The Willing Wife

The Willing Wife, is the darkest and most complex of the installments. It is difficult to find much to criticize about this book. The characters are smartly written, engaging, and learn from their experiences, evolving in different ways. Good twists and turns.

I feel the need to give this book five stars in order to offset earlier, harsher reviews. I do not "love" this book, but I LIKE it very much. Both hero and heroine are wounded, three dimensional characters. I strongly disagree with an earlier review that said they did not solve their own problems - on the contrary - that's exactly what they did. For believable reasons, both characters begin to trust one another. True, there is not a lot of action, per se. And I do agree that there is more internal dialogue than is sometimes necessary. However, I could actually picture everything that was happening. I felt as if I were seeing it all play out in my mind- like a movie, if that makes any sense. The descriptions and imagery are more vivid to me than most other romances I've read. Claudia Dain is a different kind of romance writer - she's unique. And that's a GOOD thing. I also recommend THE MARRAIGE BED - the second book in her medieval 'trilogy.' I haven't read THE HOLDING yet, but each book stands alone so don't worry about reading them out of order.

from Ms. Dain. I enjoyed this book as I have enjoyed her previous books. Highly recommend.

Ms. Dain has again created two very interesting and troubled characters in this story. Nicolaa has been married four times only to be left when her husbands found heiresses who had larger estates and more money. King Henry has now "awarded" her number five. She has become resentful of the husbands, but she has also learned to deal with men by being willing to do their bidding until they leave. Nicolaa assumes number five, Rowland, will be the same. Rowland comes to the marriage as unwilling as Nicholaa. He is carrying, in his heart, a deep love for his first wife who was killed helping him during an attack. Nicolaa does not believe a man can ever love anyone but himself, and Rowland will never love anyone but his lost wife.The story is a simple telling of their lives together, trying to survive what neither wanted but must endure. I loved this book, the story, the characters, and the writing. Ms. Dain shows a thorough knowledge of the Medieval times. Her descrptions of life in the tower and "goings-on" makes it easy to visualize what's happening. You may want to read Ms. Dain's "The Holding" and "The Marriage Bed" before reading this book, though it certainly is not necessary to read either to enjoy this one. I recommend all three books very highly.

In 1155 England, King Henry II provides a gift of land accompanied by a wife to Rowland the Dark of Aquitaine though the recipient wants neither an estate nor a spouse. The bride, Nicolaa of Cheneteberie accepts her fate as she has been widowed four times before and realizes that she might as well cooperate because she has no rights or even a nay say to these arranged marriages.Though he preferred to remain single, Rowland knows no one lives to reject a regal present so he wants to make the marriage work. He goes out of his way to earn Nicolaa's trust. He begins his campaign to gain her love when he first concludes that she sees him as a passing nuisance because he plans to stay by her side if he can overcome the nightmares of his past.Medieval romance fans will enjoy THE WILLING WIFE due to the interesting lead characters whose basic understanding of survival makes it possible for the reader to absorb quite a sense of the era. The story line engages the audience because of the attitudes of Nicolaa and Rowland, but also on the other hand makes for insignificant disputes between them. With this novel and books like THE MARRIAGE BED, readers will deign this author as one of the sub-genre's aristocracy.Harriet Klausner