The Champion [Mass Market Paperback]

Heather Grothaus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007

Nicholas FitzTodd, Baron of Crane, has little interest in marriage - the privileges of rank are too many and too pleasurable. But when the bride he finally chooses refuses him, he takes out his frustration in wine and women. Simone DuRoche is but another lovely temptation, until a moment of indiscretion results in a hasty wedding. Nick is furious - Simone may be beautiful, but she is nearly penniless and rumoured to be mad...Simone hardly expects her reluctant husband to believe that her young brother's ghost has followed her to England - or that she suspects his death was murder. Marriage to the fierce, guarded Nicholas is difficult enough. But when she learns the truth behind her brother's death, a dangerous family secret threatens the fragile peace she and Nicholas have achieved, and she must risk everything she holds dear to prove that her love is worth fighting for...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A spirited tale rich in intrigue, betrayal, ancient magic, and a love destined to overcome all odds." -- Hannah Howell

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821780077
• ISBN-13: 978-0821780077
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,026,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining, fast moving!, July 27, 2007

By 

D. Boucher - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Champion (Mass Market Paperback)

Before I was midway into The Champion, I went online and ordered The Warrior. Delighted to find a new author!!!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Champion, June 27, 2007

By 

M. Nix - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Champion (Mass Market Paperback)

Nicholas FitzTodd has no desire to marry. He enjoys spending his days drinking and availing himself of any willing women so when he is forced to marry Simone DuRoche he is less than pleased. Nick resents Simone for trapping him in to the marriage.

Rumors of Simone's sanity surround her. She's not insane, but who would believe that she is visited by the ghost of her dead brother?

While Simone uncovers the secrets her mother left behind, she and Nick have to face magic, ghosts, and the demons of their pasts.

The Champion has a clever plot and many engaging characters, especially the brooding and handsome Nick, courageous and beautiful Simone and sweet and adorable Didier. The pages are full of mystery, romance and magical scenes. The Champion's dramatic and emotional ending held me riveted. It's an enchanting story.

Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars for a nice historic romance, April 23, 2010

By 

S. Fischer (Germany) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Champion (Mass Market Paperback)

1077, England: Nicholas FitzTodd, Baron of Crane, finally needs to marry and beget an heir, so he decides to marry a young woman he's known all his life. Imagine his surprise and shock when she prefers to join a convent! Insulted and angry, he goes to court in London to find someone else, sleeping his way through any bed he can get in and drinking to excess. But one night he plays around with the wrong woman and is caught by her father who can convince the king to force Nicholas to marry her to save her reputation. The woman is Simone, a young Frenchwoman, who is supposedly mad. The reason is that she keeps talking to the ghost of her young brother - who actually exists and follows her everywhere. Suffice it to say, this isn't making the unwanted marriage any easier. While Simone has to come to terms with the fact that her husband wanted to marry another woman, Nicholas not only has to deal with Simone's murdered brother and the killer, who is still a danger to Simone, but also with attacks by the Welsh in his holdings...

This is a nice and entertaining novel with some humour. What detracted from it for me was that some of the historical background was badly researched and therefore faulty (e. g. the English court would have spoken French, not English at that time), but it's still enjoyable. It's a follow-up to 'The warrior' and is itself followed by 'The highlander'. I think it can be read on its own, but makes more sense if you know 'The warrior'. Last but not least: If you're looking for eroticism, there's very little in it since the ghost interrupts them every single time. That's not a problem to me, but may be to some readers who prefer a spicy novel.