White Lion's Lady
4 Stars

On the way to her wedding. Isabel de Lamere is abducted by a man she met only once as a child, Griffin of Droghallow. The years have changed Griffin and not for the better as the young boy whose honor impressed Isabel so much has become a mercenary scarred by the actions he has been forced to take. betrayed by his employer, Griffin and Isabel find themselves on the run from powerful foes and must work together if they are to survive.

Stayed up till 2AM to finish this one, which is always the sign of a fast paced and action packed read.

Kudos to Adrian for her realistic portrayal of the historical era both in terms of a woman’s position in Medieval society and the references to the constant political machinations of the House of Plantagenet. Nevertheless, one plot point that does require a certain suspension of disbelief is the idea that twins are the result of an adulterous liaison. Not only have women been giving birth to twins (identical and fraternal) from ancient times but inhabitants of a rural area would be well aware of multiple births from observing animals. Even considering the superstitious nature of the times, this point is far-fetched.

Despite one or two small TSTL moments, Izzy is a likable heroine who demonstrates real strength and courage throughout the book. The conflict between her attraction to Griffin and her family obligations and duty toward the King creates an interesting tension within the romance. Griffin is a morally ambiguous hero but ultimately proves that his honor has not been completely tarnished.

The series continues with Sebastian’s book and I look forward to continuing with it. ( )

A good old trashy historical romance with a barest nod to things like plot and character development and instead lots of repressed (and expressed) longings, wrapped in amazingly unilkely scences and anachronistic characterizations. I actually laughed out loud a few times at the wild improbality of some of it but it was fun evening's read and now I can knock one more off the BookCrossing List.