Whewwwwww! This one is quite intense (to put it lightly)! I am ashamed that I enjoyed is as much as I did. It is a book that for all intents and purposes should've been thrown out.....It's going on my KEEPER shelf instead:)

Both the hero and heroine are married to other people. The hero attempts to rape the heroine the first time they meet, and then finally suceeds at this violent act on her wedding night....(to another man). There is plenty of rough language, violent battles, an evil step-sister, torture of the heroine, betrayal of the hero, and this is all by page 190! It is appalling how Rolfe treats Ceidre...he abuses her sexually from the first moment they meet and feels like he "owns" her...yuck. It is also appalling how Ceidre treats Rolfe...she betrays him given any chance and has little remorse until the end (even though she knows she is his Acheilles Heel). She uses his feelings for her against him...yuck.

Why on earth did I like this disturbing and horrific book?....Like the title says, it's my guilty pleasure.

Although Rolfe abuses Ceidre, he also protects her relentlessly. He stands up for her against everyone..her sister, his king, and his best-friend. He is absolutely obsessed with her safety and well-being. She is EVERYTHING to him and even though he knows it is wrong, he can't seem to stop himself from wanting her. I don't know, but there was something about his relentless pursuit of her, despite her betraying actions, that did something for me.

Ceidre was also very likeable. She was a devoted healer and I love that trait in a heroine. She had backbone and had Rolfe's head spinning throughout the entire book. I loved how she dealt with the powerful Rolfe even though I hated her constant betrayals.

This book isn't for everyone, but it worked for me. I like a passionate couple, and they don't get any more passionate than Rolfe and Ceidre!

this is good book, tight, engrosing and believable according to the times, it may be a little difficult to get around a few events, but we must keep in mind the times and well keep from looking at it with modern eyes if u will the setting of the book aside its froma the early 90s books have angst in droves, they made u cringe and made ulaugh in equal measure, not very PC but ineteresting :P there are times where u want to beat Rolphe, he mistreated Ceidre a few times out of mistrust and other "man" issues :P and then of course have come back repentant, but to much on his guard to come righ out and express his emotions, but even so u cant help but feel the intensity between them, how much they both care, he cant be apart from her and it shows. ceidre also has her "i want to shake her" moments and at the same time u admire her loyalty, and she is a strong character, a few flaws non withstanding.
The things she does have a reason. Logic may say that she could have just surrender to fate sooner but hey, the ride wouldnt have been half a interesting.

its a strong story, very intense, ull want to keep reading.
u'll love or not, thats up to u, but its memorable. I liked it, it was worth the read, i liked Ceidre and Rolphe is a good strong alpha, his flaws come as product of his times. and he was well matched it was entertaining, funny, sad and at times weird & vagely disturbing (alice)... read it, u could be another lover :P

Is this book brutal? Yeap. Is it painful to read at times? You Betcha. Do I love it? Absolutely! Why? Because it is a story about a brutal time, when men were warriors and women often no more than polictical pawns and even with those facts, I still get goose bumps when I read the book. This is a book about choice and redemption. The characters are flawed, but that is what makes them perfect. Brenda Joyce writes books that make me hurt (physically feel the anguish of the characters) and that means something. So is the book BAD, well it is not PC ... and all the complaints about the writing are probably fair, but it is like that really out of date unflatering poncho of my grandmothers that I still wear...it should be all wrong, but I can't help but love it and wear it anyway.

Lord, what a book! I loved this story. From the first page to the last. It took me one day to finish it. Every chance I got I was opening the book to read a little more. Okay, let me stop! That said, I was really suprised that people gave this book less than 4 stars. Rolfe was a wonderful male lead. He was so hot I thought he was going to burn right off of the pages. I know there were certain parts where he got a little ruff with Ceidre, but he always redeemed himself. I also really liked Ceidre, unlike most romance novels she wasn't without flaws. I could relate to her as a woman. This is a book you'll be thinking about days after you've finished it. I PROMISE!!

Reading this book reminded me of why I started reading romance novels in the first place. Historical content, charater driven stories involving realistic heros and heroines caught up in real conflicts. No mistaken identity, big misunderstandings or worries about acceptance by the "ton" here. My favorite part of the book was how the Rolf zeroed in on Ceidre from the beginning and never waivered. He may not have said the words until the end of the book, but his regard for her was evident. Very romantic. Mr. Darcy has nothing on Rolf.