Saturday, August 21, 2010

Much Ado About Marriage-Karen Hawkins

Much Ado About Marriage
Karen Hawkins
Pocket, Aug 31 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9781439187609

In 1567 at Durat Castle, English spy Thomas Wentworth climbs though the second floor window only to be pushed off the ledge into the ground. Apparently as he was entering, feisty Fia MacLean was leaving. She was running away from her overly protective cousin Laird Duncan with plans of meeting Queen Elizabeth in London to show her Highness her plays she has written.

Her shove leaves him in jeopardy of exposure by his enemy in their territory or marriage to Fia to hide his identity under the veneer of avoiding a scandal. They wed and head to London with her taking with her the magical amulet Duncan gave her to keep safe from White Witch Maeve Hurst he stole it from. As Thomas and Fia fall in love, he remains distracted from his original mission by his siren of a spouse.

This is a rewrite of One Lucky Lord (written as Kim Bennett) that enhances the original story line with obvious ties to the MacLean saga (see the Laird Who Loved Me) and much more looser connection to her upcoming Hurst Amulet series. From the opening fall, the lead couple make for a fun amusing historical romance with a touch of fantasy and a lot of espionage suspense. Although a transition tale from the MacLean clan to the Hurst brood, readers will enjoy this entertaining Elizabethan Era romance.

Harriet Klausner

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