|
Julie Anderson
, September 06, 2008
(view all comments by Julie Anderson)
Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Aug08
Chivalrous knights and braw Highlanders…both are enough to have women sighing. Put them together in the same story and the book will likely sell itself! Stir in a liberal helping of erotica and you have the recipe for “The Conquest” by Julia Templeton. This is her second erotic historical set in Scotland during the Middle Ages. I suspect it will be at least as popular as her first one, “The Bargain” since it features characters she introduced in that first book.
Adelstan is the brother of Aleysia who wed overlord de Wulf in “The Bargain”. Adelstan is an honored knight who has refused his own demesne to avoid talk of favoritism because of his close kinship with de Wulf. He knows he will win his own fief in time, but has never regretted that decision until Adelstan’s current lord, Malgor, sends him to fetch and escort back home his recently betrothed bride, Rhiannon. From the moment Adelstan first sees Rhiannon, he knows he’s in trouble…and bitterly regrets turning down the fief that went to Malgor. Because if he hadn’t turned it down, HE would be the one marrying this beautiful and spirited woman.
Rhiannon has been full of questions and fears since her father announced her upcoming marriage to Lord Malgor. Like any other young woman, she dreams of love with a handsome lord followed by marriage and children. When she catches sight of Adelstan, she mistakes him for Lord Malgor and is momentarily thrilled. Then she learns the truth. Lord Malgor is older than her father and very much involved with his leman. The more time she spends with Adelstan, the surer she becomes that he is the only man she will ever love. But to have Rhiannon, Adelstan would have to defy both honor and duty.
This was a quick, enjoyable read. It wasn’t difficult to figure out fairly early on where the plot was headed, but the devil is in the details and Ms. Templeton ‘did’ the details very well indeed. Her characters are likely not too terribly historically correct, but then again if they were, we probably wouldn’t like them so much! The story is definitely erotica. Sex between the main characters (and some sizzling ménage action between some secondary characters) is what leads to the deepening of their feelings and their resulting relationship and actions to preserve it. Templeton does a ‘bang up’ (I know, but I couldn’t resist) job writing some smoking hot and sensual love scenes that will have you reaching for a fan!
Although I’m not normally a big fan of Middle Ages historicals, I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent in Julia Templeton’s Scotland. The ‘happily ever after’ provided for her characters will leave a smile on your face and the lack of real violence and hot sex is just about a perfect way to spend an afternoon!
|