THE WARRIOR'S WINTER BRIDE – Denise Lynn
Harlequin Historical
ISBN: 978-0-37330702-9
November 2014
Historical Romance

England – 1145

Richard of Dunstan seeks revenge on Wade of Glenforde for the deaths of his wife and child. He plans on forcing Glenforde to come to Dunstan to retrieve something that belongs to him, and then Richard will kill him. That something is Glenforde's betrothed, Isabella of Warehaven. What Richard doesn't plan on is the feisty, independent girl being anything but cooperative, despite the fact that she despises her intended.

Unfortunately for Richard, winter settles in before Glenforde arrives, and in order to save Isabella's reputation, Richard marries her. She is furious, but there is little she can do, although she finds several ways to irritate her new husband. Despite Richard keeping his men busy elsewhere, Isabella sets out to restore the crumbling Dunstan castle with the assistance of the women of the island. Richard finds his resistance to Isabella deteriorating as she shows him how strong she is.

Isabella knows that her father will come to her rescue in the spring, but her feelings for her distant husband are growing, and she's determined to shatter the coldness.

THE WARRIOR'S WINTER BRIDE is an entertaining tale set in medieval England. The main characters are likable, and secondary players are important to the story. The plot is well presented, although it took a while to get into the meat of the story. While I enjoyed the growing love story, there were a few modern terms cropping up throughout the book that were a bit off putting. However, once the tale got going, it was page turning until the satisfying conclusion.

Jani Brooks