Rating: 
Summary: Another success!!!
Review: Claudia Dain has done it once again. From the very beginning to the very end, she manages to keep her readers spellbound. She is able to keep the reader wanting a little more than she's willing to give until just the right moment. It is with incredible detail and lyrical descriptions that she is able to propel us back into medieval times like we were right there feasting next to Isabel and Richard or watching a fencing match. I was enthralled from the first page to the last and can't wait until Ms. Dain's next book is published.....
Rating: 
Summary: Ms Dain's writing gets BETTER
Review: Having read the other books my Ms Dain I was more impressed with The Marriage Bed. The story was better written and the characters more realistic. Although there were times that I would have liked to slap both characters and tell them to get over themselves,the story was interesting. Richard thinks that the only way to save himself from what he thinks is the cardinal sin of lust joins a monastry. Isabel who was fostered in the same household and fell in love with Richard prays that he will marry her. In an ironic twist of fate both Richard's brother die. The Overlord and Bishop wish that Isabel's House and Richard's join. So the bethoral contract is enforced. Richard must marry Isabel and leave the abbey. He fights the attraction between them, as he feels that his unnatural lust will harm Isabel. He also resents Isabel for forcing him to leave what he feels is the safety of the abbey. Isabel just wants Richard to make love to her. She does start to feel guilty that so many had to die for her to have Richard. When they finally consummate their marriage it is done very poorly. Leaving Isable resentful and hurt. These two finally seem to work through all their problems and come together as they were meant to.
Rating:
Summary: Ms Dain's writing gets BETTER
Review: Having read the other books my Ms Dain I was more impressed with The Marriage Bed. The story was better written and the characters more realistic. Although there were times that I would have liked to slap both characters and tell them to get over themselves,the story was interesting. Richard thinks that the only way to save himself from what he thinks is the cardinal sin of lust joins a monastry. Isabel who was fostered in the same household and fell in love with Richard prays that he will marry her. In an ironic twist of fate both Richard's brother die. The Overlord and Bishop wish that Isabel's House and Richard's join. So the bethoral contract is enforced. Richard must marry Isabel and leave the abbey. He fights the attraction between them, as he feels that his unnatural lust will harm Isabel. He also resents Isabel for forcing him to leave what he feels is the safety of the abbey. Isabel just wants Richard to make love to her. She does start to feel guilty that so many had to die for her to have Richard. When they finally consummate their marriage it is done very poorly. Leaving Isable resentful and hurt. These two finally seem to work through all their problems and come together as they were meant to.
Rating: 
Summary: Frustrating!!
Review: I agree with the other rater that this book was rather disappointing given all the other rave reviews. I stuck with it, but only out of sheer stubborn will! I found the characters' motivations to be quite unrealistic. Especially Richard's struggle with himself (non-existent at times) and I found Isabel's love for him to verge on obsession which made me feel quite uncomfortable. For the first half of the book I felt no affinity with Richard at all and I wanted to tell Isabel to stop humiliating herself over him and get a life. Having said that, I thought the medieval conversation and other characters were well written. Rowland the Dark, especially, sounded gorgeous and I was much more interested in him than the main character, Richard! I felt that the book got better as it progressed and that the whole thing would have been more successful had it begun in the middle of the story. There were certain instances that I felt the book dragged a little, especially when building up to some form of revelation which, unfortunately, was completely guessable. Basically, if you like stories of reluctant(albeit with an internal struggle) men being pursued by infatuated women, you'll probably love it. Personally, I saw enough of that in High School and I prefer my hero to be uncontrollably devastated in his attraction to a smart, independent and (possibly reluctant) heroine. Although a new twist on the Medieval Romance, it was not something that I could relate to. I have given it a low rating as I think there are authors out there who do the Medieval job better.
Rating:
Summary: If this is Medieval Romance at its best, I'll pass!
Review: I don't usually read Medieval Romances, preferring the wit and intelligence of romances set in the Regency and Victorian eras instead, but I decided to try this book on the strength of all of the five star reviews it has received. What a disappointment! The hero, Richard, has to be one of the most unlikeable men I have ever met on the printed page--a self-righteous bore with no sense of humor and a martyr complex. After acting like a total jerk for the first half of the book, which culminates in the near-rape of the heroine on their belated wedding night, suddenly, without hardly any explanation or character development, Richard does a 180 degree turn and becomes the Phil Donohue of the Middle Ages. Very believable! The heroine, Isabel, is not much better. She has had a crush on Richard from childhood, as they were fostered together with the same family. She is so obsessed with this man (inexplicably to this reader) that the whole time he is treating her cruelly and roughly on their wedding night, she is apologizing to him! Naturally, just when Richard is beginning to see the light and decides that Isabel is not half bad after all, Isabel "misunderstands" a prior relationship of Richard's and decides that she no longer loves him! If that were not bad enough, several of the secondary characters in the subplots also suffer from the same, "now I love him/her, now I don't" schizophrenic affairs. Talk about a broken record! I got so bored with this book at the end that I found myself literally skimming the pages just to get through it. The next time I want to read a good Medieval Romance, I will choose one by Jo Beverley, who really knows how to write likeable characters that come alive on the page.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent medieval romance with a twist
Review: I have been a romance fan for years, with a special interest in medievals. I've experienced the typical plot devices and the "Norman cur/Saxon wench" themes which can be lots of fun, but don't necessarily stand up to the test of time. With The Holding, and now The Marriage Bed, Claudia Dain has created a new take on the medieval romance which intrigued and satisfied even this jaded reader. Religion was a major part of life in the medieval world, yet perhaps because of the very nature of romance, it is often ignored or given only a small role to play in even well-done novels. Ms. Dain has thrown that convention on its head and given us in Richard a hero who has devoted himself to God's service and is most reluctant to give it up for marriage even to Isabel, the most winsome and lovesick (for Richard) of women. The conflict between the hero and heroine is unique in my experience -- the heroine wants the marriage and all that comes with it, including love, companionship, and yes, sex. The hero wants to do his duty and somehow figure out a way to get back to the abbey where he feels he belongs in order to atone for a long ago sin. The struggle between them is real, and intense, and at times very amusing. Their evolution as characters and as a couple is absorbing and believable - neither starts out or ends as a perfect being. They are flawed and yet striving to be more. Their supporting cast is excellent as well, and I liked the reappearance of the men from The Holding too. Some of the plot devices are a bit trite, and I could see certain things coming way too far in advance, but I didn't mark down the score because I'm so thrilled to see a new author in this sub-genre who takes some chances with the conventional character types. Thank you, Ms. Dain and keep them coming!!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent medieval romance with a twist
Review: I have been a romance fan for years, with a special interest in medievals. I've experienced the typical plot devices and the "Norman cur/Saxon wench" themes which can be lots of fun, but don't necessarily stand up to the test of time. With The Holding, and now The Marriage Bed, Claudia Dain has created a new take on the medieval romance which intrigued and satisfied even this jaded reader. Religion was a major part of life in the medieval world, yet perhaps because of the very nature of romance, it is often ignored or given only a small role to play in even well-done novels. Ms. Dain has thrown that convention on its head and given us in Richard a hero who has devoted himself to God's service and is most reluctant to give it up for marriage even to Isabel, the most winsome and lovesick (for Richard) of women. The conflict between the hero and heroine is unique in my experience -- the heroine wants the marriage and all that comes with it, including love, companionship, and yes, sex. The hero wants to do his duty and somehow figure out a way to get back to the abbey where he feels he belongs in order to atone for a long ago sin. The struggle between them is real, and intense, and at times very amusing. Their evolution as characters and as a couple is absorbing and believable - neither starts out or ends as a perfect being. They are flawed and yet striving to be more. Their supporting cast is excellent as well, and I liked the reappearance of the men from The Holding too. Some of the plot devices are a bit trite, and I could see certain things coming way too far in advance, but I didn't mark down the score because I'm so thrilled to see a new author in this sub-genre who takes some chances with the conventional character types. Thank you, Ms. Dain and keep them coming!!
Rating:
Summary: A thorough character study
Review: In 1155, when Lady Isabel Dornei's father dies she travels to the nearby abbey knowing she will be physically safe until her betrothed arrives for her. The heiress is not quite as sure of the haven when it comes to her heart because her beloved Richard, brother to her fiancé, seeks ablution while studying to be a monk at the abbey. Word soon arrives that her betrothed died so the honorable Richard marries Isabel to keep her safe.
Though Isabel and Richard love one another, both feel guilty that their relationship formed with the death of his sibling, especially knowing deep down inside that they prayed for a miracle to bring them together. Realizing that they obtained what they wished for at a high cost, both must find a way to overcome their deep regrets over the death of Richard's brother or remain doomed to a marriage of unhappiness in which love turns hollow.
Medieval romance readers who enjoy strong lead characters and deep historical setting will find THE MARRIAGE BED quite appealing though the story line ambles slowly forward. Isabel and Richard make for an engaging plot because they both feel love and the torture of guilt. More of a twelfth century character study, Claudia Dain provides her audience with a change of pace historical relationship drama. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: This was absolute torture
Review: In my quest to add new authors to my list (that includes Susan Elizabeth Philips, Shannon McKenna, Lori Foster etc) I purchased this book - much to my chagrin. This book was overwhelmed with heavy desciptions and what I thought was an attempt to be poetic (or something!) The characters were so silly I wanted to hold them by the lapels and shake them! The book dragged and dragged until I could take it no longer - it was absolutely BORING and it made no sense most of the time. I pushed myself to finish it and then promptly exchanged it for a more intelligent read. Please please do yourself a major favour and avoid this book like the plague... if I could have given a negative star I would have. Ugh.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best new authors in any genre
Review: Ms Dain comes through once again. When I started THE MARRIAGE BED, I thought how in heaven's name is she going to write a whole book about this subject? Well stupid question that I needn't have asked, after reading THE HOLDING. After all she took every cliche plot and character and turned it into one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. The turn of a phrase, eloquent and timeless, is Ms. dain's forte. THE HOLDING was such a piece of work. So should I be surprised that she took a subject that hardly seemed worthy of a chapter or two and turned it into a engaging novel.
THE MARRIAGE BED opens with the hero in the throws of a wet dream, or in medieval times what was known as a visit from a succubus. And, we follow Richard from that dream through his raison de etre. In a tale of only four days we are treated to a journey filled with humanity, love, self doubt,Pride, humiliation, redemption and forgiveness. Richard and Isabel both feel their way through their faith and their love for each other. I read THE MARRIAGE BED in one sitting, less than five hours.
As in THE HOLDING, the prose is outstanding and memorable. Indeed, the ability to take bible verse and weave it sensually through a medieval love story can only be admired. The Song of Solomon was never so beautifully quoted. Ms. Dain does not skimp on prose in THE MARRIAGE BED either.
Every once in awhile an author comes along that stands out from the ordinary and tantalizes our imaginations with wonderfully drawn stories of times past. And when we finish their tale we want it to not be over. So we wait patiently for the next book and think, can it possibly be as good as the first and we are rewarded for our patience. Ms. Dain is such an author and I am happy to have found her early on.
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