The Countess

After reading the trilogy Bride Quest series; The Princess, The Damsel, and The Heiress...I was more than thrilled when Claire Delacroix gave us The Countess. The interweaving of each character unfolds into a dynamic historic setting that draws you in til the very end. These books are not just average ..they are well researched and well written. I look forward to reading more in, The Beauty, when it comes out.

When Countess Eglantine de Crevy leaves her late husband's estate for the wilds of Scotland, she expects to find the castle Kinbeath. Instead, she finds a ruin and a clan chieftain claiming the ruin as his own. Duncan MacLaren has no intention of giving up his claim on Kinbeath, espically to a highborn, spoiled Countess, even if she does hold the deed to the land. Eglantine is determined to rebuild Kinbeath and turn it into a fine manor once again, and she will not let some barbarien Scotsman stand in her way. She intends to launch a bride quest for her three daughters, so that they may have a match made in love instead of being made for money. Little does she know that Duncan is just as determined to get the Countess into his bed and into his heart. He sets out on a bride quest of his own: To win the heart of the icemaiden Eglantine de Crevy and make her his bride, whether she likes it or not!!If you have read the first three 'Bride Quest" books, make sure you read this one too. Claire Delacroix is a wonderful writer with a flair for writing of Scotish lore with all of their fantasies and fairy beliefs.

In 1176 Countess Eglantine de Crevy has no time to consider her feelings towards her recently dead spouse Theobald who left her in dire straits. With no place to turn except the remote Scottish Highlands, Eglantine immediately leaves what was once her home.In Kinbeath, Eglantine meets the local chieftain Duncan MacLaren. Though attracted to the ruggedly handsome Scotsman, Eglantine vows never to succumb to the "charms" of this barbarian. She knows at the ripe old age of twenty-eight that feelings, especially love, fail in a relationship as she learned from Theobald. Though she falls in love with Duncan, the only marriage Eglantine has in mind involves obtaining husbands for her daughters.THE COUNTESS, the fourth tale in Claire Delacroix's Bride Quest, is a compassionate medieval love story that focuses on the romantic squabble between the lead charcaters. The story line is very entertaining because Duncan and Eglantine share many traits such as obstinacy and love. Their battle for supremacy is amusing and entertaining as both use their wits to trump their opponent and obtain their desires. As with THE PRINCESS, THE DAMSEL, and THE HEIRESS, and now this novel, fans know that a Ms. Delacroix tale is tasteful and fulfilling.Harriet Klausner