Rating: 
Summary: An Okay Read
Review: I'm not really sure what to make of Shannon Drake. After reading "Beneath a Blood Red Moon" I thought she was fabulous. After reading "Blue Heaven, Black Knight" I thought she was awful. After reading "The King's Pleasure" I'm sort of leaning toward the fact that she's a good writer, but she won't ever be one of my favorite authors."The King's Pleasure" was well written. If you're a history buff, you will no doubt love this book. I am not a history buff. I think fans of historical romance fall into two different categories: those who love rich, detailed accounts of history woven all throughout the novel, and those of us who enjoy the setting but don't wish to read a dissertation on medieval life. I am definitely of the latter group. I love the settings provided by historical authors, but I don't care to read blow by blow accounts of a particular battle any more than I would want a blow by blow account of a modern battle while reading a contemporary novel. So I found myself glossing over the majority of this book. The next problem I had with this novel was that the heroine was stubborn to the point of ridiculousness (a common attribute of all Drake's heroines). Because of some vague, obscure vow she made to her mother on her deathbed, she chose to betray her husband and father repeatedly to keep it. Who would do this in real life? It was too far-fetched and aggravating. The last reason I found this novel less than compelling was because I simply don't enjoy her style of writing. Drake uses exclamation points after every other sentence which, after awhile, has the same effect as writing all in caps throughout the entire book. Exclamation points were used to the point of ridiculousness. Even if the heroine was whispering, whatever she said seemed to warrant an exclamation point to Drake's way of thinking. It got to be too much. If you enjoy Drake in general, you will probably love this book. If you enjoy a lot of conflict between the hero and heroine and tons and tons of "rich, historical detail" (a phrase used by critics I've since come to steer clear of), you will like this book. If you don't fall into the above categories, save your money.
Rating:
Summary: An Okay Read
Review: I'm not really sure what to make of Shannon Drake. After reading "Beneath a Blood Red Moon" I thought she was fabulous. After reading "Blue Heaven, Black Knight" I thought she was awful. After reading "The King's Pleasure" I'm sort of leaning toward the fact that she's a good writer, but she won't ever be one of my favorite authors. "The King's Pleasure" was well written. If you're a history buff, you will no doubt love this book. I am not a history buff. I think fans of historical romance fall into two different categories: those who love rich, detailed accounts of history woven all throughout the novel, and those of us who enjoy the setting but don't wish to read a dissertation on medieval life. I am definitely of the latter group. I love the settings provided by historical authors, but I don't care to read blow by blow accounts of a particular battle any more than I would want a blow by blow account of a modern battle while reading a contemporary novel. So I found myself glossing over the majority of this book. The next problem I had with this novel was that the heroine was stubborn to the point of ridiculousness (a common attribute of all Drake's heroines). Because of some vague, obscure vow she made to her mother on her deathbed, she chose to betray her husband and father repeatedly to keep it. Who would do this in real life? It was too far-fetched and aggravating. The last reason I found this novel less than compelling was because I simply don't enjoy her style of writing. Drake uses exclamation points after every other sentence which, after awhile, has the same effect as writing all in caps throughout the entire book. Exclamation points were used to the point of ridiculousness. Even if the heroine was whispering, whatever she said seemed to warrant an exclamation point to Drake's way of thinking. It got to be too much. If you enjoy Drake in general, you will probably love this book. If you enjoy a lot of conflict between the hero and heroine and tons and tons of "rich, historical detail" (a phrase used by critics I've since come to steer clear of), you will like this book. If you don't fall into the above categories, save your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Save you money.
Review: I've been reading Shannon Drake's novel for some time, though I confess I do not know why. All her books are basically the same, except the names have been changed for the hero and heroine and the settings are slightly different. The King's Pleasure is no different. I found the plotline boring and unoriginal, except of course for the extremly long and tedius battle scenes. The hero was, as usuall, overly cruel and not particularly attractive, and the heroine was awful. Danielle was stubborn to the point of stupidity. She was a spoiled little brat with no loyalty. The author repeated over and over again how clever she was, yet she showed not a sighn of intelligence throughout the whole book. The woman was stupid and spoiled and I do not understand how anyone could have liked her. When Danielle and Adrien finally decided they loved each other at the end I simply coulnd not understand why. I found the age difference between the hero and the heroine disturbing as well. I am young myself and the idea of marrying a man fifteen years older than me is repugnent. I do not understand why Shannon Drake insists on doing this, and quite frankly, I don't think I can stand much more of it. The only things I liked about this book were the parts with Edward, the black prince of Wales in them. Oh yes, and the cover, which is why I bought the book in the first place. Frankly, this is supposed to be a romance novel, but I did not find it in the least romantic. Save your money and your time and don't buy the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Could not put it down.
Review: I've read a quite a few of Shannon Drake's romance novels, and enjoyed all of them. She writes under the name of Heather Graham also. But this particular novel was excellent, I could not put it down, I did not want it to end. Great Book.
Rating: 
Summary: History at its best!
Review: If you are a true historical romance reader, then you will definitely enjoy the compelling history, however, the love story in itself is somewhat annoying and confusing. Adrienne is a hero that every woman will love. Strong, masculine, confident, yet gentle when necessary, and devoted to both his king and adversary of a wife. Danielle, I found to be 'stupid'. She was raised by an English king, yet she would betray her loving huband and her king in order to keep a vow she made to her mother, a vow she did not fully understand. However, since I'm a fan of the typical genre of 'relunctant brides and grooms', I enjoyed the bantering between the two. The 'King's Pleasure' is not one of the best, however, few historical romances are written involving this particular Platagenet and that in itself is refreshing. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give this book a low 4 or a high 3 1/2 stars
Rating:
Summary: Richly Spun Tale of History--Mediocre Romance
Review: This book is an engaging and entertaining example of historical fiction. I found the romance portion of the book to be quite frustrating. The flaws, though, did not detract overmuch from the fantastic writing. This book is well researched, and that effort shines through! It meanders through the lives of mother and daughter and their complicated ties with the warring Kings of France and England. The accounts of their lives was richly detailed. The battles, the fortifications, the painful reality of medieval warfare were explored. I found the history angle to be one of the strongest of any "historical romance" I've encountered of this period. HOWEVER...(and there is a big "however") The romance between Danielle D'Aville and Adrien MacLachlan was a bit forced. She is French and rallies for their cause while Adrien is one of England's champions. The money, titles, and land that he receives by marrying the wretchedly stubborn Danielle more than make up for it. They fight, spit, and hate each other for a span of nearly 6 years. (Which to a reader seems nearly as long in real time.) During that time, they both discover they are in love with each other (and things take a turn for the better)..despite the fact that Adrien's method of discipline and control centers around rape. This author offended me greatly with her casual use of rape in the book. The two women to suffer so are portrayed as struggling with their desire by the end of the assault. Excuse me? What tripe. Luckily the book progresses beyond its stumbling blocks to develop into an intriguing historical tale. Kudos on the cover art. Tasteful outer cover with a good attempt at "good" romance art. No caked on harlot-blue eyeshadow on the heroine, no half-shed clothing. Though I've never seen a Scotsman who looked like that. Overall? Give it a shot if you are enchanted by the age of chivalry. The romance isn't very satisfying, but the background makes up for it.
Rating:
Summary: Richly Spun Tale of History--Mediocre Romance
Review: This book is an engaging and entertaining example of historical fiction. I found the romance portion of the book to be quite frustrating. The flaws, though, did not detract overmuch from the fantastic writing. This book is well researched, and that effort shines through! It meanders through the lives of mother and daughter and their complicated ties with the warring Kings of France and England. The accounts of their lives was richly detailed. The battles, the fortifications, the painful reality of medieval warfare were explored. I found the history angle to be one of the strongest of any "historical romance" I've encountered of this period. HOWEVER...(and there is a big "however") The romance between Danielle D'Aville and Adrien MacLachlan was a bit forced. She is French and rallies for their cause while Adrien is one of England's champions. The money, titles, and land that he receives by marrying the wretchedly stubborn Danielle more than make up for it. They fight, spit, and hate each other for a span of nearly 6 years. (Which to a reader seems nearly as long in real time.) During that time, they both discover they are in love with each other (and things take a turn for the better)..despite the fact that Adrien's method of discipline and control centers around rape. This author offended me greatly with her casual use of rape in the book. The two women to suffer so are portrayed as struggling with their desire by the end of the assault. Excuse me? What tripe. Luckily the book progresses beyond its stumbling blocks to develop into an intriguing historical tale. Kudos on the cover art. Tasteful outer cover with a good attempt at "good" romance art. No caked on harlot-blue eyeshadow on the heroine, no half-shed clothing. Though I've never seen a Scotsman who looked like that. Overall? Give it a shot if you are enchanted by the age of chivalry. The romance isn't very satisfying, but the background makes up for it.
Rating:
Summary: EXCITING!ROMANTIC! You'll stay up all night to finish it!
Review: This is one of my very favorite books. I've been reading romance novels for nine years and I've read alot of great books but this one is just to good to describe. The story and the passion was ignighting. A love we all wish for. I hope to see Shannon Drake write many more like this one.Run to the book store for this book!
Rating:
Summary: I Definetly Loved This Book!
Review: This is the first Shannon Drake book I have read, and I couldn't put it down!
Rating:
Summary: The King's Pleasure
Review: This was the sixth Historical Romance book that I have read and first book by Shannon Drake.
Let me tell you, the story line was unbelivable. I just loved the banter between the Denniell and Adrian. It was sweeter than honey. If you love a read about; humor, saduction, dominans, and love, then you've found the right book!!!
Read it! Enjoy it!
You won't be sorry.
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