Rating: 
Summary: Good and Sweet !
Review: "The Maiden Bride" is one of those good books, where the main character tries to do some good and doesn't have any of those selfish or secret agendas that benefit themselves. Eleanor is an optimistic and hopeful person, by nature. She journeyed to Faulkhurst with her friends, to claim a castle, which belonged to her through a marriage when her husband supposedly died. (Eleanor never met her husband and the marriage they had were really nothing. Because the marriage conditions/duties were never fulfilled and the marriage was just basically a signing of papers) Eleanor and her friends went to Faulkhurst and all she found was an empty town with a crummy castle and a person that resembled a gargoyle. The gargoyle introduced himself as Nicholas. In truth, Nicholas is the husband that Eleanor married, but Nicholas doesn't reveal himself because of some internal pain he's going through. As time passes and little miracles are performed because of Eleanor's faith and trust, they fall in love. But the problem is that Nicholas's true identity is hidden and when it's revealed, would Eleanor forgive him? I liked this book because it was really sweet. It wasn't one of those books where it was mostly about sex. There were a little more to it, like the rebuilding of the castle. The reason I liked this book was because of the character Eleanor. Eleanor showed so much hope and trust and she created small miracles and made the people her family. Eleanor reminds me of this character in "The Abduction of Julia" by Karen Hawkins. "The Abduction of Julia" is also another good book and I recommend it to people who liked "The Maiden Bride" or vice versa.
Rating:
Summary: The Maiden Bride, an exceptional Medieval
Review: A woman who believes in everyday miracles and a man who has lost all hope work together to rebuild an estate wasted by the Black Death. Married by proxy, Lady Eleanor is a widow without having been a wife and she only wants to make a home for herself and the rag-tag group of survivors she has collected. Her isolated inheritance is empty and neglected, the shabby castle haunted by a man sickened by too much war, too much death. Nicholas insists on acting as her steward, not revealing that he is her husband, for as soon as he fulfills a pledge, he will enter a monastery for a lifetime of penance. But Eleanor's belief that there is a core of good in every heart overpowers his guilt and shows him that even the most wicked sinner can be redeemed by love. Needham's characters come alive, her dialogue sings, and the emotional impact of her story keeps you turning pages until the satisfying, poignant last scene, when you wish there was more to read.
Rating:
Summary: The Maiden Bride, an exceptional Medieval
Review: A woman who believes in everyday miracles and a man who has lost all hope work together to rebuild an estate wasted by the Black Death. Married by proxy, Lady Eleanor is a widow without having been a wife and she only wants to make a home for herself and the rag-tag group of survivors she has collected. Her isolated inheritance is empty and neglected, the shabby castle haunted by a man sickened by too much war, too much death. Nicholas insists on acting as her steward, not revealing that he is her husband, for as soon as he fulfills a pledge, he will enter a monastery for a lifetime of penance. But Eleanor's belief that there is a core of good in every heart overpowers his guilt and shows him that even the most wicked sinner can be redeemed by love. Needham's characters come alive, her dialogue sings, and the emotional impact of her story keeps you turning pages until the satisfying, poignant last scene, when you wish there was more to read.
Rating: 
Summary: The Maiden Bride
Review: As all her other books this one is equally wonderful. I'm never able to put her books down after I've started one until I'm finished. Thanks Linda. Please keep up the good work! Lori
Rating:
Summary: The Maiden Bride
Review: As all her other books this one is equally wonderful. I'm never able to put her books down after I've started one until I'm finished. Thanks Linda. Please keep up the good work! Lori
Rating:
Summary: Captivating Romance
Review: England, 1351. The castle of Faulkhurst has been "abandoned"-emptied by the plague, and left a barren shell; with crumbling ramparts, locked doors, and fallow fields. 'Tis naught but a challenge to Lady Eleanor, the "widowed" bride of Nicholas Bayard (happily consigned to the devil now). Accompanied by her three charges, Lady Eleanor has a plan to revive the lagging fortunes of Faulkhurst; to bring about prosperity and peace to the demesne of her cursed late husband. Haunting the lonely halls of Faulkhurst is a man closely linked to Eleanor's past. He claims the position of Steward-yet holds a much tighter claim to her heart. He is a man tormented and beguiled-by the beauty, vivacity, and stubborn-angel smile of the woman he wed long ago, yet never met: Eleanor, his salvation or hell? THE MAIDEN BRIDE is a passionate, heartbreaking, yet uplifting tale of hope, redemption, and soul-searing love . There's humour aplenty; a taunt, sensuous chemistry between Nicholas and Eleanor; and a lushly descriptive narrative filled with beautiful imagery. Linda Needham has a talent for transporting the reader (although some may find her dialogue and character mannerisms a little too "modern"; I, however, found Eleanor and Nicholas to be a refreshingly honest duo.) Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: A very good romance, rather thin in the historical part
Review: Having read all of Julie Garwood medieval romances may have spoiled me for other medievals. I found this one rather lacking in the vivid descriptions of dress, housing, meals and customs I've so loved in other books. That said, I found the book quite good in character development and plot. A sweet, caring and feisty lady who believes she's a widow without having ever met her husband, and who lost her whole family to the plague decides to bring her husband's abandoned castle back to life. And for that purpose she gives all kind of people a chance to remake their life with her and help her rebuild the castle. Arriving there, she meets a lonely knight, doing penance for the death of his son. How she lifts him from his despair and makes a good life for both themselves and their people makes for a very nice reading.
Rating:
Summary: Slow start, but worth the read!
Review: I just could not get into this book. Technically the writing was good, but the story just did not grab me. I found the plot a little contrived and the actions of the characters unrealistic. For example, if Eleanor (the heroine) needed a baker, all that she needed to do was wish really hard and one would show up at her gate. A lot of robbers, pickpockets and criminals also showed up at her gate, but in the end they were all reformed by her loving nature. I find it hard to believe that there was not one ax-murder, rapist, or even a bad tempered person in the entire bunch. I guess in the end I found the book just a little bit too "cute".
Rating: 
Summary: So So
Review: I just could not get into this book. Technically the writing was good, but the story just did not grab me. I found the plot a little contrived and the actions of the characters unrealistic. For example, if Eleanor (the heroine) needed a baker, all that she needed to do was wish really hard and one would show up at her gate. A lot of robbers, pickpockets and criminals also showed up at her gate, but in the end they were all reformed by her loving nature. I find it hard to believe that there was not one ax-murder, rapist, or even a bad tempered person in the entire bunch. I guess in the end I found the book just a little bit too "cute".
Rating:
Summary: Forgiveness turning lives around
Review: I see a movie being made from this book because Linda N. is an extraordinary writer. How she shows the stark soul of William Nicholas Bayard, trying to purge away his interpretation of the deaths of the people he tried to take care of, including his son, thus gaining the sympathy of the reader. How Linda portrays the forgiving nature of his wife, Lady Eleanor Bayard the heroine, taking the reader on a beguiling fantasy with the haunted groom who carries the secret of their proxy wedding in his already tormented concscience. Linda's strong leading lady is, to use words from the book, "... mad and wonderful and warm and if there were bright persistent angels, she must be his--redemption come to earth, as undeniable as the coming of spring." Eleanor's steady forgiveness takes in one and all and gives restoration to individual lives as she and they restore the Faulkhurst Estate and eventually, this healing reaches the heart of the man she's unknowingly married to. The way Linda teases the reader in the marriage bed -- how she keeps the reader guessing as to when the true unveiling of identity will be revealed shows careful creativity. All of these assets added to my delightful reading of her book, and I can always count on the fact that my vocabulary will be expanded after I've finished one of her tales.
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