By Design (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Although readers new to Hunter's 14th-century London trilogy (which includes By Possession) may struggle to gain a foothold on the background details of this final installment, the sexual tension between Joan, a gifted sculptress, and her protector, Rhys, a Freemason, will engage newcomers and loyal fans alike. Rhys and Joan first cross paths at the market, where she is displaying her wares, and then again at the city stocks, when Joan is unfairly punished for peddling her employer's defective tiles. While attempting to free Joan of an indenture to her drunken master, Rhys unexpectedly purchases her himself. Greeting Rhys with anger instead of gratitude, Joan makes it clear that she intends to cook and clean, not share his bed. What Rhys doesn't know is that Joan is actually the high-born daughter of a lord who was murdered when England rose up to welcome Queen Isabella's invasion, and that, upon her father's death, Joan was forced to trade sexual favors to save her younger brother's life. Now she is in hiding until she can earn enough money to hire an assassin and seek revenge. Despite myriad plot lines, the romance between Rhys and Joan remains central, and Hunter skillfully keeps the relationship fresh and her readers wondering whether Joan can overcome her past in order to embrace the present. (Jan. 9)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Hunter skillfully keeps the relationship fresh and her readers wondering whether Joan can overcome her past in order to embrace the present"
-- Publishers Weekly

"An immensely gifted new author."
-- Jane Feather, New York Times bestselling author of The Least Likely Bride

Don't miss any of Madeline Hunter's enchanting trio of novels ... where love blossoms among the splendors of 14th-century London:

By Arrangement
By Possession
-- Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (January 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553582232
• ISBN-13: 978-0553582239
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 3.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #342,174 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Three and a half stars really, August 22, 2004

By	M. A. Bechaz "bookaholic" (Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book reminded me of an overgrown shrub--it was undeniably beautiful in places, but it really needed to be trimmed back! A bit more editing should have been done before publishing to iron out its flaws and make the wording flow better.

To give the writer credit, though, she does seem to have a rather good feel for historical writing. In places I could almost see, smell and taste the dubious delights of ye olde London. The author didn't gloss over the harsh realities of life back them, but rather used them to her advantage: they don't bring down the book at all, or darken the story, but instead create a contrasting backdrop against which the main characters shine even brighter.

Joan is a lovely heroine, brave and determined and artistic. But it is the hero, Rhys, whom you will really adore. Unlike many of the 'heroes' I've read about in historical romances lately, he is not cruel or bitter or bent on revenge, but nice and honest and really very sweet, all of which makes him a lot more manly and attractive than those other annoying, overbearing 'heroes'!

This book actually has a decent plotline too--which is more than can be said for many romance novels thesedays--and while it's not a master work of literature, it is nonetheless an entertaining, appealing read that is reasonably good for its genre.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it and Love it, August 24, 2005

By	Love To Read (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

Once you read this book, you will know why so many of us fell in love with it. The love between Rhys and Joan is so strong that many of us will pray that it will also happen to us in our life time.

Now I have to get my hands on "The Protector"!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Romance..., February 5, 2005

By	Kelsey Bogg "Kelsey Bogg" (Trevor Bay, NC) - See all my reviews

Yes, there was a plot, but this book had more love scenes than many of the romance books I've read. Mark (Marcus) I knew would grow up to be a fine man. And David as well. This was a great book, and with Addis and Moira in it, you can't get much better than that.