The Innocent [Paperback]

Bertrice Small (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 1999

To open up a novel by Bertrice Small is to surrender to the deepest longings of the heart. In her sensational bestsellers, she sweeps us to the far corners of the globe and into the most sensual places of desire. Now in The Innocent, she takes us to the wild Welsh borderlands of England, where a young beauty ready to embrace her religious vows becomes the pawn of desperate men. . . .

Deceptively fragile-looking, Eleanore of Ashlin had promised her life to God . . . until fate intervened. With her brother's untimely death, Eleanore--known as Elf to those who love her--becomes the heiress of an estate vital to England's defenses. She is ordered by royal command to wed one of the king's knights rather than take her final vows. With resistant heart, but ever obedient to King Stephen's will, she complies.

Ranulf de Glandeville is all too aware that his innocent bride wants no man; yet his patience, gentle hand, and growing love for his spirited young wife soon awaken Eleanore to passions she never knew, or desired . . . until now.

But their love is not secure from the wicked schemes of an evil woman who hates Eleanore with all her black heart--and she will seek to destroy the innocent in a depraved plot that will put Eleanore's life in jeopardy and her  faith in love to its greatest test. . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

Eleanore of Ashlin is only days from taking her final vows as a nun when she is called to her brother's deathbed. Elf, as she is known to her friends, hasn't seen her brother Robert de Montfort since he took her to the convent of St. Frideswide when she was five years old. Robert left his sister in the care of the nuns because the family of his betrothed didn't think it was fair for her to raise Robert's sister. Now, as Robert lays dying after being poisoned by the woman he loved, Elf returns to her home of Ashlin. Since Robert's wife has been unable to give Robert an heir, the lands of Ashlin will belong to Elf now. Upon taking her vows, Elf intends to give all her belongings, including Ashlin, to the convent. Ashlin is key to England's security, however, and King Stephen wants the land to be controlled by someone he trusts. Therefore, he orders Eleanore to marry one of his knights. Always obedient, Elf forsakes her religious vows to marry Ranulf de Glandeville. Ranulf is happy to have land of his own as well as a beautiful young wife. He is gentle and patient with her and he hopes that their marriage of necessity will become one of love and passion. While Elf and Ranulf are getting to know each other as husband and wife, there are those who seek to destroy their happiness and despoil the lovely, innocent Elf. The Innocent is a tantalizing read with a very appealing hero and heroine. Set against the backdrop of the wildness of the Welsh borderlands of England, this story of good versus evil will captivate readers. The Innocent is classic Bertrice Small and fans will not be disappointed in her latest tale of romance. Sizzling romance and authentic history. Bertrice Small continues to prove herself worthy of the title Queen of Sensuality! The Innocent is a keeper! Get swept away by Bertrice Small- you won't be disappointed! Bertrice Small is back and better than ever! The name Bertrice Small is synonymous with passionate, historical romance! Kristina Wright -- Copyright © 1999 Literary Times, Inc. All rights reserved -- From Literary Times

From the Inside Flap

To open up a novel by Bertrice Small is to surrender to the deepest longings of the heart. In her sensational bestsellers, she sweeps us to the far corners of the globe and into the most sensual places of desire. Now in The Innocent, she takes us to the wild Welsh borderlands of England, where a young beauty ready to embrace her religious vows becomes the pawn of desperate men. . . .

Deceptively fragile-looking, Eleanore of Ashlin had promised her life to God . . . until fate intervened. With her brother's untimely death, Eleanore--known as Elf to those who love her--becomes the heiress of an estate vital to England's defenses. She is ordered by royal command to wed one of the king's knights rather than take her final vows. With resistant heart, but ever obedient to King Stephen's will, she complies.

Ranulf de Glandeville is all too aware that his innocent bride wants no man; yet his patience, gentle hand, and growing love for his spirited young wife soon awaken Eleanore to passions she never knew, or desired . . . until now.

But their love is not secure from the wicked schemes of an evil woman who hates Eleanore with all her black heart--and she will seek to destroy the innocent in a depraved plot that will put Eleanore's life in jeopardy and her  faith in love to its greatest test. . . .

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (March 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449001806
• ISBN-13: 978-0449001806
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,744,972 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bertrice Small is a New York Times bestselling author with more than 34 novels in print. She lives in the oldest English-speaking town in New York state. Her website is bertricesmall.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Eleanor was true to herself and others., October 12, 1999

By 

KAT "bandbeast_2" (North TX, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Innocent (Paperback)

I take Elf's innocence as an occupational requirement of her chosen vocation along with her virginity. I had no idea that she was such a strong character, especially when she dealt with her evil sister-in-law Isleen. Elf was everything that Isleen wasn't, that's what made the story so interesting. Despite Isleen's schemes to ruin Eleanor and Aschlin, Eleanor always came out the victor. The story flowed easily, so easily in fact that I couldn't put it down. A must read for die hard Bertrice Small fans.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The power of the magic virgin hoo-hah, April 11, 2007

By 

Charlene Vickers (Winnipeg, Manitoba) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Innocent (Paperback)

You will enjoy "The Innocent" if:

- you believe that a woman who has spent most of her life in a convent will react to an attempted rape by worrying over the condition of the rapist;

- you think that women who enjoy sex are by definition evil, and that evil women can be shown to be even more evil if they're shown to be sexually adventurous;

- you think a medieval virgin will become an instant sex kitten when her One True Love takes her to bed;

- you believe the word "innocent" means "dumb as a sack of hammers";

- you feel that the attempted rape and subsequent marriage and bedding of a fourteen-year-old girl *by the same man* is romantic and/or erotic; and

- you believe that an unrepentant attacker will suddenly turn into a tender, loving romance hero with one touch of a virgin's hoo-hah.

If you don't believe all these things, I advise you to stay far away from this insulting, misogynistic throwback of a book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Despite a few problems, overall a sweet love story, November 9, 2006

By 

Sarah E. Oliver "biogirl50" (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Innocent (Mass Market Paperback)

There have been some harsh criticisms of this book, and some I agree with. It is true that the heroine is only 14/15 years old for most of the book. I had a difficult time with that. Even though I realize that is probably realistic for the time period, I eventually had to just put it out of my mind to be able to get involved with the love story. It is also true that some of the scenes between the villain characters are unpleasant. I cringed at some of the more aggressive sex scenes, but I can also understand that they are meant to show the nature of these individuals.

But the reason I ultimately really liked this book was the main characters. I just really liked Elf and Ranulf. Some say that they are written "too perfect" and that is unrealistic and/or boring. I actually found the exact opposite to be true. So often in romance novels the hero and/or heroine make choices that are selfish, rude, and misguided. These two characters are genuine, patient, kind, loving, and gentle. More than once in the story, Ranulf did or said something that caught me by surprise with its sweetness because in a typical romance novel, the hero would have said or done the complete opposite. Something jerky or mean or antagonistic. I found that a refreshing change from most books of this genre.

Overall, I really liked this book. The good characters are really good, and the bad characters are really evil.... except of course for one of the main villains who shows that it's never too late for redemption.