This had every opportunity to be a beautiful story—alas, it was not. A wishy-washy person cannot be loyal, and Arianna changed sides so many times that she lost every hope of my believing in her trustworthiness in the end. She asks Raine to trust her...only to keep life-or-death secrets from him, knowingly aiding and abetting her cousins who want to kill him. It's like she doesn't realize that not only will her husband be hurt, but she and all of his people will also suffer. The most unbelievable thing about this book isn't the magical aspect; it's that Raine never killed Arianna for all the times she betrayed him.

Overall, they're both idiots and jerks, but Raine deserved better.

(Note: There's an antisemitic section featuring a Jewish moneylender with gold teeth and even strips of gold tied into his beard that comes seemingly out of nowhere...) ( )

You guys! Another older favorite of mine is only .99 right now! This is on my keeper shelf, it's a medieval, and only .99! Admittedly, I haven't read it in a few years now so I can't promise it holds up but it is a medieval and it is only .99!

Amazon Link ( )

Raine and Arianna were quite the pair. He the tortured hero, she the spitfire heroine. There were a few parts in the tale where I thought "ew, Raine, did you have to do that?" because his behavior irked me. But, hey, that happens sometimes with me when the hero is acting like a jerk. And I wanted him to stop it so they could get on with loving each other.I seriously enjoyed this one. Recommend. ( )

Williamson brings medieval Wales to life in this captivating romance about Raine, the illegitimate son of a Norman earl and Arianna, a Welsh noblewoman. They are forced to marry for political reasons, and of course at the start hate each other. Fortunately, Williamson is careful and sympathetic in her depictions of the clashes, political, familial, and personal between these two characters, so that the reader is spared any stereotypes. Their relationship doesn't seem to be dictated by conflict for the sake of conflict - as is so often the case when an author tries to bring together two characters from different nationalities.

There is a magical element that takes a little getting used to if you're not expecting it, and while it doesn't seem to blend so well with the rest of the story at times, at others it heighens the eipc feel of the story and made me feel like I was caught in the midst of an Arthurian legend. Arianna has the sight - she is visited by visions every now and then of the past and the future. There is also Raine's bard/squire, Taliesin, a wizard in disguise. Taliesin does a poor job at matchmaking throughout the book, trying to make the two fall in love for mysterious reasons of his own (he often seems under the instruction of a higher power of some sort - I might have missed it but I don't think this is ever explained fully.)

This is a beautifully written romance that offers everything one could hope for in terms of knights in shining armor, distant lands, magic, and true love. Williamson writes so well - her style is enthralling. It is rich in historical detail, draws believable characters, and weaves a powerful romance that stayed with me long after I finished reading. Some of the events in the plot (magical elements aside) are bit far fetched, mostly near the end, and felt suspiciously like contrivances. Some editing would have helped a great deal. But again, Williamson writes so well, I didn't mind. Two complaints: Taliesin was kind of annoying and we don't get enough inside Raine's head. Most of the story is told from Arianna's perspective. Besides that, it was a great read, moving and even heartbreaking. ( )