Customer Reviews

FAIREST OF THEM ALL

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I enjoyed this book immensely. Holly a beauty refuses marriage proposals from countless suitors. Her father decides to host a tournament where the bravest and strongest will have her for his bride. Holly, together with her nurse, concocts a scheme to make her completely undesirable. After her father introduces her to the crowd, many would be fighters leave and only two are willing to fight for her. Austyn of Gavenmore and Euguene 'something' (This guy's a jerk. Therefore, I didn't bother to remember his name) Austyn feels beautiful women are a curse to Gavenmore men so he doesn't care that she is ugly. He is interested in the large dowry that comes with her to restore his castle and pay back debt created by his ancestors. I'm not giving anything away here when I say he wins, that is obvious. She decides to continue hiding her beauty hoping he will leave her alone as she has heard terrible things about the consummation of the marriage. A woman with outer beauty (albeit hidden) attempts to win her man's love via inner beauty, her heart. It is a wonderful story. The ending is much better than I had hoped for.

I fell in love with both of the main characters of this book and the time in which they lived. It was like a Disney movie setting with a few twists and a hero and heroine who did exactly what I wanted them to do. The hero was very different from the run of the mill rn hero because he was attracted to the heroine when he thought that she was totally ugly. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a wonderful read!

I bought two Teresa Medeiros books-- this one and 'The Bride and the Beast'. I read 'Bride' first, then this one, and was left with the conclusion that I may as well have just saved my money and read 'Bride' twice, since the plotlines of both were so similar! How many times can Ms Medeiros use these same twists in her stories-- the mad father, the woman locked in the tower, the man being a beast, etc.-- before she grows weary of recycling the same tired old plots? Don't get me wrong, Ms Medeiros is not a bad author. Sometimes her writing really grabs me, and several times I've caught myself laughing out loud at her witty japes. But there's not enough of this sparkling gold to outshine the dross and repitition, and I was left with that same feeling I experienced upon watching the first series of '24' on tv-- you know the one, when you wonder just how many times per episode the wife and daughter can get kidnapped! If Ms Medeiros can come up with some original plotlines (and stop using the word 'twas so often, which really got on my nerves by the thousandth repitition)and use a little more realism (you have to suspend logic rather too often whilst reading her books)then I think she'll be a really good writer. Until then, though, I wouldn't recommend her work very highly, unless you're really bored, or you fear change and enjoy the claustrophobic comfort of things always staying the same! More specifically, though, I wouldn't recommend her books if you have a problem with Stockholm Syndrome being used as a plot point, because it seems that the more the gals in Ms Medeiros's books get locked up and treated horribly, the more they fall in love with their men. This author seems very fond of the 'treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen' theory. If you find battered wives romantic, then this is for you!

However, if you want a gripping romance with decent plotlines about an intriguing hidden beauty, I would recommend Shana Abe's 'The Secret Swan' instead of this.

I initially gravitated towards this book because I'm a fan of fairytales written for adults. However, this oft-times disturbing tome is no fairytale! (Or not one of the happier ones, anyway.) Don't let the pleasant, benign, even witty beginning of the book convince you otherwise--it gets worse, fast. And don't think that it's full of fairytale magic and wonder, either, even though some reviews of the book give that impression. Other than the fairly ludicrous subplot about one of the 'hero' Austyn's forebears having had a failed romance with a fairy woman, who then cursed him and his male descendants throughout successive generations to hurt the women they loved, this is not a magical story set in any enchanted fairytale world. (Actually, to me the fairy's curse seemed like a weird, illogical thing--as an aggrieved woman herself, surely she would not want other women to suffer as she did, but rather would seek to hurt only the menfolk involved! To that end, cursing the men with something else, like ugliness, exceptionally bad body odour or heriditary gout, would have made far more sense than enacting a curse that doomed WOMEN!)

Another fault with this book is that it doesn't seem very historically accurate--in spite of the fact that it is supposed to be set in England in 1325, it really could have occurred in any other time or place. This author seems very lazy with her research and narrative: there is no real evidence in the book that the characters lived in 'ye olde England'--not in their speech, their manner or their lifestyles. Even worse, though, is the fact that the author tries to convince us that Austyn is Welsh. Shyeah, right, he's Welsh--about as Welsh as Coca Cola or koalas. If he's Welsh then I'm a Martian!

I'm usually quite a forgiving critic if I can see that the author at least had good intentions and gave it a damned good try. I'll even suspend logic on occasion, so long as I'm intrigued or well entertained by the storyline. But there's no forgiving this! It's lazily written, unrealistic, duplicitious of the author's other books, and expects us to believe that a woman will fall in love with a man who not only torments and humiliates her repeatedly, but then also imprisons and practically rapes her too. (Most of the sex scenes take part when the heroine is taken prisoner against her will by the hero!) If this were the subject of a text book about psychology then it might make compelling reading, lending us an insightful, heart-wrenching glimpse into why women stay with abusive partners. But this is supposed to be a light-hearted romance. A ROMANCE, goddammit! Forgive me if I didn't really find this book romantic. I'm just not that dumb.

I have just over the past year or so picked up Teresa Medeiros books, but, after this one, she is my new favorite! It was so funny at parts and at other times it was so heart wrenching! She certainly has a way with words. I truly hope that Carey gets his own book soon! He was such an excellent secondary character! I love Austyn! While a bit suspicious, he is such a great hero! Alot of people were so bent about the whole him locking Holly in the tower thing. This sort of thing more than likely did happen back in the day as Welsh people are known to be superstitious. It just didnt bother me all that much. Anyhow, this book is just so great!!! Holly was a great heroine! I loved how she wasnt afraid of Austyn one bit! I felt so many emotions reading this book, and that is what I look for! The whole first half of the book I was laughing out loud!!! To anyone who is thinking about a good book, this is one of the best that I have read in a long time!

"The Fairest of Them All"Was the best book I have ever read.I really didn't like romance books until now.First of all this book does not have a picture of a shirtless man groping a half naked women on the cover.Second,It didn't make such a big deal out of Holly's beauty as it could have.This book is basicly about a woman who is so subborn,she won't marry the man her father tells her to so she tries to make herself look so ugly that no man will want her.But she is mistaken,someone does want her,Sir Austyn of Gavenmore.Holly finds out about herself and the demons of Austyn's past.The ending was excellent and made me want a sequel.If you buy any romance book buy this one!

I am an absolute fan of Theresa Medeiros books. She chooses subject matters that are greatly appealing to me and writes with humor, candor, pathos, and good straight psychology.

This book was just a little bit edgy for me. I loved the mix of fairytale themes, which is present in every book of hers that I have read. This one featured the Princess held captive in the tower with echoes of 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Snow White'.

Much of it was delightful and funny as I have come to expect, but I found this book to be just a shade darker than usual. The hero's treatment of his lady was slightly sadistic and painful. While this was in keeping with the psychological makeup you would expect from someone with his ancestry, it was still dark reading.

However, it all comes right in a believable and enjoyable way. So if you can grit your teeth through the suffering, you will mostly enjoy the book.

As with most of Theresa's books the lovemaking is very explicit, extremely well written but not for the modest reader.

I'm not an avid romance reader (yet ^_^), but I picked up this one to help me pass the time on the commute to and from work. Much to my surprise, I found myself staying up late finish it! I haven't read all that many books in this genre, so I couldn't tell you how it rates specifically as a romance. But on its own merits, I thought it was pretty enjoyable and entertaining. The plot is well-developed and draws the reader in, although I did feel that there were some weak points - especially in the earlier interactions between Holly and Austyn. The two main characters are pretty interesting, but they lacked the depth that might've made me give this book the fifth star. The romantic scenes are pretty few and far between, so if you prefer more steamy writers like Stephanie Laurens, then this probably isn't for you. Some of the physical interactions might be a bit much for the more sensitive reader, although put in perspective with the time period, I suppose Holly could have received a lot worse treatment. Although Medeiros's character development could use some work, her ability to render a gripping plot is very much exemplified with this work. I especially liked her twist on the ugly-duckling theme, and enjoyed this book more for its overall plot rather than any aspect of romance it contained.

This is the first book by Teresa Medeiros, that my sister and I have read. We really enjoyed it.So now we are hunting for more.If I find an author who can put humour into a story, I will definitely recomend them. I am looking forward to reading more of her books.

Personally, I prefer the tension that builds between the hero and the heroine when each is desperately fighting the urge to fall head over heels in love. This was a fantastic read and I enjoyed every moment that Holly masqueraded as the ugly duckling. Her husband's rewards were even sweeter when he discovered a true beauty beneath her charade. Bravo Teresa Medeiros!

I read THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL in less than 24 hours! I have read almost all of Theresa Medeiros' books and this is one of my favorites. In her funny, heartwarming style, the author has put a delightful twist on the classic romance.