For My Ladys Heart

I haven't read many of Kinsale's books, but was very pleasantly surprised with this one. So much historical romance is formula fiction, light on character, plot, and history. Kinsale doesn't just throw in a castle, a suit of armor, a few misunderstandings and some sex and call it a book. These characters and their relationships are complex and fascinating. I really could not put this one down until I was finished--bags under my eyes at work the next day.

I've read thousands of romances, including all of Ms. Kinsale's excellent catalogue -- but this one tops them all, in my view. There has never been a better female protagonist than the Princess Melanthe -- complex, driven, fighting for survival while caught between dark and powerful forces bent on devouring her. Twisting and turning, she uses her brains and her beauty to keep them all at bay. Ruck, in his strength and simple-minded devotion to her, was less interesting to me, but even here, Kinsale doesn't make him a cardboard cut-out of a hero. Ruck has his own demons, and a nobility of spirit which makes it ultimately believable that a woman like Melanthe would recognize in him a man to whom she could entrust her heart and even her life. He is a wonderful counterpart to Melanthe's deceptions and strategems. But as others have noted, by far the most compelling and fascinating character is Allegreto. Dark, shiveringly dangerous, glitteringly beautiful -- he and Melanthe are unequalled in romance fiction -- characters whose dark sides rule them, but who still retain hearts and spirits which draw us to them. I talk about romance novels often, with friends -- this is the only one I get so emotional about that I can't even discuss it! I love this book.

Laura Kinsale amazes me. I read novels for the characters. I want to meet characters who are complex and not easily understood on the surface. I want the entire book to be an unravelling of the personalities involved -- I want to know the hero as well as I know my own husband, and I want to know the heroine as well as I know myself. And I want to love them both.This book does not disappoint.Kinsale shows an incredible sense of compassion for people by the way she portrays human frailty. I don't think many writers could create a character like Ruck -- puppy-like in his loyalty to a woman who didn't even know he existed. Or Melanthe, beautiful, cold and cruel. How could a doormat like Ruck be a hero we could fall in love with? How could an unfeeling, selfish heroine like Melanthe be someone we could identify with?Only Laura Kinsale could weave a story around these two characters that allows us to understand them so fully. She reminds me of the basic goodness of people, and she reminds me that sometimes there is a lot more to people than meets the eye.

This one runs neck and neck with THE SHADOW AND THE STAR for my favorite book by Kinsale. Melanthe is possibly the strongest female character I've come across in a romance and Ruck is one of the most original. Add together a lot of medieval intrigue and the unforgettable Allegreto, and you have an amazing package. For the writer of the review below, Allegreto's book, ENCHANTER, is on the way.

I have been reading historical romance for 20 years and this is the best book I've ever read. Melanthe, as a heroine, is not always likable, but she's understandable, and just when I didn't think the author, Ms. Kinsale, could ever redeem her again for me, she did! And wonderfully.Contrary to what most publishers want to see, very early character development and quick and easy relational issues, Ms. Kinsale built a story for me that rooted deeply in my soul. Ruck grew into a wise and silently strong man, when it comes to dealing with his lady love. When dealing with other males, he's a to die for hunk of muscle and steel (armour). I nearly died laughing when he explained to his lady love where he'd learned his carnal "secrets."Melanthe is not so complicated as some might think. She's strong-willed but knows a gravity issue when she sees one. She has taken extraordinary measures throughout her life to "save" innocents. Obviously much of this is missed by other reviewers, but Melanthe is not selfish, nor is she a bleeding heart. She's a powerful woman of strength, control and command. She's a goddess who's wins the heart of a very worthy man.The castles are beautiful, as are the abbeys, forests, even the desert and sand, rain storms and even the plague all have their rightful place here.I can't give away the end. I just can't. It's too good. Melanthe does retain her sarcastic wit though and Ruck -- well, Ruck.... well.... Aaahhh!If you like knights in armour, satin and velvet; Princesses in ermine lined robes and lots of emeralds, you'll love this book. If you don't, read it anyway, I promise you'll love them when you're done.