Synopsis
Defiant is a medieval romance set in the time of King John. Eva, a woman with a mysterious past, is on a mission with her ward, Roger to rescue Fr. Peter who has been as a foster father to her. Jamie, a man with an equally mysterious past is on a mission to capture said priest and turn him over to King John. The two meet and clash. Each is hiding secrets with tremendous political ramifications for the realm and for their loved ones if discovered. Fate and circumstances conspire to keep them together as they both desperately search for Fr. Peter.
The distrust factor between them when they first meet is huge. Both know the other is lying, about their past, about who they are, and their purposes. It is only their shared interest in the fate of Fr. Peter that first initially keeps them together. They are both interested in each other but personal trauma in their own lives has made it impossible for either of them to trust. They both expect to get betrayal from just about everyone in their life.
External conflicts include the entire country on the verge of civil war, the fact that Jamie is in service to King John, a man whom Eva despises and fears, and several other very bad guys.
My Take
This book is an A read by any romance reader's estimation. It's a historical with a capitol "H" with history woven into every aspect of this book. Nothing wall=papery at all. The setting is richly detailed and this is a real case where the political is truly personal as the movements and goings-ons of various historical personages play a very important part of the H/H lives and their ultimate fate. The hero and heroine are amazing and their interactions fairly brim with sexual tension and excitement. And the final love scenes are HOT, not just because there is explicit language, but because so may walls had to come tumbling down between Eva and Jamie. When the H/H do make love, it really is making love and not just sex. Left me breathless, this part did.
I did like this book and I recommend it to anyone who wants a rich historical medieval with a wonderful emotional romance. HOWEVER. It will be a long time before I read any more of Kennedy again. I know a lot of people really love historical romances with alot of history in them and where all the details are 100% accurate. I am not one of them. See, the time of King John was not a good time. And to Kennedy's credit, all of her characters' lives reflect this terrible reality to a great extent. And that's my problem with the book. Just too much history and reality for my taste. It did make me doubt the happily ever after for the H/H..
Its just me, but I read romance for the romance. I really don't care if the hero drives a Corvette up to the castle walls, honks the horn for the heroine to get in, all the while firing at Robin Hood with a sub-machine gun. In this book, I wanted more of Jamie and Eva and less of the bad guys and political intrigue and King John. But its not the kind of book where you can skim those parts without missing some important stuff, so I felt compelled to read those parts even when I didn't want to.
All in all, this is an excellent...just not what I am currently looking for in a romance.
Final Grade: A
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