ANNALISE

Rating:
Summary: Different; Spellbinding
Review: An innocent miss; an insane duke; a wicked mother; a secret society. Throw them all together and you get an interesting, yet bizarre tale! Annalise is a romantic young woman, her head filled with dreams of marrying a charming prince. A commoner, she agrees to marry the new Duke of Marchfield (Bryson) having been told he is returning from a monastery. Bryson has been locked away in a horrible place in France - a priory housing the insane. Treatment was regular punishment. He had been ill when he entered and after six years his slow recovery and his own silence kept him alive. How will this travesty of a marriage come about - or survive? He is like a beast!

I truly enjoyed how this author got into the minds of her characters. What a different perspective. The story takes place slightly before Regency times (hope I've got the years right!) during the French revolution and is played out in both England and France. When I began this story, I thought it was medieval times because of the situations - you don't realize how little control people had over their own fate even during later years. Some more horrible scenes are torture that happen to a French aristocrat.

Everything was wrapped up a little too quickly! Otherwise, this was very good reading. Very different!

Rating:
Summary: a very touching love story
Review: This was an unexpectedly moving and emotionally-involving love story, in which the hero is slowly rescued from madness through the innocence and love of a young woman tricked into becoming his betrothed. The conspiracy plot line is distracting from the main plot which is the developement of their relationship, but overall it's a very intense and satisfying read.

Rating:
Summary: An Original!
Review: Very intriguing. I truly sympathise with Bryson..those horrific and tragic years in that dreadful place. Fortunately, the experiences did not mar his physical features..especially his beautiful teeth (the inmates in these places tend to have rotten teeth gradually...). And I love the way Annalise progressively gained his trust and managed to develop feelings for him. I truly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: An Original!
Review: Very intriguing. I truly sympathise with Bryson..those horrific and tragic years in that dreadful place. Fortunately, the experiences did not mar his physical features..especially his beautiful teeth (the inmates in these places tend to have rotten teeth gradually...). And I love the way Annalise progressively gained his trust and managed to develop feelings for him. I truly recommend this book.