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Books by
Michelle Willingham
Her
Warrior King
Can a medieval Irish servant
king and Norman bride find love amidst war?
Publisher:
Harlequin (Harlequin
Historical January 2008)
ISBN-13: 9780373294824
Michelle
Willingham's medieval historical romance Her Warrior King has
dramatic and intimate romantic conflicts, superb characterization, and
a suspenseful plot. A vivid internal and external landscape pits the
heart against the circumstances of war, making both come alive for the
reader.
Suddenly, Isabel
de Godred's father has chosen a husband for her.
Without even as much as seeing her betrothed, Isabel's father has the
wedding all arranged in haste. As soon as she can design an escape, her
plans are cut short. Here he comes, dressed in mid-covered rags and
riding alone without servants and a sword drawn ready to cut down the
weeding guests. Can this man really be a king? Even if he does take the
breath away with his dramatic entry, he sure doesn't seem like any
king! More like a savage barbarian! When her betrothed tells her the
stakes involved if she does not marry, she knows that the pleasure of
freedom can never be enjoyed for that price. Patrick MacEgan is
blackmailed into marriage to the Norman lady Isabel by her father, but
that doesn't mean he has to submit in all ways. She will NOT be a queen
to his people! He has his tribe to consider first even if his body and
heart begin to tell him otherwise. An Irish king and a Norman lady have
been forced into marriage in war --- a marriage that might ruin them
both. Can they somehow find a way to love when everyone plots against
them?
Michelle
Willingham's Her Warrior King combines brilliant
characterization and romantic conflict. Isabel is a fantastic heroine.
Forced into her role, isolated in almost captivity away from Patrick's
tribe in her new Irish home, she has such courage and bravery. No one
or no situation is going to get the better of her. Despite being
rejected from her husband's bed, the brave Isabel does the hard work,
the everyday work that it takes to build something great. Through
Isabel, Michelle Willingham allows the reader to experience the drama
and courage of the lives of medieval women and indeed perhaps women of
all ages living during a time of war or occupation.
Through Patrick,
Michelle Willingham allows the reader a glimpse into
the conflicts and tensions with medieval kings and warriors. Patrick,
the king of a conquered tribe, must keep the Norman occupying his land
and his men from killing each other. They do not speak the same
language and the slightest look or misunderstanding might provoke a
slaughter. The dangers outside might even be greater and kill them all.
In the midst of war with so many lives at stake, how can he ever
consider his personal desires? Patrick is the true servant king.
Michelle Willingham reaches into the very heart of medieval literature
with its theme of the servant king, making it come alive in her
characters' hearts and daily lives.
Putting Isabel and
Patrick together was a brilliant move --- at heart
they feel destined for one another on the deepest level but they must
work hard to get their happily-ever-after --- and that very work that
reveals their destiny and the depth of their love. Michelle Willingham
has an expansive view of love, combining passion something so much
more. Love isn't just about the desire of one man and woman. Their love
expands outward to others and is, in fact, perhaps born from their
compassion for others. At the same time, they have to work to discover
themselves as individuals and their individual desire. These conflicts
and balance between the individual and others arise naturally from the
plot and characters she creates. Brilliant!
In her third book,
one sees common characteristics in her writing in
all three books. Michelle Willingham writes secondary characters that
steal the reader's heart. In all three of the MacEgan books, her
writing reveals the very soul of her hero and heroine, a soul wounded
yet brave and full of inner passion. Michelle Willingham is a fresh,
stunning new voice in medieval historical romance that will appeal to
romance and medieval fans alike.
Previous books in
the MacEgan Series:
Each book works
well as a stand alone and as part of the series.
The
Warrior's Touch
Her Irish Warrior
Buy Her Warrior King Here
The
Warrior's Touch
Can outcasts find love in Medieval society?
Publisher:
Harlequin (Harlequin Historical September 2007)
ISBN-13:9780373294664
Michelle
Willingham's The Warrior's Touch
is a heart-moving historical
romance between outcasts set in Medieval times. Strong characterization
draws the reader into the heart of the story while layers of
suspenseful detail emerge as the hero and heroine reveal their desire. The Warrior's Touch
is an outstanding second book of what is turning
into a magnificent MacEgan brothers series.
Connor MacEgan is a warrior until he is found near death. Despite
being banned from healing, Aileen O Duinne must disobey her tribe and
the curse on her and try to save him. Connor finds death preferable to
never being able to brandish his sword. His manhood and his position is
dependent upon the health of and strength of his hands. Can Aileen's
herbs, splints and love bring life back into this warrior's heart and
body or will her tribe banish her, cursed as they think she is? As
Connor and Aileen grow closer, past secrets, former promises and layers
of deception threaten their growing passion. In the end, which is
riskier and more noble, the battle of swords or the battle of the
heart?
Readers wondering how Michelle Willingham could match debut romance Her Irish Warrior
can rest assured ---- she did. Her second book adds a
new dimension to the MacEgan Brothers' world. In The Warrior's Touch,
Michelle Willingham turns her attention to the outcasts of Medieval
society, a warrior who can no longer fight and a woman healer now
cursed. Around them death and disease threaten them while inside both
Connor and Aileen are haunted by the past and their failures. When
romance and love are at stake, can Connor and Aileen battle themselves
and all the forces outside who threaten their growing love? Without
creating spoilers, the idea of curses and the medieval demons of
disease here are indeed scary, especially to a world unable to combat
them quite as easily as we do today. Michelle Willingham grabs the
reader's attention and heart in her portrayal of the darker side of
Medieval society, not sensationalizing it, but allowing the reader to
feel some of fears of the medieval world from her characters' point of
view.
As in Her Irish Warrior,
Michelle Willingham once again
demonstrates her ability to create intriguing minor characters, here in
Ewan an Whelon, that reveal hidden sides of the main hero and heroine
as they endear themselves to the reader's heart. In The Warrior's
Touch, Michelle Willingham does an exceptional job of adding and
integrating elements of Medieval literature into her stories. The mixed
identity theme works very here as it creates secrets and romantic
conflict while simultaneously and creating a literary echo to Medieval
literary tradition. With her second book, Michelle Willingham has
firmly established herself as a new voice to watch among Medieval
enthusiasts.
Buy The Warrior's Touch
Here
Her
Irish Warrior
Her Irish Warrior: A Medieval Reading
Delight!
Publisher:
Harlequin (Harlequin Historical, May 2007)
ISBN: 0373294506
Her Irish Warrior, set in 12th century
Ireland, is a heart-warming Medieval historical romance with excellent
characterization, a scene setting made alive to the senses, a
suspenseful plot and authenticity to the Medieval literature.
Genevieve de Renalt is engaged to Sir Hugh Marstowe. Although her
father supports this marriage, Genevieve cannot allow herself to marry
such a man now that she knows him and his true character. When her
father cannot rescue her, she escapes. She comes across Bevan MacEgan,
an Irish warrior, in the woods and pleads for his help and protection.
Pulled between his duties as a warrior and the feelings she inspires,
as well as his desire to recapture Rionallis, the land taken from him
and now part of Genevieve's dowry, will he choose her and will his
choice be made from a desire for her or the land? Will Bevan and
Genevieve's past secrets come back to haunt them or can they find true
love despite all the obstacles others pose? Can they open their hearts
amidst or will oaths and duty win over love? In the Middle Ages and in
the background of this romance, marriage was a political alliance. Add
to this the fact that both Genevieve de Renalt and Bevan MacEgan have
been hurt if not abused by previous partners. The heroine and hero are
respectively a Norman lady and a Irish warrior who hates the Normans.
Add all that together and more and the chances of these mixing pleasure
with any possible marriage alliance seem pretty close to nil....but can
hearts win out over both force and vulnerability?
Characterization is one of the strengths of this romance. Genevieve
de Renalt's betrothed is a power hunger man who thinks love is
dominating a woman. Genevieve is an excellent heroine, determined and
clever, full of passion and tenderness and a wonderful contrast to
Hugh. Michelle Willingham allows the reader to see both the warrior and
the man in Bevan MacEgan, his strength and loyalty plus the scars from
battle and in his heart. A suspenseful plot with some interesting turns
and conflicts makes Her Irish Warrior
a fast paced page turner. Hugh, her betrothed will stop at nothing to
kill Bevan and take back his possession. In a world where marriage can
be a political alliance, even King Henry has a say in Genevieve's
marriage on account of her dowry, land that used to belong to Bevan! So
many conflicts, so many secrets, so many hurts and past wrongs....will
Genevieve and Bevan be able to find real love when all conflicts, inner
and outer, seek to prevent their union? Michelle Willingham has a gift
for creating a scene and details that are both faithful to the Medieval
tradition and which also make this romance accessible to modern
readers. One bedroom scene in particular takes a custom fairly commonly
seen in Medieval stories and adds a nice heart-warming, romantic twist.
Her Irish Warrior has several echoes from
Medieval literature,
but each time, Michelle Willingham adds details and context that
heighten the tension and romance between the hero and heroine. Michelle
Willingham's writing of the snow adds a tactile landscape into the
scenes in a manner that makes the historical background feel alive. The
vocabulary is authentic and yet accessible to the modern reader.
Personal details
Her Irish Warrior was a fun comfort read for
me given my
Medieval training. I set a reading goal this year of exploring a new
genre, romance. Until this book, I have been hesitant to jump into
Medieval historical romance. After studying Medieval literature for a
decade in graduate school, what if I hated it? Her Irish Warrior
was my first read in Medieval historical romance...and it definitely
will not be my last of this author or the genre! This book will always
hold a special place in my heart, not only because it was my first in
the genre, but because it both inspired me and felt like coming home.
Buy Her Irish Warrior Here
More details on the
MacEgan brothers and future releases
The story of the MacEgan brothers continues in
The Warrior's Touch (September 2007): the
story of Connor.
Her Warrior King (January 2008): the story of
Patrick.
I hope the author breaks the three book convention of many romance
series to also add Ewan's story...he was a great character!
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Merrimon
Book Reviews