Marilyn Grall: Conquest of the Heart
New Concepts Publishing (ebook); ISBN: 1-891020-68-4
Mercenary captain Sir Stephen Dubois lucks out at the Battle of Hastings. When an assassin hidden among William the Conqueror’s entourage strikes at William’s unprotected back, Sir Stephen foils the attempt. In gratitude William rewards Stephen with an estate — and a bride.
Since her father and two brothers died fighting the Normans at Hastings (and her mother committed suicide after hearing the news), 17-year-old Lady Mary struggled to keep impoverished Almswick Manor together. Mary knows that William deeded her ancestral lands to a hated Norman, but she doesn’t know that William made her part of the bargain.
The usual conflict between headstrong beauty and stern but fair hero follows. And therein lies this reviewer’s problem with Conquest of the Heart. I read the same plot in too many other historical romances depicting England after the Battle of Hastings. Norman conqueror comes to manor. Feisty Saxon heroine battles him tooth and nail, stoutly denying that she’s fallen head over heels in love with him. Treacherous Saxon neighbor/warrior/ex-betrothed a) wants the heroine for himself; b) wants the heroine’s lands for himself; c) all of the above.
Marilyn Grall writes well and nicely fleshes out her characters. However, I hoped for more — something different from what I’ve already read from numerous other authors. Many romance readers will enjoy Conquest of the Heart, but this reviewer is still waiting to be pleasantly surprised by a historical that dares to be different.
Teri Smith
Raising hell for fifty years from Alaska to the Azores and all points in between, Teri Smith (nee Dohmen) was an Air Force brat who never stopped traveling. She was also a mother, a grandmother (of ten!), a help desk wizard, a financial assistant, acquisitions editor for Samhain Publishing and, most importantly, the Queen Nag of the Known Universe. A multi-published short story writer, her first novel, With Nine You Get Vanyr, written with Jean Marie Ward, was published in 2007. Contrary to common belief, she never stopped living.