Lovestone

I call romances where the hero and/or heroine is put through a lot of physical abuse a Band Aid and Bactine romance. In this case the hero, Rhiannon (No, I'm not kidding), makes his appearance being dragged behind the horse of the heroine's father and his father's arch enemy. He's been captured in battle and is set to be the centerpiece for some torture and humiliation, They are probably doing him a favor (considering the primitive conditions in this dark age type setting) in cauterizing his wounds with a red hot poker, but he might not have thought it at the time. The heroine on the whole doesn't disapprove of her father's intentions but she is a bit more softhearted and too sure of her ability to defend herself, so she ends up being carried off by Rhiannon as HIS captive into a freezing black night. Not surprislingly, he comes down with a bad cold, the flu or something and she escapes again. He runs her down and they end up being trapped by some bandits. It's at that point they start to find out, like all Deana James heroines and heroes that they can work together. With the aid of a not so innocuous herbal infusion they evade this peril and end up at his father's castle. He makes it clear that he wants her taken care of and rides off on a raid. His family decides that taking care of her also encompasses throwing her in a damp and cold dungeon with inadequate clothes and a leering guard. This would be just another 1980's capture romance except the heroine is really tough-- not just feisty, she is kickass. The hero does seem to learn something from his experiences. And Ms James is just an all round good story teller as she recasts Romeo and Juliet as Dark Age royalty. If you have to laugh out loud at the ridiculous amount of physical abuse both take, don't be ashamed. I was there first. Just as a note: Rhiannon was a Celtic goddess whose name means divine queen. She is associated with horses and the moon. Why the hero is named Rhiannon is a real head scratcher.