When Lady Johanna learned that she was a widow, she vowed she would never marry again. Only sixteen, already she possessed a strength of will that impressed all who looked past her golden-haired beauty. Yet when King John demanded that she remarry -- and selected a bridegroom for her -- it seemed she must acquiesce, until her beloved foster brother suggested she wed his friend, the handsome Scottish warrior Gabriel MacBain.
At first Johanna was shy, but as Gabriel tenderly revealed the splendid pleasures they would share, she came to suspect that she was falling in love with her gruff new husband. And it was soon apparent to the entire Highlands clan that their brusque, gallant laird had surrendered his heart completely. But now a desperate royal intrigue threatened to tear her from his side -- and to destroy the man whose love meant more to her than she had ever dreamed!
Sparrowgal's rating: 9/10
Sparrowgal's thoughts - Spoiler Alert!
One of my favourite Julie Garwood books, Johanna is a meek and mild timid little mouse who was a child bride who was abused and sorely misused by her husband. Within her she has some gumption - she did have a good and gentle upbringing and was from a well loved family, so perhaps from there she kept a small belief in herself, that she wasn't useless or worthless in God's eyes.
MacBain did not expect a beautiful English bride, and is impressed by her beauty on first sight, though her manner was less impressive to him. However, her acceptance of his bastard son was the start of his softening towards her - Johanna was relieved that the pressure of producing an heir was not a concern to her new husband.
King John has an interest in Johanna - her dead husband was one of his closest advisers and he was concerned that she had witnessed or overheard a conversation to get rid of Arthur, one of the other heirs to the throne.
Johanna's step brother, Nicholas, has been secretly in love with her all these years, and MacBain can see that, stirring a bit of jealousy in him. However, that is remedied when a beaten body is dumped on the MacBain doorstep, a young girl whom Johanna takes under her wing and ends up catching Nicholas' eye.
Under Macbain's gentle hand Johanna befriends the other members of his clan, and her self confidence emerges. When she hears the news that her ex-husband is not dead however, and has come back to reclaim his wife, she does the brave thing and surrenders herself to her husband as an English army has crossed the Highlands to retrieve her, avoiding major bloodshed. MacBain rescues her but not before Johanna confronts the monsters who were her husband and the Bishop who supported him.
If you like the typical Garwood heroine, soft and gentle but secretly a strong will, then this book is one for you.
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