Rating: 
Summary: very enjoyable! just missing history
Review: This book suffers as are all "shorten lengthen" history books. I am sorry, these books set in historical times should have HISTORY in them. This one is rather sparse on this, but I often fear this is not the writer's fault, but the publisher's fault slashing from their books to make the smaller size book lengths. I really feel many of these publishers of historical romance are slicing their throats. Readers of TRUE Historical romances are screaming more history - they're just are not listening, convincing themselves it's okay to give 'quicker' reads to compete with the net. Well, sorry, you are only going to lose lovers of history. This books has a good story, but it may as well have been set in modern day. NO HISTORY. It's a very fun read with poor Lady Catherine Keith, twice wed, twice widowed, and in need someone to fend of unwanted suitors and protector her Scottish Stronghold. Having been raped by English Knights, she wants no men near her. But her sister knows her being unwed makes her a target for men to try and kidnap her to force her into marriage to gain control of her lands, so she send a "make believe husband". He is an English knight, face scared in battle. Sir Marmaduke Strongbow (oh, please could you not have chosen a better name!!! Yes, he comes from the Character in Devil in a Kilt, but just does not work well for me.) comes at Catherine's sister's request to defend the Keith fortress, but he has plans of his own. But unlike all the other suiters, he wants her love, not her land, so he lays siege in the bedroom and teaches her there are other ways to wage war. He think she resists him because of his scared face, instead of her aversion to all men. So the chase it on. The characters are well-drawn and heart-warming. I just wish the editors would keep their fingers off the history! This book, given a longer length and some care to leave in the history for the period could have been so great instead of good. Let's hope Warner reverses this trend and puts history back in their writer's tales. A very enjoyable read.
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