Mary Wine -- Bedding The Enemy

Rated: ♥ ♥ ♥ . ♥   {3.75}
Action: ♠♠♠ / Emotion: ♣♣♣.♣ / Romance: ♥♥♥ / Sensuous: ♦♦♦♦ / Suspense: ♠♠♠.♠
Action: 3 / Emotion: 3.75 / Romance: 3 / Sensuous: 4 / Suspense: 3.5 / Historical Flavor: 3 // Humor: 2 / Tears: 0

Added Bedding The Enemy as the third book to The McJames Clan Trilogy because it is basically a continuation of a three-book long story that started with book one, In Bed With A Stranger.   A McJames does not make an appearance until briefly near the end of the book.   The hero is the brother to the heroine of book two, In The Warrior's Bed.   This book could very easily be a stand-alone read, even though the references to characters in the previous books are better understood having read books one and two.

Keir McQuade, the third son of Erik McQuade, has become the new laird of Clan McQuade.   (The chain of events which resulted in this event is detailed in book two, In The Warrior's Bed.)   Keir is nothing like his warring, greedy, selfish father and makes plans to go to court to swear fealty to James Stuart (the Scots king who now resides on the English throne).   Keir is determined to return honor to the name of McQuade.

Mary Wine opens the book by delivering a poignant scene in which Gwen, Keir's mistress, moves her belongings from Red Stone Castle because Keir must now find himself a woman worthy of being the laird's wife and she knows that Keir does not love her (as she loves him).   The weight of being responsible for the clan weighs heavy on Keir's shoulders as he watches Gwen walk out of his life.

Helena Knyvett has been trained since she was a girl to control her every action, to keep a smooth expression and present the perfect picture of a blue-blooded gentlewoman that reflects positively on the powerful family of the Earl of Kenton.   Helena was sent to London to live with her brother to fulfill her duties of making a match that would increase the family's coffers and lands.

Helena's brother, Edmund Charles Knyvett is the evil villain featured in Bedding The Enemy.   He is the perfect picture of a aristocrat who believes he must be fawned over and allowed to treat others with callousness, and heavy-handedness without any repercussions simply because he is blue-blooded and will soon hold the title, Earl of Kenton.   Edmund is a master at playing the games, adding to the whispers and concocting devious schemes that abound at court.   Edmund has been controlling all of Helena's actions for the past year.   Helena has learned to make sure no emotion crosses her face to keep Edmund from witnessing his infliction of misery on her life.

Edmund's latest plan is to replace Queen Anne's maid of honor, Raelin McKorey, with Helena so that Helena can feed him inside information.   Helena, however, befriends the outspoken, strong-willed, "seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time" Raelin.   (Raelin made several memorable appearances in book two.)   Another young maid of honor, Catriona McAlister, joins Helena and Raelin in friendship and shared girlishness.

Farrell McQuade (Keir's second in command) is not any more happy to be in the crowded city of London than Keir.   Although Farrell's role is not well-developed, he is always protecting the new laird's back as he pursues bringing peace and honor to the clan.

On his first night at the king's hall, Keir is immediately attracted to the tall, modest woman.   Helena is suddenly very aware of the huge Scot across the crowd.   Helena likes that the Scot stands tall, like a man instead of the dandy pose all the courtiers have perfected.   Edmund notices the Scot's interest and lets him know that he will not be tainting the Knyvett blood with his common-ness.   Helena admired Keir's fearlessness when he stated his intentions to court her.   Keir did not appear afraid of her brother, unlike the courtiers who bowed and scraped before Edmund.

Helena fights Edmund when he attacks Raelin in his efforts to sully her name (to lose her position of maid of honor).   When the royal guards arrive and start condemning Raelin, Keir boldly steps forward and accuses Edmund of dishonorable behavior -- beating up on women.   All the participants are brought before the king, where Helena determines to hold on to the one thing that Edmund can't control -- her honor.   Helena knows she will pay a high price for speaking truly of Edmund's evil intentions.

Keir was relieved that he got an audience with the king so soon after arriving in London.   James noticed that Keir was not cut from the same cloth as his father and suggested he stay at court and court the girl.

Raelin set into motion a chain of events that resulted in Keir's marriage to Helena.   Raelin approached Keir to tell him that Helena was under her brother's control and had not been back to court for days.   Keir rescued Helena from the attic where Edmund had locked her away.   Instead of pounding Edmund into the ground, Keir sat down to gamble with Edmund and the rotten, tattered Lord Philip Ronchford -- whereupon, Keir won Helena.   With the aid of the king, Keir was able to circumvent Edmund's machinations to prevent Helena's marriage to the Scot by attempting to sell her to Lord Ronchford.

Although Helena desires Keir, she does not want to be owned by any man.   She does not trust that Keir will treat her kindly once he gets her back to his lands in Scotland, and fights falling in love.   Keir, however, finally understands what Gwen was talking about and confesses his love of Helena.   As Bedding The Enemy, is published under Brava Books (mildly erotic), the love scenes between Keir and Helena are frequent and graphically revealing.

Bedding The Enemy is an enjoyable read.   The book is packed with {1} gorgeous, hunky Scots (who outshine English pretty-boys); {2} a huge, muscled, determined, generous hero; {3} an honorable, mistreated heroine (who comes to the hero's rescue after he rescues her; {4} hot, steamy, graphically-vivid, numerous love scenes; {5} interesting supporting characters; {6} plenty of action to speed the story along; {7} copious amounts of suspense concerning Keir and Helena's ability to overcome Edmund's plots and schemes to find their happily ever after.

Having read all three books of The McJames Clan Trilogy back to back, noticed several recurring features in all three books.   Those likenesses included: {1} An all-evil villain who wreaks havoc on the heroine of the novel.   {2} Lots of graphic sexuality that features the use of modernist terms to describe female anatomy.   {3} Similar means of determining the awareness and attraction between the hero and heroine: {a} heroine discovers men have their own unique, tantalizing smell; {b} the heroine "blushes for" the hero; {c} the heroine's body reacts to the hero in her thoughts and in his proximity; {d} heroine is teased for undressing the hero with her eyes.

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 : 1:31 p.m.)

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

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

Books Similar to "Bedding The Enemy"

Site	Author	Title	Series
01.ff	McCarty, Monica	The Hawk	02. The Highland Guards Series {4...
02.ff	Johnson, Sophia	Risk Everything	03. The Blackthorn Trilogy {3}
db	{none listed}

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

Bedding The Enemy Quotations:

10     . . . to think against your place was to question the will of God.

123     . . .  She felt crushed beneath the weight of so many hands pushing her toward what they wanted.

156     . . .  It was an instant response and one that she could not control even after getting what she'd desired.

160     . . .  That didn't stop her from wanting it. . . .  She wanted her gallant knight; wanted a childhood fantasy so badly that it hurt.

182     . . .  She wanted to resist thinking that way.  . . . But emotions were fickle things that didn't listen to logic.

187     . . .  She was speaking without thinking again.  . . . Keir was the only man who swept her common sense aside simply by being near her.   It was as irritating as it was exciting. . . .

253     . . .   Men did not make sense.   Their humor was incomprehensible. . . .

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

Mary Wine

♥   Website / Blog
♦   Facebook

♠   Fantastic Fiction
♣   FictionDB

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

Bedding The Enemy Reviews:

Rated	Posted	Site	Notes, Comments, Etc.
4.5	08-....-2010	Affaire de Coeur	cannot find on website any more
4.80 average	{5 reviews}	Amazon	as of: April 15, 2011
4.0	09-14-2010	Coffee Time Romance
3.75 average	{6 reviews}	Good Reads	as of: April 15, 2011
5.0	08-01-2010	Romance Junkies	also posted on Amazon, Good Reads
4.0	06-19-2010	RT {Romantic Times} Book Review
4.0	{1 review}	Shelfari	as of: April 15, 2011 (my review)
3.75	04-15-2011	Wolf Bear Does Books	short version posted on Amazon, Good Reads, Shelfari

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

Notes:
♥  Disclaimer:  I purchased this book.
♥  Very Subjective Rating
♥  Willing to share Cheat Sheet
    ♦  in whole or in part
    ♦  WordPerfect or PDF
♣  Will add your Bedding The Enemy review link to table, just ask

Mary Wine -- In the Warrior's Bed

Rated: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ . ♥   {4.25}
Action: ♠♠♠ / Emotion: ♣♣♣.♣ / Romance: ♥♥♥. ♥ / Sensuous: ♦♦♦♦ / Suspense: ♠♠
Action: 3 / Emotion: 3.75 / Romance: 3.75 / Sensuous: 4 / Suspense: 2 / Historical Flavor: 3 // Humor: 0 / Tears: 0

Enjoyed second book in The McJames Clan Trilogy, In The Warrior's Bed.   As a caveat, must bring to mind that not only is the genre of this book considered to be a Historical Romance, but because it is published under Kensington's Brava label, it is also considered to be of a slightly erotic nature.   Even though this is only the second book in the series, noticed several similarities in the sensual and romantic development of Mary Wine's books.   One, the heroine notices that the hero has a particularly appealing masculine smell.   Two, the hero notices that the heroine blushes for him.   Third, the heroine's body heats up and responds to not only the hero's presence, but also just thinking about him.

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.)

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

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

Books Similar to "In the Warrior's Bed"

Site	Author	Title	Series
01.ff	McCarty, Monica	The Chief	01. The Highland Guards Series {4...
02.ff	Howell, Hannah	Highland Protector	12. The Murray Clan Series {20...
03.ff	Johnson, Sophia	Risk Everything	03. The Blackthorn Trilogy {3}
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07.db	Hoyt, Elizabeth	The Raven Prince	01. The Princes Trilogy {3}
08.db	Bourne, Joanna	The Spymaster's Lady	02. The Spymasters Series {4...

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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.

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

Mary Wine

♥   Website / Blog
♦   Facebook

♠   Fantastic Fiction
♣   FictionDB

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

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

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

Notes:
♥  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
- - - - - - - - -
♠  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.

Mary Wine -- In Bed With A Stranger

Rated: ♥ ♥ ♥ . ♥   {3.85}
Action: ♠♠.♠ / Emotion: ♣♣♣♣ / Romance: ♥♥♥♥ / Sensuous: ♦♦♦♦.♦ / Suspense: ♠♠.♠
Action: 2.5 / Emotion: 4 / Romance: 4 / Sensuous: 4.5 / Suspense: 2.5 / Historical Flavor: 3 // Humor: 1 / Tears: 0

What an introduction into the world of Mary Wine.   Unable to put down In Bed With A Stranger (book one in The McJames Clan Trilogy) from the first sentence until the last period.   Book was immediately and constantly engrossing.   One of the magnificent things about Wine's writing was that she was able to deliver pertinent details quickly, concisely and interestingly.

Found it appealing when the villain of the book, Lady Philipa, Countess of Warwickshire, was introduced while grousing about having to give her treasured pearls to her husband's mistress (Ivy Copper) at the birth of the heroine, the Earl of Warwickshire's bastard daughter, Anne Copper.   Lady Philipa's selfishness was featured as the beginning stages of Philipa's extreme hatred and bitterness caused her to develop into an evil, vindictive woman -- all because she was unwilling to take a second risk of dying of childbed fever.   A quote by a maid who served Philipa cleverly set the stage for the entire plot:

"The mistress will poison herself with such meanness.   It'll bring dark times to everyone living on the land."

Mary Wine's writing style added to the medieval flavor of the book.   Several customs relating to medieval culture were described.   For instance: {1} Mary Spencer (Philipa's one and only child) was passed over by quite a few men at court because noblemen looked at the fecundity of the mother while considering a prospective wife.   {2} To delay her marriage's consummation, Anne asked for the time-honored tradition of having a nobleman's wife inspected by a midwife for successful childbearing.

Anne's story started twenty-six years after her birth when Philipa plotted to save her darling, spoiled rotten daughter from having to share the bed of her Scottish husband.   It was incredibly clever that Henry Howard, the fifth Earl of Warwickshire (Anne's father, Philipa's husband) was never named until page 296 of a 310-page book.   Even though the Earl played a vital and important role in the book, his name as well as his presence was blatantly absent throughout -- because he was constantly away at court -- leaving Philipa to wield her power without censure.

Philipa's plan is to place the hated bastard daughter in the Scot's bed until after an heir is born.   Then her blue-blooded daughter can take her position as mistress of the Scot's home (all without having to suffer the marriage bed).   It is obvious that Philipa's plan is flawed because no man worth his salt is going to believe that the selfish, spoiled Mary is the same woman as sweet-natured, considerate Anne.

Hunky hero, Brodick McJames, Earl of Alcaon is endowed with enough intelligence and strength of will to never fall for such a foolish plan.   Brodick had been negotiating with the Earl of Warwickshire for two years to marry his daughter -- all for the betterment of his clan.   Brodick is not pleased with the prospect of having to take as wife an English court lass (deceitful, conniving creatures who shamefully displayed their breasts).

Brodick is surprised when his veiled bride {1} does not complain on the arduous return to Sterling and {2} seems to have a kind, unspoiled nature.   Anne has a difficult time keeping up the appearance of a spoiled English court lady and finally just decides to be "Anne" instead of "Mary."   Found it clever that Brodick referred to Anne as "wife" which reduced the use of the name "Mary" throughout the book.

Even though Anne tried to keep Brodick from consummating the marriage (to thwart Philipa's devious plan), she failed.   Brodick is amazed that he is attracted to his wife.   Brodick is pleased that his wife "blushes for him."   Anne is even more amazed at her attraction to her husband.   Who would have thought a man had his own unique tantalizing smell?   As expected, Brodick and Anne make love with heated, graphically-descriptive love scenes.   The love scenes used what seemed to be modern terms for female anatomy, which took away some of the medieval flavor of the book.   Brodick and Anne could not keep their hands from the other, but they were becoming emotionally invested in the relationship as well.

There were a few supporting characters that were briefly described and drew interest.   Cullen McJames, Brodick's brother, was a charming man who liked to tease his brother, but showed his strong Scot's ferocity and determination.   Wine paved the way for Cullen's story (book two, In The Warrior's Bed) with the daughter of the feuding, raiding neighbors, Bronwyn McQuade.

Druce McJames, Brodick's cousin, was another impressive character.   It seemed there should be a story for this teasing, strong braw Scotsman.   Another teasing character (whose ease around powerful men revealed to Anne her own discomfort), was Brodick's sixteen-year-old sister, Fiona.   Fiona was only around long enough to get a quick glimpse of a strong-willed teen.

Bonnie Copper, Anne's beautiful youngest sister, puts in a minimal appearance, but her character is powerfully compelling.   She is gifted with second sight, so Ivy and Anne have spent their lives keeping her protected from dangerous witch hunters.   (Bonnie foretells of Anne's happily-ever-after.)   Don't know if Wine is paving the way for Bonnie's own book, but the fact that Philipa eventually marries Bonnie by proxy to Cameron Yoeman (her top henchman) to keep Anne in line has the makings for another interesting book.   (Really hate the open-ended cliff-hanger of not knowing what is going to happen to Bonnie.)

The matriarchal midwife, Agnes, makes one strong powerful appearance that adds more medieval flavor to the book.   Agnes would not accept payment from the Laird for her services (inspecting his wife), yet Brodick notes the pride with which Agnes displays the brooch his mother gifted to Agnes years ago.   Little tidbits of real life activities add greatly to the enjoyment of the book.

Really like the great chapter or section opening gambits featured in In Bed With A Stranger.   Several include: {1} "She shall not touch my pearls." (opening sentence).   {2} "The saints had truly deserted her."   (102).   {3} "Brodick was tense." (111).   {4} "She did not suffer inactivity well." (145).   {5} "A man should not be able to hurt her feelings." (154).   {6} "Half of the men returned at dawn." (179).   {7} "The bells didn't ring upon his return." (192).   {8} "His wife's chamber was too cold." (194). {9} "Brodick was a magnificent sight." (212).   {10} "Arriving at court was not an easy thing." (242).   {11} "Surcoats were evil." (252).   {12} "Helen screamed for the first time in years." (261).

What is it with names?   Lady Philipa, Countess of Warwickshire and Henry Howard, Earl of Warwickshire have a daughter named Mary "Spencer" (116).   The back cover declares her as Mary "Stanford."   Anne notices that Brodick's retainers are just as loyal to him as the Warwickshire villagers were loyal to the Stanfords (144).   This is very confusing.   Is Mary's last name {1} Spencer, {2} Stanford, or should it be {3} Howard?

The little things about In Bed With A Stranger that were disappointing included: {1} lack of description of the heroine.   Yes, it was enjoyable to gaze at the gorgeous muscled body of Brodick through Anne's eyes, but would have liked to have been gifted with just as many insights into Anne's appearance as Brodick's.   (May have missed it, but can only imagine that Anne's eyes were the same blue as Bonnie's since Anne's eye color was not revealed.)   {2} Near the end of the book when the action and suspense was fast and compelling, the attention to detail that had pervaded the story until then was missing.

All in all, In Bed With A Stranger is a great read.   It has all the characteristics of a great Cinderella story.   {1} a determined, gorgeous, well-built hero (sorry, no angst); {2} an intelligent, self-sufficient, down-trodden heroine, who must overcome impossible odds to get her happily-ever-after; {3} a scheming, evil villain to be dispatched; {4} a bit of everyday action to keep the story moving; {5} enough suspense about how villain's machinations will be overcome makes story intriguing; {6} lots of heated, graphic love scenes; {7} several interesting supporting characters; and {8} a tense, surprising ending.

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 Trilogy books, while enjoyable, will not find their way on my "to be re-read" list.
--Vonda M. Reid   (Sunday, March 27, 2011 : 1:56 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 Bed With A Stranger Quotations:

145     . . . To argue against your place was to question God's will in putting you there.

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Mary Wine

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In Bed With A Stranger Reviews:

Rated	Posted	Site	Notes, Comments, Etc.
5.00	01/02-2010	Affaire de Coeur	cannot find again on website
4.00 average	{20 reviews}	Amazon . com	as of: April 13, 2011
4.0	05-27-2009	Bookaholics Romance Book Club	not on website / posted on Amazon, Good Reads, Shelfari
5.0	07-08-2009	Borders True Romance	also posted on Amazon (Joyfully Reviewed)
5.0	09-14-2010	Coffee Time Romance
3.0	05-19-2010	Curled Up With A Good Book	also posted on Amazon
5.0	05-29-2009	Genre Go Round Reviews	also posted on Amazon (Harriet Klausner)
3.76 average	{23 reviews}	Good Reads	as of: April 13, 2011
5.0	07-08-2009	Joyfully Reviewed	not on website / posted on Amazon (Borders True Romance)
3.75	05-03-2010	Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks	also posted on Good Reads
5.0	04-02-2009	Romance Junkies	also posted on Amazon
4.0 / hot	03-30-2010	RT Book Reviews
4.50 average	{4 reviews}	Shelfari	as of: April 13, 2011
4.0	--	The Romance Readers Connection
4.5 / hot	05-09-2009	Two Lips Reviews
3.85	03-27-2011	Wolf Bear Does Books	short version posted on Amazon, Good Reads, Shelfari

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Notes:
♥  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 Bed With A Stranger review link to table, just ask