Category: Middle Ages / Medieval (476-1454)

In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or Medieval Period lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history: classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period. The medieval period is itself subdivided into the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages.

Anice’s Bargain by Madeline Martin

On By TracyIn Middle Ages / Medieval (476-1454), Scottish/Highlander, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews1 Comment

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A WOMAN WITH ONLY HER BEAUTY TO OFFER…
Anice Barrington has always been known as the prettiest of the Earl of Werrick’s five daughters. Years of trying to prove she’s more than beauty has failed, not only with others, but also with herself. When their mortal enemy is laying siege to Werrick Castle, Anice does the only thing in her power to keep her family safe: she offers herself as bride to her enemy. She swears she will not lose her heart to him, but soon discovers that may be impossible when he stokes her curiosities toward intimacy and lights a burning desire within her.

A MAN WITH A DANGEROUS PAST…
James Graham has grown weary of a life of destruction and longs for peace. However, deciding to change does not mean there are opportunities to do so, at least until the lovely Lady Anice offers herself in marriage, bringing with her wealth and land that will insure a new beginning for his people. James knows she is far too beautiful for the likes of him and that comely appearances can hide the ugliest of hearts, but he cannot seem to stop himself from wanting, and awakening, the passion that flares between them.

A BARGAIN THAT CHANGES IT ALL…
When love takes root, betrayal runs that much deeper. Will old hurts and new betrayals crush all their hopes and dreams, or will love truly conquer all?

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Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ Nook ~ iBooks ~ Kobo ~ Print

madeline Martin

Author Bio:

Madeline Martin is a USA TODAY Bestselling author of Scottish set historical romance novels filled with twists and turns, adventure, steamy romance, empowered heroines and the men who are strong enough to love them.

She lives a glitter-filled life in Jacksonville, Florida with her two daughters (known collectively as the minions) and a man so wonderful he’s been dubbed Mr. Awesome. All shenanigans are detailed regularly on Twitter and on Facebook.

Madeline loves animals in sweaters, cat videos, and working out (to support her love of wine and Nutella). As she is unable to have pets herself due to allergies, she has acquired a plastic Halloween skeleton named Nick and a small robot named Meccano – both of whom are dressed up regularly by the minions.

She loves connecting with her readers, so feel free to follow her on any one of her social media platforms or send her a message.

Connect With Madeline:
Website ~ Newsletter ~  Facebook ~ Madeline Martin’s Review Clan

Twitter ~ Pinterest ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads

Tracy’s Review

Anice's Bargain (Borderland Ladies, #2)Anice’s Bargain by Madeline Martin

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Borderland Ladies, #2

Release Date: June 25, 2019

When a siege at Werrick Castle lasts for months and food stores begin to diminish, threatening to starve the inhabitants, Lady Anice Barrington takes matters into her own hands and makes a bargain with the Graham reivers. In exchange for an end to the siege, Anice will marry Laird Graham’s son James. Her father, the earl refuses, there is bad blood between the Barringtons and the Grahams going back years to an attack that lead to Lady Werrick sacrificing all to save her family. But Anice knows that they will all die if the siege doesn’t end and since she believes that her beauty is all she has to offer, she agrees.

James Graham is tired of war and reiving, he longs for a stable life and security for his clan, such as the life he experienced with Lord Bastionbury, the honorable man that saved his life and nursed him back to health when his fellow reivers left him for dead. Lord Bastionbury taught James there is a better way to live and care for his clan. James has tried and failed to convince his father to stop reiving, so he knows marrying Anice will give him land and a chance to start fresh, but her beauty terrifies him. James has a deep mistrust for beautiful women, having been used and betrayed in the past, but there is something about Anice that calls to him and he tries to but his past hurts aside and befriend his new wife.

Anice doesn’t want to marry a Graham, but decides to try and accept James’ overtures of friendship, she knows he doesn’t trust her, but when he makes the effort to be a better man for his clan, she can’t help but admire him, despite Leila’s grave predictions and when they move to her dowry property – Caldrick Castle in Carlisle, she believes that this marriage may just work. But when she overhears James conspiring with his father, she wonders what to believe, is James the kind, passionate lover she has begun to love or is he an evil deceiver bent on destroying everyone she loves?

I loved James with every beat of my heart, he is perfectly imperfect and beating within this fierce warrior is a heart of gold which earned him a place on my all-time favorite heroes list. Anice is a wonderful heroine, who underestimates her own value and I loved watching her find herself with James. Their love is definitely put the test more than once and their road to happily ever after will not be smooth, they will each have to overcome their personal demons, betrayal, jealousy and mistrust before they can fully accept the gift of love that the bargain has given them and I loved that no matter what was thrown at them, they never truly lost faith in each other. This book is a well-written, fast-paced, non-stop adventure from the first page, filled with action, betrayal, battles, wonderful secondary characters, a very protective dog, steamy love scenes and a heartwarming romance.

This is the second book in the series and while it can be read as a stand-alone title with no issues, I personally would recommend reading the books in order for maximum understanding and enjoyment.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me.*

Blog Tour – Marin’s Promise – Madeline Martin

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Blog Tour, Middle Ages / Medieval (476-1454), Scottish/Highlander2 Comments

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A LADY WHO WILL DEFEND HER FAMILY AND HER CASTLE…

Lady Marin Barrington, eldest of the Earl of Werrick’s five daughters, is a born protector. Not only has she taken on the role of mistress of the castle and caregiver to her sisters upon their mother’s death, she also acts in her father’s stead while he is serving the king abroad. Dedicated and resolute, failure is never an option for her. So, when a reiver forces his way into the castle, Marin won’t surrender easily and takes it upon herself to kill the usurper. Except plans go awry when passions are awoken and matters get complicated.

A MAN WHO MUST SUCCEED NO MATTER THE COST…

Bran Davidson’s sister is going to be hanged unless he agrees to take Werrick Castle. Ever a pawn in a rich man’s game, Bran has no choice but to force his way into Werrick on behalf of the Scottish Middle March Warden. He quickly discovers getting into the castle is the easy part. Dealing with its mistress, however, will take every ounce of cunning and determination he can muster, especially when she turns his blood to fire.

A PROMISE THAT CHANGES IT ALL…

In a game where desperation and love dictate the lives of many, a simple promise can change the tide of favor and open the door to pleasure and danger alike.

Further Books in Series:

  1. Anice’s Bargain – releasing 6/25/19
  2. Ella’s Desire – releasing 7/30/19
  3. Catriona’s Secret – releasing 8/27/19
  4. Leila’s Legacy – releasing 9/24/19

Vendor Links:

Amazon: http://hyperurl.co/MPamz
Nook: http://hyperurl.co/MPnk
iBooks: http://hyperurl.co/MPib
Kobo: http://hyperurl.co/MPkobo
Print: http://hyperurl.co/MPPrint

Excerpt

July 1333
Brackenhill, England

Lady Marin Barrington was used to attacks from the reivers. As the eldest daughter to the third Earl of Werrick, the English West March Warden, she was even used to acting as his unofficial constable in his absence.

Threat of an impending battle in Berwick had resulted in the earl bringing a majority of his forces with him to go to King Edward’s side. The remaining soldiers looked to her for guidance, to ensure the people within the castle remained properly defended and safe.

The castle had not been breached, not in the last eleven years when the last raid forced them to erect fortified curtain walls so great no marauders could get penetrate them to reach the castle within. Not until this moment.

Marin kept her arrow nocked and pointed toward the dark-haired man below. The blonde girl in his arms did not move. It was that last fact which made Marin’s heart chill.

“Open yer gates,” he shouted.

The army around him was larger than the one remaining to defend the castle. Well over one hundred men. If the gates were opened, her forces would be easily overwhelmed.

“Open yer gates, or I will kill yer sister.” The man leapt from his stocky reiver’s horse and dragged Catriona with him, her hair streaming in the summer wind like a banner of gold.

As soon as his feet hit the ground, Catriona jumped to life, launching her elbow at his face. He jerked hard to the side from the impact but kept his hold on her.

Marin lowered her bow and edged to the castle wall.

“Don’t give in to him, Marin—” Cat opened her mouth to say more, but the reiver snagged her around the waist and pulled her toward him. A knife flashed at his side and pressed to her neck.

He sniffed hard, the way one often did when a blow to their face resulted in a bloody nose. “Open the gate or I will kill her.”

Marin’s heart plunged into her stomach.

Barbara’s Review

OMG!!! What a wonderful beginning to this new series. It is full of action, romance and a cast of characters with whom you will fall in love. Several years ago (11 I think) the Earl of Werrick’s castle was attacked. His wife was raped and left pregnant by one of the reivers. She later died giving birth to the child. Rather than blaming the babe, the Earl and his four daughters loved the little one with all their hearts – looking upon her as the final beautiful gift from their mother. The Earl couldn’t stand the idea of anything ever happening to his beautiful daughters, so he raised them as warriors as well as ladies. Each had a specialty, but they could all fight as well as a man. This series features each of those five daughters. You’ll meet and love all of the sisters in this first book.

Marin, the oldest daughter of the Earl of Werrick, took over the responsibilities for the castle and her siblings when she was very young – at her mother’s death. Her father went into a deep depression and it was all left on Marin’s young shoulders. She didn’t even have time to grieve for her mother because she had to meet everyone else’s needs. Then, once her father somewhat recovered, he took off for the wars and the protection of the castle also fell to Marin. Marin selflessly loved and cared for everybody in the castle – everyone except herself. She never asked for anything for herself – although she did bask in her father’s praise.

Bran Davidson is a border reiver, not because he wanted to be, but because it was the only way he could feed himself and his sister who is all that remains of his sister. He’s not your ordinary reiver though. There is no raping or mistreatment of women by any man in his army. They all know that if that happens, Bran will personally exact swift punishment that ends in their death.

Bran has been forced into capturing the Earl of Werrick’s castle. The man who wants the castle, Kerr, has arrested Bran’s sister and will put her to death if Bran doesn’t do as Kerr wants. Bran hates all rich, privileged men and Kerr certainly fits that bill – Bran has even refused to work for Kerr in the past. Now he has no choice and he intends to succeed – no matter what – because he has to save Ena, his sister.

Bran has been observing the castle for several days and it seems that it is impregnable. Then, he sees one of the young daughters of the castle outside the walls with only a single guard. He dispatches the guard and captures the young girl – and demands that the castle surrender or he will cut the throat of the girl. That threat turns Bran’s stomach, and he’d never do it, but the people in the castle don’t know that.

Marin’s father is off at war – the King needed him – so Marin is in charge of the castle. She has only a small contingent of warriors within the castle walls because her father took most of them with him. She can’t surrender – but can’t win a fight – and she has to protect her sister, so she surrenders the castle even though her sister begs her to let her die and not to surrender the castle.

Bran marches his warriors in and takes over, but he didn’t realize the strength and loyalty of the servants and soldiers in the castle. He finds he has to form an alliance with Marin or he’ll end up killing everybody inside – and he certainly doesn’t want to do that. As Marin and Bran spend time together, work together and get to know each other, an unlikely love grows between them.

I admire Marin and her strength and loving nature, but Bran is a real hero in every sense of the word. He saves Marin’s sisters and servants when he doesn’t have to, he fights to save the castle and he loves Marin beyond all measure.

The romance is real and wonderful and the love scenes are steamy. I just know you’ll love this book as much as I did. I can’t believe I have to wait for the next book, Anice’s Bargain, featuring the second oldest sister. I loved Anice in this book and I just know she’ll be a remarkable heroine – just like Marin.

Author Bio

madeline Martin

Madeline Martin is a USA TODAY Bestselling author of Scottish set historical romance novels filled with twists and turns, adventure, steamy romance, empowered heroines and the men who are strong enough to love them.

She lives a glitter-filled life in Jacksonville, Florida with her two daughters (known collectively as the minions) and a man so wonderful he’s been dubbed Mr. Awesome. All shenanigans are detailed regularly on Twitter and on Facebook.

Madeline loves animals in sweaters, cat videos, and working out (to support her love of wine and Nutella). As she is unable to have pets herself due to allergies, she has acquired a plastic Halloween skeleton named Nick and a small robot named Meccano – both of whom are dressed up regularly by the minions.

She loves connecting with her readers, so feel free to follow her on any one of her social media platforms or send her a message.

Author Social Media Links:

Website: http://madelinemartin.com
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/biji1j
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadelineMartinAuthor/
Madeline Martin’s Review Clan: https://www.facebook.com/groups/468621526854408/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MadelineMMartin
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MadelineMartin9/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madelinemmartin/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12062937.Madeline_Martin