By Arrangement by Madeline Hunter

Lady Christiana Fitzwaryn was not opposed to marriage. But she demanded to be married on her own terms, not as punishment for a a romantic indiscretion, and especially not to a common merchant. Yet she was in for a shock when she met David de Abyndon. For she was confronted by no ordinary merchant but a man of extraordinary poise and virility. He was unaffected by their difference in social status. And even less affected by her well-thought-out arguments against their upcoming betrothal. Instead, it was Christiana who felt uneasy in the presence of this naturally lordly man behind whose cool blue eyes she sensed the most uncompromising of passions.

David de Abyndon understood Christiana's dilemma, for he too harbored a secret pain. How could he tell her that there was more to this arrangement than met the eye? How could he tell her about his deal with the king--a deal that meant he had all but bought Christiana sight unseen? What's more, now that he had seen this beautiful, spirited woman, how could he convince her that the love she sought was not in the callow knight she has romanticized but in the flesh-and-blood arms of the man who may have bought her body--but in the bargain lost both his heart and soul?


This book reminded me of just how much I enjoy MH's medieval romances. I never cared for her Regency romances after just reading one sample--The Seducer. But after reading this book, it left me wanting to read her other earlier books set in medieval England.

The story of David and Christiana had always intrigued me for quite some time as I've read them in The Protector and Lord of a Thousand Nights. Even appearing in select scenes in those books, I had the feeling that theirs would be a fascinating story to read. And MH didn't disappoint with this effort. Nor did David de Abyndon and Christiana Fitzwaryn. I might not have finished this one in one sitting but that wasn't for the lack of trying. Sleep deprivation and too much stress won over the interest to finish this book (plus maybe another) in one go.

But no matter.

The chemistry between hero and heroine was sizzling at the very least, The circumstances that brought them together wasn't the greatest, not even a good one, as it was surrounded with mystery to begin with. And I love the fact that David was a commoner merchant and it proved that they can be great heroes as much as noblemen and knights and such can be. Reading from the other books, I knew that Christiana had some spirit but reading about her here tells more of her character as she never allowed herself to be bullied and stood her ground. We had here two proud characters who managed to meet halfway during their conflicts.

Okay, so David turned out not to be so common after all (he was a nobleman's illegitimate son). But he refused what was his by right to remain loyal to friends and country. (Although he did turn out to have inherited the title two books later.) But he did turn out to be more noble than most when at the end, he insisted to pay the bride price for Christiana that he had let her believe he paid for her at the beginning. That way she would never find out that the money that changed hands at the start was really a rich merchant's part in the King's campaign against the French--and David got the King's ward for a bride to cover up the exchange.

As much as I love this book because of the two main characters, one of the factors that really won me over was Christiana's relationship with her brother Morvan. I already loved him from his own book but I'm loving him more because of his part in giving this tale a happy ending--even if he disapproved of David at the onset. It's one of those times that makes me wish I had a brother of my own.

Another keeper from MH, no doubt about it.

Final verdict: 8/10. Good read, must-have.

Lord Of A Thousand Nights by Madeline Hunter

Called the Lord of a Thousand Nights, Ian of Guilford was famed as much for his feats in the bedroom as on the battlefield. But Lady Reyna Graham had no idea of this when, disguised as a courtesan, she passed behind enemy lines with a desperate plan to save her people. Now, sitting in the tent of the dizzyingly handsome warrior who commanded the army outside her gates, the beautiful widow suddenly realized that she had underestimated her foe. For she found herself in the company of a man whose charms were said to be impossible to resist...and who would show no mercy in laying siege to her heart — and body — with every sensual weapon in his arsenal. For the sake of her people, she must not give in ... and she must somehow turn this legendary lover who never lost his heart into a man who would exchange all his thousand nights for one with her....


I was pretty discouraged when Kristie(j) said that this was her least favorite of MH's medievals. But since I had been wanting to read this book for a long time, I didn't pass up the chance when I saw it in the UBS shelf. I was glad that I got it 'cause it wasn't that bad. Okay. It wasn't as good as The Protector, where I first read about Ian of Guilford but I didn't fall aslep while reading it either. Not to mention that I had enjoyed reading about Morvan and Anna again.

I liked the way MH put enough complexities into the story to keep me turning the pages but not too much as to keep me from reading on while I get stuck pondering on what part of the puzzle was I already.

Ian of Guilford might have been dubbed the Lord of a Thousand Nights in court but all that was lost when he knew the passion of Reyna, lady of Black Lynne Keep. And the question of why, after twelve years of marriage--Reyna was married at the twelve to set neutral territory between two feuding clans--she was still untouched kept me wondering till it was answered. And the secrets Ian harboured from Reyna knowing that it was causing a rift between them made for another wonderful twist in the story. But the way Reyna received his explanations for his past really impressed me--I don't think I have read a character any less judgmental than her.

And I didn't mind the touch about surviving Templars and Hospitallers trying to get their riches. In fact, I think it was a beautiful addition to the story--it goes without saying that I'm a big fan of The Da Vinci Code.

So there goes another good find from the UBS that I'm keeping for now. Forget about her Regency romances, I'm sticking to MH's medievals. (Although I've read greats reviews for her latest Regency offering.)

Final verdict: 7/10. Good read.

The Protector by Madeline Hunter

The first time he laid eyes on her she had come to his rescue with a sword in her hand. Still Morvan Fitzwaryn had never seen any woman who aroused his interest and his passion more than the unconventional Breton warrior beauty. Anna de Leon took him into her castle and nursed him back to health, little knowing the spark of desire she was feeding with her caring ministrations. It wasn't long before Morvan had vowed to protect and conquer this unconquerable woman with all the sensual weapons at his disposal.

For her part, Anna de Leon had no interest in men as lovers or husbands. She was used to commanding men in battle. But she suddenly had the strange feeling that her well-fortified defenses could be breached by this dark-eyed, smoldering handsome English knight.When her castle is besieged by an old enemy who claims both her and her lands, Anna finds she had no choice but to accept Morvan's aid--even if the enemy outside her walls is no match for the ally within, who with every tantalizing kiss and forbidden embrace threatens to make her a prisoner of her own fiery passion.

My sister bought this book and since her choices before were mostly the why-did-you-spend-a-dime-on-this stuff, I was prepared for anything when I started to read this.

The best thing about this book was the heroine--Anne de Leon. She didn't dress like a man just because she felt like it. She was a feisty, brave, and strong woman; and even led her men to battle during wartime Brittany. She even survived the plague. Now, that was some badass warrioress! I don't think there was ever a part in the entire story that I got irked by her. She was kinda cool for a woman of the Middle Ages. She even managed to be funny in one part--when Morvan asked her to start being the lady of her keep but started chaos instead. And for those, she became one of my most favorite heroines from historical romances.

And Morvan Fitzwaryn was an endearing hero to say the least. He grew up in court but didn't have the vanity bred there. He was a passable hero for me in the first several pages of the book until the part when he made it clear that he was prepared to let Anna go if it meant her happiness and contentment. Then he became a great hero for me. He didn't have the conceit to think that even if he could give her pleasure, it wasn't enough to completely bind her to him forever. I think it was brave of him--and humbling for a high-born knight--to offer that in the first place knowing that she was likely to take it. Theirs, after all, wasn't a love match. But he was prepared to let her be, but he just wasn't ready to witness her putting herself in danger.

But for me, the highlight in the story was when Morvan became more comfortable with Anna being the warrioress he had first come to know. He had kept her weapons in a bid to keep her safe. But he eventually let her have them back knowing that it is his protection that could keep her safe. He summed it up in one beautiful sentence:

"...it would be a sad thing if my love kept you from being the woman I fell in love with."

Final verdict: 7.5/10. Must-read, must-have.