Rating: 
Summary: Yup, there's another harem
Review: I've been here before griping about the over used plot line of the harem. To my relief it wasn't in the mediocre Besieged, but it reared it's head again in MoL. The characters were kind of blah. A day after finishing the book and I'd be hard pressed to remember their names. The hero and heroine were kind of flat. I wish there had been a little more history and background on the crusades, but oh well. The most memorable characters IMHO were the abbess aunt and the younger brother.
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Summary: Oh boy! Another Harem scene!
Review: I've been reading Bertrice Small since before my 22 year old daughter was born. This isn't one of her best -- she hasn't written a really great one since "Enchantress Mine," "Lost Love Found," and "A Love For All Time." But unlike some of the reviewers, it's the harem scenes I like best. I wish she'd do another set mostly in a harem like her first book, "The Kadin." My favorite character in this book was Glynn. I wish his story had turned out differently -- he'd be a great new male character in a next book -- kind of like Conn O'Malley in "A Love For All Time" -- the best of the O'Malley books.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as bad as most of her recent stuff
Review: It was o.k. Not as putrid as Bedazzled ( gag ) or the Innocent ( yawn ) but not good enough for a second read. It barely held me thru the first one. The characters were very shallow and formulaic, their motivations were boring and obvious and the plot "twists" could be seen coming a mile away. The main character, Rhonwyn, was raised a tomboy. This is all the explanation into her "personality" you're going to get. Her judgement is atrocious. The men are shallow and forgettable. The "final confrontation" has all the suspense and drama of choosing between beef and pork for dinner. I swear I used to love everything Bertrice Small wrote. The last 5 books she's put out have just been pale shadows of her previous writing. I want descriptions! I want to see the places and people brought to life! I want the histories, the secrets, the motivations, the conflicts and the triumphs of the characters fleshed out, expanded on and explained! I want more than Small's been giving recently. This book wasn't her worst. But it wasn't far from it, either.
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Summary: hot erotic romance
Review: Late in the thirteenth century, as part of a peace treaty with King Henry, the Prince of Wales Llywelyn of Gruffydd agrees to have his daughter wed an English knight. However, his daughter, Rhonwyn grew up amidst soldiers with no female presence. She is a fine warrior, but far from an acceptable lady.Still Rhonwyn does her duty and marries Edward de Beaumont. He earns her trust and ultimately her love by his actions towards his people and her brother. When he goes to North Africa on a crusade, Rhonwyn comes too. When Edward becomes ill, she leads his men into battle only to become the prisoner of the Emir of Cinnebar, who teaches her sexual passion. As she learns how to please a man, Rhonwyn wonders what awaits her if she ever escapes and returns to England and her beloved Edward. A MEMORY OF LOVE is an entertaining medieval romance filled with erotic love. The crisp story line centers on the relationship between Edward and Rhonwyn, but is interrupted by the author's trademark harem scene that adds nothing to the plot. Overall, Ms. Small writes a wonderful historical romance starring two exciting characters struggling to find an everlasting love. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: A Memory of Love
Review: Not like her other books at all. More recent works including this one seemed to be rushed there is not the magic of the story like there is with Love Wild and fair, Skye O'Malley, or A Love for All time, just to name a few. Though I read the book cover to cover I was disgusted with the fact that I had paid fifteen dollars for that. The battle scene with Rhowyn was hyped in the synopis and jacket covers but it only lasted for three pages. I was expecting a strong feamle character and was extremely disappointed. Unlike many of her other books I was not drawen into the story of the principle female character. It seems like Small is writing books these days only to earn the money. She has come out with several books each year recently and they seem poorly written compared to her earlier works.
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Summary: Bertrice Small does it again!
Review: Once again, author Bertrice Small writes a novel that is unforgettable. She focuses this novel on the heroine who is passionate, reckless, and as powerful as any man... I could not put this book down. It was thoroughly enjoyable, but then again, I enjoy all of Bertrice Small's books.
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Summary: A warrior and a princess.
Review: Rhonwyn and her younger brother Glynn are the illegitimate children of the Prince of Wales in 13th century Europe. When their mother dies, their father takes them to a nearby fortress "for a little while." The years fly by and Rhonwyn becomes a young woman adept at weapons, war, and a sense of duty. When her father comes for her to marry her off as part of a peace treaty with England, he is shocked to find a warrior rather than a princess. After lessons on how to be a lady, Rhonwyn is married to Edward. Unlike most of Small's heroines, Rhonwyn is not overly passionate and doesn't care overly much for lovemaking. Edward is concerned, but doesn't know how to handle it. Suddenly an opportunity comes up. The have been invited to join the crusades. Edward nearly dies from the filth, but is nursed back to health by his devoted wife. All too soon the inevitable happens and Rhonwyn is captured by the enemy and brought before the Emir of Cinnabar. With great care, he helps Rhonwyn discover a terrible secret which allows him to awaken the passion inside her. Although she enjoys the Emir's attentions, she plots for the day of her escape and her return to her husband's arms. Even though I had some expectations of the Bertrice Small formula: Boy meets girl, boy loves girl, boy loses girl to handsome stranger in a far off land, boy gains girl, I was completely floored by what happened to Rhonwyn upon her return home. At first, I wasn't sure of the direction this story was heading and then I was thrilled. A great story! And by the way, I enjoy the harem stories. They are part of the Small formula and no one else can write it like her.
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Summary: Not The Greatest!!
Review: Rhonwyn, bastard daughter of the Prince of Wales opens this story as a five year old sheltering and caring for her three-year-old brother. Her mother lay dead from a miscarriage when the children's father shows up and Rhonwyn's indifference to her sire demonstrates her independence and strength of character. Not knowing what else to do with his children and not wanting to be inconvenienced, he brings them to the closet place, a border fortress manned entirely by men and leaves them. Rhonwyn grows up more of a lad than a lassie, the darling of the fort, excelling in swordplay and hunting. By the time her father returns, 10 years later, and politically motivated, he has betrothed his daughter to one of the king's men. To his horror, Rhonwyn is unrecognizable as a lady and he brings her to his sister, the lady abbess, to mold into some semblance of womanhood before bringing her to her new husband. Rhonwyn's early upbringing without another female to guide her in any womanly pursuits or knowledge of marriage, romance etc. made this quite a different read. Her only guide to behavior was to do her duty with honor and loyalty. It was accompanying her husband on the crusades that she would began to fall in love with him. Then she was captured and thrust into the harem of a caliph who would be her guide in releasing the demons that had, up until then, blocked her passionate nature and she would be schooled in erotic love. Rescued, escaping and finding her way back to Great Britain, she would find that she had been declared dead, replaced by another, and entering a new battle to repair her heart. I loved this fascinating and compelling story! From the very beginning, this book was very exciting with an interesting story and an absolutely fabulous heroine. The historical details were plentiful, the dialog fresh and sassy, the heroine gorgeous, secondary characters fascinating, and the sensuality sizzling - all in all a most perfect read!
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Summary: Strong and Sassy Heroine
Review: Rhonwyn, bastard daughter of the Prince of Wales opens this story as a five year old sheltering and caring for her three-year-old brother. Her mother lay dead from a miscarriage when the children's father shows up and Rhonwyn's indifference to her sire demonstrates her independence and strength of character. Not knowing what else to do with his children and not wanting to be inconvenienced, he brings them to the closet place, a border fortress manned entirely by men and leaves them. Rhonwyn grows up more of a lad than a lassie, the darling of the fort, excelling in swordplay and hunting. By the time her father returns, 10 years later, and politically motivated, he has betrothed his daughter to one of the king's men. To his horror, Rhonwyn is unrecognizable as a lady and he brings her to his sister, the lady abbess, to mold into some semblance of womanhood before bringing her to her new husband. Rhonwyn's early upbringing without another female to guide her in any womanly pursuits or knowledge of marriage, romance etc. made this quite a different read. Her only guide to behavior was to do her duty with honor and loyalty. It was accompanying her husband on the crusades that she would began to fall in love with him. Then she was captured and thrust into the harem of a caliph who would be her guide in releasing the demons that had, up until then, blocked her passionate nature and she would be schooled in erotic love. Rescued, escaping and finding her way back to Great Britain, she would find that she had been declared dead, replaced by another, and entering a new battle to repair her heart. I loved this fascinating and compelling story! From the very beginning, this book was very exciting with an interesting story and an absolutely fabulous heroine. The historical details were plentiful, the dialog fresh and sassy, the heroine gorgeous, secondary characters fascinating, and the sensuality sizzling - all in all a most perfect read!
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Summary: Enjoyable Story Set in a Little Known Corner of History!
Review: The best thing about this new book by my favorite author is that it's not a sequel! We romance readers seem to be inudated with sequels and trilogies lately. Not that I don't like to revisit my favorite characters and their further adventures; however, sometimes a really good epilogue can answer many questions and give us satisfying closure. In A MEMORY OF LOVE, Ms. Small introduces us to Rhonwyn, the bastard daughter of Llywelyn who is the Prince of Wales. The book starts out in 1257 which is a wild and harsh time for Wales, and England for that matter. She becomes more warrior princess than lady of the manor, and during the whole story line she either revels in her military-like character or struggles to control it in order to appear to be a Christian noble lady. She is a strong and enjoyable heroine, and I wasn't trying to imprint Skye O'Malley's essence on her as I have, to be honest, Jasmine, India, and Fortune. The harem episode may be repetitive, but I found some new and different aspects of it in this book. I do have to say I wish we had been introduced to Rafe sooner in the story, and I also wish his character had been more developed. He seemed likable, but a bit weak next to Rhonwyn. The secondary characters of the abbess and Glynn were very strong and satisfying. I read the book very quickly and I was sorry when it was over. I would have enjoyed more of the story or one of those great epilogues. I would also like to add that I appreciate Ms. Small not going to expensive hard backs for her first editions. I really do like the over sized paper back style; and it's more consumer friendly to a romance-aholic like me. Thanks, Bertrice!
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