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Summary: Loved this book!
Review: Mad about Morvan! That's all there is to it. A great hero and a very interesting heroine. Sometimes I felt like shaking her, though. How could a woman of beauty be so ignorant of her allure? However, all's well that ends well. Well worth reading, just as Ms. Hunter's "By" books were. I can't wait for "Lord of a Thousand Nights" to arrive.
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Summary: admirable characters
Review: Madeline Hunter created wonderful characters. I immediately grew attached to Anna. She was both strong and vulnerable. Morvan was the perfect match for her, understanding of her position and still masculine. Both of the main characters are admirably intelligent and creative. The story is also well written, moving quickly without skimping on the details that bring scenes to life. My only criticism, one very common in romance novels, is her story focuses only on the two main characters and doesn't really involve minor characters who may have influenced them. Every good idea and heroic effort is made by Anna and Morvan. Her sister never has an idea or opinion. Ascanio, a preist-knight, isn't necessary either. He only once makes a difference in the plot when he chooses to follow the lord over the lady in a symbol of her loss of power. Relationships with more than just the love interests create a more believeable character. Despite my criticism, which I've come to expect in any romance novel, I throughly enjoyed it, will probably reread it a couple of times, and would recommend it to any avid romance reader.
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Summary: Stimulates heart, mind and senses!
Review: Madeline Hunter has a rare talent for combining a compelling story, complex, believable characters, and a rich historical context. She avoids the anachronistic tendencies of most writers of historical romance--her characters ring true for the historical period they are living in--but they are people whose personalities and problems we can easily relate to in the 21st century. If you have not yet experienced the pleasure of Madeline Hunter's books, try this. You are in for a real treat!
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Summary: Another Excellent Medieval Romance
Review: Madeline Hunter has done it again. She has crafted a compelling romance with fascinating characters set against a rich historical tapestry. THE PROTECTOR will add to her growing reputation as one of the most promising authors to come on the scene in quite a while. THE PROTECTOR is Morvan Fitzwaryn's story. Morvan was introduced in Hunter's first book, BY ARRANGEMENT. He is the son of a baron whose holding was seized by the Scots during one of the many border skirmishes that plagued the north of England. The loss of his patrimony means that he must earn his way with his sword and he has spent several years as a mercenary, fighting in the endless wars between England and France. Now he is on his way home, but he is forced to take a detour when Black Death strikes his troop. Morvan is taken in by Anna De Leon, the daughter of a Breton lord. Anna's father and brother died of the plague but she survived. She nurses Morvan through the illness (yes, it was possible to survive the plague with good luck and good care). Morvan believes that he must protect his savior from the dangers that beset a Brittany engulfed in civil war. He also feels a deep attachment to this unusual woman who can ride and fight better than many men. But as a property-less knight, he can aspire to be no more than her protector. How Morvan and Anna become husband and wife, how he convinces her that she is not - as she thought - unfeminine and unlovable, how a strong man and a strong woman work out their relationship and how they defeat her long time enemy is the basis of the story. Fans of BY ARRANGEMENT have clamored for Morvan's story. I am certain they will be completely satisfied with this tale of how he finds love. Full disclosure compels me to admit that Madeline Hunter is a friend of mine. But I have no hesitation in staking my own reputation as a reviewer on my evaluation of THE PROTECTOR. This is an excellent medieval romance.
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Summary: Highly recommend
Review: Madeline Hunter's romance novels are the best historicals that I ever read and this one is no exception. A honorable knight Morvan (Christiana's brother in By Arrangement)was nursed back to life from Black Death by a female warrior and saint (so believed by locals), Anna. Then he swore to protect this beautiful but innocent Breton heiress from the greed and lust of other men. And he did by making her falling in love with himself. It is less angst-ridden than previous ones such as By Possession and By Design but the bleak description of Black Death and war rampaging the Medieval Europe makes the lives of characters look fragile and vunerable and the love between Morvan and Anna more passionate, urgent, and sweet. Villians are believable combined with the intelligent historical background information, and protagonists are not so overly grandiosed as to become unbelievable as we often find in other romance novels. Madeline Hunter's greatest strength is her talent of seamlessly weaving a love story in a vivid and accurate description of history with an uncanny balance that satisfies both romance and history readers.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommend
Review: Madeline Hunter's romance novels are the best historicals that I ever read and this one is no exception. A honorable knight Morvan is nursed back to life from Black Death by a female warrior and saint (so believed by locals in Breton), Anna. Then he swears to protect this beautiful but innocent heiress from the greed and lust of other men. And he does so by making her falling in love with himself. It is less angst-ridden than previous ones such as By Possession and By Design but the bleak description of Black Death and war rampaging the Medieval Europe casts the lives of characters fragile and vunerable and makes the love between Morvan and Anna more passionate, urgent, and sweet. Villains are believable combined with the intelligently-provided historical background information, and protagonists are not so overly grandiosed as to become unbelievable as we often find in other romance novels. Madeline Hunter's greatest strength is her talent of seamlessly weaving a love story in a vivid and accurate description of history with an uncanny balance that satisfies both romance and history readers.
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Summary: We Love ALL other Madeline Hunter Books!!!!
Review: Okay, here we have Morvan, who decides he should probably find work and a place to live, (his own estate was taken away from his family)and to his way of thinking, the only way a poor knight with no real prospects can accomplish this is by marrying a wealthy woman. Enter the beautiful Anna de Leon, who had to have a husband, according to the times. Unfortunately for her, it ends up being Morvan Fitzwaryn. Once they are wed, he tells Anna she must turn submissive - to let her people know he's boss, not her. He also tells her what clothes she can wear, he prevents her from attending meetings with her men, which, until Morvan, she had presided over; he claims that he now owns the horses that she spent a lot of money on and raised herself, and in one of the most appalling acts of the story, he eventually presents these same horses to her - as a gift from himself. But most pathetic of all, Anna wanted her horses back so badly, she found herself thanking her husband for the gift. What a disgrace.
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Summary: This author's talent shows!
Review: Set in England, during the uncertain times of the 14th century, Anna de Leon acted as the Lord of Castle La Roche de Roald. Her parents and brother were deceased. She had only her sister and a few loyal men from her father to defend the castle with. The Black Plague had killed most everyone. English Knight (Sir) Morvan Fitzwaryn and his men were taken in by Anna when they fell sick. She placed them in a death house and helped nurse them while the plague ran its course among them. Once all were either dead or well, Morvan had made a vow to protect Anna. However, Anna had no interest in his protection. She was skilled with the bow, wore men's clothes, and did men's work. Her life had forced her to become self sufficient. Yet when Gurwant de Beaumanoir lay siege on the castle, Anna was grateful for the extra men. The emotions between Anna and Morvan were complex too. They wanted each other, yet Moran wanted her to change and Anna could not do so. ***** Madeline Hunter has an amazing talent of making readers actually feel the emotions of the characters! I am still in awe of how deeply I could sense the pride, humiliation, love, need for revenge, and urge to protect the innocent! Highly recommended reading here. Be warned, though, no sappy hero or heroine in this story! *****
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Summary: Worthy sequel to BY ARRANGEMENT
Review: The Black Death is the catalyst for the English mercenary knight Morvan's arrival at a Breton coastal stronghold, and his subsequent interaction with its lady, Anna de Leon. But the political setting for this story is not just the Hundred Years' War (a struggle for control of the French throne between England and France). The key to the story is a local power struggle over the succession in Brittany, one of the many semi-independent duchies that make up the feudal kingdom of France. Since Brittany is on the coast, its control is crucial to both the French and the English. I don't want to give away key plot elements (for those of you who have not read the other reviews). But readers should keep the political story in mind as they read the book. Without it, the actions of the king, of Anna herself, and of other characters make little sense. [I also recommend taking a look at Madeline Hunter's website for further information]. Enough on the background. On to praise for the book, but where should I begin? This is a wonderful and thoroughly well-crafted sequel to my favorite medieval romance (BY ARRANGEMENT). Readers of Hunter have eagerly awaited this book, especially since the more knowledgeable fans know that she wrote Morvan's story first. This book more than meets my expectations for a good read this summer. I have to say that the published description didn't make the book sound very exciting, which is a bit unfortunate - the book kept me up until 3 AM (an automatic 4 stars therefore, at least). The story begins with Morvan facing a likely death from the Black Death. During this phantasmagoric time, he meets the one woman who can turn him from thoughts of regaining his ancestral home and family honor. Unfortunately, the lady has other ideas . I can't give away any secrets by saying that Morvan and Anna do get married (since this is expected in a romance). But their courtship takes unexpected turns, as does their marriage. What I liked about this book: 1) I don't usually like alpha-male characters, but Morvan somehow crept through my defenses (as he cuts through those of court ladies). Must be those sparkling black eyes. Well, a fantastically handsome hero is easy to dream about - and his dominating ways make some sense given the dangers faced by Anna and her household. 2) The heroine is remarkable. This is not the place to discuss whether Anna's actions and beliefs are really anachronistic. Her desires, fears, and needs seemed ageless to me - they boiled down to the desire for "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" as she defined them, and not as society or her overlord defined for her. 3) Hunter has her usual skill in weaving historical details into a rich tapestry of sights, sounds and smells. I am no medievalist, but I have detected no errors in her settings - and I know (from writing to her) that she takes considerable pains to get the details right but not too overwhelming. I do wish that she would cut out the "Aye" and "Nay" in her dialogue. Since the rest of the dialogue is modernized, I find these words a bit more jarring as I keep reading and re-reading. 4) Hunter is very creative in her love scenes. As it happens, in this particular book, the physical relationship is not consummated until the wedding night, but there is plenty of sensuality and "hot stuff" before then. And we learn enough to realize that Morvan is a consummate seducer and is used to getting his way with sweet talk... which makes subsequent developments all the more interesting. The love scenes, while detailed, are not quite as explicit as in BY ARRANGEMENT - although there is plenty going on. 5) The motivations of the hero and the heroine are quite credible. Anna wants to live life on her own terms, and initially, she will not accept a loveless marriage anymore than she will accept a marriage in which she is anything but an equal (or the superior). Morvan wants both the woman and the riches she represents, but on his terms. The battle of the sexes between them draws the reader right in - all the way to the delightfully surprising end. 6) The flaws of the main characters make the story more suspenseful, by raising the stakes in certain situations and by shifting the reader's sympathies in other situations. [Put yourself in Morvan's place when he rescues Anna in the stream, for example]. Morvan's love for Anna does not change his innate character, and he must in fact work on some of his flaws before his marriage will be truly happy. And Anna herself can let stubbornness do her in, and lead her into some hair-raising actions. Her capacity for risk tolerance (to put it mildly) is far higher than that of her husband and their household. She also underestimates potential dangers at times, due to her limited world-experience. The pairing of two nobles as hero and heroine is a bit unusual for Hunter. Her first three books have featured cross-class romances, which I have come to identify as Hunter's special area. By contrast, this fourth book features a landless knight marrying a great heiress. While this story works beautifully, I look out for (and recommend) Hunter's books in part because of her cross-class romances. I am not sure if Hunter has decided to move into the "mainstream" of medieval romance plots. I am delighted that more readers are discovering Hunter. As for the problems that some readers detect, yes, there are flaws. Unlike in BY ARRANGEMENT, we read little about the needs and desires of other characters. But it is hard to argue that with characters such as Duke Jean (the young duke), Edward III, and several of Anna's vassals and servants, that all the secondary characters are cardboard cutouts with no inner life (I beg to disagree). Hunter writes romances, not historical fiction, and the limitations in her work are those of the genre. I have some minor criticisms here and there, but overall, I enjoyed the work tremendously. The book rates a 4.7 from me.
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Summary: The Horses Did Him In
Review: The hero of this book, Morvan Fitzwaryn was conceited enough without adding more faults to his character, but somehow the author succeeded in doing just that. But the fact that this unimpressive man was pleased with himself for giving his wife Anna back her own horses and the fact that Anna profusely thanked him totally turned me off to this book. It was hard enough to take Morvan throughout the story, but that was outside of enough.
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