The Warrior's Reluctant Wife by Lissa Morgan - #BookReview

 

'Has the bwgan stolen your tongue?'

The words cut through the cold air like a knife and the chatter going on among those assembled ceased abruptly. Rhianon turned her head and looked at the man at her side who had spoken them.

Peredur ab Eilyr's grey eyes met hers, glistening like the frost on the trees around Llanbadarn Church. Even the January weather was casting an ill omen on this marriage, it seemed, with its leaden sky and the ground white with rime even now at well past noontime...

***

An arranged marriage

An unexpected love…?

Recently widowed, Rhianon hopes never to find herself bound to a man again, after being raised by a violent father and married to an unpredictable husband. But to seal a strategic alliance she’s forced to marry Peredur ab Eilyr―a warrior lord with a formidable reputation! Rhianon might be a reluctant wife…but ruling with her new husband is revealing a passionate side to Peredur that Rhianon is anything but reluctant to explore…

***

This is the first in the planned Warrior's of Wales series. Indeed, the book is steeped in the essense of Wales throughout which made place in this book every bit as important as character. 

Indeed, the coastal setting was extremely evocative.  I almost felt the sea winds as the author described the setting.

The main characters, Rhianon and Peredur marry at an early point in the book. It is an arranged marriage, aimed at uniting two families of Welsh nobility. This is always a strange concept to read about in the twenty first century as it is alien to our culture in the west. However, this book is set during the middle of the twelfth century and the author has done a good job in creating both the atmosphere and attitudes of the period.

Both Rhianon and Peredur bring their own challenges and vulnerabilities to their marriage. Both have suffered past trauma and as the narrative switches perspective between the two of them we get a real understanding of their characters.

It is a leisurely paced novel which felt appropriate for the story and characters. However, it made for a quick and easily accessible read which I flew through.

I found some of the Welsh names quite difficult to get my head around. However, they did create authenticity and therefore, were necessary. Neither did this issue affect my reading although I am sure my pronounciations were far from perfect!

It was nice to read a story set in this period and setting. Historical fiction and romantic fiction readers will enjoy this book.

ISBN: 978 0263305340

Publisher:  Mills & Boon

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  336 (paperback)

About the Author:

Lissa Morgan hails from Wales but has travelled far and wide over the years, usually in pursuit of the next new job.  A history graduate and former archivist, she now works in academia and freelance website design, which she fits in around her writing time. She lives between the mountains and the sea in rugged north-west Wales surrounded by medieval castles that provide the perfect inspiration for her books. 

(book courtesy of the author)

(all opinions are my own)