"Medieval romance fans will enjoy THE WILLING WIFE"
In 1155 England, King Henry II provides a gift of land
accompanied by a wife to Rowland the Dark of Aquitaine
though the recipient wants neither an estate nor a spouse.
The bride, Nicolaa of Cheneteberie accepts her fate as she
has been widowed four times before and realizes that she
might as well cooperate because she has no rights or even a
nay say to these arranged marriages. Though he preferred to remain single, Rowland knows no one
lives to reject a regal present so he wants to make the
marriage work. He goes out of his way to earn Nicolaa's
trust. He begins his campaign to gain her love when he
first concludes that she sees him as a passing nuisance
because he plans to stay by her side if he can overcome the
nightmares of his past. Medieval romance fans will enjoy THE WILLING WIFE due to
the interesting lead characters whose basic understanding
of survival makes it possible for the reader to absorb
quite a sense of the era. The story line engages the
audience because of the attitudes of Nicolaa and Rowland,
but also on the other hand makes for insignificant disputes
between them. With this novel and books like THE MARRIAGE
BED, readers will deign this author as one of the sub-
genre's aristocracy. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted October 3, 2002
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