A wedding between enemies
A marriage to heal their scars
Hiding a disfigurement, Eleanor de Vraille is already
lacking confidence when she arrives at her future husband's cheerless Welsh
castle. And Rhun ab Owain's open disapproval of her does nothing to make her
feel at ease. Their union is to seal peace between their families, nothing
more. But Eleanor's heart rebels -- is she a fool to hope for any affection
from this strong-willed nobleman with the dark glittering eyes?
Terrific book. I loved the medieval Wales setting. I have
Welsh ancestry and enjoyed learning about Wales's turbulent history. Rhun and
Eleanor were an excellent illustration of that history. They were betrothed as
children (he was fourteen, she was nine) to ensure peace between his Welsh
father and her English father. Both have reason to resent the commitment as the
years pass, but they will honor it.
I liked Rhun and Eleanor. Both have vulnerabilities they
try to hide as they attempt to make the best of their marriage. It gets off to
a rocky start as Rhun's resentment of Eleanor's father spills over onto his
treatment of her. He is cold and dismissive in their early interactions. Eleanor
arrives at the castle and immediately feels the isolation. Rhun's scorn is evident,
she doesn't speak the language, and her only friend is her maid.
I enjoyed the slow-burn development of the relationship
between Rhun and Eleanor. There is antagonism at the beginning, mainly from
Rhun, as his feelings about the marriage affect how he looks at Eleanor. But
underneath the antagonism is a growing attraction that scares him. As he spends
more time with her, Rhun realizes she is innocent of her father's actions, and
he softens a little in his treatment of her. Eleanor also earns his respect with
her healing abilities and occasional standing up to his unreasonable attitudes.
Meanwhile, Eleanor sees Rhun's vulnerability and wants to help him while
fearing his reaction to her secret. It takes time for them to learn to trust
each other, and that trust isn't fully realized until trouble comes to their
door.
When war between the Welsh and English looms again, Rhun
must decide whether to abide by the alliance with his father-in-law or risk
treason by fighting on his country's side. I loved Eleanor's support of Rhun's
decision, especially her confrontation with her father. I could feel Rhun's
fear for Eleanor while he was gone. He had a solution for keeping her safe, but
it didn't go as planned. I loved how Eleanor grew into her role
as lady of the castle during his absence. Their reunion is emotional, with a
heart-wrenching scene where Rhun finally faces his past. I loved how Eleanor's
understanding and support put him on the road to healing without providing an
unrealistic insta-cure. The epilogue was terrific with a peek into their
future.
Eleanor's maid, Alice, was my favorite secondary
character. Her down-to-earth attitude was an excellent foil for Eleanor's fears
and insecurities. Her advice to Eleanor is usually spot-on, even if Eleanor
doesn't want to admit it. I liked how their relationship changed from mistress
and maid to friends. Alice's pursuit of Huw, Rhun's steward, was also fun to
see and was an interesting contrast to Eleanor and Rhun.
I look forward to reading more from this author.
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