Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific Out-of-the-Box Historical, May 5, 2008
This review is from: The Legacy (Mass Market Paperback)
If you're looking for something different in a historical romance, THE LEGACY may be for you. With rich, relatable characters, a fascinating -- and very different -- early German setting, and an intelligent plot, this book quickly drew me in and held me fast until I finished.
After escaping a convent (a daring plan from a real-life plot involving Martin Luther and a nun he later married), Baronesse Sabina von Ziegler goes to her adoptive father's castle to claim her inheritance. But the baron has other plans for Sabina's legacy, so he marries her off to Wolfgang Behaim, a widowed printer who's coerced into the deal. Though both are initially unwilling, their marriage of necessity slowly and believably evolves into a real one, against a backdrop of religious upheaval and a deadly peasant revolt.
I never imagined I could enjoy learning about sixteenth-century Germany, but that's the gift of a good historical -- and exactly what will have me watching eagerly for T.J. Bennett's next book, THE PROMISE, in May 2009.
Very highly recommended.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning debut, May 13, 2008
This review is from: The Legacy (Mass Market Paperback)
TJ Bennett's premier novel is an unqualified joy to read. Set during Martin Luther's reformation movement of the 1500's, the historical research never intrudes on the story, but serves only to add texture to the setting; background for the heroine's struggle and goal.
The writing is so tight, each and every one of the four hundred fifty-five pages seems to fly by.
Banished to a convent by her step-father, as many `inconvenient' women were in that day, the Baronesse escapes and returns to claim an inheritance left her by her mother. She wants only that. Her plan is to establish a place for others like herself; nuns who hadn't the calling, but who were pressed into service against their will. A farm where they could be self-sufficient and live in peace, perhaps.
Instead, she's thrown into the dungeon and tortured by the man who'd raised her, until she agrees to an arranged marriage...to a commoner. Still, she begs only her inheritance, her legacy, unaware her evil parent has bartered it.
Master Behaim needs funds to settle his dead father's debts, but more than that, he needs the Baron to keep what else he knows to himself. Blackmail is hardly grounds for a solid marriage, but he would protect his father's name. He'd fulfill his part in this devil's bargain then allow the woman to return to her cloister.
TJ is a uniquely skilled writer. The story is rich with character, plot and intrigue. And of course, romance! Don't miss it!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Romance and history!, April 17, 2008
This review is from: The Legacy (Mass Market Paperback)
When Baronesse Sabina von Ziegler escapes from the convent in which her stepfather, Baron von Ziegler, had her imprisoned after a youthful indiscretion, all she wants is to collect the legacy left her by her mother. She has plans for that money. Unfortunately, so does the Baron. Sabina finds herself imprisoned once more, this time in von Zeigler's dungeon, starved and beaten until she agrees to marry a commoner of his choosing.
Wolf Behaim, a hard-working and successful printer, a still-grieving widower with a small daughter, and the grandson of peasants, is no more eager to marry than Sabina is, but Baron von Ziegler has made him an offer he can't refuse, not without revealing a secret that will destroy his family.
Hardly a solid foundation for marriage, even in 1525, but Sabina and Wolf's predicament leads them to discoveries about each other, about themselves, and about the secrets that haunt their pasts, discoveries that will either change their lives or break their hearts.
Sabina and Wolf are strong, engaging, well-drawn characters who will pull you into their story, set against the early days of the Reformation in Germany. If you enjoy historical romance in which the history matters, you will certainly love The Legacy.
The Legacy is TJ Bennett's excellent debut novel. I'm already looking forward to her next book from Medallion, The Promise, the story of Wolf's soldier-brother, Günter. I hope the third Behaim brother, Peter, will be back with his own tale, too.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
