Dee Davis -- Dark Deceptions

Rated: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ . ♥   {4.90}
Action: ♠♠♠♠.♠ / Emotion: ♣♣♣♣.♣ / Romance: ♥♥♥♥ / Sensuous: ♦♦♦♦.♦ / Suspense: ♠♠♠♠♠
Action: 4.90 / Emotion: 4.75 / Romance: 4 / Sensuous: 4.25 / Suspense: 5 // Humor: 0 / Tears: 1

Dark Deceptions (the first book in Dee Davis's The A-Tac Series) is totally awesome.   Readers who are interested in the military romantic suspense genre, will love this book.   The book contains all the features necessary to make it an excellent read.   {1} A strong alpha hero who can save the day.   {2} An intelligent, wronged alpha heroine who can help save the day.   {3} Incredible amounts of almost non-stop action (like Die Hard movies).   {4} Intense, undeniable attraction between the hero and heroine (i.e. romance).   {5} Heated sensuality between hero and heroine.   {6} Nail-biting, edge-of-seat suspense.   Who is the villain and why did he open up old wounds?   Davis did an amazing job with mis-direction.   {7} There is only one hero and one heroine in this story.   (Liked that there were no secondary romances.) {8} Interesting, "can't wait to read their story" secondary characters.

One decidedly different aspect of Dark Deceptions stands out.   Physical descriptions of the characters were missing.   In most romance novels, the heroine cannot help but be intrigued by the hero's hair, eyes, broad shoulders, six-pack abs, muscled legs, etc.   Just as the hero can barely contain himself while looking at the willowy, but curvy, beautifully-made heroine.   Davis does not waste any time with such descriptions.   While there is no doubt the hero are heroine are attractive individuals, the curse of possessing no imagination necessitates that an author graphically describe physical attributes of the characters.   [Note: found physical, psychological and background profiles for characters at HachetteBookGroup.com.]

Davis's prologue gives the reader a brief taste of what the rest of the book will be like -- romance and adventure.   Admitted adrenaline junkie Nash Brennon is introduced making love to his partner Annie Gallagher while on a mission in Paris.   Their lovemaking is interrupted by an armed shooter that must be dispatched.

Chapter One begins eight years later.   Davis quickly draws the reader into the depth of the book by involving Nash on another mission as part of A-Tac (American Tactical Intelligence Command), the CIA's most elite black ops unit.   Several pertinent facts about Nash, his team, and the story are revealed.   One, Annie betrayed him and disappeared.   Two, the A-Tac team has been experiencing difficulties in its last few missions.   Three, Nash as second-in-command, proves he is a competent, qualified leader as he directs the team through a harrowing, action-packed mission fraught with difficulties.

Chapter Two reveals where Annie has been these past eight years.   She is hiding with her son in Creede, Colorado.   The natural assumption is that Annie disappeared because she did not want Nash to know she was pregnant with his son.   If that is so, what happened to cause such a huge rift between Nash and Annie.   The suspense factor is further increased for two reasons: {1} Annie's son, Adam, is kidnaped and {2} who found out her identity and her supposedly-undisclosed location?

Found the location and cover for the A-Tac team uniquely fascinating.   Each member of the team was a professor at Sunderland College, New York.   When Avery Solomon (the college dean and A-Tac commander) called the team for a meeting, they would stroll though campus to the Aaron Thomas Academic Center, a renowned think tank, and take a "Professors Only" elevator to an underground complex.   Found Davis's description of this center and the professors' descent from academia into espionage a vivid part of the story.

Nash became involved in Annie's life again because A-Tac was contacted when there was a credible threat across the airwaves that the "Ashad" cell was targeting a top-level governmental official.   Nash was having difficulty believing that Annie was the possible assassin, but the team had pictures of Annie meeting with known terrorist Emanuel Rivon.

As A-Tac meets, Annie waits in her hotel room waiting to hear from Rivon about what actions she must take to save her son.   Even more questions come to mind when it is revealed Annie won't call Nash for help because she believed he betrayed her.

The plot thickens when Homeland Security's Tom Walker inserts himself into the A-Tac operation.   Several aspects of Tom's relationship to Nash and Annie raised lots of red flags.   {1} Tom was their ex-CIA boss.   {2} Tom saved Nash when Annie left him high and dry and was, thus, promoted.   {3} Tom helped Annie disappear.

The stage is set.   {1} For Nash and his partner, Tyler, to catch Annie trying to assassinate Blake Dominico (U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.).   {2} For Annie to reveal that her son had been kidnaped.   {3} For Annie to try to escape because she knew the team was more concerned about keeping Dominico from being assassinated that saving her son.   {4} For Annie to start becoming involved with other members of A-Tac.   {5} For Tom to try and take Annie to Langley for treason.   There was so much action in this book that the reader is enthralled as Nash and Annie became an integral part of A-Tac's efforts to not only rescue her son but to find the person behind the plot to assassinate Dominico.

Dark Deceptions introduces A-Tac members but does not go into depth about their personalities.   Davis reveals just enough about the members to cause the reader to want to read their book (and to hope each will receive his or her own book).   {1} Avery Solomon is described as a big man with unparalleled leadership capabilities and seriously high-powered connections.   {2} Emmett Walsh is the communications system engineer.   {3} Drake Flynn is ex-CIA and an extractions specialist.   {4} Tyler (Nash's partner) is an army-trained demolitions expert.   {4} Jason Lawton is the IT specialist.   {5} Hannah Marshall is a communications expert. {6} Lara Prescott is biochemical expert and unit's medical officer.

Nash and Annie have found that their emotions are still strongly engaged.   They are unable to withstand the temptation of being together without making love.   Their lovemaking is spicy and heated.   Even though it takes a while, they come to terms with the lies and betrayals that caused their separation and find that they can have a happily-ever-after.

It was incredibly difficult to put this book down after starting it.   The high level of suspense was engaging.   The featured, exciting non-stop action was thrilling.   The romance and sensuality were powerful.   The other members of the A-Tac were fascinating.   This book is a definite addition to "to be re-read" list.

Loved this book so much, could not wait to pick up Book Two, Dangerous Desires , and continue with another A-Tac story.
--Vonda M. Reid (Friday; October 8, 2010 : 5:53 a.m.)

♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦ . . . . . . . . . . ♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦

Books In The Series: "The A-TAC Series"

#	Date	Book Title	Hero	Heroine
01.	04-2010	Dark Deceptions . . . . . . . . .	Nash Brennon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Annie Gallagher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
02.	07-2010	Dangerous Desire . . . . . . . .	Drake Flynn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Madeline Reynard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
03.	08-2010	Desperate Deeds . . . . . . . . .	Owen Wakefield (Cantor) . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Tyler Hanson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
04.	09-2011	[Deep Disclosure] . . . . . . . .	Tucker Flynn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Alexis Markham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
05.	xx-2012	[Deadly Dance] . . . . . . . . . .	. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
06.	xx-2012	[Double Danger] . . . . . . . . .	. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Books Similar to "Dark Deceptions"

Site	Author	Title	Series
01.ff	Webb, Debra . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Anywhere She Runs . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . .
02.ff	O'Clare, Lorie . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Strong, Sleek and Sinful . . . . . . . . . . .	03. The FBI Series {3} . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
03.ff	Reece, Christy . . . . . . . . . . . .	Last Chance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	03. The Last Chance Rescue Trilogy 2 {3} . . .
04.ff	Reece, Christy . . . . . . . . . . . .	Second Chance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	02. The Last Chance Rescue Trilogy 2 {3} . . .
05.db	Reece, Christy . . . . . . . . . . . .	No Chance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	01. The Last Chance Rescue Trilogy 2 {3} . . .
06.db	Herron, Rita . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Forbidden Passion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	03. The Demonborn Trilogy {3}. . . . . . . . . . .
07.db	Mann, Catherine . . . . . . . . . . .	Defender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	01. A Dark Ops Novel {3... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
08.db	Davis, Dee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Dangerous Desires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	02. The A-Tac Series {6... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
09.db	Tyler, Stephanie . . . . . . . . . . .	Hard To Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	01. The Hold Trilogy {3} . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Dee Davis

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Dark Deceptions Reviews:

Rated	Posted	Site	Notes, Comments, Etc.
5.0	--	Affaire de Coeur
B- / warm	05-21-2010	All About Romance
4.07 average	{15 reviews}	Amazon	as of: February 26, 2010
--	05-01-2011	Arms of A Sister	didn't rate / recommend
4.5	--	Bella Online
4.0	05-14-2010	Book Addict Patti	also posted on Good Reads
5.0	04-11-2010	Book Junkie
2.0	--	Book Loons	{2.0 of what}
5.0	02-03-2010	Book Pleasures	also posted on Amazon, Good Reads
Book Chat	05-27-2010	Borders True Romance
7¾ out of 10	09-24-2010	CA Reviews
5.0	04-....-2010	Coffee Time Romance
4.0	05-04-2010	Dark Faerie Tales	also posted on Amazon, Good Reads, Shelfari
10 / 8 / 10	08-16-2010	Eye on Romance {Suspense Romance Writers}
4.0	04-12-2010	Fiction Vixen Book Reviews	also posted on Amazon, Good Reads
--	{2 reviews}	Fresh Fiction	didn't rate / positive inflection
3.67 average	{34 reviews}	Good Reads	as of: March 24, 2011
4.5 / B	03-21-2010	Jandy's Reading Room
5.0	04-02-2010	Harriet Klausner	also posted on Amazon
4.5	11-02-2010	Loves Romances And More
About Dee	06-25-2010	Mason Canyon	Guest Blog
3.0	04-11-2010	Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks	also posted on Good Reads
5.0	04-05-2010	My Book Addiction and More
4.5	04-15-2010	My Reading Addiction
4.75 / top pick	03-24-2010	Night Owl Romance	also posted on Good Reads
--	--	Reader To Reader	didn't rate / positive inflection
5.0	--	Reader's Favorite
4.0	09-17-2010	Romance Junkies	unable to find on website any more
--	04-06-2010	Romance Reviews Today	didn't rate / positive inflection
4.0 / hot	03-30-2010	RT {Romantic Times} Book Review
4.0	04-04-2010	Rundpinne	also posted on Good Reads
4.67 average	{3 reviews}	Shelfari	as of: February 26, 2011
--	04-16-2010	Simply Stacie	didn't rate / positive inflection
3.5	03-31-2010	Smexy Books	also posted on Good Reads {2: Mandi, Tori}
4.5	--	The Romance Readers Connection
4.5 / explicit	07-13-2010	The Romance Studio	similar post on Amazon
--	08-06-2010	Wendi's Book Corner	didn't rate / recommend
4.90	02-24-2011	Wolf Bear Does Books	shorter post on Amazon, Good Reads, Shelfari

♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦ . . . . . . . . . . ♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦

♥  Disclaimer:  I purchased this book.
♥  Very Subjective Rating:   rated before created Blog
♥  Willing to share Cheat Sheet
    ♦  in whole or in part

    ♦  WordPerfect or PDF

♣  Will add your Dark Deceptions review link to table, just ask

Beverley Kendall -- Sinful Surrender

Rated: ♥ ♥ ♥   {3.00}
Action: -- / Emotion: ♣♣♣♣.♣ / Romance: ♥♥♥♥.♥ / Sensuous: ♦♦♦.♦ / Suspense: ♠
Action: 0 / Emotion: 4.25 / Romance: 4.5 / Sensuous: 3.5 / Suspense: 1 / Regency Flavor: 3 / Humor: 8 / Tears: 4.5

Sinful Surrender, the first book in The Elusive Lords Series, is Beverley Kendall's debut novel.   Was anxious to read this book after hearing a lot of good things about it while visiting various sites on the internet.

Have no wish to devalue the enormous effort that this debut author put forth to get her first book published, however, Beverley Kendall's first novel, Sinful Surrender, is a regency novel that could at times be engrossing, but many more times the characters' personalities tended to lack the depth that well-established authors have managed to create.   Not to say that Kendall did not at times evoke the stronger emotions of laughter and tears -- because she did, but the crux of the problem seems to be the tone of the story.

Having read regency romances for years, used to wonder why the characters never talked "normal" (meaning -- expected the conversations between the characters in the book to talk like people speak today).   In regencies, the characters always seemed to have a formality about them that never went away.   It is now obvious why authors have portrayed their regency characters with such propriety -- when regency characters speak in modern-ese, the "Regency Flavor" disappears from the book.   Such is the case in Sinful Surrender -- the characters' too often engaged in behaviors that felt too modern.

For instance: (James to Alex): "Regardless, she's an innocent and his bloody sister.   Each would be a disaster in and of itself, but together it's nothing short of suicide.   Anyway, she's hardly my type."

Millicent "Missy" Armstrong has had a crush on one of her brother's best friends, James Rutherford, since she was ten.   In the Prologue, Missy (at the youthful, romantic age of eighteen) manages to kiss James so he will know she is in love with him.   James has avoided Missy for the last three years because Thomas Armstrong has warned him away from his sister.   James' tendency towards rakish behavior is emphasized throughout the book, but Kendall enacts none of such behavior.   (Kendall tells us what we are supposed to be feeling instead of having James' actions elicit the feeling of a rakish lifestyle.)

It took a long while to understand why James felt he was not worthy of Missy's love.   Kept expecting him to have some deep, dark secret for his strong aversion to marriage, rather than just the emotional devastation he felt at witnessing his parent's marriage.   James was determined that he would never fall in love with a woman and turn into his father -- a man who had to grovel for sexual favors from his cold, bitter wife.

Missy, on the other hand, is all about finding a way to make the man of her dreams fall in love with her.   James has returned to attend the Viscountess Armstrong's annual winter ball at Stoneridge Hall and Missy is determined to point out to James that his feelings for her are not sisterly.   It is amazing how the regency-era Missy is constantly managing to pursue James into arenas that are totally inappropriate for a "young miss." Missy dares James to kiss her.   Naturally, when James finally determines he can remain disconnected, he gives Missy the kiss she desires -- only to find his plan has backfired.   James wants Missy -- and lectures himself throughout the remainder of the book for his carnal desire of her.

But Missy is on a mission, and nothing is off limits -- not even going to James' room in her nightdress.   Kendall is very good at writing sensual, heated love scenes.   James barely manages to send Missy away a virgin that night.   Missy, however, is not the only woman out to seduce James.   He receives a surprise visit from the heroine of the mini, almost-secondary romance featured in Sinful Surrender.

Kendall makes the plot more intricate and a tad bit suspenseful (as in: how is James going to get out of this mess) by introducing the ton's reigning "ice maiden," Lady Victoria Spencer, the daughter of the Marquess of Cornwall.   Missy is not the only woman shocking James with her inappropriate appearances.   Victoria comes to James' townhouse in the middle of the night to seduce him.   James wakes up the next morning with no memory of what happened the night before.

Another thing Kendall did really well was drop appropriate hints to the reader as to who Lady Victoria really loved.   Sir George Clifton has just returned from fighting in the Crimean peninsula and Missy notices his distraction as he dances with her.   And James notices that Clifton gives him mutinous looks from his table at White's.   It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize Victoria and George have fallen in love.

Amazingly, Kendall wrote Lady Victoria's character with such depth and infused her with such inner turmoil, that it was difficult to hate her for trapping James into properly courting her so the ton would not be surprised when they rapidly got married.   The main reason why it was easy to have compassion for Victoria was James' introduction to his future mother-in-law.   The shrill, ubër-snob marchioness was all about getting her daughter married to a peer -- and Sir George was not on the Marchioness' list of acceptable men to marry.   Much later in the book, Victoria revealed to James why she trapped him -- about the disaster the Marchioness made of her elder sister, Lillian's life because she dared to fall in love with a merchant.

The fact that James had succumbed to Missy's charms when she visited him at his townhouse the day before, made Lady Victoria's announcement that he was the father of her unborn child all the more devastating.   (Somehow Missy's ability to make her way over to James' townhouse doesn't seem realistic -- but, then again, this is fiction.) Missy had no way of knowing that James had already determined that he would do the honorable thing with Missy before Lady Victoria's announcement.   Missy was understandably devastated when she heard the rumors that a wedding and baby were in James' future.

Then the confusing part of the story takes place.   Missy has been pursuing James -- almost to the point of stalking him.   She loses him to Lady Victoria.   Thomas aides James in extracting him from the unwanted marriage.   Then when James goes to Missy to demand she marry him, she turns from the single-minded, romantic-driven, "get her man" girl into a strong-willed, "I won't settle for anything less than love" woman.   The abrupt switch of Missy's personality was difficult to swallow.   It seemed far more likely that the Missy who had been inhabiting the book until that moment, would have thought something like, "Yes, I'll marry James and after I'm his wife, he will finally fall in love with me."   But, of course, it was necessary for Missy to change personalities so Kendall could give the reader the requisite "hero must grovel for his mistreatment of the heroine" scenario.

There were several supporting characters of note that added extra dimension to the story.   Kendall spent just enough time developing their personalities to make them interesting, and prompted a desire to learn more about them.

For some reason did not really like Thomas Armstrong.   Sure he became head of the family at the tender age of seventeen and somehow managed to turn the family's financial destitution into a fortune, but his determination to thwart Missy's efforts to marry James (because they were fellow rakes) seemed callous.   Even though Thomas twice had a one-on-one, brother and sister discussion about how he was trying to do what was best for Missy, his lack of respect for Missy's feelings for James made him come across as uncaring.   It was difficult to feel the camaraderie (that was so important to James) between Thomas and James.   Wouldn't Thomas have known about what a truly honorable and caring person James was if they were best friends of such long duration?

There were brief glimpses of the charming, level-headed third friend, Alex Cartwright.   Naturally, it was Alex who kept Thomas from beating James to a pulp when he found out James has compromised his sister.   Alex seems mysterious, and Kendall makes one want to find out more about him.   Alex's story is the fourth book in the series, An Heir of Deception.

Missy's best friend, Claire Rutland, made frequent appearances at Missy's side -- to support Missy during her moments of desolation.   She even elicited a slight glimmering spark of interest when it was obvious she was not going to tell Missy who she had fallen in love with during her first season.   It would have been nice if Kendall had spent a bit more time developing the friendship between Claire and Missy than she did on the time Missy was thinking about how much she loved and wanted James.

And this is minor (and maybe tacky), but as many times as Missy's mother appeared in the story, we never learned her first name.   She was beautiful, accomplished, a wonderful supportive mother, but the fact that she was never given an identity beyond "the Viscountess" almost made her a non-entity.   But she was interesting -- and there was the potential for her to have her own romance with one of Thomas' business partners, Mr. Derrick Wendel.   Just want to know her name!

While there were times when Sinful Surrender was so engrossing, it was difficult to put down, there were just too many things absent from the book to make it a favorite.   Although Kendall evoked the magical feelings of sensuality during the love-making scenes, other aspects to the story were missing.   {1} There was no adventurousness to the story.   {2} The tad bit of suspense was intriguing, but short-lived.   {3} The characters "felt" too modernistic.   {4} The characters seemed to "think" about their love, rather than "feel" it.

Although Sinful Surrender will not be added to "re-read" list, am anxious to read Thomas' story, book two of the series, A Taste of Desire.
--Vonda M. Reid (Monday; February 14, 2011 : 12:22 p.m.)

♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦ . . . . . . . . . . ♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦

Books In The Series: "The Elusive Lords Series"

#	Date	Book Title	Hero	Heroine
01.	01-2010	Sinful Surrender . . . . . . . . . . . .	James Rutherford, Earl of Windmere. . . .	Millicent "Missy" Eleanor Armstrong. . .
02.	01-2011	A Taste of Desire . . . . . . . . . . .	Thomas Armstrong, Viscount . . . . . . . .	Amelia Bertram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
03.	04-2011	All's Fair In Love and Seduction.	Mr. Derrick Wendel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Viscountess Elizabeth Armstrong. . . . . . .
04.	08-2011	An Heir of Deception . . . . . . . . .	Lord Alex Cartwright. . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Charlotte Langston Rutherford. . . . . . . . .

Books Similar to "Sinful Surrender"

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01.ff	MacLean, Sarah . . . . . . . . .	Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake .	01. The Love By Numbers Trilogy {3} . . . . .
02.ff	Ashworth, Adele . . . . . . . .	My Darling Caroline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . .
03.ff	Hawkins, Alexandra . . . . . .	All Night With A Rogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	01. The Lords of Vice Trilogy {3} . . . . . . . .
04.ff	Moore, Kate . . . . . . . . . . . .	To Tempt A Saint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	01. The Sons of Sin Trilogy {3} . . . . . . . . .
05.db	Lindsey, Sara . . . . . . . . . . .	Promise Me Tonight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	01. The Weston Series {3} . . . . . . . . . . . . .
06.db	Basso, Adrienne . . . . . . . . .	How To Seduce A Sinner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	06. Cross-Over Characters {6... . . . . . . . . . .
07.db	Neville, Miranda . . . . . . . . .	The Wild Marquis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	01. The Burdundy Club Series {4} . . . . . . . .
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09.db	Marvelle Delilah . . . . . . . . .	Lord of Pleasure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	02. The Gallantry Series {2} . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Sinful Surrender Quotations:

29     . . . he fell into the vast category of all men other than James . . .

34     . . . She was his.   Always had been and would always be . . .

108     . . . It was disconcerting, this power she seemed to have over him -- this ability to shatter his control so effortlessly.

260     . . . Decisions made when tempers are still high . . . are usually those we come to regret."

306     . . . The man was not a day cold and she could still find fault with him. . . . Would she allow her sons to grieve their father without her poisonous barbs?

319     . . . if she allowed it, this man would break her heart all over again.

♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦ . . . . . . . . . . ♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦

Beverley Kendall

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♣   The Season of Romance Blog
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Sinful Surrender Reviews:

Rated	Posted	Site	Notes, Comments, Etc.
4.00	08-..-2010	A Romance Review
3.88 average	{17 reviews}	Amazon	as of: 02-21-2011
3.81 average	{37 reviews}	Good Reads	as of: 02-21-2011
4.00	01-09-2010	Harriet Klausner
58 out of 100	{unknown}	Mrs. Giggles
5.00	01-11-2010	My Book Obsession
4.50	06-11-2010	Romance Junkies
4.00	03-30-2010	RT Book Reviews
3.80 average	{5 reviews}	Shelfari	as of: 02-21-2011
4.00	01-05-2010	Smexy Books
4.50	01-23-2010	The Book Pushers
3.00	02-21-2011	Wolf Bear Does Books

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Notes:
♥  Disclaimer:  I purchased this book.
♥  Willing to share Cheat Sheet
    ♦  in whole or in part
    ♦  WordPerfect or PDF
♣  Will add your Sinful Surrender review link to table, just ask

Denise Domning -- A Love For All Seasons

Rated: ♥ ♥ ♥ . ♥   {3.75}
Action: ♠♠♠.♠ / Emotion: ♣♣♣♣.♣ / Romance: ♥♥♥♥ / Sensuous: ♦♦ / Suspense: ♠♠♠♠
Action: 3.5 / Emotion: 4.75 / Romance: 4 / Sensuous: 2 / Suspense: 4 / Medieval Flavor: 5 / Humor: 3 / Tears: 6

When first started reading A Love For All Seasons, the fifth and last book of Denise Domning's The Graistan Chronicles, had a couple of issues with the book.   First, couldn't figure out how it was tied to the other books of the series since the hero was in no way tied to the other brothers of the series and second, did not like the writing style of telling the tale by jumping back and forth between the present and the past.   However, somewhere around chapter 9, the story had become so engrossing, was unable to put the book down.   Also, as the story progressed, it became apparent that alternating between the past and the present increased the suspense and interest in the book.

One other issue arose as read A Love For All Seasons.   How did Domning choose names for the characters?   Her use of repetitious names was a bit confusing.   Take the name Johanna.   Johanna was the name of the nursemaid for the heroine's newborn in book four, Autumn's Flame.   The logical assumption upon seeing the name Johanna again on the back cover of book five was that this was the nursemaid's story.   Then there was Theobald, the name of the heroine's step-son in Autumn's Flame, and also the name of villain's agent in A Love For All Seasons.   Would have preferred a different naming standard for the supporting characters of the books.

Johanna of Stanrudde was a difficult heroine to warm up to.   She was introduced as the miserable, bitter, husband-hating wife of the villain, Katel le Espicer.   Since Johanna's fourteen year old son, Peter, was now an apprentice in another household and her marriage was beyond miserable, she had decided to go live in the nearby convent.   Five months later, Johanna was wondering why Katel was dragging her back to Standrudde.   Johanna was shocked at the crowd of hungry that were gathered around the abbey.   A crowd that Katel intends to use to extract his vengeance against the hero and heroine that he has hated for twenty-odd years.

Katel was an amazingly well-developed villain.   He has spent his entire life as a mummer (actor).   Whenever there is an audience, Katel is all that is kind and generous, but behind closed doors, Katel is vindictively selfish and unkind.   He extracts retribution against any who dare to slight him in the least.   Because Katel is a failure as a businessman, Katel's plan for Johanna is to accuse her of adultery so he can gain control of his son's properties.

As in her other books, Domning displays her amazing talent as a writer who keeps her characters and storylines true to the medieval language and actions.   In the opening pages, she reveals Katel's callousness, Johanna's sympathy for others affected by Katel's malice, and the games that pass between Johanna and Katel in their hate-filled marriage.   As the story progresses, and it is obvious that Johanna has been the spoiled-rotten daughter of Walter the spice merchant, it is logical to wonder how in the world could such a compassionate man tie his only daughter to such a cruel man for life?

Walter did not want to hand his daughter over to Katel, but he had signed a contract with Katel's wealthy father years ago and could not find an honorable way to terminate the agreement.   He tried to help his daughter all he could by writing his will to keep Katel from hitting Johanna and from spending all Johanna's (and any resulting children's) inheritance.   Walter's compassionate nature was readily apparent throughout the book.   Walter took a battered child from his abusive father, recognized his skills and made that child an apprentice -- and came to love that child.   However, in a gut-wrenching, tear-filled scene he denigrated that same child to his daughter in his efforts to kill her love for him.   Such an honorable man spewing such lies made that particular scene beyond difficult to read.

Robert, the Grossier from Lynn, had spent the last sixteen years becoming wealthy.   Other merchants were parading their daughters before him, but he could not marry any of them because his heart and his vows were given to Johanna.   Before Johanna was forced to married Katel, Robert and Johanna had secretly spoken marriage vows.   Unlike Johanna who could easily tell a falsehood, Robert was a man of honor who believed his oath was binding.

Rob was in Stanrudde to confront the man who had stolen some of his seeds.   Rob did not go to the sheriff to report the theft because he loved the wife of the man who had taken his seeds.   Rob did not want to see Johanna hang for Katel's deeds.   Rob was staying with Colin, his old master and friend (now a monk in the abbey).   Colin has spent years living with the guilt of helping Walter, his friend and mentor, marry Johanna off to Katel.   Colin brings up the touchy subject when they hear the announcement to the crowd to make way for Katel le Espicer's wife.   One particular quote from Colin to Katel epitomizes the plot of the entire book:

"Best you beware.   One day, you will tangle yourself in the webs you spin, bringing your own downfall upon you.   I only pray I am there to witness it when you do."

What a web Katel spins.   He incites the hungry crowd to riot by selling some of those stolen seeds using the Grossier from Lynn's name and then failing to produce more seeds as promised.   After the mob burns part of the town, Rob is arrested and brought before Stanrudde's merchant's council.   A member of the council is Jehan, the Wool Merchant, whose mother is Alwyna (also mother to Temric of Summer's Storm).   And the pieces begin to fall into place.   Alwyna thinks she is seeing Henry of Graistan's ghost when she sees Robert.

Richard, Lord Meynell made a short, but noteworthy appearance in A Love For All Seasons.   The male camaraderie between Richard and Rob is reminiscent of the interaction between the other brothers of the series.

Katel had not counted on Rob being the bastard son of a man whose other sons honored any son of Henry of Graistan.   Thanks to Johanna's love for Rob and Alwyna's interference, and after some suspenseful finagling, Rob found his happily-ever-after with Johanna.   Although there was a sense of romance throughout the entire book, the sexual tension was slight because Johanna and Rob spent an inordinate amount of time apart during the path to true love.   In typical Domning style, when Rob and Johanna made love it was with sweet intensity (as befit the story) instead of heat and spice.

Denise Doming wrote another winner with A Love For All Seasons.   And although it took a while to tie the books together, it is a very unique story that adds to the series.   Would recommend this series to any lover of medieval romance.   It has been an entertaining adventure in reading.
--Vonda M. Reid (Thursday; February 3, 2011 : 1:33 p.m.)

♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦ . . . . . . . . . . ♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦

Books In The Series: "The Graistan Chronicles"

#	Date	Book Title	Hero	Heroine
01.	02-1994	Winter's Heat	Rannulf FitzHenry, Lord of Graistan	Rowena "Wren" of Benfield
02.	08-1994	Summer's Storm	Richard "Temric" FitzHenry, Lord Meynell	Philippa of Lindhurst
03.	04-1995	Spring's Fury	Gilliam FitzHenry, Lord Ashby	Nicola "Colette" of Ashby
04.	11-1995	Autumn's Flame	Geoffrey FitzHenry, Lord Coudray	Elyssa of Freyne
05.	12-1996	A Love For All Seasons	Robert of Blacklea, Grossier of Lynn	Johanna of Stranrudde

Books Similar to "A Love For All Seasons"

Site	Author	Title	Series
ff	{none listed} . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . .	. . .
db	{none listed} . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . .	. . .

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A Love For All Seasons Quotations:

131     . . . stared after them in the helpless confusion that affected all men when dealing with Eve's daughters and their emotions. . . .

211     . . . Too long had she been in the habit of concentrating on all that was bad in her life.   Aye, so deep had her belief in the negative been, she'd nearly died.   This morn she saw how much of what had happened yesterday was good. . . .

234     . . . wanted to believe that the Lord God would intercede on behalf of an innocent man, it was very difficult to hold onto that in the face of . . .

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Denise Domning
♠  Website
♣  aka: Denise Hampton

Denise Domning Book List:
♠  Fantastic Fiction
♣  FictionDB

Denise Hampton Book List:
♠  Fantastic Fiction
♣  FictionDB

♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦ . . . . . . . . . . ♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦

A Love For All Seasons Reviews:

Rated	Posted	Site	Notes, Comments, Etc.
4.50 average	{2 reviews}	Amazon	as of: 12-14-2010
3/5	11-28-2008	Aneca's World
3.27 average	{3 reviews}	Goodreads	as of: 12-14-2010
3.00 average	{2 ratings}	Shelfari	as of: 12-14-2010
3.75	02-14-2010	Wolf Bear Does Books

♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦ . . . . . . . . . . ♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦

Notes:
♥  Disclaimer:  I purchased this book.
♥  Willing to share Cheat Sheet
    ♦  in whole or in part

    ♦  WordPerfect or PDF

♣  Will add your A Love For All Seasons review link to table, just ask

Denise Domning -- Autumn's Flame

Rated: ♥ ♥ ♥ . ♥   {3.85}
Action: ♠♠♠.♠ / Emotion: ♣♣♣♣.♣ / Romance: ♥♥♥♥ / Sensuous: ♦♦.♦ / Suspense: ♠♠♠.♠
Action: 3.25 / Emotion: 4.75 / Romance: 4 / Sensuous: 2.75 / Suspense: 3.75 / Medieval Flavor: 5 / Humor: 8 / Tears: 6

Really liked certain aspects of Autumn's Flame, the fourth book in Denise Domning's The Graistan Chronicles, even though it was not a book that was so engrossing that it couldn't be put down.   Although the hero and heroine were quick to capture interest because of their obvious great disenchantment with life, the empathy for them was not as strong as for the other characters in the series -- that is, until about two-thirds of way into the book.

Having read Autumn's Flame, immediately after finishing book three of the series (Spring's Fury) realized these two stories are happening around the same time frame.   Even though reading the books in sequence is preferable, each could stand on its own.

Interestingly enough the prologue of the book introduces a key secondary character, whose actions set into motion several suspenseful aspects of the plot.   Reginald of Freyne is a second son and has been serving as his brother's steward for twenty years.   It is so easy to understand Reginald's discontent at being treated with disregard and disrespect.   Reginald loves and serves Freyne, while his older brother, Aymer, Lord of Freyne, is more concerned about his sexual proclivities than his lands.   When Aymer is fatally injured during a boar hunt, Reginald's mind is tempted to consider murder when he hears Lord Gradinton tell Lord Lavendon they must act quickly and with subterfuge to secure Freyne into their keeping.   Reginald does not believe he can take orders from his "snot-nosed" nephew (who was following in his father's deviate footsteps), so he begins to plot for his rule of Freyne.

The heroine, Elyssa of Freyne, is a hot-tempered woman who has been married off to two disgusting men and hates being constantly under the rule of man -- any man.   She wants control of her own life.   Upon Aymer's death, Elyssa struggles to remain free of man's rule -- she petitions the court for custody of her son, Jocelyn.   Such custody is unlikely because Jocelyn is now the heir to Freyne, since Theobald (Aymer's elder son) died in a fall from his horse.   (The first suspenseful thought on hearing about Theobald's death, was: did Reginald kill his nephew?)

The twists and turns of the plot are introduced in chapter one.   {1} Elyssa is trying to keep her weak, intellectual, monastery-bound son, Jocelyn, from being married off to Lord Lavendon's daughter.   {2} Baldwin de Gradinton is striving to keep Freyne out of the sheriff's control.   {3} Gradinton hates the sheriff because he is the father of his granddaughter (his only living heir) and Gradinton is fighting for custody of the child.

Geoffrey FitzHenry, Lord Coudray, sheriff of the shire, arrives at Freyne to claim wardship of Jocelyn.   Geoffrey finds himself in the unhappy position of having to house Elyssa as well because she is with child and he is required to witness the birth of Freyne's heir.   He does not want the sharp-tongued woman trying to interfere with his efforts to train Jocelyn as a knight and to keep his daughter, Cecilia, safe from Gradinton.   Having already read about Jocelyn (in Spring's Fury), it was interesting to see how Jocelyn came to be Gilliam's squire.   Impressed with Domning's skill in telling Jocelyn's story in two separate books without overlap, yet revealing only pertinent details about Jocelyn that related to each FitzHenry's role in his story.

Reginald's plotting became even more complicated.   Since he is convinced that Jocelyn is too weak to withstand the training a knight must undertake, he must find a way to cause Elyssa to lose Aymer's second heir.   There is one other thing Reginald wants besides Freyne -- Clare as wife.   Reginald has fallen in love with Elyssa's poor cousin and companion of ten years, Clare, fourth daughter of William de Romeneye.   Clare, likewise, has fallen in love with Reginald and even though he is conflicted, she becomes his tool to try and accomplish his goal of becoming Lord of Freyne.

For two reasons identified more with the secondary, supporting character of Clare, than with the heroine.   One: have always played a supporting role to the "life of the party" personalities, having never had a heroine-type, "shine the spotlight on me" disposition.   Two: like Clare, am a member of the unhappily-ever-after community.   Clare's mini-love story was doomed.   Elyssa could not understand why Clare wanted to be married to a man and have a family, but another wallflower could easily see why.   For her entire life, Clare has been the over-looked, "no hope for a future" companion.   When Reginald vows his love for her, Clare receives her heart's greatest desire.   Domning's potent, emotional portrayal of Clare, a destitute medieval woman, was powerful.   Clare almost stole the show.

It probably didn't help that at first Elyssa appeared selfish and uncaring compared to Clare.   Elyssa's strong, independent character seemed harsh at times, but there was a genuine loving nature underneath.   Elyssa's love and kindness reached through to Geoffrey's daughter Cecilia.   Cecilia had been mute and unreachable since witnessing her mother, Maud, going mad and trying to kill her father.   Geoffrey's greatest fear was that people would label his daughter with Maud's madness so he allowed people to assume he was the devil incarnate.   Aristocrats and commoners, alike, would subtly shun Geoffrey because of the scar running down the side of his face and the patch covering his right eye -- injuries resulting from Maud's attack.

Geoffrey could not believe that he was attracted to the outspoken, opinionated Elyssa and even more amazed that she was not appalled by his scars.   Elyssa's beloved father (who had died when she was twelve) had a similar warrior's scar running down his face, so Elyssa was used to a damaged visage.   Domning portrayed Elyssa as a very sensual woman, who made no apologies for her desire.   And even though Elyssa loved the act itself, she fought tooth and nail against falling in love because of her strong stance on wanting to be an independent woman.

Domning made Elyssa seem very lifelike by attributing to her the typically feminine tendency towards vacillation because of her inner conflict.   She wanted her independence, yet she desired Geoffrey.   She didn't want Geoffrey to pursue her, yet was hurt when he did not.   The following passage reveals Geoffrey's remarkable courtship tactic -- why he didn't pursue her:

"You might have run to ground, and I'd never have pried you from your hiding place.   Nay, 'twas a siege I planned, willing to sit patiently outside your defenses waiting for you to starve."

There was a lot of strong sexual tension throughout the story, but it was not delivered in large doses.   However, Domning did a wonderful job with making the sensuality strong, spicy and vivid even though Geoffrey and Elyssa only make love once -- and that one time happened about twenty pages from the end of the book.   The scene was amazingly entertaining as Elyssa nearly seduced Geoffrey in full view of the wedding party.

Although Autumn's Flame was not full of rip-roaring action, it was peppered with enough action to keep readers content.   Domning wrote an amazingly detailed account of the battle scene during the siege of Freyne.   The suspense of how all the loose threads were going to be neatly snipped off or tied by the story's end was the one aspect that keep the reader tied to the story.   At times the plot seemed to lag as the day-to-day activities of medieval life were exposed, but found that Domning has done an incredible job of giving the reader a true flavor of medieval life in this series.   The conversations, the action, the feelings, all had the tone of twelfth century England.

Finally, liked the family reunion as the four FitzHenry brothers put aside their differences to unite and became a family once again.   Have always enjoyed getting to see the characters from the previous books and how their lives have progressed.   After having met all of Geoffrey's brothers and their wives and witnessing the love each shared, Elyssa looked at Geoffrey and said:

"They are all like you, every one of your brothers.   They cherish their wives." . . .   "How can there be four such men in the same family?"

Found it interesting that each FitzHenry brother in his book at first strove to make sure he would not love his spouse so that he would not find himself in the same potentially heartbreaking position as their father, Henry, who grieved so at the death of his beloved wife, Ermina.   Yet, they all found love with their wives.   As Geoffrey explained to Elyssa:

"For that, you must blame my parents.   I think none of us were willing to settle for less than the happiness my father found in my mother."

Readers who really enjoy medieval romances should read this book.   Although wouldn't strongly recommend Autumn's Flame as a stand-alone must read, it definitely is a must read as part of The Graistan Chronicles.
--Vonda M. Reid (Sunday; January 30, 2011 : 10:04 a.m.)

♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦ . . . . . . . . . . ♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦

Books In The Series: "The Graistan Chronicles"

#	Date	Book Title	Hero	Heroine
01.	02-1994	Winter's Heat	Rannulf FitzHenry, Lord of Graistan	Rowena "Wren" of Benfield
02.	08-1994	Summer's Storm	Richard "Temric" FitzHenry, Lord Meynell	Philippa of Lindhurst
03.	04-1995	Spring's Fury	Gilliam FitzHenry, Lord Ashby	Nicola "Colette" of Ashby
04.	11-1995	Autumn's Flame	Geoffrey FitzHenry, Lord Coudray	Elyssa of Freyne
05.	12-1996	A Love For All Seasons	Robert of Blacklea, Grossier of Lynn	Johanna of Stranrudde

Books Similar to "Autumn's Flame"

Site	Author	Title	Series
01.ff	Mallory, Margaret . . . . . . . . . . .	Knight of Passion . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	03. All of The King's Men Trilogy {3}. . . . . .
db	{none listed} . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	. . . .	. . .

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Autumn's Flame Quotations:

139     "I am tired of being strong," . . .

148     . . . A lifetime of doing naught but what was right and good for others, only to be repaid with crumbs and disrespect . . .

164     . . . she'd laid her own fears for her son onto his thin shoulders . . .

179     . . . why must you always worry over the future?   Your fears cheat you of ever enjoying the here and now.   Let it go. . . .

194     . . . We are too different, you and I.   Where I am content to let life's currents take me where they will, you plow through them, charting your own course."

271     . . . I do not know what I want." . . .

320     . . . Knowing he loves me no more is more than I can bear.   I cannot understand it, I can only feel it."

♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦ . . . . . . . . . . ♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦

Denise Domning
♠  Website
♣  aka: Denise Hampton

Denise Domning Book List:
♠  Fantastic Fiction
♣  FictionDB

Denise Hampton Book List:
♠  Fantastic Fiction
♣  FictionDB

♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦ . . . . . . . . . . ♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦

Autumn's Flame Reviews:

Rated	Posted	Site	Notes, Comments, Etc.
4.00 average	{2 reviews}	Amazon	as of: 02-14-2011
B+	04-08-2008	Aneca's World
4.06 average	{4 reviews}	Good Reads	as of: 02-14-2011
4.00 (one)	02-14-2011	Shelfari	as of: 02-14-2011 Vonda (Wolf Bear)
3.85	02-10-2010	Wolf Bear Does Books

♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦ . . . . . . . . . . ♠ . . . . . . . . . . ♣ . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . ♦

Notes:
♥  Disclaimer:  I purchased this book.
♥  Willing to share Cheat Sheet
    ♦  in whole or in part

    ♦  WordPerfect or PDF

♣  Will add your Autumn's Flame review link to table, just ask

Denise Domning -- Spring's Fury

Rated: ♥ ♥ ♥ . ♥   {3.85}
Action: ♠♠♠.♠ / Emotion: ♣♣♣♣ / Romance: ♥♥♥♥.♥ / Sensuous: ♦♦ / Suspense: ♠♠♠
Action: 3.75 / Emotion: 4 / Romance: 4.5 / Sensuous: 2 / Suspense: 3  //  Medieval Flavor: 5 / Laughter: 8 / Tears: 0

❀ . . Top . . ❀ . . Review . . ❀ . . Series . . ❀ . . Characters . . ❀ . . Quotes . . ❀ . . Links . . ❀ . . End. . ❀

♥   Romantic Times : 1995 Best Medieval Historical Romance Nominee
First met Nicola of Ashby, in Winter's Heat (first book in Denise Domning's The Graistan Chronicles).  Knew Nicola would make an interesting heroine in her own story (Spring's Fury, third book in the series) because of her strong-willed determination to became a warrior who rules her own lands -- no matter what anyone said to the contrary.  Having been spoiled by her father, and being a youthful seventeen, Nicola was still blinded by her dreams to the realities of what life was to be like for a woman of medieval times.

In the prologue, Nicola relives the scene that determines the course of her new life.  Nicola remembers trying to save her wounded father, John, when Gilliam FitzHenry lays siege to Ashby in his efforts to rescue his brother, Rannulf, who is being held prisoner (with his wife Rowena).  Domning writes an interesting and well-described, smoke-filled, burning-keep, action-packed sequence in which Nicola sees her father die at the end of Gilliam's sword -- all from John of Ashby's point of view.

Nicola is now ward to Rannulf FitzHenry, Lord of Graistan and is plotting her next escape attempt in an effort to avoid her marriage to Ashby's new Lord, Gilliam FitzHenry.  Nicola's best friend, Tilda, arrives in the cellar (where Nicola is being held) to tell her all is ready for her escape from the wedding service.

Meanwhile, soldiers and villager's were placing bets about whether Gilliam would be alive the morning after his wedding.  Gilliam has been given his heart's desire (as revealed in Winter's Heat) -- his own lands.  He is determined to make his lands and people prosperous, but to do that he must wed Nicola because as new Lord of Ashby, he needs the support of the people who love their previous lady of the keep, Nicola.

Adding further interest to the story, Geoffrey FitzHenry, Gilliam's elder full-blood brother arrives with a thirteen-year-old, weakling lad, Jocelyn, to be fostered under Gilliam's tutelage as a knight.  Jocelyn is a very well-developed, interesting and intriguing acquisition.  Love the way Gilliam completely ignores Jocelyn's determined attempts to circumvent his training and treats him as a boy full of potential instead of a weakling to be pampered.  Domning brings such life to the characters by including little things that carry a lot of realistic weight; for instance, Gilliam constantly addressing the lad as "Jos" and Jocelyn constantly replying, "My name is Jocelyn."

Nicola has been trying to prevent her marriage to her father's murderer by claiming that her neighbor, Hugh de Ocslade (a man she detests), has a betrothal contract with her father.  When the greedy, grasping villain of Spring's Fury rides up to the chapel door to claim his rights as the betrothed, Nicola springs into action; she {1} wounds Gilliam with her mantle pin; {2} kicks Rannulf in stomach; and {3} flees through the crowd with Tilda to arrive at their hidey-hole to transform herself into a lad.

Suspense builds as Nicola senses a change in her "more sister than servant" best friend.  Tilda is another example of Domning's well-developed supporting characters that she includes in her books.  Tilda has bent men to her will -- using her beauty and sexuality in her efforts to free herself from the commonness of her birth.  She is willing to turn Nicola over to Hugh de Ocslade in return for money and a place in his house.  Not only is Nicola beset by the emotional angst of losing her father, now her best friend has betrayed her -- and accused Nicola of causing Tilda's mother's death when Nicola's efforts to play "lord of the realm" caused Ashby to be burned and invaded.

Gilliam goes after Nicola on Witasse.  Domning features another aggressive, battle-trained mount in book three (as in other books of the series).  This tidbit of "a man and his horse" adds a realistic flavor to the novel.  Enjoyed this aspect in each of the books of The Graistan Chronicles.

Tilda leaves Nicola to defend herself when ruffians attack as they travel to Ashby.  Nicola's years of training enable her to slay several men before the others flee, leaving her alone in her misery (first kill) to hobble (another Domning realism -- boots too small) towards Ashby.  When Gilliam finds Nicola and takes her to Ashby to immediately marry, Nicola feels the bite of betrayal again because "her" villagers side with Gilliam.  Gilliam won the villager's favor because he started the reconstruction of Ashby by first rebuilding the villager's cottages.

Although Gilliam acceded to Nicola's wishes to leave the marriage unconsummated, there was no doubt about the sexual tension and romance that began to radiate between Nicola and Gilliam.  Nicola does not believe she could be desired for anything but her lands because she has always been considered too tall and plain and has witnessed men making fools of themselves over the beauteous Tilda.  Gilliam, however, is a giant of a man, who can easily lift Nicola into his arms to haul her wherever he wishes.  Added to that, when Tilda cut Nicola's hair to a boy-short length, it softened her features and made her more attractive.  When Gilliam treats Nicola with respect and listens to her ideas about the management of Ashby, her pre-conceived ideas towards him start to change.  When Nicola finally gives in to her desire to make love with Gilliam, there is more romance involved than sensuality.  After that, the villagers are betting on how long Gilliam and Nicola can keep their hands off one another.

Another animal is featured in Spring's Fury.  A huge dog, Roia, is Gilliam's constant companion who tends to growl at Nicola and snuggle with Jos.  Again, it is these little things that add depth and flavor to Domning's stories.

Although Gilliam displays his capability of being an authoritative warrior, his tendency to joke and enjoy life is a decidedly different attribute not usually featured in a medieval romance hero.  This personality trait brings a softer feeling to the story, even as Ashby is beset with troubles because Ocslade is stealthly raiding Ashby's crofters to incite Gilliam to war.  But Gilliam's tendency to laugh and joke also leads people (like Ocslade) to miss the intelligence behind the smiles.

At times, the day-to-day life of twelfth century England caused the story to lag a bit, but all-in-all, Spring's Fury is a very entertaining, interesting, intriguing read.  It is a very nice addition to the series.  It contains {1} guilt-ridden, but strong, fun alpha hero; {2} strong-willed, emotionally-scarred warrior woman; {3} well-developed supporting characters; {4} a strong historical flavor; {5} plenty of action to feed adventure-loving readers; {6} the suspense of how hero would win not only heroine's love, but defeat the villain; and {7} the romance and sensuality that developed between the hero and heroine.
--Vonda M. Reid (Sunday; January 30, 2011 : 2:10 p.m.)

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Books In The Series: "The Graistan Chronicles"

#	Date	Title	Hero	Heroine
01.	02-1994	Winter's Heat	Rannulf FitzHenry, Lord Graistan	Rowena "Wren" of Benfield
02.	08-1994	Summer's Storm	Richard "Temric" FitzHenry, Lord Meynell	Phillipa of Lindhurst
03.	04-1995	Spring's Fury	Gilliam FitzHenry, Lord Ashby	Nicola "Colette" of Ashby
04.	11-1995	Autumn's Flame	Geoffrey FitzHenry, Lord Coudray	Elyssa of Freyne
05.	12-1996	A Love For All Seasons	Robert of Blacklea, Grossier of Lynn	Johanna of Stanrudde

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Characters Found In "Spring's Fury"

Character	Description
Gilliam FitzHenry, Lord of Ashby	[Hero] giant of man (11) pale blue eyes (24) chin and brow perfectly proportioned; nose neither too small or to large, no bump, handsome man (34) 22-y-o (34) massive shoulders; broad chest (__) gentleness {139) intelligent (152) pride; arrogance (153) beautiful; gentle curve of brows; fine rise of cheekbones; strong column of neck; shoulders twice width of hers; (157) masculine swell of chest; flat plane of stomach; scar from waist to hip; no excess weight; long, thick legs; long feet (158) rise of his fine cheekbones; gentle curve of mouth; beautiful man (259)
Nicola "Colette" of Ashby	[Heroine] warrior woman; overly tall; plain; no feminine softness (9) hazel eyes (11) hip length lively brown hair in ringlets (14) virago; loyal; true; healer (28) magnificent eyes turned plain girl striking; almond shaped ringed by thick, dark lashes; brows almost straight; color shifted with moods (33) beautiful as a boy; wild and tangled curls framed her face, a dark halo of hair, softening and shortening her features (107) jawline round and feminine (108) headstrong (138) long slender fingers (147) sleek as a cat; fragile-looking as a reed; white smooth skin (160) strong; capable; deadly (179)
. . .	. . .
Agnes	[No Appearance] Tilda's mother; Nicola's nurse (17) Tilda blamed Nicola for her mother's death (92) Aggie raised Nicola; taught her healing (266)
Alexander	[Brief Appearance] Ashby village child; injured (334)
Alice	[Brief Appearance] Ashby villager; bright coppery read hair (146) offered to say Nicola's vows for her (147) pregnant (214)
Alfred	[Brief Appearances] Gilliam's man (55)
Alan	[Secondary Character] dark hair to shoulders; bold face; thick beard; pride in set of shoulders (65) knight; Tilda's boyfriend; helped Nicola escape (70)
Anne	[Brief Appearance] Ashby village woman; toll taker's wife; part of Nicola's bridal chamber activities (155)
Arnold	[Brief Appearance] Ashby master mason (374)
Arnult	[Brief Appearance] Graistan castellan (39)
John of Ashby	[Brief Appearance] Nicola's father; killed in battle (7)
Tilda of Ashby	[Major Secondary Character] Nicola's best friend since girlhood; lush form; fine features; honey and cream coloring; petite; wealth of tawny hair; bright brown eyes (17) revenge could be vicious; Nicola's closest companion (18) Nicola had treated Tilda as sister, not servant (62) Ocslade paying Tilda to deliver Nicola to him (91) fine oval face; brows lifting in gentle arch over luminous brown eyes; lush, full lips (320)
Athelina	[Brief Appearance] Ashby village woman; village ale taster; rough hands part of Nicola's bridal chamber activities (155)
Berthilde	[Brief Appearance] Ashby village woman part of Nicola's bridal chamber activities (155)
Cecilia	[No Appearance] Geoff's daughter (372)
Dickon	[One Appearance] member of Alan's ragtag band of six (82) big man (86)
Emotte	[Brief Appearance] Ashby villager; Ralph by Wood's wife; sour-tempered; heavy (154)
Geoffrey FitzHenry, Lord Coudray	[Secondary Character] [Hero of Book Four] Gilliam's mom's oldest son (23) injured by now deceased wife (24) golden hair; missing eye; scars; darker blue eye (24) rich baritone voice; hair just as golden as Gilliam's; eye color a deeper blue; nose had same perfect length and width; high cheekbones; strong jawline; scar traveled from top left of brow, across bridge of his nose, beneath patch covering his right eye, trailed off toward his ear (369) second smaller scar cut directly down from the shielded eye to curl into the corner of his mouth (370)
Rannulf FitzHenry, Lord of Graistan	[Secondary Character] [Hero of Book One] Gilliam's brother (11) Nicola was his ward; could not wait to get trouble-maker off his hands (57)
Jocelyn of Freyne	[Important Secondary Character] small, bony lad; pale skin; knotted spikes of fine brown hair; generous forehead; wide-set brown eyes (23) heir to Freyne; to foster with Gilliam (25) 13-y-o; weak (26) dour; joyless; play-less; dam wanted him for church (27) "Jos" (125) expression in eyes far older than his youthful features (126) Jos had never had a toy "ball" before; his mom frowned on such frivolity (215)
Lady Elyssa [of Freyne]	[No Appearance] [Heroine of Book Four] pregnant; staying with Geoff because he was sheriff (372)
Johanna	[Brief Appearances] Thomas's daughter-in-law; fresh-faced; bright eyes; 1 year older than Nicola; Young Thom's wife; 2-y-o son (236) pretty (237)
Isotte	[No Appearance] Rannulf's second wife (29)
John over Brook	[Brief Appearance] Ashby villager; grim-face; middle years (141)
Alexander atte Lane	[Brief Appearance] Ashby carpenter (141)
Hobbe atte Lea	[Brief Appearance] Rannulf's huntsman (102)
Maida	[Brief Appearance] Ashby village woman; oldest woman in village; grandson's farmed her husband's lands part of Nicola's bridal chamber activities (155)
Margery	[Brief Appearances] Ashby villager; Alice's compassionate sister; coppery hair (154) soft brown eyes (176)
Mad Muriel	[Brief Appearances] Ashby villager; poorest woman in village (240)
Osbert	[Brief Appearances] Hugh de Ocslade's nephew; dark complexion; black eyes; near her height; powerful shoulders (350)
Hugh de Ocslade	[Secondary Character] contracted to marry Nicola (9) black hair and beard streaked with silver (47) shorter than Nicola; sharp, sallow features; black eyes; hated Nicola (50) bleed own properties dry; greedy; lived beyond himself (65)
Father Reynard	[Secondary Character] Ashby priest; great beak of nose; wide mouth; dense beard streaked with gray; thick brows; brown eyes; web of creases along his cheeks; nature gave him his tonsure; remaining fine dark hair in ever-expanding circle atop his head (132) homely face (362)
Robert	[Brief Appearance] Gilliam's man (55)
Robert, son of Robert	[Brief Appearance] Ashby villager; Muriel's 16-y-o son; hard-working (240)
Roia	Gilliam's dog; great, square muzzle; huge spotted dog (169)
Seger	[Brief Appearance] Ashby cook (265)
Abbot Simon	[Secondary Character] trying to break free of Rannulf's rule (25) sanctimonious little monk (32) small; slender; meek features; pride (41) prideful (56)
William Smith	[Brief Appearance] Ashby blacksmith (142)
Young Thom	[Brief Appearances] Thomas' son (190)
Thomas	[Secondary Character] Ashby reeve; Tilda's father; rolling gait caused by rheumy hips; thick hair covering legs (140) wild tawny hair; heavy beard; deeply set eyes; stocky (141) burly; redness in beard; thick chest (237)
Walter	[Secondary Character] Rannulf's knight (75) plain face (235)
William	[Brief Appearances] Hugh de Ocslade's nephew (151) lied about vows between Hugh and Nicola (49)
Witasse	Gilliam's battle trained mount (96)
Wyna	(214)

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"Spring's Fury" Quotations

205	. . . she saw in the lad her own reflection, stubbornly refusing change because others asked it of her. . . .
240	. . . I cannot look at my daughter without spewing harsh and hateful words. . . .
284	. . . Tilda always said that if you held a man by his cock, you owned him.
310	. . .   "There is no guaranteed outcome to anything, Jos.   You must never wager what you are not willing to lose. . . .

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"Spring's Fury" Review and Information Links

Rated	Posted	Site	Notes, Comments, Etc.
--	--	Denise Domning's Website	Author (aka: Denise Hampton)
4.44 average	{36 reviews}	Amazon	as of: October 22, 2012
B+	02-28-2008	Aneca's World
4.00 average	{5 ratings}	Barnes & Noble	as of: October 22, 2012
--	--	Fantastic Fiction	List of Denise Domning's Books
--	--	Fiction DB	List of Denise Domning's Books
--	--	Fantastic Fiction	List of Denise Hampton's Books
--	--	Fiction DB	List of Denise Hampton's Books
3.89 average	{9 reviews}	Good Reads	as of: October 22, 2012
--	--	Historical Romance Writers	short biographical interview
4.40 average	{5 ratings}	Library Thing	as of: October 22, 2012
3.50 average	{5 ratings}	Paperback Swap	as of: October 22, 2012
4.50 Top Pick	--	RT {Romantic Times} Book Reviews	1995 Best Medieval Historical Romance Nominee
4.00 average	{2 reviews}	Shelfari	as of: October 22, 2012
3.85	02-09-2011	Wolf Bear Does Books	shorter post on Amazon, Good Reads, Shelfari

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Notes:
♥   Disclaimer:   I Purchased This Book
♥   Very Subjective Rating
♣   Will add your Spring's Fury review link to table, just ask