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geekxgirl's review against another edition
1.0
1 Star
I originally read this book back in 2016-2017 and rated it two stars. Truly I had no recollection of this book. So, it felt like a fresh read all over again.
Sadly that didn't do it any favors.
The story itself should have been intriguing and gripping. It should have been able to keep you hooked and waiting for the next page. Alas, it did not. It felt more like it was filled with one dramatic event after another with no reprieve or real reason why these events were occuring other than for the drama of them.
The heroine Catherine had all the makings to be a lovely strong heroine but somewhere along the way all those wonderful attributes just... disappeared. More or less they didn't seem to play much a role in how she acted. She didn't outright play the TSTL card but she didn't exactly act intelligently at times which were often ones that lead to *jazz fingers* dramaaaa!
Though if I'm being completely honest the heroine Catherine was actually a likeable character. The only character that turned out to be utterly disappointing and completely unattractive was the hero William.
That man was so...weak. I swear if he wasn't lusting after Catherine he was getting heated over being jealous over her. I love me a good jealous hero but in Williams case it truly was because he absolutely did not trust his wife. Which wasn't attractive at all. It made him seem paranoid and worst of all was him allowing outside interference play a big role in his distrust of Catherine as well.
He seemed to have no real mind of his own. He didn't come across as this big strong fearsome warrior who lead army's and was well respected and feared by the enemy. What a joke. He read across like a weak, simple minded, infatuated, insecure man who couldn't rub two thoughts together if he tried who had mommy issues despite the author dismissing those issues at the end by then getting along with his mother.
I hated him. Catherine deserved a far better husband.
And watching that fool William putting his foot in his mouth time and time again with Catherine was actually kind of amusing despite being so frequent that it was more tiresome than anything.
This book was rather boring overall. It wasn't exciting or interesting. The characters felt watered down and flat. Truly it was a disappointment.
I originally read this book back in 2016-2017 and rated it two stars. Truly I had no recollection of this book. So, it felt like a fresh read all over again.
Sadly that didn't do it any favors.
The story itself should have been intriguing and gripping. It should have been able to keep you hooked and waiting for the next page. Alas, it did not. It felt more like it was filled with one dramatic event after another with no reprieve or real reason why these events were occuring other than for the drama of them.
The heroine Catherine had all the makings to be a lovely strong heroine but somewhere along the way all those wonderful attributes just... disappeared. More or less they didn't seem to play much a role in how she acted. She didn't outright play the TSTL card but she didn't exactly act intelligently at times which were often ones that lead to *jazz fingers* dramaaaa!
Though if I'm being completely honest the heroine Catherine was actually a likeable character. The only character that turned out to be utterly disappointing and completely unattractive was the hero William.
That man was so...weak. I swear if he wasn't lusting after Catherine he was getting heated over being jealous over her. I love me a good jealous hero but in Williams case it truly was because he absolutely did not trust his wife. Which wasn't attractive at all. It made him seem paranoid and worst of all was him allowing outside interference play a big role in his distrust of Catherine as well.
He seemed to have no real mind of his own. He didn't come across as this big strong fearsome warrior who lead army's and was well respected and feared by the enemy. What a joke. He read across like a weak, simple minded, infatuated, insecure man who couldn't rub two thoughts together if he tried who had mommy issues despite the author dismissing those issues at the end by then getting along with his mother.
I hated him. Catherine deserved a far better husband.
And watching that fool William putting his foot in his mouth time and time again with Catherine was actually kind of amusing despite being so frequent that it was more tiresome than anything.
This book was rather boring overall. It wasn't exciting or interesting. The characters felt watered down and flat. Truly it was a disappointment.
katyanaish's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting book.
It was a fun, fast read, but it was largely sort of... *shrug* Let's start with the good stuff:
Catherine was a badass.
I really liked the heroine, Catherine. She was in a shitty situation, but she was clever, resourceful, determined, and never gave up. She made the best of her difficult, dangerous life, and managed to take good care of the people who were important to her. It was nice to read about a heroine I actually admired. She didn't need to wait around for anyone to save her; Catherine saved herself. On multiple occasions.
Real historical detail
It was fun reading a bit about the young life of Henry V, and the actual historical figures from the Welsh and Northern rebellions. Obviously, creative license was taken, but still, I enjoyed the setting and the research that went into it.
Great secondary characters
Everyone from the housekeeper (Alys) to the hero's brother (Stephen) to the heroine's son (Jamie) to the estranged mother (Elanor) was fun to read about. They all brought dimension to the story, and I enjoyed reading about them.
Now for the stuff that I think could have been better...
Men suck and should all die horrible, flaming deaths.
I felt that the above message got to be a little tedious... at times, I felt the message repeated over and over with all the forcefulness of an anvil to the noggin. The one (and really, the only) thing you could count on in this story is that the men would be a constant disappointment to Catherine. Okay, not the children (Stephen, Jamie... and maybe you can include Harry too, as the book mentions multiple times that he is just 18 and is not yet wise in the ways of the world / women). Apparently, males are born intelligent and sweet, but somewhere along the way, morph into douchecanoes. This is true for nearly everyone in this book, from Catherine's father to the king to the hero (William). They certainly didn't all mean to be condescending douchebags, but hey, they can't help being born men, right? *wink wink*
It got tiresome.
Expounding on that last one a little William stressed me out.
I really wanted to like him. And in truth, I did like him. But he was hypocritical. His family were traitors to the crown, but he worked hard to distinguish himself and prove his loyalty, so he expected to not be judged by his family and their actions. But he refused to trust Catherine, because the man she was forced by the King to marry ended up being a traitor to the king (that's not really a spoiler, btw... it happens in ch 1). This, despite the fact that the king and prince learned of her husband's treachery from Catherine herself, so they were able to catch him in the act and that was that (also not a spoiler, you can read it on the back of the book). She has done as much as he has to prove her loyalty. But because she's a woman, and all the men seem to think that she should somehow managed to not betray her husband AND (paradoxically) not betray the king, she is to be viewed with contempt.
William is also dumb. Sorry, but he is. It really is his superpower - he can say amazingly dumb things that leave my jaw on the floor.
And then, at the end of the book, he gets emo. At that point, I was just rolling my eyes. All the "wah-wah, I have failed you" was a little over-the-top.
Despite all that, I honestly liked William. He was a good man. When he thought LOGICALLY about things, he loved Catherine. But he was prone to passionate anger, and every time, that passionate action / reaction led him in a stupid direction. See above (William is dumb).
Seeing women treated like cattle is rough.
I know it is historically accurate, but still. The way Catherine was treated in the opening couple of chapters... and then the way the abbess told her she should be grateful for it all... it set my teeth on edge. I could never have lived in that time. I would have set someone on fire. Probably a lot of people, frankly.
It got a little melodramatic.
We had barely recovered from one threat to Catherine's life, and the next would occur. I like the drama of danger as much as the next person, but at some point, even I have trouble suspending disbelief. I don't blame William for wanting to lock her in the castle, preferably in a room filled with pillows.
But lest you think that the negatives above really dragged it down, let me reassure you: it really was a fun read. I will be snagging the next book in the series, featuring Stephen, some point very soon.
It was a fun, fast read, but it was largely sort of... *shrug* Let's start with the good stuff:
Catherine was a badass.
I really liked the heroine, Catherine. She was in a shitty situation, but she was clever, resourceful, determined, and never gave up. She made the best of her difficult, dangerous life, and managed to take good care of the people who were important to her. It was nice to read about a heroine I actually admired. She didn't need to wait around for anyone to save her; Catherine saved herself. On multiple occasions.
Real historical detail
It was fun reading a bit about the young life of Henry V, and the actual historical figures from the Welsh and Northern rebellions. Obviously, creative license was taken, but still, I enjoyed the setting and the research that went into it.
Great secondary characters
Everyone from the housekeeper (Alys) to the hero's brother (Stephen) to the heroine's son (Jamie) to the estranged mother (Elanor) was fun to read about. They all brought dimension to the story, and I enjoyed reading about them.
Now for the stuff that I think could have been better...
Men suck and should all die horrible, flaming deaths.
I felt that the above message got to be a little tedious... at times, I felt the message repeated over and over with all the forcefulness of an anvil to the noggin. The one (and really, the only) thing you could count on in this story is that the men would be a constant disappointment to Catherine. Okay, not the children (Stephen, Jamie... and maybe you can include Harry too, as the book mentions multiple times that he is just 18 and is not yet wise in the ways of the world / women). Apparently, males are born intelligent and sweet, but somewhere along the way, morph into douchecanoes. This is true for nearly everyone in this book, from Catherine's father to the king to the hero (William). They certainly didn't all mean to be condescending douchebags, but hey, they can't help being born men, right? *wink wink*
It got tiresome.
Expounding on that last one a little William stressed me out.
I really wanted to like him. And in truth, I did like him. But he was hypocritical. His family were traitors to the crown, but he worked hard to distinguish himself and prove his loyalty, so he expected to not be judged by his family and their actions. But he refused to trust Catherine, because the man she was forced by the King to marry ended up being a traitor to the king (that's not really a spoiler, btw... it happens in ch 1). This, despite the fact that the king and prince learned of her husband's treachery from Catherine herself, so they were able to catch him in the act and that was that (also not a spoiler, you can read it on the back of the book). She has done as much as he has to prove her loyalty. But because she's a woman, and all the men seem to think that she should somehow managed to not betray her husband AND (paradoxically) not betray the king, she is to be viewed with contempt.
William is also dumb. Sorry, but he is. It really is his superpower - he can say amazingly dumb things that leave my jaw on the floor.
And then, at the end of the book, he gets emo. At that point, I was just rolling my eyes. All the "wah-wah, I have failed you" was a little over-the-top.
Despite all that, I honestly liked William. He was a good man. When he thought LOGICALLY about things, he loved Catherine. But he was prone to passionate anger, and every time, that passionate action / reaction led him in a stupid direction. See above (William is dumb).
Seeing women treated like cattle is rough.
I know it is historically accurate, but still. The way Catherine was treated in the opening couple of chapters... and then the way the abbess told her she should be grateful for it all... it set my teeth on edge. I could never have lived in that time. I would have set someone on fire. Probably a lot of people, frankly.
It got a little melodramatic.
We had barely recovered from one threat to Catherine's life, and the next would occur. I like the drama of danger as much as the next person, but at some point, even I have trouble suspending disbelief. I don't blame William for wanting to lock her in the castle, preferably in a room filled with pillows.
But lest you think that the negatives above really dragged it down, let me reassure you: it really was a fun read. I will be snagging the next book in the series, featuring Stephen, some point very soon.
silreadsalot's review against another edition
5.0
Sometimes I just wanted to smack William. He could be such an ass, but good lord he was just too good of man to stay mad at him for too long. Katherine was such a survivor. First she survives a horrible, abusive husband then she survives many other ordeals. I love that she was such a strong woman. What a wonderful story their made. I truly enjoyed their book.
literary_heather's review against another edition
4.0
Very good! I'd been wanting to read this for a while, and I should have read it ages ago. Great plot, interesting and loveable characters and, of course, wonderful romance. A great read!
taracipri's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
sadie_rae's review against another edition
5.0
There are not glittering ball rooms and satin dresses in this novel, so if that is what your after then best look somewhere else. But if you are looking for a novel with a heart wrenching romance and historical events then by all means dive right in! Cathrine and William are brought together just days (if that) after her first husband dies in a rebellion against the King. With preconceived notions about his new wife and a instilled lack of trust William manages to make himself quite miserable more often than not; And with Kate's first marriage leaving much to be desired she doesn't make things any easier in the beginning. After several botched starts things seem to be going well and then Kate is kidnapped by the Wellish rebels. With love in his heart but a devils advocate in his ear William heads out to bring back his wife or die trying.... and then you still have a good 1/4th of the book to go! And lets not forget to mention handsome Princes, surprising half brothers, French invaders, secret passageways, The Fierce One, and traveling minstrels who just might be more trouble than there worth... or are they? I will definitely be reading the next book in this series!
kriff08's review against another edition
3.0
This was a pleasant read. I’d never read any of Margaret Mallory’s works prior to this, but these historical romances are kind of a guilty pleasure read of mine. This book lived up to all my previous guilty pleasure reads and even surpassed a few. I’ll admit there were times I found Catherine and William a bit annoying and the turns in the story a tad played, but overall I enjoyed this book a lot. I’ll probably venture to read more of Mallory’s work in the future.
ccgwalt's review against another edition
3.0
Medieval isn't my go-to time period for romance novels, but I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It was an engaging book full of well-drawn characters and a decent plot. It's a "typical" romance book, yet there were non-typical events and actions, which I appreciated. There is a strong female lead that nonetheless feels at home in the time period and not a modern transplant. I read through it quickly and was happy to pick it up whenever I had the chance to read. That's the measure of a successful book these days! ;-)
gemmalaszlo's review against another edition
3.0
This would have been four stars, but the hero's extreme jealousy in the second half of the book took it down a notch for me.