This is all I ask (de Piaget Family)

The side characters, Colin of Berkhamshire and Berengaria are intrinsic to the healing of two wounded souls - Christopher and Gillian. With TV off, Country music playing softly I went to Warewick with Colin to get Gillian and joined ranks with him to see that Gillian and Christopher would fall in love as Fate had planned. Ms. Kurland doesn't write stories, she writes lives. I have read this book three times - it will not be the last. I love the plot and the ending is totally perfect. Not since du Maurier's Rebecca, many long years ago, have I fallen in love with the author's characters. Christopher and Gillian are right up there in the rarified air with the de Winter's of Manderley. The shy, timed women go hand in hand with the insecure, tortured men. A heartwarming read. I've read it twice.

All I can say is that I just oohed and ahhed thru practically this entire book! This was just so tender, and so heart wrenchingly sweet that I couldn?t help myself ? that and the tears for such tender scenes of love and thanksgiving that two tortured souls could find each other to love and heal.Gillian of Warwick, physically and mentally abused by her most hateful and brutal father was to be married to the Dragon of Blackmour. Having heard the tales of his ?devil? Gillian would have remained with the beast that was her father had not the knight sent to retrieve her given her any choice. Christopher, the Dragon of Blackmour, had no more need of a wife, but had pledged his word of honor to his friend, her deceased brother, that he would take care of her to save her from the beast that was her father. Christopher had loved once, fully and foolishly, and had no more desire to repeat a mistake that had cost him so very much ? but he was honor bound to keep his pledge. Christopher?s pledge along with a little bit of help from a few witches would finally enable them to be able to live one of the most powerful and sensitive love stories I have had the pleasure to read in a very long time. The secondary characters are brilliantly portrayed and add a lushness and wonderful humor to this tale ? from the inept witches, fierce knights with teddy bear hearts, and loyal friends who make this story so much more than just another run of the mill romance. There was just so much more to savor with the less than perfect hero and heroine, with everything that they had to overcome, that like me, I am sure you will be oohing and ahhing with a handy box of tissues by your side as well. Most definitely this one is for my keeper shelf.

The story is heart wrenching and touching. A tale of two damaged souls whom are so blinded by their own faults and fears. Gillian (of Warwick) and Christopher (of Blackmour) get help and a little push by fate (and three witches) to finding that they are truly worthy of love, and life.The supporting characters are brilliant, and as always Lynn Kurland spins a fantastic beautiful tale. This was the first novel of hers I had read years ago. I instantly fell for the characters and wanted more. This is not a book put together to please mere masses. A stout heart and box of tissues (in this readers' case) was most necessary. The tenderness and adorable way this story was told has made me a permanent fan of Ms.Kurland. It's sappy, it's touching, and it's romantic. Everything a romance should be and more. If one does not like these within their novels then perhaps one should seek something outside of the Romance genre. *wink* "This is All I Ask" is all that and more.

This is the beautiful story of two injured individuals who learn to accept themselves and love each other.Gillian of Warewick has been emotionally abused and beaten by her father all her life. Her brother, William, protected her as he could, but he meets an early death. William had squired together with Christopher of Blackmour and had obtained Christopher's promise to take care of Gillian if anything happened to William. After William's death, Christopher, who is now blind, offers for Gillian and sends his friend Colin of Berkhamshire to bring Gillian for their marriage.Gillian is easily frightened and often cowers or strikes out in fear. She is also not physically beautiful - as her father repeatedly told her. Christopher and his men are very patient with Gillian and want her to never again feel the fear and worthlessness instilled in her by her father. Their tender concern for her is quite touching.Christopher has his own fears and vows never to love another, because his blind love for his beautiful first wife led him into the trap that blinded him. As each rises from soul-deep despair and learns to see the good in life and in themselves, their lives begin to blossom and they grow to love each other. In the end, Christopher is actually thankful to have lost his eyesight, because with it he would never have given Gillian a glance. Without his sight, he could see past the physical world to what he never could have seen otherwise.

In "This Is All I Ask," Lynn Kurland has succeeded at what I feel is the most difficult type of romance to write--the kind driven by character, not by plot, where conflict is caused by personality clash that can only be resolved by personal growth and self-awareness. In this novel, the hero, the heroine, and their friends are not cardboard cut-outs but actual people taking up residence in your imagination for the space of the story. They have strengths, and they have weaknesses, and how they overcome those weaknesses, and find true strength in uniting against evil, will keep you riveted to the end. A beautfiul love story, a tense battle between good and evil, and characters worth getting to know--this book has it all. I also enjoyed the gentle humor of this book, based upon the characters' foibles and small vanities rather than on some sort of sitcom joke.

Lynn Kurland's novel, This Is All I Ask, is one of those rare stories that will stay with me for years to come. It tells the poignant tale of an achingly lonely young woman and an emotionally ravaged warrior in thirteenth century England, two people whose heartbreaking lives are all the more touching because of their courage, vulnerability, and strength. It's been a long time since I've been as moved by two characters as I was by Gillian and Christopher. The setting is wild and majestic, a forbidding castle high above the sea near Scotland. The love scenes are tasteful and never resort to the purple prose that can so often ruin an otherwise good story. The touches of sweetly gentle humor further enhance the tale, another sign of Kurland's gifts as a storyteller. This is a book well worth the read, for romance and fantasy lovers alike.