Customer Reviews

The Champion

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4 star:		(3)
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Before I was midway into The Champion, I went online and ordered The Warrior. Delighted to find a new author!!!

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

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.

Nicholas FitzTodd is Baron of Crane and a past hurt has colored his feelings about marriage and besides he enjoys the pleasures of court too much to consider changing his life. Then at a social gathering he meets Simone DuRoche and his life changes whether he wishes it or not. Their moment of impropriety results in a marriage he feels trapped into. If that's not enough, he's forced to admit that perhaps the whispers of Simone's sanity may be true, after all what sort of person talks to themselves? This all falls to the wayside when he is forced to realize that Simone means more to him then he's comfortable with and that she could be in danger. Nicholas protects what is his and Simone...is his.

Marriage to the guarded Nicholas is not easy for Simone who is torn by the passion she feels for him and the secrets that seem to keep them apart. When she learns the truth about her brother's death and the secrets her family has kept buried finally see the light of day, she knows whatever progress she has made in securing the marriage neither of them wanted from the beginning but one that has become very important to her is in jeopardy. Nicholas makes her want things she never thought possible and she will do what she must to make sure he never suffers from being forced to marry her. Will these two people find the love and happiness they both so richly deserve or will evil take it away from them?

This was an amazing follow up to "The Warrior!" Ms. Grothaus has crafted another set of characters the reader will instantly fall in love with. Secondary characters are a fine addition and the reader will love the fact they get to reacquaint themselves with Tristan and Haith. This is a stand alone read so fear not if you have not picked up her previous title although you will find yourself looking for her backlist. The setting, time period, and characters all blend together into a seamless tapestry of romance and magic. Ms. Grothaus is a very talented writer and I can hardly wait for her next effort. I highly recommend you add this to your summer reading list...you won't be sorry.

This is a very clever, well plotted novel set in the perfect time period of medieval England. At this time, belief in the supernatural is a deadly risk, women are bought and sold in the marriage trade for flat-out amounts of gold and family ties--as well as careful and politically cultivated ties to the royal court--matters of life and death. SO with such a lot of great writing going on--what's the problem? For my taste, there are at least two characters, who while absolutely needing to make their presence a key plot point, are just annoying as heck. Basically, these necessary characters ruined this story for me, although the author has earned an auto-buy on her next work.

The Champion is cleverly written with a new twist to historical romance. The characters are charming, witty, endearing and sometimes exasperating. I loved how the little brother constantly interrupted Simone and Nicholas at the MOST inopportune times JUST LIKE a LITTLE brother would!! I laughed at times and at others I rolled my eyes in exasperation. The author snares your emotions and reels you in! I had tears in my eyes and a heavy heart one moment while other times, I chewed my lip in anticipation. It was wonderful! The storyline took unpredictable turns that kept me turning pages. I didn't want to put it down. I will never look at feathers the same way again!