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kathydavie's review
3.0
Seventh in the De Piaget-only historical paranormal romance series (fourth in the combined De Piaget/MacLeod universe) and revolving around Gillian of Warewick and Christopher of Blackmour.
My Take
Oddly enough, there is no time travel in this one. There is some peripheral action with Artane though.
It’s been three years since the attack when Christopher lost all that had meaning, and Kurland is quite the tease, telling us of Christopher’s private hell, only telling us of his pain; the lessons he took from his first fateful marriage; that vow given without thought; his painful childhood; the disastrous inheriting of Blackmour by his father, a second son; and, his parents’ disastrous example of marriage.
It’s preconceived notions that create the conflict within This is All I Ask. Christopher thinks all women are like his first wife and that his ills make him unfit, while Gillian is terrified of Christopher’s reputation and believes all men beat women.
Kurland uses third person dual protagonist point-of-view from Gillian’s and Christopher’s perspectives, so we see, hear, and experience events they live through. Ya gotta feel for Christopher and all the betrayals he’s experienced, although it’s well balanced by the good he’s experienced with friends and having been Lord Robin’s squire. As for Gillian, I do feel for her life experiences, but she’s such a wet blanket. Always taking the most negative possible angle on events.
It’s mostly a lot of whining with some good bits.
The Story
Past the usual age for marriage, Gillian of Warewick hasn’t much choice when the Dragon of Blackmour has the wedding banns posted. All Gillian can hope is that he doesn’t beat her as often as her father does.
The Characters
Warewick Keep, England, 1249
Gillian of Warewick is Bernard’s unwanted daughter; Braedhalle is her barren dower estate. The abusive, arrogant Bernard of Warewick is a fearful man whose tenants cower from him — and Gillian's father. William, had been Gillian’s helpful brother, teaching her swordplay when he was home. Edward had been one of William’s guardsmen. Alice is a midwife but earns most of her keep from whoring.
Blackmour is . . .
. . . a forbidding fortress atop a cliff where lives Christopher, the Lord of Blackmour, a.k.a. the Dragon of Blackmour, who has a reputation for the black arts. Jason of Artane is Christopher’s squire. Sir Colin of Berkhamshire, Christopher’s brother-in-law, has a reputation for violence and cruelty. Ranulf is Christopher’s captain. Sir Robert is another of Christopher’s men. Peter is a stableboy. Janet is a maid. Wolf is one of Christopher’s favorite hounds. Gervase had been Christopher’s uncle, the eldest son who died. The cold-hearted Magdalina “Lina” of Berkhamshire is/was Colin’s beauteous sister and Christopher’s first wife.
Lord Robin of Artane and the Lady Anne, his wife, are Jason’s parents. Phillip, who is betrothed to Lady Heather, is their oldest son and the heir. I think Kendrick, Royce, and Mary are more of their children. Miles is Robin’s brother.
Berengaria is a witch and a healer who seems timeless and omniscient. Magda and Nemain are two witchly characters who aren’t very competent.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a murky grayish pink background with the author’s name and title left-aligned in a script font in teal shadowed in turquoise. Under the author’s name is an info blurb in black with a testimonial in black at the very bottom. To the right of the title (and below the author’s name) is a black dragon standing upright against a cloudy blue drape with peach flowers and a swag of yellow flowers trailing across his front.
The title doesn’t ask for much, for This is All I Ask by either protagonist.
My Take
Oddly enough, there is no time travel in this one. There is some peripheral action with Artane though.
It’s been three years since the attack when Christopher lost all that had meaning, and Kurland is quite the tease, telling us of Christopher’s private hell, only telling us of his pain; the lessons he took from his first fateful marriage; that vow given without thought; his painful childhood; the disastrous inheriting of Blackmour by his father, a second son; and, his parents’ disastrous example of marriage.
Don’t judge a book by its cover, for who knows what hides beneath the beauty.Gillian can’t imagine life being any worse married to Christopher, not when she has her father as an example.
It’s preconceived notions that create the conflict within This is All I Ask. Christopher thinks all women are like his first wife and that his ills make him unfit, while Gillian is terrified of Christopher’s reputation and believes all men beat women.
Kurland uses third person dual protagonist point-of-view from Gillian’s and Christopher’s perspectives, so we see, hear, and experience events they live through. Ya gotta feel for Christopher and all the betrayals he’s experienced, although it’s well balanced by the good he’s experienced with friends and having been Lord Robin’s squire. As for Gillian, I do feel for her life experiences, but she’s such a wet blanket. Always taking the most negative possible angle on events.
It’s mostly a lot of whining with some good bits.
The Story
Past the usual age for marriage, Gillian of Warewick hasn’t much choice when the Dragon of Blackmour has the wedding banns posted. All Gillian can hope is that he doesn’t beat her as often as her father does.
The Characters
Warewick Keep, England, 1249
Gillian of Warewick is Bernard’s unwanted daughter; Braedhalle is her barren dower estate. The abusive, arrogant Bernard of Warewick is a fearful man whose tenants cower from him — and Gillian's father. William, had been Gillian’s helpful brother, teaching her swordplay when he was home. Edward had been one of William’s guardsmen. Alice is a midwife but earns most of her keep from whoring.
Blackmour is . . .
. . . a forbidding fortress atop a cliff where lives Christopher, the Lord of Blackmour, a.k.a. the Dragon of Blackmour, who has a reputation for the black arts. Jason of Artane is Christopher’s squire. Sir Colin of Berkhamshire, Christopher’s brother-in-law, has a reputation for violence and cruelty. Ranulf is Christopher’s captain. Sir Robert is another of Christopher’s men. Peter is a stableboy. Janet is a maid. Wolf is one of Christopher’s favorite hounds. Gervase had been Christopher’s uncle, the eldest son who died. The cold-hearted Magdalina “Lina” of Berkhamshire is/was Colin’s beauteous sister and Christopher’s first wife.
Lord Robin of Artane and the Lady Anne, his wife, are Jason’s parents. Phillip, who is betrothed to Lady Heather, is their oldest son and the heir. I think Kendrick, Royce, and Mary are more of their children. Miles is Robin’s brother.
Berengaria is a witch and a healer who seems timeless and omniscient. Magda and Nemain are two witchly characters who aren’t very competent.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a murky grayish pink background with the author’s name and title left-aligned in a script font in teal shadowed in turquoise. Under the author’s name is an info blurb in black with a testimonial in black at the very bottom. To the right of the title (and below the author’s name) is a black dragon standing upright against a cloudy blue drape with peach flowers and a swag of yellow flowers trailing across his front.
The title doesn’t ask for much, for This is All I Ask by either protagonist.
readinginfairyland's review
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
miaev's review against another edition
5.0
Re-reading an old favorite. I love Lynn Kurland's books and if I had to pick just one, it would be this one.
bloomingsouls's review
4.0
If I had to explain this book in one sentence, it would be:
"Compatible hero and heroine both think they are unworthy of each other and are angsty all the time."
"Compatible hero and heroine both think they are unworthy of each other and are angsty all the time."
savannahl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
taramisu's review
2.0
2.5 stars
The premise: Gillian of Warewick has been beaten her entire life by her large, imposing father. Her brother did his best to protect her. But now that he is dead, her safety has been entrusted to Christopher, Lord of Blackmour. When Gillian finds out she is to marry the rumoured Devil spawn who practices black arts in his Tower and eats maidens for supper, she is terrified.
Miscellaneous notes: This book was given Desert Island Keeper status by All About Books.
I am shocked.
I have a soft spot for damaged heroes and/or Beauty and the Beast plots. This had both and I was intent on loving it, despite its medieval setting. While the writing is not much above average, I trudged on, enjoying the plotting despite that flaw.
Then Ms. Kurland made a fatal error. Several, in fact. No, make that many, many, many errors. Yes, I understand that Gillian was tormented by her father. She has been physically sheltered from the world and knows nothing but violence and pain. But the chick really needed to stop WEEPING!! Every thing made the girl cry. If she was afraid, she cried. If she was happy, she cried. If she was confused, she cried. If she was content, she cried. If she had to take a piss, she cried. And, if that weren't bad enough, Ms. Kurland turned that treatment onto her ornery, huge, strapping knight of a hero as well. I got so tired of hearing about wetness to their cheeks that I actually skipped the entire middle of the book.
And, if you read it waiting for the writing to get better...it doesn't. Ms. Kurland steadily slips from her medieval voice to a 21st century voice. Even her characters sometimes sound as if they are from Chicago in the year 2005.
If you do read this book, I beg of you. Skip the epilogue. I've never read such saccharine bull poop. Ugh! This plot could have been done so much more competently in the hands of a better writer.
The premise: Gillian of Warewick has been beaten her entire life by her large, imposing father. Her brother did his best to protect her. But now that he is dead, her safety has been entrusted to Christopher, Lord of Blackmour. When Gillian finds out she is to marry the rumoured Devil spawn who practices black arts in his Tower and eats maidens for supper, she is terrified.
Miscellaneous notes: This book was given Desert Island Keeper status by All About Books.
I am shocked.
I have a soft spot for damaged heroes and/or Beauty and the Beast plots. This had both and I was intent on loving it, despite its medieval setting. While the writing is not much above average, I trudged on, enjoying the plotting despite that flaw.
Then Ms. Kurland made a fatal error. Several, in fact. No, make that many, many, many errors. Yes, I understand that Gillian was tormented by her father. She has been physically sheltered from the world and knows nothing but violence and pain. But the chick really needed to stop WEEPING!! Every thing made the girl cry. If she was afraid, she cried. If she was happy, she cried. If she was confused, she cried. If she was content, she cried. If she had to take a piss, she cried. And, if that weren't bad enough, Ms. Kurland turned that treatment onto her ornery, huge, strapping knight of a hero as well. I got so tired of hearing about wetness to their cheeks that I actually skipped the entire middle of the book.
And, if you read it waiting for the writing to get better...it doesn't. Ms. Kurland steadily slips from her medieval voice to a 21st century voice. Even her characters sometimes sound as if they are from Chicago in the year 2005.
If you do read this book, I beg of you. Skip the epilogue. I've never read such saccharine bull poop. Ugh! This plot could have been done so much more competently in the hands of a better writer.
elusivity's review
2.0
Above-average writing style, situation, and set-up. The heroine is a typical scaredy-cat abused and virginal girl who transforms through love into a woman with confidence, blah blah. The hero is blind -- which was interesting, but not very much explored except that he needed to have the furniture in his household be the same, etc. -- but typical strong man who is not a bad guy inside, blah blah. And, of course, the villain of the piece is the abusive father, who is pure cardboard. Nothing original or unusual occurred, and I was bored out of my mind by the 50% page count.
An extra star for equality between hero and heroine. This one lacks the overt misogynist overtones of many genre romances.
An extra star for equality between hero and heroine. This one lacks the overt misogynist overtones of many genre romances.
llamallamacallurmama's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
**Most of my reviews contain detailed Content Warning/Trigger Warning (CW/TW) sections, which may include spoilers. I have tried to mark them appropriately, but please use caution.** Physical Book
4/5
Summary: After an arranged marriage to save isolated and plain Gillian from her abusive father, the reclusive, somewhat depressed, angry and blind former warrior (and her brother's dear friend) Christopher finds keeping himself closed off from her challenging.
Stats: HR- medieval with a touch of magic, M/F, part of a series - appears to stand alone, fade to black/very, very limited open door.
Notes: This is a sweet story with two “wounded soul” main characters who find fulfillment and meaning in each other. My chief complaint is that the FMC is such a complete ingenue - to the point of frequently being called a “woman-child,” “child” or “girl”- that even though she’s in her early 20s, she feels much younger.
OTT and Spoilery Content Notes:
witchcraft/magic, love spell/charm/potion, references to religion/religious ceremonies, child abuse (against the FMC, caning/beating/smacking), DV (on FMC by father), death of parents/sibling, abusive parent, violence, forced/arranged marriage, death of previous spouse, FMC knees someone in the crotch, alcohol, crusader MMC, blind MMC, character with depression, general manhandling, blood, grief, unhappy previous marriage, head injury, illness, fistfight, Crusades, reference to “breaking” horses, FMC kisses the MMC while he’s sleeping before they have other fully consensual sexual relationship, the mmc spanks his squire (joking punishment), mention of child marriage (MMCs mother), early pregnancy, battle, infidelity in past relationship, depression, an injury to the dog, death
4/5
Summary: After an arranged marriage to save isolated and plain Gillian from her abusive father, the reclusive, somewhat depressed, angry and blind former warrior (and her brother's dear friend) Christopher finds keeping himself closed off from her challenging.
Stats: HR- medieval with a touch of magic, M/F, part of a series - appears to stand alone, fade to black/very, very limited open door.
Notes: This is a sweet story with two “wounded soul” main characters who find fulfillment and meaning in each other. My chief complaint is that the FMC is such a complete ingenue - to the point of frequently being called a “woman-child,” “child” or “girl”- that even though she’s in her early 20s, she feels much younger.
OTT and Spoilery Content Notes: