Action: ♠♠♠ / Emotion: ♣♣♣.♣ / Romance: ♥♥♥. ♥ / Sensuous: ♦♦♦♦ / Suspense: ♠♠
Action: 3 / Emotion: 3.75 / Romance: 3.75 / Sensuous: 4 / Suspense: 2 / Historical Flavor: 3 // Humor: 0 / Tears: 0
Wine paved the way for Bronwyn McQuade's appearance in the first book of the series, In Bed With A Stranger, when Cullen McJames and his cousin, Druce, teased each other about marrying the legendary hellcat of a daughter of the McQuade clan to try and end the thirty-five-year-old feud. It was revealed in her book, that Bronwyn's shrewish personality was falsely created by her father to keep men away from his daughter.
Erik McQuade was a truly mean-spirited man, and an even worse father. Erik kept reiterating to his two older sons, Liam and Sodac, that all that was important was land and amassing a fortune. Erik had married three times trying to increase his holdings. Erik mistreated Bronwyn's mother because she bore him a worthless daughter. Bronwyn's mother's land passed to her female descendants; thus, to keep Bronwyn's land, Erik must insure that not only must Bronwyn never marry, but she must never have a child.
Bronwyn is not totally without some love and support in her family. Bronwyn shares her father's hatred with Erik's third son, Keir McQuade. Although huge, thickly muscled Keir can wield a sword, he does not share Liam and Sodac's love for night marauding nor does he lick his father's boots. Thus, Erik relegates Keir to the mundane tasks of running Red Stone Castle. Although Erik worships money, he does not appreciate Keir's keen mind and keen investment skills.
Bronwyn is out riding, experiencing one last fling of freedom before her father returns from court when she happens upon a flirty, charming rogue and has no idea that he is none other than Cullen McJames. When Liam catches Bronwyn talking with Cullen, he hauls her before his father for chastisement. Erik takes advantage of the situation by dragging Bronwyn to court to announce to the great hall that Cullen McJames has been using his daughter. Such a statement should prevent any marriage offers for Bronwyn.
Bonnie [Copper], the youngest sister of Anne [Copper] McJames, plays a minor role in In The Warrior's Bed. Bonnie has the sight and tells Cullen he must go to court and gives him a package to take along. Bonnie's appearances are short but memorable. Bonnie's proxy marriage to an evil man (used to facilitate Anne's downfall in first book of series) necessitates that Bonnie stay with the McJames Clan at Sterling Castle to stay safe. Bonnie's story is open-ended . . . cannot help but want to read her story. (Blatant hint here that Mary Wine write a book for Bonnie.)
Cullen arrives at court to find courtiers whispering about him. His friend and neighbor, Alarik McKorey, explains that the McQuade laird has accused Cullen of dishonoring his daughter. Tend to wonder at the authenticity of King James Stuart's portrayal as a "friendly" kind of king as he calls Cullen into his private chamber to tell him that Bronwyn does not support her father's claim and discuss the ramifications of Erik's lies.
Cullen decided to kidnap Bronwyn and marry her for three reasons: One, Cullen was attracted to the lass he met while out riding. Two, Cullen wanted to remove the slur McQuade placed upon his name. Three, Cullen hoped the marriage would end the feud.
Cullen had not counted on Bronwyn's constant resistance to marriage. Bronwyn was under no false assumptions that the marriage would cause McQuade to end the feud -- she knew more blood would be spilled. Bronwyn had a constant internal battle because she was attracted to Cullen, but did not believe she was anything but a pawn being used by her father's enemies.
Even though Bronwyn is resistant to the idea of marriage, she could not help but be drawn to the muscled, gorgeous Cullen. Wine includes several bold, somewhat graphically-descriptive love scenes that are a necessary part of the erotic genre. The sexual tension between Bronwyn and Cullen was constant and a major part of the story. Cullen and Bronwyn find that there is a strong emotional connection between them as well. Cullen makes the effort to court Bronwyn after they return to Sterling Castle.
One other supporting character stood out in the book. Raelin McKorey (Alarik's sister) is one of Queen Anne's ladies-in-waiting. She overhears Erik telling Liam and Sodac about his plans to keep Bronwyn's land at all costs. She also plays a pivotal role in the action-packed, intriguing scene when McQuade comes into the king's inner chamber to demand the return of his daughter after Cullen takes Bronwyn.
The nit-picky stuff. {1} Cullen was well-described in all his masculine glory, but Bronwyn's physical description was over-looked. What color are her eyes? While it is exciting to view the hunky hero through the eyes of the heroine, would like to see the heroine receive the same descriptive treatment as the hero. {2} The Medieval flavor of the book felt contrived. Some of the anatomical terms did not fit the era. Was a "Scarlet women" even coined for an non-virtuous woman yet? The use of Scottish terms like "nae," "dinnae," and "ye," were thrown into the dialogue, but the rest of the conversation sounded more "English."
One thing that really draws the reader into the fabric of the story is Wine's use of bold, vivid, short one-liners to introduce a chapter or section of the book; including: {1} "Cullen McJames, stop tossing my baby." (8). {2} "Slut." (23) {3} "He was a fool." (27) "A fist pounded on her door at dawn." (29) {4} "The court of Scotland was filled with men who waited." (31) {5} "Cullen didn't waste time." (54) {6} "Locked away." (68) {7} "Her bed was moving." (78) {8} "She was nervous." (193) {9}"Dawn came too early." (223) {10} "Something wasn't right." (261) {11} "He didn't want to." (262)
In The Warrior's Bed is an enjoyable read. {1} Several action scenes are included to keep the story moving at a steady pace. {2} A bit of intrigue lingers as the reader wonders about how Cullen's and Bronwyn's marriage will affect the ongoing feud between the McJames and McQuades. {3} A lot of sexual tension permeates the entire story, supported by heated, graphic love scenes that add spice to the book. {4} The little emotional angst included, is shouldered by the heroine -- the hero has very minute moments of vulnerability. {5} Great descriptions about hunky Scotsman in their kilts add appeal. {6} The determined, handsome, charming hero is not over-shadowed by the bold, strong-willed heroine.
Caveat: Being an fan of books which feature more {1} action and adventure; {2} suspense; and {3} the resolution of deeper emotional angst, find that The McJames Clan Trilogy books, while enjoyable, will not find their way on my "to be re-read" list.
--Vonda M. Reid (Monday, March 28, 2011 : 10:49 a.m.)
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Books In The Series: "The McJames Clan Trilogy"
| # | Date | Book Title | Hero | Heroine |
| 01. | 06-2009 | In Bed With A Stranger | Brodick McJames, Earl of Alcaon | Anne Copper |
| 02. | 02-2010 | In The Warrior's Bed | Cullen McJames, Laird Lampart | Bronwyn McQuade |
| 03. | 08-2010 | Bedding The Enemy | Keir McQuade, Baron Hurst | Helena Knyvett |
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In The Warrior's Bed Quotations:
53 . . . There was no point in being bitter. Life was not fair, and men were greedy. . . .
104 . . . Her feelings were all jumbled and unrecognizable. . . .
138 . . . It was a harsh burden to carry, knowing that your sire was not an example to follow.
157 . . . She was suddenly so tired of struggling. Lying down in a warm bed tempted her almost beyond her endurance.
231 . . . It was rooted deep inside her, in that place where you didn't decide what you felt; the emotion was simply there like a living breathing thing. There was no decision making, only feeling it when it rose up to engulf you.
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Mary Wine
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♠ Fantastic Fiction
♣ FictionDB
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In The Warrior's Bed Reviews:
| Rated | Posted | Site | Notes, Comments, Etc. |
| 4.0 | 06-....-2010 | A Romance Review | |
| 5.0 | 02-....-2010 | Affaire de Coeur | unable to find on website any longer |
| B- / hot | 04-13-2010 | All About Romance | |
| 3.40 average | {15 reviews} | Amazon | as of: April 14, 2011 |
| 4.0 | -- | Bella Online | |
| 3.0 | 09-14-2010 | Coffee Time Romance | |
| 4.0 | ....-....-2010 | Curled Up With A Good Book | |
| 3.65 average | {19 reviews} | Good Reads | as of: April 14, 2011 |
| 4.0 / hot | 03-30-2010 | RT {Romantic Times} Book Reviews | |
| 3.86 average | {7 reviews} | Shelfari | as of: April 14, 2011 |
| 4.0 | 03-12-2010 | The Romance Reader | |
| 4.25 | 04-14-2011 | Wolf Bear Does Books | short version posted on Amazon, Good Reads, Shelfari |
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♥ Disclaimer: I purchased this book.
♥ Very Subjective Rating
♥ Willing to share Cheat Sheet
♦ in whole or in part
♦ WordPerfect or PDF
♣ Will add your In The Warrior's Bed review link to table, just ask
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♠ Mary Wine generously gifted me with an autographed copy of In The Warrior's Bed when won an autographed copy of her new release Highland Heat (March 2011) in the month-long "March Madness" (contests and giveaways) sponsored by Ashley March.
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