Books › Bartered Bride
Bartered Bride
First published 1999 · 400 pages
A sweeping medieval romance where the treacherous backdrop of rebellion transforms a bitter arranged marriage into a fierce, life-risking passion.
What it feels like
Reading this classic medieval romance feels like stepping into a tapestry woven with political treachery and slow-burning passion. The atmosphere is thick with the peril of the Barons' War, creating a tense, sweeping backdrop that constantly threatens the fragile bond forming between the protagonists. It delivers that deeply satisfying, old-school historical romance experience where an arranged marriage and initial resentment slowly melt into fierce, undeniable devotion. The prose is emotionally heightened and earnest, focusing heavily on the internal yearning and the high stakes of trusting the wrong person. It is a brisk, dramatic read that will delight fans of 90s-era historicals who love watching two strong-willed people navigate a dangerous world and discover that their greatest vulnerability is each other.
- Mood
- atmospheric
- perilous
- passionate
- sweeping
- Tone
- dramatic
- earnest
- romantic
- tense
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- arranged marriage · duty versus desire · political intrigue · enemies to lovers · forging trust
- The writing
- Emotionally heightened and descriptive, leaning into the sweeping drama and yearning typical of classic 90s historical romance.
- The arc
- Moves from bitter resentment and mutual suspicion to a fierce, life-risking devotion forged in the fires of rebellion.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave old-school medieval romances where high-stakes political treachery serves as the crucible for an enemies-to-lovers arranged marriage.
Content notes
- arranged marriage
- political violence
- mild peril
- themes of treason
About the book
Lady Alyce Fitzmartin is forced to marry the arrogant Robert Wardell, the answer to her father's debts, and a man Alyce is certain she will never love. Yet an even more grave situation lies in wait. For Robert may not survive the impending overthrow of the King, unless he uses his new wife as a pawn. But one glance into each other's eyes sparks an unexpected yearning. And while England burns with the fire of revolt, Robert and Alyce discover a passion for which both must gamble their lives
Description from Open Library.
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