13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another DeWare lord to love!, August 11, 2002
This review is from: My Hero (Knights of de Ware) (Paperback)
A marriage of convenience to the eighteen year-old Cynthia le Wyte brings life back into the elderly John Wendeville. The feeble lord knows he is dying, but he wants a companion in his final years. Cynthia is so much more than he asked for. She is a vibrant lover who brings him unexpected pleasure and fills his days with joy and happiness. Her healing herbs and potions extend his life and give them two beautiful years together. Lord John adores his young wife and before taking his last breath he makes her swear to keep a promise that will affect her future - a future a greedy Wendeville abbot hopes to change.
The gaunt abbot is absolutely livid when he learns Lord John bequeathed the small Charing Castle to him. He'd courted the old man almost like a lover and expected to be his heir before the harlot arrived and changed everything. He will have his revenge and it will begin by selecting the new chaplain for her castle. Ah yes, he knows just the right cleric - one who won't interfere with his plans - the pitiful Garth de Ware.
Garth trained as a knight along with his brothers and is able to handle a sword and defend in battle, but when he fails to hold a castle for his brother Holden he decides to return to the church. Garth is temporarily sidetracked and instead of the church, he worships Mariana, a woman devoted to sexual pleasures. Mariana manages to shred the inexperienced youth of all of his masculinity and the humiliated young man vows never to shame himself with a woman ever again. He hides beneath a heavy wool robe and enters a poor monastery to insure that he doesn't. Poor misguided Garth - he may have lost his spirit, but not his hot-blooded male body. He has lustful dreams nightly resulting in torturous penance daily. The prior believes Garth is wasting away in the monastery, and is almost relieved when the Wendeville Abbot asks that Garth replace him as chaplain at Wendeville - a request that makes Garth freak out!
The instant Garth is introduced to the castle, Cynthia senses she's met him before, and soon recognizes him as the fifteen year old she vowed to marry when she was a young lady all of eleven. Her memories flood back to the day in his mother's enchanted garden when the handsome young knight enchanted her. Garth's memories of that day are suppressed, but future circumstances will bring them back. Meanwhile, the young man is about to learn he isn't meant to become a monk.
Glynnis Campbell delivers a masterpiece set in the medieval era. MY HERO has quite an unusual plot, featuring a would-be monk as the hero, but WOW! What a hero Garth de Ware turns out to be! Both Garth and Cynthia are adults, but still innocents, a fact that causes them to misunderstand each other's reactions. The evil Abbot moves the plot along and before it's over the entire de Ware clan from the previous stories in this trilogy (MY CHAMPION, MY WARRIOR) will make an appearance. Ohhh, when I read this scene I was reminded of movies I saw years ago. I felt like stomping, clapping, and standing up to whistle and cheer YES! What a grand finale to a glorious medieval tale. And to make a fabulous story even better, Glynnis Campbell adds an epilogue that adds the finishing crown to a masterpiece of writing. MY HERO - I loved it! Loved it!
Carol Carter, As posted on Romance Reviews Today
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
exciting historical romance, July 7, 2002
This review is from: My Hero (Knights of de Ware) (Paperback)
In 1329 eleven years old Cynthia le Wyte accompanies her father as he visits the de Ware brood on estate business. After two days of torture from the older de Ware siblings, Cynthia finds solace in a garden. She is unaware that her haven serves as the getaway of the youngest de Ware, Garth. When the girl reaches for a flower, Garth comes out of nowhere to stop her, but is too late as honeybees sting Cynthia. Gently, he uses his knife to remove the stingers from her. Cynthia vows that she will marry her hero.
Almost a decade later, Cynthia is elated that her hero is coming to her family's castle. Her joy turns into shock when Garth arrives as the new lay chaplain. However, the temptation of Cynthia is difficult to avoid so he behaves nastily, but she refuses to accept that the kind soul who once saved her could have changed so much. As he watches her nurture her people, Garth falls in love with his heroine, but an unknown individual has different plans for them that could end tragically without a miracle intervening.
The third de Ware tale (see MY WARRIOR and MY CHAMPION) is an exciting historical romance that shines a powerful light on the fourteenth century by focusing on several major issues including community health and alleged witchcraft. The enticing lead couple hooks the audience from the moment a little Cynthia looks into Garth's eyes with trust. Though Garth seems typical of the novels of this period with his mirthless soul, Cynthia lightens the tone and eventually him. Glynnis Campbell provides an exciting tale.
Harriet Klausner
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unusual and exciting medieval!, August 12, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: My Hero (Knights of de Ware) (Paperback)
Garth de Ware comes from a family of warriors, but he thinks himself less than a man and turns to the Church. Lady Cynthia le Wyte has loved Garth since childhood and considers him her hero. It takes a special kind of woman to show this man the way to worldly love, but Cynthia is up to the challenge. The last quarter of this book is the most exciting I've ever read--I stayed up 'til 3:00 am to finish it, unable to sleep until Garth and Cynthia had found their happy ending. If you think you won't like a romance with an ex-monk for a hero--think again. Glynnis Campbell's book will make you wish there were more writers willing to tell a fresh and different type of story!
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