"Like a pagan god, Rolfe the Relentless rode into Castle Aelfgar to claim it as his prize—and Lady Alice as his bride. Lauded for his bravery in France, in England he was the hated enemy. Once ensconced in his new domain, Rolfe became determined to tame the Saxon beauty Ceidre, Alice's illegitimate sister, whose spirit and sensuality make him risk treason to have her—not Lady Alice—in his bed...Mysterious and seductive, she was no lady but a spy for the rebel cause of her noble half brothers. Refusing to bow to this arrogant warrior who ignited her forbidden passion, Ceidre was swept into a dangerous liaison tied to the fate of England and kings. Yet with his kisses on her lips, his skillful hands on her body, she would have to struggle not to surrender to... The Conqueror."
The Conqueror
by Brenda Joyce is the first in her de Warrene Dynasty series- one of my favorites. This one is a little more.. touchy.. than the others. This novel, first published in '96 is a far cry from the most recent additions to her story. Rolfe is a relation to Edward de Warrenne who eventually marries Mary O'Neill, thus bringing together the two families centered in the series. Rolfe is a warrior, through and though. The story is set 1069, quite a distance from the Regency and Victorian settings of the others. Rolfe wins Aelfgar and it's Lady after his victories in France. Heading to his new castle he rides into a village being punished for treason, basically, being destroyed. A woman stands up to him, then fearing his wrath attempts to flee. Rolfe, meet Ceidre. Ceidre, Rolfe. Rolfe chases her down and seriously considers raping her, until he mistakenly assumes she is the Lady Alice, his betrothed. Leaving her unscathed he takes her back to Aelfgar only to find she isn't in fact his betrothed, but her illegitimate sister. His betrothed is a horrible wretch of a woman, jealous of Ceidre and determined to make her life miserable. In fact, we learn that she is just a masochistic little bitch. What follows is a painful dance around and around. Rolfe wants Ceidre. Ceidre wants Rolfe, but denies it due to allegiances to her brothers- enemies of the crown. Rolfe marries Alice to keep a hold of Aelfgar, all the while detesting the little beast of a woman. His desire for Ceidre is apparent to everyone, including the Lady Alice. From here it is bound to get weird. Rolfe falls for Ceidre, Ceidre for Rolfe. Ceidre constantly goes behind his back to try and help her brothers which in turn hurts Rolfe. In the end, you get the HEA. It just takes a while, a very, very long while. In the meantime there is war, blood and guts, attempted murder and some steamy sex-although at times the sex is painful to read... Also a good phrase to wiki would be .Droit de seigneur...Quite interestingThis is not one of my favorites. It isn't really necessary to the series but it adds a sense of history to it. And, well, anything with de Warrenne and I am sold.
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