Dangerous Gifts

I wish more people would discover this author's wonderful work. I've read all her books except the first one (Shadows in Velvet), but plan to do so pronto! Her books are not only rich in history and romance, they have a touch of mystery as well. Also the plots are well developed with high quality prose and facinating characters that you fall in love with from page one. In DANGEROUS GIFTS, Claire and Palmer are two lost souls who find each other through the magic of healing. The author does a great job of delivering an excellent read here. Ten stars! Other really good books by H.S. are SECRETS IN SATIN and DAMASK ROSE.

This book is her best yet! In an era when life is hard and painful, two soul-wounded and lonely travelers find room in their hearts for each other. A spiritually uplifting read in which we are reminded that we cannot succeed alone. The depth and sensitivity that Haywood builds into her characters is phenomenal. I will read this book again and look forward to her next!

Haywood's books always pull your heart strings and make you think. She is a one of a kind writer. Love, faith and trust are indeed the most dangerous gifts. Palmer and Claire learn they are not only the most dangerous, but the only ones worth having.Deborah Ledgerwood, Smoky Mountain Romance Writers

This book has an exciting story that is beautifully interwoven with the concept of grace and healing love. Haywood Smith did a masterful job of bringing us into the characters and into the story that shows how love heals all hurts for those who patiently wait and care for one another. I am off to look for more books by Haywood!

In the last decade of the eleventh century, Claire's elderly spouse dies. Her nasty brother-in-law kicks her out of the manor, using her son William as a hostage to insure her cooperation. The distraught young woman wanders the countryside until she meets Nonna Freeman, a renowned local healer, who sees the hidden talent inside Claire. Nonna makes Claire her apprentice. However, to keep the lass at her side, Nonna informs her that her son Palmer, fighting overseas in the Hermit's Crusade, sent her a letter in which he agrees to marry Claire by proxy. Seeking the protection, Claire accepts. When Palmer finally returns home, battle fatigue has destroyed his spirit and the fighting has broken his body. He becomes more despondent when he learns he has a wife he never asked for and his mother is too senile to recognize him. Claire tries to use her healing prowess, accompanied by her budding love, to help Palmer, but he just returns her kindness with ugliness. Plots from other players intercede even further, leaving a relationship making it even to the twelfth century seem unlikely even though love has blossomed between Claire and Palmer. DANGEROUS GIFTS is a brilliantly designed Medieval romance that paints an insider's look at the last decade of the eleventh century. Claire is a courageous, warm, and witty character. However, Palmer makes the novel as he suffers from "Crusades syndrome", a Middle Ages form of battle fatigue. The story line is propelled forward by the plots of the secondary players, making Haywood smith's latest entry the ideal gift to give to sub-genre fans.Harriet Klausner