Virginia Henley’s A YEAR AND A DAY – Superbly Told Tale of an English Nobleman Knight and an Innocent Scottish Lass—Wonderful!

May is Scottish month on Historical Romance Review. I’m a little behind but making up for it by bringing you a meticulous, fast-paced story set in Scotland in the 13th century. And it’s by one of my very favorite authors!

 

This is the story of Lynx de Warenne, English knight, heir to the Earl of Surrey and Edward Plantagenet's most prized warrior--and, Jane Leslie, a Scottish lass with a kind heart and special healing powers. When Lynx became Edward's Governor of Dumfries castle, he decided it was a perfect time to sire an heir. He asked his castle steward, Jock Leslie, to allow him to handfast his youngest daughter. While Jane wanted no man, when her father told her he had agreed to the handfast, she had no choice but to accept it.

 

This is a superbly crafted tale of two people who married for the creation of a child, but discover both passion and an enduring love. Lynx was a hardened warrior who didn't trust women; Jane was an innocent young woman afraid of men. Henley weaves a wonderful story of these two coming to love and trust each other as the winds of war between Scotland and England swirl about them. Once again, Henley crafts a wonderful romance then sets it like a jewel in a perfect setting of well-researched history and accompanied by a glittering cast of characters, both real and fictional, woven in seamlessly as only a master storyteller can.

 

I highly recommend this one and it's on my Best Scottish/Highlander Historical Romances list!

 

The De Warenne Family Saga:

A Year and A Day

Infamous

Notorious

 

 

Virginia Henley’s A YEAR AND A DAY – Superbly Told Tale of an English Nobleman Knight and an Innocent Scottish Lass—Wonderful!

May if Scottish month on Historical Romance Review. I’m a little behind but making up for it by bringing you a meticulous, fast-paced story set in Scotland in the 13th century. And it’s by one of my very favorite authors!

 

This is the story of Lynx de Warenne, English knight, heir to the Earl of Surrey and Edward Plantagenet's most prized warrior--and, Jane Leslie, a Scottish lass with a kind heart and special healing powers. When Lynx became Edward's Governor of Dumfries castle, he decided it was a perfect time to sire an heir. He asked his castle steward, Jock Leslie, to allow him to handfast his youngest daughter. While Jane wanted no man, when her father told her he had agreed to the handfast, she had no choice but to accept it.

 

This is a superbly crafted tale of two people who married for the creation of a child, but discover both passion and an enduring love. Lynx was a hardened warrior who didn't trust women; Jane was an innocent young woman afraid of men. Henley weaves a wonderful story of these two coming to love and trust each other as the winds of war between Scotland and England swirl about them. Once again, Henley crafts a wonderful romance then sets it like a jewel in a perfect setting of well-researched history and accompanied by a glittering cast of characters, both real and fictional, woven in seamlessly as only a master storyteller can.

 

I highly recommend this one and it's on my Best Scottish/Highlander Historical Romances list!

 

Virginia Henley’s TEMPTED - Captivating Story of Scottish Love in the Borderlands—a keeper!

This is a classic story from a great author. In a complex, lusty tale of feuding Scottish clans during the time of James IV of Scotland and Henry VIII of England, Henley serves up a story that will grab you from the first page and will not let you go. I loved it. Henley has the ability to capture not only the time period, but also the culture of the borderlands between Scotland and England and the difficult but wonderful relationship between two stubborn, courageous people. I highly recommend this one.

Set in Scotland in 1512, this is the story of clans Douglas, Hamilton and Kennedy. Beautiful Valentina Kennedy, the oldest of the Kennedy daughters, was known as Flaming Tina for her glorious red-gold hair and her feisty temper. She was raised with her sister and brothers in Castle Doon in Ayr on the Southwest coast of Scotland where her father ruled as the Lord of Galloway. Tina despaired the lot of women that prevented them from enjoying male pursuits, and she frequently joined her brothers in their activities.

 

When Tina turns 17, her father insists she say yes to one of her many suitors. Tina thinks to marry the Hamilton heir but is happy when a gypsy tells her there will be no wedding for her this year. In a surprising turn of events, she is handfasted to her enemy, the powerful Black Ram Douglas, who she considers a brute of a man. Tina intends to have her revenge.

Henley develops some wonderful characters, including the ghosts of two star-crossed lovers from the past (another Kennedy and Douglas pairing), who constantly entertain. She paints vivid word pictures of the food, clothing and castles that draw you in and help you experience the times--and she does it all very well. In a fitting climax to the story, she superbly describes the battle between the English and Scots at Flodden where Scotland experienced a terrible defeat.

The second in the 2-book Clan Kennedy Saga is The Border Hostage and I recommend it, too!

 

Virginia Henley’s THE HAWK AND THE DOVE - A Privateer to Love, a Sea Hawk, and a fiercely independent Irish lass...oh yes!

I love Henley’s attention to historic detail and her ability to weave a captivating tale. This one is no different. The story is set in 1586, when Queen Elizabeth ruled England and her sea hawks ruled the seas, robbing the Spanish fleet to fill her coffers. Captain Shane Hawkhurst was Queen Bess' favorite. She named him “the sea god.” He was, in fact, not the son of Lord Hawkhurst, but the son of an Irishman named O'Neill, the Earl of Tyrone. But his English father claimed him as heir, and when Shane’s father died, Shane became Lord Hawkhurst.

 

Shane had promised his father he would marry, and to stave off Queen Bess’ jealousy and because he did not really want a wife, he had his solicitor find a country lass who had some land in Ireland he wanted and married her by proxy. Little did he know his new wife was the red-haired Irish vixen, Sara Bishop, referred to by her jealous half siblings as “Sabre Wilde” after her dead father and his sword. Shane planned to have his brother Matthew take Sara to one of his estates and dump her there, never wishing to meet her. Ah, but Sara—as Sabre—has a different plan. She intends to go to Court and seduce her husband and become his mistress, making him her love slave and having her revenge.

You have to love this heroine. She is fiercely independent, courageous, feisty and smart. Just the woman to tame a wild man like Shane Hawkhurst. And Shane is a man worthy of taming. Both have Irish blood running through their veins—at a time when Queen Elizabeth feared the rebellious Irish. So the sparks fly continuously. It’s one of the things Henley does so well—excellent characters and a plot with great twists and turns!

Henley’s love scenes are unique and fit the people and the story, so very well done, very sexy, tasteful and not contrived. It is so worth it to dive into one of her complex, winsome tales.

 

In addition to wonderful characters, a great plot and interesting history, she has included some great one-liners. One of my favorites was: “...to be Irish is to know the world will break your heart before you are thirty”. So true.

 

Virginia Henley’s THE DRAGON AND THE JEWEL: Enthralling 13th Century Love Story

In the words of the author, “The story of Simon and Eleanor is one of the great love stories of the thirteenth century,”—a story that Henley masterfully brings to historical romance, a tale of two passionate people and the historical events that swirled around them.

 

Many women never find one true love; Eleanor Plantagenet was blessed with two, though one, William Marshall, was much older and perhaps more a father figure. The book is divided into those two love stories and each is well told and very precious. Much of this is actual history and Henley weaves fictional romance in so wonderfully, you’d never know it wasn’t fact.

This is the second in Henley's Plantagenet trilogy (The Falcon and the Flower, The Dragon and the Jewel and The Marriage Prize). When King John died, his oldest son, though still young, became King Henry III. Henry had a brother, Richard of Cornwall, and a sister, Eleanor. This is the story of the three siblings, and particularly Princess Eleanor and her second husband, Simon de Montfort, the Earl of Leicester.

When she is nine, Eleanor is wed to William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (the son of the great William Marshal and equally as honorable). Eleanor has loved and admired William her whole life. The fact he is 30 years her senior is not a negative for her. William wants to wait to take her as a wife in truth until she is 16. Meanwhile, King Henry takes as his queen an impoverished and ambitious French Provençal, also named Eleanor, who is jealous of the king's sister and thinks to diminish her.

 

Others are plotting the demise of William Marshall for his influence with the king. On the night William would finally claim his bride, he suffers an attack and suddenly dies. Poison is suspected. Eleanor is devastated at his death, and in front of the clergy takes a vow of chastity and perpetual widowhood. A year later, the great War Lord, Simon de Montfort, enters her life. Once he sees her, he decides he must have her.

There is no question Henley knows how to write historical romance. (She is one my mentors!) Her story reflects the weak king that was Henry III and the constant fights he had with his nobles who were concerned he was allowing England to be run by foreigners and unworthy men. Henley’s attention to detail in dress, food and the environment is meticulous. She is so good I simply devoured this novel. Like her others, this is a complex, well-written, lusty tale with splendid characters, a strong feisty heroine, a drool worthy hero (two of them!) and an interesting plot. You won't be disappointed, I promise.

 

The Plantagenet trilogy (in chronological order):

The Falcon and the Flower (1989) - late 12th century/early 13th
The Dragon and the Jewel (1991) - 13th century
The Marriage Prize (2000) - 13th century
The Raven and the Rose (1987) - 15th century
The Hawk and the Dove (1988) - 16th century
The Pirate and the Pagan (1990) - 17th century

 

Virginia Henley’s THE IRISH DUKE – Delightful Late Regency Romance

Ever since James Hamilton, the Irish Marquis of Abercorn was 9 and Lady Louisa, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Bedford, was 7, James has wanted to marry her. She turned him down then (1819), and now that she is 19 and on the marriage block (1830), nothing has changed. Lady Louisa dreams of a life as a dancer, a life she can never have as a duke’s daughter, but in no event does she want to wed. Still, her beauty and her virtue attract all the ton’s would be suitors. But James is not worried. What he wants, he gets.

 

Meanwhile the beautiful virtuous Louisa has a sister, Georgy, who is quite the opposite: a selfish, whiny tart, she is plain and promiscuous. Georgy manages, unsurprisingly, to get pregnant, and the ever-protective Louisa allows their mother to think the miscarriage is Louisa’s. (I wanted to slap Georgy for saying nothing, and slap Louisa for taking a fall she did not need to take—it was only their mother involved after all!) Their mother the duchess assumes, of course, that James is the father of the miscarried child and forces a marriage to Louisa—all the while Georgy and Louisa say nothing (which was out of character for Louisa not to think of a way out of it). James now believes Louisa is not the virtuous woman he thought she was and their relationship quickly deteriorates. (I must say, that whole scenario was very hard to believe.)

 

Henley used both real life and fictional characters in this period story. The cast was so large I sometimes found it difficult to hold them all in my head (especially since some have the same name which Henley could hardly avoid since they are real persons). The facts roll out furiously and one has to have a good memory to remember them all. Still, the story held my interest and, though I hated the contrived misunderstanding, I wanted to hang in there to see how it ended. I loved that this was a fictional account of the love between two historical people who were married for over 50 years.

 

It’s quite different from Henley’s more serious historical romances (each of which I’ve rated 5 stars), but if you like lighter Regency era fare, you will enjoy it.

 

Virginia Henley’s DREAM LOVER – Captivating Tale of Irish Revenge!

With her meticulous detail, Henley captures the feelings of a man whose family was destroyed due to one cruel man’s vengeance for his young wife’s infidelity, an affair he could have prevented if he’d only loved her. It’s an intriguing story of Irish revenge that consumes a life almost sacrificing the love of a lifetime.

 

Set in the late 18^th century, this is a story of Sean O’Toole, grandson of the Earl of Kildare, and brother to Joseph. The O’Toole family of Ireland was large, happy and prosperous involved in shipping and horses. On their birthdays, a few days apart, the family throws a huge party for Sean and Joseph. There, Sean sees Emerald FitzGerald Montague (half Irish/half English) when she is 15. Her father, along with Sean’s and his grandfather the earl, are engaged in smuggling guns. To Emerald, Sean was a beautiful Irish prince who haunted her dreams. Soon thereafter, Emerald’s cruel English father discovers the affair his wife and Joseph O’Toole are having and sets about to destroy the Earl of Kildare and his family. He arranges for the arrest of the Earl of Kildare, who dies in prison, kills Joseph and sends Sean to prison on the false charge of murdering his brother. Over the next 5 years of hard labor in a “death sentence” prison, Sean meticulously plans his revenge. Part of that revenge includes Emerald…

 

I have never been disappointed by Virginia Henley and enjoyed this one very much. I loved the glimpse of Ireland and its people…and the hero is an Irish hunk to die for! I recommend it.

 

Virginia Henley’s THE DRAGON AND THE JEWEL: Enthralling 13th Century Love Story

In the words of the author, “The story of Simon and Eleanor is one of the great love stories of the thirteenth century,”—a story that Henley masterfully brings to historical romance, a tale of two passionate people and the historical events that swirled around them.

 

Many women never find one true love; Eleanor Plantagenet was blessed with two, though one, William Marshall, was much older and perhaps more a father figure. The book is divided into those two love stories and each is well told and very precious. Much of this is actual history and Henley weaves fictional romance in so wonderfully, you’d never know it wasn’t fact.

This is the second in Henley's Plantagenet trilogy (The Falcon and the Flower, The Dragon and the Jewel and The Marriage Prize). When King John died, his oldest son, though still young, became King Henry III. Henry had a brother, Richard of Cornwall, and a sister, Eleanor. This is the story of the three siblings, and particularly Princess Eleanor and her second husband, Simon de Montfort, the Earl of Leicester.

When she is nine, Eleanor is wed to William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (the son of the great William Marshal and equally as honorable). Eleanor has loved and admired William her whole life. The fact he is 30 years her senior is not a negative for her. William wants to wait to take her as a wife in truth until she is 16. Meanwhile, King Henry takes as his queen an impoverished and ambitious French Provençal, also named Eleanor, who is jealous of the king's sister and thinks to diminish her.

 

Others are plotting the demise of William Marshall for his influence with the king. On the night William would finally claim his bride, he suffers an attack and suddenly dies. Poison is suspected. Eleanor is devastated at his death, and in front of the clergy takes a vow of chastity and perpetual widowhood. A year later, the great War Lord, Simon de Montfort, enters her life. Once he sees her, he decides he must have her.

There is no question Henley knows how to write historical romance. (She is one my mentors!) Her story reflects the weak king that was Henry III and the constant fights he had with his nobles who were concerned he was allowing England to be run by foreigners and unworthy men. Henley’s attention to detail in dress, food and the environment is meticulous. She is so good I simply devoured this novel. Like her others, this is a complex, well-written, lusty tale with splendid characters, a strong feisty heroine, a drool worthy hero (two of them!) and an interesting plot. You won't be disappointed, I promise.

 

The Plantagenet trilogy (in chronological order):

The Falcon and the Flower (1989) - late 12th century/early 13th
The Dragon and the Jewel (1991) - 13th century
The Marriage Prize (2000) - 13th century
The Raven and the Rose (1987) - 15th century
The Hawk and the Dove (1988) - 16th century
The Pirate and the Pagan (1990) - 17th century

And, if you want Scotland's side of the story, you can read her wonderful Kennedy Clan romances, both set in the 16th century after the events of The Raven and The Rose:

Tempted (1992)
The Border Hostage (2001)

 

Virginia Henley’s MASTER OF PARADISE: A Worthy Civil War Adventure and an Endearing Romance

This romance features life in the American south in the 19^th century on the eve of the Civil War, though the beginning and the end take place in England (in Kent). Henley did justice to a difficult theme and portrays the mixed feelings of some Southerners and the real, economic conflict over the issue of slavery. The story is entertaining and the love between the hero and heroine very believable.

 

Nicholas Peacock always thought he’d inherit Peacock Hall in Kent from his British lord father. But just as he is ready to take over their lands, he learns he is a bastard, and will not be the son to inherit. When his father dies suddenly, Nicholas faces a vindictive stepmother, so he sails to South Carolina, determined to become the owner of a successful plantation.

 

He buys land and plants cotton and works very hard, right alongside his slaves. Eventually he builds a magnificent house known as Paradise Plantation. Though he does not like the concept of owning another person, he accepts slavery as a part of the Southern way of life. He falls in love with Mandy Jackson, the young daughter of his neighbor, but her youth forces him to agree to a marriage in name only, a marriage he promises her father he won’t consummate until she is 18.

 

One of the things I loved about Nick as a hero was his unwavering love for Mandy. And, Mandy, even as an immature teenager, had great courage and common sense with an adventuresome spirit. Nick could spot a diamond in the rough and he chose Mandy the first time he saw her. Those guys are few, so I enjoyed him very much!

 

As with all Virginia Henley’s romances, I recommend them as worthy tales.

Virginia Henley’s THE DRAGON AND THE JEWEL: Enthralling 13th Century Love Story and a Classic!

 

In the words of the author, “The story of Simon and Eleanor is one of the great love stories of the thirteenth century,”—a story that Henley masterfully brings to historical romance, a tale of two passionate people and the historical events that swirled around them.

 

Many women never find one true love; Eleanor Plantagenet was blessed with two, though one, William Marshall, was much older and perhaps more a father figure. The book is divided into those two love stories and each is well told and very precious. Much of this is actual history and Henley weaves fictional romance in so wonderfully, you’d never know it wasn’t fact.

This is the second in Henley's Plantagenet trilogy (The Falcon and the Flower, The Dragon and the Jewel and The Marriage Prize). When King John died, his oldest son, though still young, became King Henry III. Henry had a brother, Richard of Cornwall, and a sister, Eleanor. This is the story of the three siblings, and particularly Princess Eleanor and her second husband, Simon de Montfort, the Earl of Leicester.

When she is nine, Eleanor is wed to William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (the son of the great William Marshal and equally as honorable). Eleanor has loved and admired William her whole life. The fact he is 30 years her senior is not a negative for her. William wants to wait to take her as a wife in truth until she is 16. Meanwhile, King Henry takes as his queen an impoverished and ambitious French Provençal, also named Eleanor, who is jealous of the king's sister and thinks to diminish her.

 

Others are plotting the demise of William Marshall for his influence with the king. On the night William would finally claim his bride, he suffers an attack and suddenly dies. Poison is suspected. Eleanor is devastated at his death, and in front of the clergy takes a vow of chastity and perpetual widowhood. A year later, the great War Lord, Simon de Montfort, enters her life. Once he sees her, he decides he must have her.

There is no question Henley knows how to write historical romance. (She is one my mentors!) Her story reflects the weak king that was Henry III and the constant fights he had with his nobles who were concerned he was allowing England to be run by foreigners and unworthy men. Henley’s attention to detail in dress, food and the environment is meticulous. She is so good I simply devoured this novel. Like her others, this is a complex, well-written, lusty tale with splendid characters, a strong feisty heroine, a drool worthy hero (two of them!) and an interesting plot. You won't be disappointed, I promise.

 

The Plantagenet trilogy (in chronological order):

The Falcon and the Flower (1989) - late 12th century/early 13th
The Dragon and the Jewel (1991) - 13th century
The Marriage Prize (2000) - 13th century
The Raven and the Rose (1987) - 15th century
The Hawk and the Dove (1988) - 16th century
The Pirate and the Pagan (1990) - 17th century

And, if you want Scotland's side of the story, you can read her wonderful Kennedy Clan romances, both set in the 16th century after the events of The Raven and The Rose:

Tempted (1992)
The Border Hostage (2001)

Virginia Henley’s THE HAWK AND THE DOVE - A Privateer to Love, a Sea Hawk, and a fiercely independent Irish lass...oh yes!

I love Henley’s attention to historic detail and her ability to weave a captivating tale. This one is no different. The story is set in 1586, when Queen Elizabeth ruled England and her sea hawks ruled the seas, robbing the Spanish fleet to fill her coffers. Captain Shane Hawkhurst was Queen Bess' favorite. She named him “the sea god.” He was, in fact, not the son of Lord Hawkhurst, but the son of an Irishman named O'Neill, the Earl of Tyrone. But his English father claimed him as heir, and when Shane’s father died, Shane became Lord Hawkhurst.

 

Shane had promised his father he would marry, and to stave off Queen Bess’ jealousy and because he did not really want a wife, he had his solicitor find a country lass who had some land in Ireland he wanted and married her by proxy. Little did he know his new wife was the red-haired Irish vixen, Sara Bishop, referred to by her jealous half siblings as “Sabre Wilde” after her dead father and his sword. Shane planned to have his brother Matthew take Sara to one of his estates and dump her there, never wishing to meet her. Ah, but Sara—as Sabre—has a different plan. She intends to go to Court and seduce her husband and become his mistress, making him her love slave and having her revenge.

You have to love this heroine. She is fiercely independent, courageous, feisty and smart. Just the woman to tame a wild man like Shane Hawkhurst. And Shane is a man worthy of taming. Both have Irish blood running through their veins—at a time when Queen Elizabeth feared the rebellious Irish. So the sparks fly continuously. It’s one of the things Henley does so well—excellent characters and a plot with great twists and turns!

Henley’s love scenes are unique and fit the people and the story, so very well done, very sexy, tasteful and not contrived. It is so worth it to dive into one of her complex, winsome tales.

 

In addition to wonderful characters, a great plot and interesting history, she has included some great one-liners. One of my favorites was: “...to be Irish is to know the world will break your heart before you are thirty”. So true.

 

Get this one; you won't regret it!

 

Virginia Henley’s THE DRAGON AND THE JEWEL: Enthralling 13th Century Love Story

A classic that is well worth the re-read. Virginia Henley is one of my very favorite authors and she masterfully delivers with this one. In her own words: “The story of Simon and Eleanor is one of the great love stories of the thirteenth century,”—a tale of two passionate people and the historical events that swirled around them.

Many women never find one true love; Eleanor Plantagenet was blessed with two, though one, William Marshall, was much older and perhaps more a father figure. The book is divided into those two love stories and each is well told and very precious. Much of this is actual history and Henley weaves fictional romance in so wonderfully, you’d never know it wasn’t fact.

This is the second in Henley's Plantagenet trilogy (The Falcon and the Flower, The Dragon and the Jewel and The Marriage Prize). When King John died, his oldest son, though still young, became King Henry III. Henry had a brother, Richard of Cornwall, and a sister, Eleanor. This is the story of the three siblings, and particularly Princess Eleanor and her second husband, Simon de Montfort, the Earl of Leicester.

When she is nine, Eleanor is wed to William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (the son of the great William Marshal and equally as honorable). Eleanor has loved and admired William her whole life. The fact he is 30 years her senior is not a negative for her. William wants to wait to take her as a wife in truth until she is 16. Meanwhile, King Henry takes as his queen an impoverished and ambitious French Provençal, also named Eleanor, who is jealous of the king's sister and thinks to diminish her.

Others are plotting the demise of William Marshall for his influence with the king. On the night William would finally claim his bride, he suffers an attack and suddenly dies. Poison is suspected. Eleanor is devastated at his death, and in front of the clergy takes a vow of chastity and perpetual widowhood. A year later, the great War Lord, Simon de Montfort, enters her life. Once he sees her, he decides he must have her.

There is no question Henley knows how to write historical romance. (She is one my mentors!) Her story reflects the weak king that was Henry III and the constant fights he had with his nobles who were concerned he was allowing England to be run by foreigners and unworthy men. Henley’s attention to detail in dress, food and the environment is meticulous. She is so good I simply devoured this novel. Like her others, this is a complex, well-written, lusty tale with splendid characters, a strong feisty heroine, a drool worthy hero (two of them!) and an interesting plot. You won't be disappointed, I promise.

The Plantagenet trilogy (in chronological order):

The Falcon and the Flower (1989) - late 12th century/early 13th
The Dragon and the Jewel (1991) - 13th century
The Marriage Prize (2000) - 13th century

Virginia Henley’s THE HAWK AND THE DOVE - A Privateer to Love, a Sea Hawk, and a fiercely independent Irish lass...oh yes!

I love Henley's storytelling, her attention to historical detail and her ability to weave a captivating tale. This one is no different. 

The story is set in 1586 when Queen Elizabeth ruled England and her sea hawks ruled the seas, robbing the Spanish fleet to fill her coffers. Captain Shane Hawkhurst was Queen Bess' favorite. She named him “the sea god.” He was, in fact, not the son of Lord Hawkhurst, but the son of an Irishman named O'Neill, the Earl of Tyrone. But his English father claimed him as heir, and when Shane’s father died, Shane became Lord Hawkhurst.

Shane had promised his father he would marry, and to stave off Queen Bess' jealousy and because he did not really want a wife, he had his solicitor find a country lass who had some land in Ireland he wanted and married her by proxy. Little did he know his new wife was the red-haired Irish vixen, Sara Bishop, referred to by her jealous half-siblings as "Sabre Wilde" after her dead father and his sword. Shane planned to have his brother Matthew take Sara to one of his estates and dump her there, never wishing to meet her. Ah, but Sara—as Sabre—has a different plan. She intends to go to Court and seduce her husband and become his mistress, making him her love slave and having her revenge.

You have to love this heroine. She is fiercely independent, courageous, feisty and smart. Just the woman to tame a wild man like Shane Hawkhurst. And Shane is a man worthy of taming. Both have Irish blood running through their veins--at a time when Queen Elizabeth feared the rebellious Irish. So the sparks fly continuously. It’s one of the things Henley does so well—excellent characters and a plot with great twists and turns!

Henley’s love scenes are unique and fit the people and the story, so very well done, very sexy and not contrived. It is so worth it to dive into one of her complex, winsome tales.

In addition to wonderful characters, a great plot and interesting history, she has included some great one-liners. One of my favorites was: "...to be Irish is to know the world will break your heart before you are thirty." So true.

Get this one; you won't regret it!

Virginia Henley’s THE IRISH DUKE – Delightful Late Regency Romance

Ever since James Hamilton, the Irish Marquis of Abercorn was 9 and Lady Louisa, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Bedford, was 7, James has wanted to marry her. She turned him down then (1819), and now that she is 19 and on the marriage block (1830), nothing has changed. Lady Louisa dreams of a life as a dancer, a life she can never have as a duke’s daughter, but in no event does she want to wed. Still, her beauty and her virtue attract all the ton’s would be suitors. But James is not worried. What he wants, he gets.

Meanwhile the beautiful virtuous Louisa has a sister, Georgy, who is quite the opposite: a selfish, whiny tart, she is plain and promiscuous. Georgy manages, unsurprisingly, to get pregnant, and the ever-protective Louisa allows their mother to think the miscarriage is Louisa’s. (I wanted to slap Georgy for saying nothing, and slap Louisa for taking a fall she did not need to take—it was only their mother involved after all!) Their mother the duchess assumes, of course, that James is the father of the miscarried child and forces a marriage to Louisa—all the while Georgy and Louisa say nothing (which was out of character for Louisa not to think of a way out of it). James now believes Louisa is not the virtuous woman he thought she was and their relationship quickly deteriorates. (I must say, that whole scenario was very hard to believe.)

Henley used both real life and fictional characters in this period story. The cast was so large I sometimes found it difficult to hold them all in my head (especially since some have the same name which Henley could hardly avoid since they are real persons). The facts roll out furiously and one has to have a good memory to remember them all. Still, the story held my interest and, though I hated the contrived misunderstanding, I wanted to hang in there to see how it ended. I loved that this was a fictional account of the love between two historical people who were married for over 50 years.

It’s quite different from Henley’s more serious historical romances (each of which I’ve rated 5 stars), but if you like lighter Regency era fare, you will enjoy it.

This is part of Henley’s Peers of the Realm Series:

The Decadent Duke

The Irish Duke (2010)

The Dark Earl (2011)

Lord Rakehell (2013)

Virginia Henley’s THE BORDER HOSTAGE - A Wonderful Scottish Love Story

I love Virginia Henley's ability to immediately put me in the middle of an exciting story involving people with strong passions dealing with difficult circumstances. The Border Hostage is no exception. It reminds me of the pirate stories I love: a strong hero who takes what he wants though he has a gentle and noble heart; and a heroine who will not be captured even if her heart longs for the man who abducts her. All this and Scotland, too! I do recommend reading Tempted first as this is the 2nd in Henley's Clan Kennedy Saga and is truly a sequel with some of the same characters as the first.

The story is set in 1514 on the Borderlands between Scotland and England after Flodden Field where King James IV was killed. Young James V, still a toddler, is being raised under the watchful eye of his English mother (Henry VIII's sister) and the Earl of Angus, acting as guardian for the young king. Tina who is married to Black Ram Douglas is about to give birth to twins and her half brother, a bastard and half Gypsy, Heath Kennedy, is raising horses at the Douglas Castle. A raid by Scottish borderers nearly costs Heath his life.

In an act to recover his horses and have his revenge, Heath captures the Dacre heir (for ransom) and his betrothed, the dark-haired Raven Clarendon. Heath has seen Raven before and wants her for his own, so he decides he will not let her go when the Dacre heir is ransomed.

Raven is a wonderful heroine, fiercely independent and innocent (though not unaware of the ways of men). She is a free spirit who is trained by her grandmother in the ways of the Craft, a natural healer and (unusual for a woman), a falcon trainer.

This is a case of love at first encounter. Heath was quite clear about his desire to possess the lovely Raven. He'd had many women but she was the first to capture his heart. While Raven was attracted to Heath, she was trying to please her parents and marry the man she thought she was supposed to. That is so very believable.

This was a worthy sequel to Tempted. Frankly, I enjoyed the two books so much I was hoping there were more in this saga. Henley does a superb job of weaving in the history of a tumultuous time in Scotland's history with compelling tales of love. She created such wonderful characters I wanted to see more of them.

Virginia Henley’s TEMPTED - Captivating Story of Scottish Love in the Borderlands—a keeper!

In a complex, lusty tale of feuding Scottish clans during the time of James IV of Scotland and Henry VIII of England, Henley serves up a story that will grab you from the first page and will not let you go. I loved it. Henley has the ability to capture not only the time period, but also the culture of the borderlands between Scotland and England and the difficult but wonderful relationship between two stubborn, courageous people. I highly recommend this one.

Set in Scotland in 1512, this is the story of clans Douglas, Hamilton and Kennedy. Beautiful Valentina Kennedy, the oldest of the Kennedy daughters, was known as Flaming Tina for her glorious red-gold hair and her feisty temper. She was raised with her sister and brothers in Castle Doon in Ayr on the Southwest coast of Scotland where her father ruled as the Lord of Galloway. Tina despaired the lot of women that prevented them from enjoying male pursuits, and she frequently joined her brothers in their activities.

When Tina turns 17, her father insists she say yes to one of her many suitors. Tina thinks to marry the Hamilton heir but is happy when a gypsy tells her there will be no wedding for her this year. In a surprising turn of events, she is handfasted to her enemy, the powerful Black Ram Douglas, who she considers a brute of a man. Tina intends to have her revenge.

Henley develops some wonderful characters, including the ghosts of two star-crossed lovers from the past (another Kennedy and Douglas pairing), who constantly entertain. She paints vivid word pictures of the food, clothing and castles that draw you in and help you experience the times--and she does it all very well. In a fitting climax to the story, she superbly describes the battle between the English and Scots at Flodden where Scotland experienced a terrible defeat.

The second in the 2-book Clan Kennedy Saga is The Border Hostage and I recommend it, too!

Virginia Henley’s THE PIRATE AND THE PAGAN: Enthralling Story of Love and Deception—a Pirate Romance to treasure—a Keeper!

This is a wonderfully complex tale of deception and love set in 17^th century in the Restoration period when Charles II ruled England.

Lady Summer St. Catherine is an innocent, but not very lady-like. She was raised on the Cornish coast with her younger brother, Spencer (nicknamed Spider). Their mother is dead and their father is a wastrel, who spends all their money and all his time in London. The two are left quite alone and cannot afford food, much less a servant. When Summer and Spider stumble into a smuggling opportunity, they take advantage of it in order to survive.

Soon after, their father dies and Summer goes to London to stay with their aunt (a wonderful character). There, Summer learns her father has mortgaged away their beloved home, Roseland. Her aunt, who is teaching her to be a lady, convinces her the way out of her troubles is to marry a wealthy man. Summer takes on the role of a lady and sets her cap for the neighboring Cornish lord, Ruark Helford, a friend of the king. She manages to win Ruark’s affections and both fall in love. Ruark has no idea his new bride is a smuggler and when she confesses, his violent temper destroys their relationship. But Ruark’s younger brother, Rory, a pirate, will come to Summer’s rescue providing her all the love she can no longer have from Ruark.

Henley weaves an intriguing story of love and deception in an interesting time in the history of England. And she does it so well. She includes many rich historical details of the court of Charles II, including some infamous characters and lots of steamy love scenes. Summer is a clever, courageous heroine who must deal with Ruark’s over-the-top temper—and does. I loved this book.

Henley is a master of historic romance. Few romance writers today bring such rich (and accurate) historical detail to their novels. This is a well-told pirate tale. I highly recommend it.       

Review: Virginia Henley’s THE DRAGON AND THE JEWEL: Enthralling 13th Century Love Story - A Keeper!

In the words of the author, “The story of Simon and Eleanor is one of the great love stories of the thirteenth century,”—a story that Henley masterfully brings to historical romance, a tale of two passionate people and the historical events that swirled around them.

Many women never find one true love; Eleanor Plantagenet was blessed with two, though one, William Marshall, was much older and perhaps more a father figure. The book is divided into those two love stories and each is well told and very precious. Much of this is actual history and Henley weaves fictional romance in so wonderfully, you’d never know it wasn’t fact.

This is the second in Henley's Plantagenet trilogy (The Falcon and the Flower, The Dragon and the Jewel and The Marriage Prize). When King John died, his oldest son, though still young, became King Henry III. Henry had a brother, Richard of Cornwall, and a sister, Eleanor. This is the story of the three siblings, and particularly Princess Eleanor and her second husband, Simon de Montfort, the Earl of Leicester.

When she is nine, Eleanor is wed to William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (the son of the great William Marshal and equally as honorable). Eleanor has loved and admired William her whole life. The fact he is 30 years her senior is not a negative for her. William wants to wait to take her as a wife in truth until she is 16. Meanwhile, King Henry takes as his queen an impoverished and ambitious French Provençal, also named Eleanor, who is jealous of the king's sister and thinks to diminish her.

Others are plotting the demise of William Marshall for his influence with the king. On the night William would finally claim his bride, he suffers an attack and suddenly dies. Poison is suspected. Eleanor is devastated at his death, and in front of the clergy takes a vow of chastity and perpetual widowhood. A year later, the great War Lord, Simon de Montfort, enters her life. Once he sees her, he decides he must have her.

There is no question Henley knows how to write historical romance. (She is one my mentors!) Her story reflects the weak king that was Henry III and the constant fights he had with his nobles who were concerned he was allowing England to be run by foreigners and unworthy men. Henley’s attention to detail in dress, food and the environment is meticulous. She is so good I simply devoured this novel. Like her others, this is a complex, well-written, lusty tale with splendid characters, a strong feisty heroine, a drool worthy hero (two of them!) and an interesting plot. You won't be disappointed, I promise.

The Plantagenet trilogy (in chronological order):

The Falcon and the Flower (1989) - late 12th century/early 13th
The Dragon and the Jewel (1991) - 13th century
The Marriage Prize (2000) - 13th century
The Raven and the Rose (1987) - 15th century
The Hawk and the Dove (1988) - 16th century
The Pirate and the Pagan (1990) - 17th century

And, if you want Scotland's side of the story, you can read her wonderful Kennedy Clan romances, both set in the 16th century after the events of The Raven and The Rose:

Tempted (1992)
The Border Hostage (2001)