that still doesn't suit me.

I think one has to be prepared for these of-the-beaten-track type HR stories from Bertrice Small. Although, I have enjoyed some of her books, I'm not keen on this style. It leaves me feeling unfulfilled and uncomfortable. I like to feel warm and cosy in the end.

The historical accuracies in the book, I love, for the most part. They're detailed and interesting. Small does her homework. However, the heroine didn't need to be that young. The age of consent was 12 - 14 years right enough, and betrothal contracts could be set up at an even earlier age, but the majority of marriages actually took place at an older age. I would've felt more comfortable with her being a little older. It would've suited the maturity she displayed, which, imo, was incongruent with her age. Still might not have finished it though.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

She took a long time getting to the finish. History good. Story....

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with romance novels because of Bertrice Small. She will be forever one of my favorite authors.

[Blueglass · Rating 2 out of 5]

This romance was BANANAS!

[Raven Simba · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found the Lady Arabella to be very spoilt and a bit too much. Nah... I ll pass

[Mariannj · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really tried to give Bertrice Small books a chance. But her storylines and plots were just so silly. I couldn't stomach it.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, Bertrice Small never wrote a bad book. I enjoyed this book for it’s historical content. The heroine, Arabella, was predictable. As was her husband. Nevertheless, it was grand.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

liked the historical aspect. had some difficulty with typos ie. Lena Lona that were distracting - might have come from eBook translation.

[melissa lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book

I loved the intrigue of the book. The part I didn’t like was when the duc was so intent on bringing arebella completion in the bedroom that he brought his own brother in to help.