His
Captive Lady
by Carol Townend
A wonderful look into Medieval Saxon hearts and culture
Publisher:
Harlequin Historical (July 2008)
Half-Saxon, half-Norman, Saewulf Brader longs for something more than
his current position. Even if he cannot be knight, at least he might be
rewarded with land for his loyalty to his liege lord. Her father dead
during the Battle of Hastings, Erica knows she must end the blood feud
between her family and another Saxon tribe if the Saxons have any
chance of driving away the Normans. She will do anything to stop the
blood feud, no matter what the cost to herself. When Wolf enters
Guthlac's hall as a spy, Erica's beauty captivates him while the threat
from Guthlac's men stirs his heart and memory. He must do everything he
can to protect her. Torn between his duty to his liege lord and his
desire for Erica, can Wulf keep her safe without compromising his spy
mission? Will Erica ever be able to trust him when she discovers he is
a spy for the Normans?
HIS CAPTIVE LADY
is an awesome Medieval romance! From Carol Townend's past works THE NOVICE BRIDE and AN HONORABLE ROGUE, I already knew
I liked her writing style I would love her writing no matter what story
she writes, but HIS CAPTIVE LADY
is even more incredible than my wildest dreams! Wulf is amazing hero.
His divided loyalties create a depth of character seen from inside his
heart and values, a heart both loyal to the Saxon culture and his
Norman lord and yet a heart that longs for love and a higher good that
transcends political loyalties. Wulf cleverly manages to act with honor
and deal with the trouble that came his way...and trouble he saw
aplenty! Carol Townend creates such an ingenious yet tender hearted man
----brave like a warrior, and a heart more noble than any knight. Erica
with her innocence, her daring, her values steals the heart from the
first pages. Erica is a bit of a trailblazer in her desire for peace
and yet Carol Townend also allows the reader to see her fears and her
devotion to those who serve her.
Guthlac, Hrothgar and all the Saxons made my Medieval heart go
aflutter. HIS CAPTIVE LADY
give such an accurate picture of that culture both after the Battle of
Hastings and in the legends and history in the hearts of the Saxons.
Carol Townend paints such an awesome image of the warrior arm rings in
this one scene that she made me see my medieval studies in a new way,
with a new vision ---a human vision --- but it wasn't just that one
scene. Carol Townend picks up on that scene and develops it into a
beautiful theme interwoven throughout the story. In another beautiful,
amazing scene (so awesome that I had to read it aloud to friends
telling them how it just made me gasp from its beauty), the author
takes and changes the Beowulf story in the life of a character who
lived later. Once more, this scene is not dropped but changed and
developed throughout the story. Everything in this book just fits so
well together as echoes of past scenes reverberate in new contexts,
adding layers of richness to this romance. I adore the picture Carol
Townend paints of the changes in the Saxon culture after the Normans
have invaded. Beautiful imagery!
HIS CAPTIVE LADY
--- how does a person even describe a book that just hits a reader on
every chord except to say that for me, this book was 7th heaven. How
much do love this book? Rating: 5++! It's more than a rating though. I
actually bought multiple copies of this book for me, not as gifts,
because I want to re-read this book so much that I will wear it out
more than once. HIS CAPTIVE LADY
is not just a 2008 top ten read but a top all time read for me!
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