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Summary: Karen Ranney *knows* how to tell a beautiful story...
Review: Karen Ranney *knows* how to tell a beautiful story... And MY TRUE LOVE is no exception. Ms. Ranney weaves a magical tapestry about a Scottish young woman, named Anne Sinclair, who falls in love with a man... that she's only seen in her mystical visions. Stephen Harrington, the Earl of Langlinais, is the man of her dreams, literally. And when he finds her in peril on his land, he not only rescues her but also finds himself absolutely enchanted by her... Thus begins the love story so powerful and unexplainable.. that even defies time and space. A tale of true love that began in MY BELOVED comes full circle. I thought the story of Juliana and Sebastian was good! And have been anticipating the release of this book for months! And I surely was not disappointed by Karen Ranney. She sucks you in by her lyrical and almost poetic writing, making you a part of the character, plot... even the magical castle Langlinais. Ms. Ranney's words and sentences are packed with so much meaning and depth... creating a mystical ambience throughout the book. I enjoyed and savored Anne & Stephen's story. Two people in the midsts of a civil war, drawn by forces they don't even understand. It's an amazing love story with a great ending. I can't wait to see what Karen Ranney comes up with next. Julianne
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Summary: Enjoyable, but don't forget the oven mits!
Review: Sensuality rating: NC-17 To most women, meeting the man of their dreams occurs only figuratively. Not so with Anne Sinclair, daughter of the Laird of Dunniwerth. As a child of eight, Anne caught her first glimpse of a boy she knew only as Stephen, hailing from some unknown place called Langlinais. No mere dream, her vision came as a glimmering, fishbowl-like window into his world. For the next 15 years, Anne glimpses through this weird portal Stephen's anguish and joy, his triumphs and defeats, his interests and a few of his secrets as he grows to manhood. With each new vision, Anne's heart grows inexorably closer to his. Never once does Stephen seem aware of her presence, but Anne knows that she must one day embark upon a quest to find this mysterious man. Their predestined meeting would forever change the course of both their lives, as well as the lives of those around them. Stephen Harrington, 17th earl of Langlinais and commander of the "Blessed Regiment" cavalry squad, has grown weary of supporting his king, Charles I, in what he secretly considered a losing cause. Defying the king's command, Stephen returns home after a battle to bury his dead and nurse a festering wound. Stephen doesn't count upon meeting the woman of his dreams -- in the figurative sense -- as Anne flees across his own lands from an enemy patrol. Rescuing her proves far easier than divining her secrets, such as why Anne traveled onto English soil to seek him out. Falling in love with her seems only natural at first, until the king's Parliamentarian enemies threaten to drive a wedge between them that even love cannot hope to surmount. The first 90 percent of My True Love tells an engrossing tale of forbidden love amidst the uncertainty of war. Then, inexplicably, the dramatic tension slackens for a while, only to be artificially heightened by the inadequately explained actions of Anne's father -- almost as if to pad out the novel to the requisite length. A couple of other plot elements, such as the fate of a secondary character, suffer from similar mishandling. Otherwise, Ms. Ranney delivers an enjoyable read. Just be careful the hot spots don't singe your fingertips.
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Summary: Another pair of lovers at Langlinais Castle.
Review: When I finished writing My Beloved, I realized that I didn't want to leave Langlinais. The castle had an intriguing pull on me. I wondered what would happen if someone else had the same experience and visited Langlinais four hundred years later. What would they see? What would they discover? Thus, the premise for My True Love was born. The characters developed out of my love of the question - what if? What if a young girl begins to dream of a boy far away? What if the Legend of Langlinais isn't what people think at all? What if a man, on the brink of death, meets a woman who has journeyed across a war torn landscape to find him? The answers were occasionally surprising. I truly hope you enjoy the story of Anne and Stephen, and of Langlinais Castle. Warm fuzzies! Karen
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