Jenni Fletcher

Good book. Abigail has had the worst few weeks of her life. An only child, when Abigail's father died of a heart attack, she had to deal with everything by herself. The will reading reveals that he lost all his money in a bad investment, and the bank is repossessing her home, leaving her homeless. Then, her fiancé, who promised to stand by her, dumps her after discovering there is no dowry left. After learning that the financial disaster was caused by investing in the Marquess of Salway's building venture, the furious Abigail heads off to confront the Marquess. She feels he owes her at least a recommendation for a job. Unfortunately, Abigail discovers that she is yelling at the wrong man. Her target has left the country, and she is facing his younger brother.

Colonel Lord Theo Marshall sold his commission after the war and intended to start a new life in America. But first, he stops in London to check in with his brother and his family. There, he finds that Fitzwilliam has fled the country. Theo is an honorable man who believes he must clean up his brother's mess before moving on. He is overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problems and initially can't see a way to help Abigail. I liked seeing how his conscience kicked in, and the scene where he finds and hires her was great.

Abigail has her work cut out for her as she serves as secretary for Theo, companion for Sabrina, his sister-in-law, and governess/chaperone to his two nieces. Meanwhile, Theo tries to bring order out of chaos so that he can move on with his life. Neither expected the attraction that flared between them, especially as both had vowed to remain unmarried. There are some terrific scenes of Theo when his innate kindness and protectiveness kick in. I liked seeing the friendship between them and watching as it grew into love. However, there are obstacles, especially Theo's issues with the estate. An unexpected discovery and the twist that came with it throws a wrench into their plans. I liked Theo's "aha" moment and the emotional ending. The epilogue was a nice wrap-up for the story.

Theo's valet, Kitchen, is my favorite of all the secondary characters. He was Theo's sergeant-major during the war and now runs his civilian life. I loved their relationship, which is far more like friends than employer/employee. Kitchen's interactions with Theo were fun, especially when he tried to guide Theo along a particular path. He and Theo warmed my heart with their determination to help his men after they returned from the war.… (more)

This was a fun story that distracted me while flying from California to Florida. Married to Her Enemy was entertaining, dramatic, romantic, and also a bit silly, at times. How can it not be, when the heroine's lie about pretending to be her sister just gets more out of control as the story progresses? Yet, it's all worth it, in the end.

When the Thor-like hero of Svend shows up to escort Cille to the Normans, her younger sister Aediva pretends to be her sister to protect Cille. However, as Aediva learns more about Svend's errand, she realizes how out of control her lie has become, and she struggles to do what is right and to protects those she loves.

Personally, I really liked Aediva. She's a bit TSTL, especially in the final scene, where she literally goes against Svend's wishes and almost gets several people killed. Honestly, it's surprising no one dies, at all, in this book, but I digress. Aediva's impulsiveness is due to her having to make decisions on the fly in a time of great unrest (the Normans have just conquered England), and the people she normally relies on are dead/incapacitated. It's believable, and I found her behavior consistent throughout the story. In addition, I didn't find it unbearable because she does learn to be honest with Svend at the end of the novel... even if she does what she wants anyway. She was refreshing.

For his part, Svend is a gentleman ahead of his times. He's not only chivalrous but pretty feminist, to the point where he not only questions but argues that women shouldn't just be given in arranged marriages-they should have a choice. I'm sure some medieval knight thought this way, but it was a different perspective than most grooms in arranged marriages have, especially when said groom is about to get a castle and a lot of land out of the deal. His growth is also believable, especially because he really does learn to trust Aediva and think things through instead of just jumping back to his old ideas. Who doesn't like a romance hero like that?

If you like romance novels with misunderstandings, slow-burners, as well as good action scenes, then this is the romance for you!… (more)

This is Fletcher's second medieval romance, and while it shares some similarities with its predecessor, it also has some unique elements. Besieged and Betothed is a very plot driven story with an emotionally constipated hero and an argumentative heroine. The romance itself is very subtle, and it doesn't heat up until the end. Even then, it's a fairly tame passion. While this may not be everyone's cup of tea, there are certainly things to enjoy here.

Despite the title implying that there's a siege, it's actually fairly unimportant and is over in the first couple of chapters. The rest of the book is Lothar waffling between his duty to the Empress Matilda (who becomes just another wise mother figure by the end) and his desire to protect Juliana from lechers. Meanwhile, Juliana is trying to prevent him from discovering the identity of the person she's hiding. Just when you think you know where the plot is going, it switches on you.

For those that love a feisty heroine, you'll definitely find that in Lady Juliana. Personally, I really liked her. She didn't argue for the sake of arguing, and the things that pissed her off pissed me off, as well. I thought fight scenes between her and Lothar were believable, and her insecurities about constantly being compared to the Empress Matilda, either by her father or Lothar, were justifiable. I do wish she'd been a bit more confident, as she wavered between a tough chatelaine and a naive ingenue, especially when she's been in charge for so long. Overall, I thought she was a fine heroine.

Lothar really pissed me off, though. Not only was he so emotionally stunted that he literally flees after the two of them have sex (and it's a very rushed encounter too where it's a miracle the heroine gets off at all), he was also rather violent. There's a particular scene where he's restraining himself from hurting a baron who tried to assault Juliana, but he squeezes Juliana's arm so hard that he hurts her. That's just not attractive, and for a man who suffered at the hands of an abusive father, you would've thought he'd be more sensitive. Don't even get me started on his refusal to spar Juliana because she's a woman. He might think he's being gallant, but we all know it's sexist behavior. Lothar's basically a rock who has never talked to women in his life, and it shows.

If you like medieval romances without vikings and lairds, just know this one's a bit slow, but it has some interesting political scenes that are fun because romances so rarely include historical figures.… (more)

In this medieval romance novel, we jump to the early 13th century to visit King John, son of Eleanor of Aquitaine. While there's no Robin Hood in this novel, there's still plenty of intrigue and romance as we lead up to one of the most important documents being created in the western world: the Magna Carta. That said, for all that this novel promised to be, it didn't wow me. Conflict is resolved quickly, and the new obstacles that crop up feel almost haphazard. The premise is very lofty, but it doesn't quite measure up, for me. Overall, it was mildly entertaining.

The thing that bothered me the most was that the heroine Constance had almost no personality. We know she's an orphan who was married off to the hero Matthew Wintour at 14, but she lived with her aunt and uncle for five years while Matthew went to France to fight for King John, before coming back to England completely disillusioned and ready to start a rebellion. The start of their relationship is Matthew is taciturn and terrifying while Constance feels out of place in the world and in her own body.

Aside from being wrenched from her home at a tender age while still grieving for her parents, Constance doesn't really do anything except harp on Matthew to tell her the truth at all times. Her early feisty-ness is quickly dissipated because Matthew is incredibly reasonable. He agrees with everything she says and quickly makes amends. This ends up making her look petulant because she never rises to his emotional maturity. Even when her demands are reasonable, she never becomes an agent in her own story, which is why I have such a hard time liking her. Any attempts on her end to seize agency are almost laughably squashed due to her naïveté and the genre's restrictions on what a "good romance heroine" must be (i.e. bleeding heart of gold).

For his part, Matthew is brooding, complex, and far more layered and interesting to read about. The reader is taken on a roller coaster of a mystery as we (and Constance) try to piece together what happened to Matthew's fourth step-mother. Despite the political landscape, this was the most gripping part of the story, reinforced by the fact that Matthew must choose between dealing with political drama or family drama at the climax of the novel.

The relationships between Sir Ralph and his two sons is fascinating, from a psychological standpoint. It would've been really interesting to see their dynamic play out, but Matthew's emotional maturity sort of took the fun out of it, as he very eloquently diagnoses his father's motivations because the bland Constance has suddenly made him in touch with his feelings. Clearly, she's the best therapist ever. Constance would ask "what's going on", and Matthew would explain everything, and then readers and Constance collectively go "Oh, okay" rather than seeing the family dynamics play out and witnessing the dysfunction for ourselves. There's still plenty of dysfunction to read about, which I appreciate in a genre that tends to not only romanticize romance but family, as well.

The book is mildly entertaining because there really isn't enough angst to drive the plot nor is Constance as layered as Matthew, making their partnership and the writing feel unbalanced. There's still plenty to recommend it: an actual historical setting that is incorporated into the story, an emotionally mature hero, a fun mini mystery to solve, and there are some genuine moments between Constance and Matthew. If you have a rainy day, this is a good book to pick up and distract you.… (more)