The Maiden Bride [Mass Market Paperback]

Linda Needham (Author)

Book Description

Series: Avon Romantic Treasure | Publication Date: April 4, 2000

Widowed, Lady Eleanor arrives at the castle of the husband she never met, ruthlesswarlord Nicholas Bayard. As she explores, a huge shadow overtakes her in the darkness of the tower: an intruder who commands her to leave his castle. Eleanor informs him that she is the wife of the late Lord Nicholas. Shocked to realize that the bride he'd thought had died in the Plague is not only alive, but beautiful and bold, Nicholas hides his identity. But Eleanor is a temptation he cannot resist, and when she learns his true identity, she shows him that love is the greatest miracle of all.Widowed, Lady Eleanor arrives at the castle of the husband she never met, ruthless warlord Nicholas Bayard. As she explores, a huge shadow overtakes her in the darkness of the tower: an intruder who commands her to leave his castle. Eleanor informs him that she is the wife of the late Lord Nicholas. Shocked to realize that the bride he'd thought had died in the Plague is not only alive, but beautiful and bold, Nicholas hides his identity. But Eleanor is a temptation he cannot resist, and when she learns his true identity, she shows him that love is the greatest miracle of all.Widowed, Lady Eleanor arrives at the castle of the husband she never met, ruthless warlord Nicholas Bayard. As she explores, a huge shadow overtakes her in the darkness of the tower: an intruder who commands her to leave his castle. Eleanor informs him that she is the wife of the late Lord Nicholas. Shocked to realize that the bride he'd thought had died in the Plague is not only alive, but beautiful and bold, Nicholas hides his identity. But Eleanor is a temptation he cannot resist, and when she learns his true identity, she shows him that love is the greatest miracle of all.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Linda Needham has the ability to mix laughter with tears to touch a reader's heart." -- Romantic Times

"Linda Needham has the ability to mix laughter with tears to touch a reader's heart."

-- -- Romantic Times

"Sheer delight! Linda Needham creates the most dashing, romantic heroes I've ever read." -- Lisa Kleypas, author ofSomeone to Watch Over Me

"Sheer delight! Linda Needham creates the most dashing, romantic heroes I've ever

read."

-- -- Lisa Kleypas, author of Someone to Watch Over Me

About the Author

Linda Needham won the 1995 RWA Golden Heart Award for her first book, For

My Lady's Kiss. She lives in Hillsboro, Oregon.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (April 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380796368
• ISBN-13: 978-0380796366
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,737,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner from Linda Needham!, April 13, 2000

By 

Barbara Deane - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Maiden Bride (Mass Market Paperback)

Linda Needham's latest book from Avon, The Maiden Bride, is a wonderful medieval and sure to please all of her fans out there who wait patiently, and not-so-patiently, for each of Linda's newest books. It will also attract more fans over to Linda's camp because of the beautifully crafted prose, the dark and brooding hero and a wonderfully intelligent, independent, and practical heroine - my favorite kind!

Lady Eleanor Bayard was married by proxy to William Nicholas Bayard, although she had never met him. When she learns of his death following the great plague, she decides to assert her rightful claim as his widow to Faulkhurst Castle. Granted this property by her craft king, she takes her little ragtag band of misfits across the countryside to the Northwest Coast of England to her deserted, crumbling castle. Eleanor knows the castle is in need of a lot of work and a lot of people to fill it and the surrounding village, so she plants the seeds of gossip along her trek. By leaving hints that the new Lady of Faulkhurst will be tithing to her tenants for five years, instead of the other way around, Eleanor is able to attract more and more misfits to join her. However, the greatest misfit of all is waiting for her deep in the shadows of the castle - "Nicholas," who agrees to be her steward when he can't scare her off, but who is really her tormented husband.

Nicholas has pledged himself to complete the rebuilding of the chapel at Faulkhurst before he dons a monks robes and sentences himself to life in a monastery. He is doing a self-imposed penance for the terrible life he led which he believes resulted in the plague that took the life of his young, illegitimate son. He does not want to have anything to do with Eleanor, even more so after he discovers she is his wife, but he cannot leave her to endanger herself or the children and innocents with which she surrounds herself by letting her live in the ramshackle castle. So, he takes on the role of steward and starts to set to rights the very destruction that he himself wrought on the castle and its belongings.

Even with such a dark, brooding hero, there is so much humor in the interactions between Eleanor and Nicholas that I found myself laughing out loud. She is a feisty and intelligent woman; Nicholas has had little contact with such females in his life of battle and decadence. He is headstrong and opinionated about the way his castle should be run, but doesn't want to reveal his identity to his wife. She is headstrong herself, but also optimistic and genuinely good-hearted. The various thieves and cutthroats that show up at the doors of the castle, in answer to Eleanor's prayers for tradesmen, make for an entertaining little troupe of secondary characters.

The sexual tension in this story is wonderful, especially because the hero and heroine become friends and develop a strong sense of trust and affection before they ever get to a bed. In fact, Eleanor's concern that her unconsummated marriage puts her claim to the castle at risk creates some humorous and tense moments for Nicholas.

Those of you who know and love Linda's work will not be disappointed by The Maiden Bride. If you haven't read any of her books, but are a lover of medieval, historical or just general romance, please pick this one up. It's sure to bring a smile to your face, a tear to your eye, and a quick pit-pat to your heart. Great work, Linda! Barb Deane Copyrightc 1999, Barb's All Romance Book Store. All rights reserved

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, April 11, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Maiden Bride (Mass Market Paperback)

In 1351 England, Lady Eleanor Bayard learns she is a widow even though she never met her spouse, having married him by proxy. Eleanor thinks her husband died in Calais. Needing a place to live, Eleanor travels to the Faulkhurst Castle, former home of her late spouse.

Lord Nicholas Bayard feels guilt over never meeting his wife, let alone sharing a wedding night with her. He believes she died from the plague. He is wandering all over his rundown castle when Eleanor arrives. She thinks he is an unemployed knight and offers the angst-laden Nicholas a job as her steward. He is shocked by her positive, uplifting attitude, but hides his identity from her because he feels he has no time for a wife in his present circumstances. However, as Nicholas and Eleanor fall in love, he wonders what will happen to his heart when she learns of his deception.

Medieval romance readers will long relish Linda Needham's touching tale, THE MAIDEN BRIDE. The story line is fast-paced and filled with the nuances of mid fourteenth century English life. The lead couple is a delightful compassionate pair whose droll repartees will give much pleasure to sub-genre fans.

Harriet Klausner

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Maiden Bride, an exceptional Medieval, May 12, 2000

By 

Judith B. Glad (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Maiden Bride (Mass Market Paperback)

A woman who believes in everyday miracles and a man who has lost all hope work together to rebuild an estate wasted by the Black Death. Married by proxy, Lady Eleanor is a widow without having been a wife and she only wants to make a home for herself and the rag-tag group of survivors she has collected. Her isolated inheritance is empty and neglected, the shabby castle haunted by a man sickened by too much war, too much death. Nicholas insists on acting as her steward, not revealing that he is her husband, for as soon as he fulfills a pledge, he will enter a monastery for a lifetime of penance. But Eleanor's belief that there is a core of good in every heart overpowers his guilt and shows him that even the most wicked sinner can be redeemed by love.

Needham's characters come alive, her dialogue sings, and the emotional impact of her story keeps you turning pages until the satisfying, poignant last scene, when you wish there was more to read.