Winterbourne (Mass Market Paperback)

by Susan Carroll (Author) "THE WIND BUFFETED the gray stonework like some giant hand seeking to batter down Winterbourne, the one place in all England Lady Melyssan had found..." (more)
Key Phrases: Father Andrew, Sir Hugh, Father Hubert (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The glorious romance from the acclaimed author of The Bride Finder

"[An] enchanting love story . . . A real treasure."

--Affaire de Coeur

Beloved author Susan Carroll took the romance world by storm with her
captivating novel The Bride Finder, a spellbinding tale of magic, romance,
and legend that earned sensational praise from nationally bestselling
authors, booksellers, and fans everywhere. Now, in the classic love story
Winterbourne, Carroll's exquisite prose and breathless storytelling gift
come to life once more--in an irresistible, utterly gripping epic of
passion and defiance. . . .

In the harsh, turbulent Middle Ages, lovely Lady Melyssan remains as she
always has been--sweet, timid, and content to be alone. But in a desperate
move to resist the advances of the dreaded king, she claims to be married
to his worst enemy, Lord Jaufre de Macy, the legendary Dark Knight.

Seeking temporary shelter in Jaufre's abandoned castle, Winterbourne, she
is unprepared for the fierce, angry warrior who returns to confront her.
He is a man as rough and unforgiving as the Welsh border lands he
rules--and she is as gentle and innocent as a new day. But neither
Jaufre's dark heart nor Melyssan's innocent one can resist the love that is
their destiny--nor protect them from the danger drawing ever closer. . .
. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author
Susan Carroll, who has previously published under the name Susan Coppula,
is an award-winning romance author whose books include The Bride Finder,
The Painted Veil, and Winterbourne. She lives in Rock Island, Illinois. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Fawcett Books (December 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449004562
• ISBN-13: 978-0449004562
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,066,692 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars (sigh) If only it hadn't fell short near the ending . . ., January 23, 2002

By	Victoria Summers "tory-7" (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winterbourne (Mass Market Paperback)

All right, 4 1/2 stars maybe. Yeah, that's the sound of me caving under all the good memories of the story. But there are bad ones as well, I have to admit. Ms. Carroll somewhat sunk in the ending but then it's very hard to maintain a relationship between your two main characters when they are . . . umm, I suppose that would be revealing too much. The idea is that I'm making allowances for how badly the ending was cut short (or torn short). It sort of felt like she (Ms. Carroll) just got tired of the entire thing and said to hell with it, they might as well finally overcome all their unresolved insecurities and swore that they would never, ever, on her mother's grave, ever have any communication problems ever again. Ever. This of course was at odds with my practical nature. If an author is taking her plot seriously and Ms. Carroll was, then you have to go in depth about how the characters suddenly achieve their happy ever after. Because just saying that you're the author and you say it's so doesn't convince me. That sounds funny, I know, but really good characters (and these characters were GOOD) extend past the author.

The basics are that it's a medieval romance that in my opinion is great. The characters are well defined and in a lot of respects, deeply scarred which causes the plot to become more interesting. Somehow, the plot goes for years and is deeply involved in the political situation before and during the signing of the Magna Carter, not deeply enough to be boring though, in my opinion. What's really good in this though, is how convincingly emotional it is. The heroine pretty much risks everything to love the hero and I mean everything. Things she has to go through with him is "Damn" by modern day standards but "Wow" by medieval. I was impressed with how effective Ms. Carroll was in conveying the feeling of her characters. Although, yes, she even ebbed in that area by the ending as well.

Despite, to me, it'll always be a keeper. Maybe because this is the first book I'd read by her, and thus remained untarnished by the excellence of the St. Leger series, which I can't stop saying how much I love and am praying she will continue.

Okay. I can breathe now.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written book and an enjoyable read!!, December 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Winterbourne (Paperback)

Very rarely do I find a book portraying this time period, yet alone doing a good job with it. Most writers concentrate on The Norman invasion and some "pet" of William the Conquerer. Ms. Carroll's book, Winterbourne, deals with a later period, that of King John and the Magna Carter. Such an important part of Western history and politic thought. Seeing our hero struggle with the dilemma of following one's pledge or one's sense of "justice" is interesting. I felt that the story was a bit harsh, but then, so was the time period which this was written about...it gave the plot a sense of realism.

I have but 2 criticisms. First, the time jumped so quickly I didn't get the correct feeling of elapsed time. Jaufry was gone for such long perids of time (which warriors of that time period would have been required to do)yet becuase months passed from the end of one chapter to the beginning of another, I didn't get the feeling of separation. Another example is when our hero saves or heroine, we know they are going to get married, but the next chapter begins with the birth of their first child. No passage of time, no stories of dealings of them spending time together trying to build a life. Second, I didn't like the way in which Ronald's story (Jaufry's bastard son) ended (or didn't end). It seemed lame, and I kept wishing to see him "pop up" again.

Thus saying, all in all I felt this was a wonderful story and would reccommend it to anyone.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!!! A must re-read at least a dozen times, October 19, 2004

By	Shelia M. Polito "murple63" (Vidor, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Winterbourne (Mass Market Paperback)

This book has a place on honor on my bookshelf. I have read it so many times. The story is political, but brings to life England under King John's rule. An absolute must have for romance readers.

I stumbled upon this book at a second hand store and fell in love. Lord Jaufre de Macy is embittered and ruthless, until love heals his pain. Lady Melyssan is beautiful and romantic, so much so that King John wants her in his bed. Only the healing power of unconditional love can cleanse the Dark Knight without Mercy, and Lady Melyssan is up to the challenge.