Joining [Paperback]

Johanna Lindsey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2000

The betrothal between beautiful, headstrong Milisant Crispin and handsome Wulfic de Thorpe has been announced, joining together two of the most powerful families in England. The combined power of their arranged union will be great enough to rival even the king's - so ambitious King John Plantagenet will do anything to prevent the marriage. Milisant and Wulfric are equally unhappy as they are forced to marry for dynastic reasons - but in spite of the unromantic reasons for their alliance and the political manoeuvrings behind the scenes, a grand passion soon unites them.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Setting: England, 1214
Sensuality Rating: 7

Wulfric de Thorpe was betrothed at age 13 to 6-year-old Milisant Crispin, daughter of his father's best friend--a "good" match for both families--but their first and only meeting was a disaster. They unwittingly injured each other when he was badly bitten by her falcon and Milisant received a broken ankle in the resulting chaos. Needless to say, the two have fiercely disliked each other ever since. Now 25, Wulfric reluctantly arrives at Dunburh Castle to claim his bride. To his dismay, he finds that although Milisant is now 19 and stunningly beautiful, she is still a sharp-tongued, untamed tomboy who refuses to obey her beloved father, dresses in male clothing, is an expert archer, and has a magic touch with animals of all sorts. Wulfric gloomily decides that his hope for a biddable lady wife is doomed. Just as pessimistic, Milisant fears that marriage to the handsome, powerful Wulfric will mean that "he would smother me, try to break me." Neither Milisant nor Wulfric want to wed, but the two can't bring themselves to refuse and disappoint their respective fathers.

Thrust into each other's company, a powerful attraction grows between them, despite their difficult past. But darker forces have political reasons for preventing the wedding, and they'll stop at nothing to succeed, including murdering Milisant. Will Wulfric be able to keep his new love alive long enough to marry her?

Peopled with complex and often colorful characters; set against the fascinating political background of King John's England; and enriched with a healthy dose of intrigue, passion, and conflict, Joining is another delightful novel from the prolific Lindsey. --Lois Faye Dyer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

An arranged marriage in medieval England eventually leads to love.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 439 pages
• Publisher: Transworld Paperbacks (December 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0552147818
• ISBN-13: 978-0552147811
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (114 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,738,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

johanna Lindsey is one of the most popular authors of romantic fiction, with more than sixty million copies of her novels sold. World renowned for her novels of "first-rate romance" (New York Daily News), Lindsey is the author of forty-three previous bestselling novels, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers. Lindsey lives in Maine with her family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So-So Romance Set in the Medieval Times, August 2, 2004

By 

Dakota "daxydakota" (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Joining (Mass Market Paperback)

I had to reread "Joining" twice before I rated it, simply because I couldn't make up my mind how I felt about it. I finally decided it was "alright" approaching "lackluster," especially in comparison to its marvelous prequel, "Defy Not the Heart."

A medieval romance, "Joining" is the story of tomboy Milisant and the knight Wulfric, betrothed since babies, who hate each other but are to be married in a month. With the ability to befriend any and all animals, Milisant desperately wishes she were a boy, and dresses that way. She loves to hunt with her bow and run around with dirt on her face. Wulfric is dark and brooding, and has a penchant for ordering Milisant around. At first, he prefers Milisant's most ladylike twin sister, Jhone, yet somehow he ends up falling for his uncouth bride-to-be.

I loved the relationship between Jhone and Milisant. In fact, I think this novel would have withered and died without it. There's real devotion between the two sisters; plus, wise Jhone gives excellent, witty advice to her wayward sister. Actually, I think I liked Jhone better than Milisant, which is sad. You're supposed to like the heroine. But Milisant as a heroine is an eyeball-rolling experience. She reminds me of a drama queen twelve-year old.

It's hard to feel much for Wulfric. He doesn't get too much story time, as most of "Joining" revolves around conversations between Milisant and Jhone.

The hatred between the two lovers-to-be is based on an experience that occurred when they were kids. It's an argument gone bad, with a dead bird and broken ankle thrown in. Most of it is just dopey. More hard feelings revolve around a distracting subplot with famous King John and a visit to the home of Reina & Ranulf of "Defy Not the Heart." I wish I could say Reina & Ranulf were fun to see again; unfortunately, they were so little used it's silly to call "Joining" a sequel.

All in all, "Joining" is fine is you've never read a Johanna Lindsey novel. It has its moments, with witty dialogue here and there and some interesting situations, but it's not great. It's way too women's lib (in the medieval times?!?) for me to stomach and lacks real passion (they don't even get it on until page 320).

I personally would prefer to read "Defy Not the Heart."

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars tripey trite, January 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Joining (Hardcover)

I thought this book was absolutely hopeless. Despite the description that Mill was supposed to be strong minded, I thought she never demonstrated this and especially at the end where she allowed herself to be bullied into agreeing with that bossy and self-important hero. Not very dignified, let alone romantic at all! J.L. has managed to maintain the dignity of her heroines in other books having a similar premise, such as "You Belong To Me" but "Joining" didn't allow this. Mill and Wulf only seemed to be obsessed with arguing about each other's habits in a flimsy attempt to substitute for plot. Lastly the word "joining" was used about every 5 pages for some reason. I found such repetition unnecessary and very annoying. If you must read this, get it from the library like I did. Not worth the $.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Johanna Lindsey's best work, March 8, 2000

By 

"kathids" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Joining (Hardcover)

Although I'm a big fan of JL, I would suggest waiting until the paperback is out. Don't spend the money on the hardcover version, it's not worth it. It's a pleasing story, but without any bite, and very little romance. On a scale of 1-10, Joining is a 5. Did Johanna actually write this?