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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best of her trilogy, May 5, 2000
The trilogy of books Elizabeth Lowell wrote about medieval age passion are wonderful, but of the three, Enchanted is definitely the best! Arianne is trying to decide if the person to die on her marriage night should be her husband-to-be Simon, or herself. The marriage of convenience between Simon and Arianne, with lust but not love on his side, and fear (thanks to being raped by her former betrothed and then betrayed by the men she trusted most) but some yearning she cannot describe on her part, leads to the hottest seduction and a fiery union that can show them both that love can cure everything that is wrong with their past. But first they must risk everything... A must-read. Elizabeth, I'm still waiting for a book on Erik, and probably another on Sven. These two characters cannot be left without us knowing how they end up, and with whom.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Romance Flourishes In 12th Century England!, October 26, 2003
Elizabeth Lowell is frequently asked why she departed from the western and contemporary romance genres, which have been so successful for her, to write the medieval trilogy "Untamed," "Forbidden" and "Enchanted." She and her husband are both of Scots descent. On one of their visits to Scotland they had extra time to explore off the beaten path and, by chance, discovered the ancient ruins of a castle constructed in the 12th century. The castle had once belonged to her husband's clan, the Maxwells. Ms. Lowell and her husband then traveled to a town that had a museum devoted to the Maxwells and discovered that her family clan, the Charteris and her husband's, the Maxwell's, were linked through marriage for over nine hundred years. When Ms. Lowell found this out she decided to write a series based on medieval warriors and the women they loved. Simon the Loyal and Ariane the Betrayed wed in order to bring peace to the Disputed Land, the border land between England and Scotland. Simon is attracted to Ariane, but does not believe in love. Ariane has suffered a brutal rape, a family betrayal and is deeply scarred. She cannot bear to be touched. The plot is driven by the conflict in the marriage, Simon's gentle wooing of Ariane and her refusal to tell him the truth about her past. The novel brings back characters from Ms. Lowell's previous books: Duncan the warrior and his beloved Amber the Learned, Lord Dominic le Sabre, called the Glendruid Wolf, and Lady Margaret, Lord Erik, etc., but it is not necessary to read the other books in the series to appreciate this one. All the characters, their pasts and interactions are fully explained. There is mystery here, and magic, betrayal and deception, and tremendous chemistry between Simon and Ariane. Elizabeth Lowell has written an enchanting tale of lasting love and remarkable courage. I am not a big fan of medieval romance, but I am a big Elizabeth Lowell fan - which is why I read this novel. I was intrigued by the magic lore of the Learned people included here, as well as the ring of sacred stones and the legend of the rowan tree that can be seen in bloom only by true lovers. This is one of Ms. Lowell's most sensuous stories and most entertaining reads.
JANA
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is my favorite book by this author, September 5, 2005
I am a huge fan of Elizabeth Lowell's historical romances. My first book was Only Mine. This is my favorite book.
I love the Middle Ages and Elizabeth brings to life the fueding/disputes over land, the intrigue, and the mysticism that was prevalent at this time.
We follow the journey of Simon, the more hard-hearted--and hard-headed--of the three men in this series (Dominic, Duncan, and Simon). Simon is drawn to Ariane though she is supposed to be Duncan's wife, but when Duncan conveniently marries Amber, Simon is able to marry Ariane.
But there are two things that Simon doesn't know about Ariane when he marries her: she's considered a witch and she has vowed never to sleep with a man because of a previous rape. So, Simon goes into the marriage hoping that Ariane is not as frigid as she seems and thinking he'll at least get children out of the deal. Of course, it soon becomes apparent that Ariane would rather die than sleep with anyone--even Simon, who is the only man that Ariane has ever trusted in her life.
To add to the intrigue, you have the threat of Ariane's father, marauders raiding near-by lands, a harem-girl bent on seducing Simon, a mystical stone ring with a mysterious past, and a witchy magical dress that has plans of it's own...
I love the mystery, the magic, the passion, and the determination of two people who have been bruised and battered by life, but who are still willing to love each other anyway. It has been appropriately named: the book is full of enchantments. It's a fabulous read.
If this is your first book by Elizabeth Lowell, I highly recommend reading all three books (Untamed, Forbidden, and Enchanted). I read Forbidden first, then this one and then realized that the first one was Untamed. I only wish that Ms. Lowell had written a book about Erik, the fourth lord in these books. But, at least we have these three!
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