My Guest Review has Posted

I've been doing some book reviews for The Book Binge recently and my latest review for The Border Lord and The Lady by Bertrice Small is now up.

Lady Cicely Bowen, daughter of the Earl of Leighton, is sent away by her doting father when her jealous stepmother presents a threat to her safety. Raised by a royal widow, Cicely becomes best friends with Lady Joan Beaufort, the king's cousin. When Joan is married to King James I of Scotland, she chooses Cicely as one of the ladies to accompany her north.

At the Scot's court, Cicely finds herself pursued by two men: elegant Andrew Gordon, the lair of Braemor, and Ian Douglas, the laird of Glengorm, a rougn-spoken border lord. When Ian kidnaps Cicely just as Andrew is about to propose to her, the royal court is sent into an uproar. The queen demands the return of her friend and the Gordons threaten to set the border aflame, even as Ian Douglas attempts to win Cicely's love. But the border lord is difficult to tame, and the lady's heart is even harder to claim.

This is a wonderful historical romance—and I do mean “historical”--in that Bertrice Small has done outstanding research on the culture and times which forms the backdrop of this intriguing love story. But don't let that put you off: this story is so skillfully told that the historical context never interferes with the telling of the complicated loves of Lady Cicely. The heroine is quite unusual for her time: a young woman of great personal honesty and integrity, a true friend to Lady Joan Beaufort, a woman who knows her own mind and is not afraid to stand up for herself even in a culture that looks upon women, especially women with large dowries, as brood mares and chattel for sealing political alliances. Read more