Customer Reviews

Lord of My Heart

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Jo Beverly simply cannot write a bad story in my opinion, and Lord Of My Heart is no exception. This story takes place around the year 1066, the time of the invasion of England by William of Normandy.

The hero is half Norman, half Saxon and he identifies with both the conquering side and the conquered side. You can see the struggle in him as he tries to figure out which side he is on. So he disguises himself, and travels from village to village to give his saxon people any help he can. The heroine is a Norman Heiress who the hero is forced to marry. It is a marriage he does not want, because he believes the heroine is cruel and vicious to his people(Saxons) and he does not trust her. The heroine does not trust her new husband because she believes he is committing treason against the new king by planning a saxon uprising. Eventually, they learn to trust each other and realize they are in love.

Lord Of My Heart is a well written story that is original in its plot. Jo Beverly has once again created a story that is well researched and plotted out. For those who have read and liked this story, try one of Jo Beverly's other medeival romances. Dark Champion is another good one.

Judging from her earlier books, it is no wonder why romance maestro Jo Beverley is a 5-time winner of the coveted RITA and Lord of My Heart is yet another classic even if it lacks the heartening fun and audacity of My Lady Notorious.

It isn't a just comparison of course when the serious Lord Of My Heart is set in the pagaentry and chaos in the time era of 1065 Normandy where Norman conqueror William the Bastard ousted the Earl of Sussex to lay territorial claims on England after King Edward's demise. There lies the conflict of half Saxon-half Norman Aimery de Gaillard who pledges fealty to William but acknowledges his fraternity with English rebel Hereward. Aimery is torn between loyalty when he secretly and unwittingly helps the English populace as his disguised alter-ego Golden Hart battle injustices inflicted by powerful Norman landlords like Madeline de la Haute Vironge's uncle who rules Badderley with tyranny.

Madeline has to wed a lord to remove her uncle from her estate - and with a twist of fate she ends up choosing Aimery. Yet trust eludes them when Madeline fears that Aimery is a treasonous traitor and Aimery grips with rumors of Madeline's cruel facade behind her beguiling innocence.

Rich with historical details and majestic in its scope of war, betrayal and treachery, Lord Of My Heart sweeps the readers away with the period and embellishes it with a heartfelt romance that sparkles with wits and sensual delights. The clash of honours, familial ties and love evoke a powerful drama to rival the ferocious intensity of the swashbuckling extravaganza.

"I don't like you Madeline de la Haute Vironage. I don't want Baddersly. If you force me to marry you, I will make your life a misery." So says Aimery de Gaillard in Lord of My Heart, another great medieval by Jo Beverley.

Convent-bread Madeline heiress to a barony, is offered a choice by King William of three lords to wed. The King's choice is obvious, the powerful and honorable Aimery de Gaillard. By his own machinations, William hopes to help Madeline make the "right choice". There is just one problem, Madeline has given Aimery her solemn promise that she will not choose him. She suspects that he might be The Golden Hart, champion to the common English folk, and as such, a traitor to the crown. She soon realizes however, that the handsome Gaillard is her only choice.

Torn between his Norman and Saxon roots, Aimery must balance his love for the English people, and his duty as a Norman knight. He does not need or want the complications of a marriage to a Norman heiress, especially one he believes to be cruel and oblivious to the English peoples' sufferings. Aimery must keep his covert raids secret and does not trust Madeline; he is sure she will eventually betray him to the King. Though neither of them want it, their attraction for each other is strong and soon becomes an all-consuming love.

Jo Beverley once again brings the medieval world to life, and fills her story with rich and complex characters. I know you will enjoy this book. It is a must read for her fans; indeed any fan of this genre.

"I don't like you Madeline de la Haute Vironage. I don't want Baddersly. If you force me to marry you, I will make your life a misery." So says Aimery de Gaillard in Lord of My Heart, another great medieval by Jo Beverley.

Convent-bread Madeline heiress to a barony, is offered a choice by King William of three lords to wed. The King's choice is obvious, the powerful and honorable Aimery de Gaillard. By his own machinations, William hopes to help Madeline make the "right choice". There is just one problem, Madeline has given Aimery her solemn promise that she will not choose him. She suspects that he might be The Golden Hart, champion to the common English folk, and as such, a traitor to the crown. She soon realizes however, that the handsome Gaillard is her only choice.

Torn between his Norman and Saxon roots, Aimery must balance his love for the English people, and his duty as a Norman knight. He does not need or want the complications of a marriage to a Norman heiress, especially one he believes to be cruel and oblivious to the English peoples' sufferings. Aimery must keep his covert raids secret and does not trust Madeline; he is sure she will eventually betray him to the King. Though neither of them want it, their attraction for each other is strong and soon becomes an all-consuming love.

Jo Beverley once again brings the medieval world to life, and fills her story with rich and complex characters. I know you will enjoy this book. It is a must read for her fans; indeed any fan of this genre.

This is another of Jo Beverley's earlier novels written with just the right amount of sensual delight to heighten a romance lovers interest.

The period is quite early (1068) with the Norman conquest of England and William as the King.
Madeline de la Haute Vironge given a choice to wed one of three choices of King William. But the choice is and is not easy even if the handsome Aimery de Gaillard were not her hearts desire. She has every reason to fear him and he has reason to hate her. Or so one would think..

Oh, were it not for the authors pen to write such misunderstandings between two people so destined to be together.

Another beautiful story one has come to expect from the pen of Jo Beverley. Try to find a copy and read it.

The only thing that keep this from 5 stars is the time period - and the history is rather confusing. HOWEVER the characters are every bit as deep and as wonderful as in every other Beverley novel. She is amazing the way she writes. Aimery was so believalby torn between his Saxon and Norman roots, this his wife had such a difficult time knowing where his loyalites lied and thus she just wrongly believed she could not trust him. However Madeline wanted to trust him, and she so wanted to give into her heart, because oh my her heart really loved this man. Actually Aimery was having a more difficult time trusting Madeline because so many things prior to their marriage pointed wrongly to her being a horrible person. Slowly very slowly this couple comes together beautifully - and even though it is back in this boring, horrible time period it still is a beautiful love story. Beverly writes at the end of the book her dislike of this time period because there was so much strife and unrest - she recognizes the difficulty of having such a beautiful book written about it. But true to her great abilities she gives Aimery and Madeline - a wonderful deserving love story!!

This is another example of the difference in my taste for romance & that of a large number of others. JB, as usual, wrote a wonderful story rich in history. I realise that thousands of people would really love this story. Alas, it's not my kind of love story.
The story was set in 1068 during the invasion of England by William ...of Normandy. It is a romance but the story is full of war, betrayal, & the horrible realistic everyday life of the people that lived during that time. I don't care to read about that much realism... I'm one of those that want to escape from those type of horrible realities - not into them. Reading about mutilation & inhumane punishments are just not my cup of tea. Unfortunately, I picked this up after reading her Malloren series & was unpleasantly surprised.
Another thing that wasn't to my taste was the often told story of mistrust between the hero & heroine. They met, fell in love (& lust of course) - the great misunderstandings took place & they alternated between lust & turning cold shoulders to each other - almost til the end of the story. I got really disgusted with both of them - often!
Anyway, JB is definitely a great author - however, I will have to be more careful of her books that I choose to read; I was sad & sickened by the reality of those times through-out almost all of this book. But, I do want to stress that those of you that like a well written story rich in history (and can handle brutality) may very well love this story

This story, set in 1060s England is a seamless blend of romance, history, and passion. Normandy has invaded the English and the land is in turmoil. Aimery de Gaillard, half English and half Norman, help aid the English peasants under the thumb of Norman overlords and becomes known as "Golden Hart". He's distinguishable by markings on his hand, though he tries desperately to disguise himself at all times. He comes upon Madeleine de la Haute Vironge in the woods. She was caught looking upon him as he bathed and he seeks to teach her a lesson. Speaking English he tells her what he would do to her, though she doesn't understand a word. This first meeting lays the foundation of their very passionate, sensual relationship.
When the King decides to give Madeline a choice of 3 men she may choose to marry and Aimery is one of them she finds once again she is drawn to him. Though this time not as Golden Hart, but as the King's favored choice. Aimery warns her not to choose him, because to do so would expose him as Golden Hart and a traitor of the crown. For circumstances I will not reveal in this review, she does choose him and they marry much to the delight of the reader. It doesn't end there so hold onto your seats!

This story is a masterpiece. Not only is it set in one of my favorite time periods, the dark and turbulent early 1060s, but it is does not hold back. Jo Beverly serves up a heavy weight punch and this book is a classic.

Let me please begin by saying I am a huge fan of Jo Beverley's work. I have read (actually "devoured") her Malloren series and the Company of Rogues series. Absolutely splendid, every one of 'em. Ms. Beverley has created characters which excite the mind, stir the sensual, and awaken the soul. My senses are awakened and my mind is satisfied after completing her books...until I ran into Lady Madeleine in "Lord of my Heart." I wanted to love this book also, but by Chapter 10, I lost interest due to Madeleine's obstreperous, stubborn character. However I plugged on, having decided to give this "heroine" another chance. Finally, by Chapter 19, I gave up. I no longer cared if Madeleine could get over herself, and make a loving marriage with Aimery. In real life, I have known people like Madeleine: inflexible, self-centered, obsessively convinced of the rightness of their way of thinking, even when presented with evidence to the contrary. So now I am wondering whether to try reading the remaining Medieval books I own...if they begin well, I might but if I run into the makings of another Lady Madeleine, fare thee well. Oh, you do get an excellent lesson in English history...

In general, I love the 'forced marriage' story. I quite liked it this time, too. Madeline was a good heroine, beautiful, spirited, strong, yet she knew when to give in and act reasonably. I also loved their first (and second) meeting:). Their 'big misunderstanding' was solved a bit too rushly, though. There could be a bit more explaining about it. The pregnant queen was boring. I would prefer to see them in their castle, getting to know each other. And they were a bit young (or maybe it's just that I'm getting old...). But all in all, this was a beautiful story about love in troubled times. I recommend it!