Fairest of Them All (Mass Market Paperback)

by Teresa Medeiros (Author)
Key Phrases: inner bailey, Caer Gavenmore, Brother Nathanael, Sir Austyn of Gavenmore (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Medeiros (A Whisper of Roses) pens the ultimate romantic fantasy: a beautiful woman falls in love with a handsome man and they live happily ever after. The challenge is to give the old theme a new twist, and that Medeiros does with a bang. Holly de Chastel, the fairest woman in England, considers her beauty a curse. So far, Holly's trickery and deceit have scared off her suitors, but her father has come up with a foolproof plan to get her wed: a tournament in which the best man wins Holly. Medeiros's already humorous tone turns hilarious when Holly shows herself to the retinue of brave knights?but in disguise as an ugly hag. Only two accept the challenge, and her hand is won by Sir Austyn of Gavenmore, who needs Holly's dowry to restore his home and his honor. He learns to love Holly for her inner beauty, but love is forgotten when Holly's secret is revealed. "Let beauty be your doom" was the curse the faerie queen put upon one of Sir Austyn's ancestors, and every Gavenmore man since has been doomed by beauty. This "happily ever after" is a hard-won battle, but one romantics will relish.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Spoiled, headstrong Holly de Chastel views her legendary beauty as a curse. Her father has brought scores of suitors before her, and Holly has chased off every one. Finally, the Duke feels pushed to the edge. In a fit of exasperation, he decides to hold a jousting tournament, with Holly's hand in marriage as the prize. The news travels quickly, and as befitting such a famous beauty, the castle is soon packed to the rafters with knights seeking to win the fair maiden. Only most of them scuttle out of the courtyard at their first sight of Holly. The rumors of her beauty have been some kind of cruel joke. The woman who appears before the assemblage is ugly, horribly ugly. With the assistance of her maid, Holly has hacked off her hair, stained her teeth a filthy brown, and padded her clothing to create a body that's lumpy in all the wrong places. Ugly suits Sir Austyn of Gavenmore, and the towering Welshman joins the tournament in earnest. He's not interested in winning a beauty, indeed he plans to stay as far away from beautiful women as he can. He knows he's doomed by The Gavenmore Curse. All of the men in his family have married beautiful women, and all have mistreated and murdered their wives in fits of jealous rage. Austyn has no intention of fulfilling his birthright. What he does need is money to refurbish his crumbling castle, and the fair Holly has a substantial dowry. Of course once he lays eyes on her, Austyn understands the necessity of such a large purse. A fearsome warrior, Austyn wins the tournament and starts off for Wales with his new bride. As they travel across England, Holly and Austyn come to care for each other. Holly itches to reveal her true self to her new husband, but she soon learns of the curse, and Austyn's determination to stay far away from beautiful women. Somehow, someday Holly knows he will have to learn the truth. She only hopes he can learn to love her anyway.Clever and well told. Ms. Medeiros creates real, three dimensional characters. Fast-paced and sensual. An intriguing story wrapped in rich historical detail.Annette Carney -- Copyright © 1994-97 Literary Times, Inc. All rights reserved -- From Literary Times

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Fanfare (May 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553563335
• ISBN-13: 978-0553563337
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #641,398 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My first T. Medeiros, not my last, April 26, 2000

By A Customer

I enjoyed this book immensely. Holly a beauty refuses marriage proposals from countless suitors. Her father decides to host a tournament where the bravest and strongest will have her for his bride. Holly, together with her nurse, concocts a scheme to make her completely undesirable. After her father introduces her to the crowd, many would be fighters leave and only two are willing to fight for her. Austyn of Gavenmore and Euguene 'something' (This guy's a jerk. Therefore, I didn't bother to remember his name) Austyn feels beautiful women are a curse to Gavenmore men so he doesn't care that she is ugly. He is interested in the large dowry that comes with her to restore his castle and pay back debt created by his ancestors. I'm not giving anything away here when I say he wins, that is obvious. She decides to continue hiding her beauty hoping he will leave her alone as she has heard terrible things about the consummation of the marriage. A woman with outer beauty (albeit hidden) attempts to win her man's love via inner beauty, her heart. It is a wonderful story. The ending is much better than I had hoped for.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book I have read in years!, April 6, 2000

By A Customer

"The Fairest of Them All"Was the best book I have ever read.I really didn't like romance books until now.First of all this book does not have a picture of a shirtless man groping a half naked women on the cover.Second,It didn't make such a big deal out of Holly's beauty as it could have.This book is basicly about a woman who is so subborn,she won't marry the man her father tells her to so she tries to make herself look so ugly that no man will want her.But she is mistaken,someone does want her,Sir Austyn of Gavenmore.Holly finds out about herself and the demons of Austyn's past.The ending was excellent and made me want a sequel.If you buy any romance book buy this one!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book!, November 3, 1999

By	mariam (Wheaton, IL) - See all my reviews

I fell in love with both of the main characters of this book and the time in which they lived. It was like a Disney movie setting with a few twists and a hero and heroine who did exactly what I wanted them to do. The hero was very different from the run of the mill rn hero because he was attracted to the heroine when he thought that she was totally ugly. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a wonderful read!