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misspippireads's review against another edition
David de Abyndon is a rich merchant, who works with the king.
Time Period: Medieval
Location: London, England
Reviewed from a library copy.
iskanderjonesiv's review against another edition
4.0
The lady and the commoner...
Lady Christiana Fitzwaryn was not opposed to marriage. But she demanded to be married on her own terms, not as punishment for a romantic indiscretion, and especially not to a common merchant. Yet she was in for a shock when she met David de Abyndon. For she was confronted by no ordinary merchant but a man of extraordinary poise and virility. He was unaffected by their difference in social status. And even less affected by her well-thought-out arguments against their upcoming betrothal. Instead, it was Christiana who felt uneasy in the presence of this naturally lordly man behind whose cool blue eyes she sensed the most uncompromising of passions.
David de Abyndon understood Christiana's dilemma, for he too harbored a secret pain. How could he tell her that there was more to this arrangement than met the eye? How could he tell her about his deal with the king--a deal that meant he had all but bought Christiana sight unseen?
What's more, now that he had seen this beautiful, spirited woman, how could he convince her that the love she sought was not in the callow knight she had romanticized but in the flesh-and-blood arms of the man who may have bought her body--but in the bargain lost both his heart and soul?
From the Paperback edition.
**
squishies's review against another edition
1.0
It was ok. I'm quite sure I rolled my eyes a few times at Christiana.
kstep1805's review against another edition
4.0
I hadn't read it before and found a lovely story. I thought the world building wasn't sufficient enough to ground the story in medieval times. But the story was otherwise well written and enjoyable.
shutuppam's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
duplica123's review against another edition
2.0
The main characters however felt really flat to me. The plots David has created for himself were really confusing, and seemed more involved than could be expressed in a story that's supposed to focus on two lovebirds. In fact, romance seemed really half-hearted. She likes him because he makes her feel all sexy and he acts more noble than she thought a merchant could. He likes her because she's pretty and stays out of his way mostly. I found myself liking the sidekicks way more than the protagonists.
gelsey's review against another edition
3.0
On the whole I enjoyed this romance novel. Though I'm not studied on the time period, it felt real, and realism is something I always appreciate in a book. There were no sudden exclaimations or word choices or anachronisms that jumped out to me or threw me out of the book. In a historical novel of any sort, this is always a must.
That being said, while I enjoyed the characters, I found David especially to be a bit contradictory at times, and I do feel this could have been avoided a little more. Smoothed over, perhaps. While his views on property grate modern sensibilities a bit, what bothered me was actually how he seemed to flipflop on if he truly believed in it or not. By the end, I feel not, but I do think he was portrayed having two different and opposing views at times and I did not like that.
As for Christiana, she was a believable heroine even in this day and age, for I have met girls her age even now who are just as horribly naive and sheltered as she was. I do find her forgiving certain of David's actions a little questionable, especially his actions in one certain scene, but given how she was portrayed, I can just buy it.
Overall, a decent read. Not sure I'll read it again, but I don't regret picking it up, either.
greymalkin's review
1.0