Baron of Emberly by Tamara Leigh

Baron of Emberly by Tamara Leigh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I always look forward to a new Tamara Leigh medieval book! This is the second book in the series, it had been awhile since I read the first one, but didn't feel lost when I picked this one up. It's probably better to read them in order though.

Lady Thomasin has accepted that she will wed her family enemy, Baron Mangus Verdun. I liked Thomasin quite a bit and Mangus as well. I really grew to love his character as the book progressed. I really liked them together, I also liked that their relationship was based on more than just looks. I liked that Thomasin was "plain" but because beautiful to Mangus. Her inner beauty really shown threw. Lots of swoony moments!

There is a bit of a mystery that carries over from the first book, but thought it stood well on its own. Ms. Leigh always amazes me at how she is able to transport me to the medieval setting so effortlessly. I always get sucked in and have a hard time putting down her books. I look forward to the final book in the series, I have my suspicion on who the "bad guy" is and am dying to see if I am right!

Content
Romance: Pretty clean, PG13. Couple is married, any intimacy is closed door/fade-to-black. Maybe a handful of fade to black or implied intimacy
Language: None
Violence: Mild, nothing overly descriptive
Religious: Mild, nothing preachy just true to the times

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Baron of Godsmere by Tamara Leigh

On the eve of the deadline to honor the king’s decree of marriage, the fair Elianor of Emberly takes matters into her own hands. Determined none will suffer marriage to the man better known as The Boursier, she sets in motion her plan to imprison him long enough to ensure his barony is forfeited. But when all goes awry and her wrathful enemy compels her to wed him to save his lands, she discovers he is either much changed or much maligned. And the real enemy is one who lurks in their midst. One bent on keeping the feud burning.

4.5

Tamara Leigh has become my go-to author for medieval romance. She has a captivating way of writing that sucks you into the story and has you falling in love with her characters. I love her medieval because they feel so authentic, without being boring or feeling like a history lesson.

Elianor suffered through a horrible first marriage. Although she was only married for two years, they were years filled with constant abuse. She is now a widow and learns she is to be wed to The Boursier (Bayard), who has a horrible reputation. Bayard also suffered from a bad first marriage and is not happy when the kind orders him to marry, given the choice of two brides, either Elianor or Thomasin, to try and find peace between the three warring families. Elianor will do just about anything to avoid another abusive marriage. Without thinking through her actions she sets in motion a plan that will change all their lives and have outcomes she may soon regret.

I liked Elianor. She had a horrible past and while it was a big part of the story, it was never overly detailed or felt too heavy. I actually liked seeing how strong she was and how all her abuse didn't break her. Bayard and Elianor's relationship is complex and has many layers. They both have preconceived notions and have to overcome their pasts before they can ever focus on a future. I loved how Bayard handled Elianor, he has an amazing amount of patience.  I ended up really enjoying their story and watching their relationship unfold. They had great chemistry and while it was fun watching them butt heads, it was even better when it slowly turned to respect and love. They easily made it to my Favorite Couple shelf.

There is a bit of a mystery throughout the story and one that will probably continue through the series. The book wraps up nicely without too many cliffhangers (which I love), but left me excited to read the next book. Ms. Leigh has woven an intense love story and one I'd recommend.

Content
Romance: Pretty clean, mild innuendo and fade to black intimacy
Language: None
Violence: Mild
Religious: Mild-Moderate, felt true to character and time period, not preachy
Read Again: Yes!

Bewitching the Knight by Diane Darcy

In Medieval Scotland if she dresses, talks and curses like a witch.... Archaeologist Dr. Samantha Ryan does not want or need the public relations firm her boss hired to give her advice on how to speak, act, or charm. She’s busy. She’s just found out where the Scottish Crown of the MacGregor’s is hidden and needs to beat her lying, cheating competitor, Jerry, to the Scottish highlands and claim it for her University! After finding it, and her nemesis, a struggle ensues and they travel back in time to medieval Scotland where Jerry calls her a very ugly name. Unfortunately the villagers think he said “witch”, tie her up, and start gathering wood for a bonfire.

Laird MacGregor is a dead man walking. It’s only a matter of time before one of the many attempts on his life will succeed. When Ian is informed that the villagers are burning another witch, he is determined to save the hapless female. While trying to find out who is trying to murder him, keep the crown entrusted to him by his father safe, and control a rowdy woman who may indeed be gifted with foresight, Ian decides he more than willing to give her the firstborn she’d initially demanded.

I've been waiting for this one for a while now and couldn't wait to get started when I saw it had finally been released. I loved the first book, She Owns the Knight, and couldn't wait to go back to this setting.

We meet Ian MacGregor in the first book and I was excited to see his story and see what kind of women would win him over. Samantha Ryan is a modern-day Indiana Jones. She has been traveling the world working as an archeologist practically her whole life. She loves history and over the past couple years became interested in one Ian MacGregor, she's studied his life and knows all there is about him. She couldn't be more pleased when she is transported back in time and able to meet him in person. I thought this was a fun read, I loved Samantha and Ian and thought they were really cute together. The overall story was fun, there is a bit of a mystery, someone is trying to kill Ian and he's trying to figure out who. We're also briefly reunited with Gillian and Kellen from the first book, it was SO fun seeing them again and I loved how they were worked into the story.

Overall, a really fun read. I liked the mix of the modern with the medieval. Can't wait for more!

Content
Romance: Clean
Language: None
Violence: Mild-Moderate, medieval violence/fighting, nothing too graphic
Nominated for a 2014 Swoony Award, to vote click here.
Source: Amazon Kindle

Crimson Frost by Marcia McClure

Genre: High Fantasy-Medieval, Kingdom of Karvana
Heroine: Scarlet Princess, Monet
Hero: Crimson Knight, Broderick

I've been on a medieval kick lately and this was a perfect fit and a fun way to kick off my MLM read-a-thon.  I’ve read this one a few times and I think I like it more each time. I really enjoyed it this time around; maybe I was just in the right mood for the whole knight in shining armor thing. I enjoyed the storyline quite a bit, the kingdom of Karvana is at war and in order to protect their future the princess must go into hiding. Who better to protect her than the kingdom’s greatest warrior, the Crimson Knight.

The book starts at a tournament of knights, which made me think of the movie A Knights Tale. I liked the time spent at the castle and tournament, but I especially loved the time Broderick and Monet spent in hiding. It was fun to see them living “normal” lives and build a strong friendship. [The king asks Broderick to not consummate their marriage until they know what will happen with the kingdom. I don’t think an annulment was ever really an option, so I’m not sure why they have to wait. Although, it did add for some nice tension I suppose. (hide spoiler)]

I was sucked into the medieval world McClure created. The story moved along nicely and had a fun mix of romance and adventure. The only thing I would tweak is the title. I like A Crimson Frost, but I think The Champions Prize would be better. Overall, a fun and entertaining read. If you enjoy medieval stories be sure to pick this one up.

Content:
Romance: Clean, just kissing any intimacy is behind closed doors.
Violence: Mild fighting



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Dreamspell by Tamara Leigh

A TIME TO LIVE. A TIME TO DIE. A TIME TO DREAM. Sleep disorders specialist Kennedy Plain has been diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor. When her research subject dies after trying to convince her he has achieved dream-induced time travel and her study is shelved, she enlists herself as a subject to complete her research. But when she dreams herself into 14th-century England and falls into the hands of Fulke Wynland, a man history has condemned as a murderer, she must not only stay alive long enough to find a way to return to her own time, but prevent Fulke from murdering his young nephews. And yet, the more time she spends with the medieval warrior, the more difficult it is to believe he is capable of committing the heinous crime for which he has been reviled for 600 years. Baron Fulke Wynland has been granted guardianship of his brother’s heirs despite suspicions that he seeks to steal their inheritance. When the king sends a mysterious woman to care for the boys, Fulke is surprised by the lady's hostility toward him--and more surprised to learn she is to be his wife. But when his nephews are abducted, the two must overcome their mutual dislike to discover the boys' fate. What Fulke never expects is to feel for this woman whose peculiar speech, behavior, and talk of dream travel could see her burned as a witch

I love the new cover for this one. I grabbed a copy of this a couple years ago when it was on sale, I started it but for some reason didn't connect with it and put it aside to try another time. Now that I have read Ms. Leigh's other medieval stories I had to give this a try again and I am so glad I did. I enjoyed it so much more this time around.

Kennedy Plain is a doctor who studies dreams and sleep patterns. One of her patients comes to her and tells her he is able to travel back through time in his dreams. The time-travel aspect I had a hard time wrapping my mind around. In this case, they were able to travel through time after they had deprived themselves of sleep for so long and then I guess went into an extremely deep sleep, awakening in the past. Not only did they travel back in time, but they physically went from our present Las Angeles to Medieval England. I can suspend belief enough to accept time travel, but I usually like it if the traveler comes and goes from the same location (i.e. leaves LA our time and arrives in LA in the past). Not sure why it matters to me, but it makes it easier for me to buy into I guess.

Anyway, I ended up really enjoying this one. I liked Kennedy's story and how the past and present worked into the story. I loved the ending. Kennedy arrives in the past and takes on the identity of Lady Lark, it takes her a long time to realize she wasn't just dreaming. She is rescued by Baron Fulke Wynland, who she thinks is a bad guy from things she read in our present time. I thought Fulke and Lark/Nedy had a fun relationship. I liked how it progressed from "enemies" to friends to true love. There is a mystery going on, took me a little while to figure out who the "bad guy" was. 

I had a hard time putting this one down and stayed up way too late to finish it. I had to keep reading to find out what would happen next. As usual, Ms. Leigh was able to weave in the historical details without making it feel like a history lesson. I do wonder about some of their practices though (view spoiler) A fun read and one I would recommend.

Content
Romance: Clean, mild innuendo
Violence: Mild-Moderate
Religious: None-mild, nothing preachy just true to the time period

Source: Kindle Freebie, 11/2012

The Vow by D.D. Chant

Dear Reader, My next story begins with Velrek, where Lord Rafe and Lady Adele's arrival was cause for much celebration and rejoicing. However Finan of Gournay, Rafe's foster brother and the captain of Valreks army, could not help a lingering feeling of worry. Were Rafe and Adele truly safe from Lord Kyule's hate? Adding to Finan's problems was the unsettling presence of Rafe's sister, Lady Esme. Used to keeping his distance from the woman of Valrek, Finan found that he could no longer escape as before. As danger and treachery enveloped Valrek, Finan and Esme found themselves drawn together to fight the shadowy assailant that threatened the lives of those they loved. What secrets would they unearth in their search for the enemy that taunted them? Would they find that their stories were more closely linked than either of them ever knew? Allow me please to answer these questions... Lady Quill

This was another fun medieval read and I was happy to be reunited with all the characters I came to love in The Promise. This picks up right where the first one leaves off, I’d recommend reading them together. It’d been a couple years since I read the first book and I was glad I re-read it before starting this one. I’m sure you don’t have to do that to get in to the story, but for me I was glad I did. If you enjoyed the first book, you'll love this one too!

Finan was wounded in the last book and is still recovering from those wounds when there is another attack on Rafe’s life, sustaining even more wounds. He hates been fussed over, especially by a women and is horrified when Rafe’s sister Esme is the one assigned to take care of him. He was pretty rough with her throughout the book, she really had a lot thicker skin than I would have had. Or maybe, I am just way too stubborn and would have left him to his own devices until he treated me better. I was glad she stuck around though and help tear down his defenses. It was fun to watch their relationship develop.

So, I'm a little new at this character casting thing, but I think its a lot of fun with certain books. Here is who I chose for Finan and Esme (I'm still working on the other characters)....

The story is told from a few different POV, so we get to reunite with all our favorite characters and it helps the story progress. I think my favorites this time around were Leofrick (who is charming and adds a fun comedic element, but has more going on than what he lets people see) and Daegmund (who is a big jerk, but a confident one that I couldn’t help but like).

Overall, a fun read and a fun series. Can’t wait to read about more of these characters!

Content
Romance: Clean
Language: Mild
Violence: Mild

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

She Owns the Knight by Diane Darcy

Review:

I really loved this one. It kind of reminded me of a more lighthearted Waterfall by Lisa Bergren. Gillian was a very likable heroine, as Kellen says, she’s charming. She seems to charm all those around her, you just can’t help but like her. She is visiting England and sketching an old rundown castle when some guys approach her with not the nicest intent. As she runs from them she is transported 700 years back in time and ends up at Kellen Marshalls castle. Kellen is expecting his new bride and assumes Gillian is his betrothed. She knows his real fiancé is on her way and only has a few weeks to figure out how to get back to the present day, but decides to make the best of the situation. I mean Kellen is hot, so why not?

Kellen has been hurt by his first wife and has a lot of baggage. It was so cute to see Gillian break down his walls, just by being kind and flirty. Kellen falls for Gillian right away, it was fun to see how loyal he was to her right from the get go. They are really cute together. I admit, the whole time I was nervous for how Kellen would react when he learned Gillian was not Edith, but was pleasantly surprised with how everything wraps up. I also liked the tiny side story of Marissa and her husband (Kellen’s dad), thought they also had a sweet story.

I thought the author did a great job of tying up loose ends, even some I had forgotten about. I thought this was a great lighthearted romance, with still enough tension to keep things interesting.

Content: Clean. Flirty innuendo.