This book is not a straight historical romance (despite the ridiculous cover). There is probably equal parts history as there is romance. And unfortunately a lot of the history is wrapped up in the characters trying to navigate a very complicated political situation, that is often described in depth, as well as the description of a number of battles - neither of these things which are much interest to me. The author also includes some details about life in the middle ages, that while they may be accurate, certainly un-romanticize the book.

For the first half of the book I found the heroine rather manipulative and didn't particularly like her. And the hero's extreme sense of morals and chivalry didn't really jive with his admission that he had raped women or his basic rape of his wife the first time they were together.

I found the author's writing itself rather confusing as times - unclear sentence structure, paragraphs that lost the focus of the scene and jumped around too much, etc - and when trying to describe 12th century political strategy, it made some parts difficult to follow.

I also don't like when authors finish one book in a way that only serves to set up the plot of a sequel, which this author certainly did. ( )

Lady Alinor Devaux is seemingly one of the luckiest women in the world: not only is she young, beautiful, and extremely wealthy, but she also wields a great deal of control over her life. She commands the loyalty of her vassals and runs her many estates virtually unaided. However, Alinor is such a magnificent matrimonial prize that the King has decided to place a warden over her. The warden will administer her lands and protect her from nobles who might try to seize her (or her property) by force. Alinor is strongly opposed to this plan; but when the noble (and older) Sir Simon Lemagne takes up his duties, the two of them quickly fall in love. Alinor and Simon’s romance soon encounters many obstacles, especially when Simon’s duty compels him to follow King Richard the Lionheart on Crusade. Can their love survive the cataclysmic power struggles raging throughout Europe?

I started this book somewhat reluctantly; although I’d read that Roberta Gellis is a respected name in historical romance, I feared that this novel would be nothing more than a bodice-ripper. Thankfully, I was totally wrong; this book impressed me with its attention to historical detail and its compelling description of the major figures of the time period, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine and her sons Richard and John. Much of the novel centers around King Richard’s campaigns in Cyprus and the Holy Land, which were fascinating to read about. I didn’t quite see the need for such detailed descriptions of the battle scenes, but that’s a minor complaint. Overall, I liked this novel a lot and would recommend it to fans of Sharon Kay Penman, Elizabeth Chadwick, or Anya Seton’s Katherine. There are several more books in the series, and I’m seriously considering reading them all!

A good romance. An interesting historical novel, too - I think I noticed the historical aspects less, on previous readings, because I'm quite familiar with the era (the reign of Richard Lionheart), so the details were background information to me. I'm more aware of it now after reading the third book in the series, which ventures into new territory. Strong-willed young Alinor meets Simon, older than she and a warrior of note, and they strike sparks off one another almost immediately. The obstacles between them are almost equally of their own making and born of politics - Simon is convinced he's too old for her, Alinor periodically decides he doesn't want her any more. And in the meantime, Simon gets called away to war over and over - he leads a punitive expedition into Wales, and later joins Richard on Crusade. Chancellor Longchamp, Queen Alinor (Eleanor), King Richard, Prince John, and a host of other historical characters play their parts while Simon and Alinor's romance twines around the historical facts. Good story, from both sides. Very rich. ( )