Title: Beauty and the Beast
Author: Hannah Howell
Published: 1st April 2007
On the eve of her wedding to the heir of Saitum Manor, the stunningly beautiful Gytha is shocked to learn that her betrothed, a man she barely knew, is dead. Now, she must marry the new heir, Thayer Saiturn, a battle-hardened knight known as the Red Devil...
With a face scarred in battle and a heart broken in love, Thayer has no interest in marriage. But not even the Red Devil can break the promise his foster-father made years ago and soon finds himself married to a woman whose exquisite beauty and sweet innocence intrigue him. But can his new bride look beyond his scars to find a hidden passion and undying love locked deep inside him?
Main characters:
Gytha Raouille
Thayer Saiturn, the Red Devil
What I Liked:
-the time period
-the mostly accurate portrayal of the time period
-seeing the life at court
-Gytha’s family
-Thayer’s son, Bek. He and Roger were the smartest men in the book :D
What I didn't like:
-this will sound bi-polar, but the overlay use of “’tis, nay, aye, mayhap, etc” drove me insane! I know I complain a lot when the language is too.. new in one of my historical, but this one had too much. I want balance, not a headache from rolling my eyes
-Thayer’s distrust in his wife, after 60% of the book it became a little tedious
-I absolutely hate the names! I have no idea how to pronounce them and I usually read them wrong
Favorite character:
Gytha, her perseverance and wit made me give such a good rating
My least favorite character:
Elizabeth(chilly woman)
Favorite scene:
I loved when she made him so mad and he shared his emotions and apologized for being an ass.
Favorite quote:
“Have you made Gytha mad again?” Bek asked as his father stepped into his bath.
“Aye, I fear so.”
“But you went to win rewards for her.”
“True, but I neglected to ask if she wanted those rewards. Can you scrub my back, son?”
Moving to do so, Bek frowned in thought “Is a wife not supposed to be pleased at all her husband does?”
It was not easy, but Thayer swallowed his impulse to laugh. “Bek, I will tell you two things about women. Heed me well, now, for you had best remember them. The first is—never do as I do. I fear your poor father knows very little. If I handled a sword as I do women, I should have been killed in my first battle.” He smiled faintly when Bek giggled. “Second—few men are true masters over their women. In truth, I would eye with suspicion any woman who acts as if that is the truth. Either she lies, or she is so dull-witted or weak-spirited that she will make you a tedious wife.”
“So you do not really mind that Gytha is angry with you.”
“I did not say that.” He grimaced. “T’will depend upon how angry she is and if there is any soothing her.”
I read her recently Aly and whew yeah the brogue was rough. It was a novella but took me nearly 3 days to get through because I had to read so slow to really understand what they were saying. Loved the storyline but whew it was slow going.
ReplyDeleteAfter some time I started to ignore that and power reading it :D I did get the idea... at last :))
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