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Ransom My Heart
by Princess of Genovia Mia Thermopolis
with help from Meg Cabot
When
Mellana needs money for her dowry so that she can marry Jack Mallory, a
troubadour with a rebec but little money, she turns to her youngest
sister with a plan. After all, Finnula is a skilled archer, a woman who
wears leather braies and goes about the countryside tapping deer and
foxes. With Finnula's huntress skills in mind, Mellana sways her sister
to capture the richest man and ransom him to pay for her dowry. Finnula
herself is not intent on marriage for herself, having been married for
a day and then accused of her husband's murder but how can she not help
her sister, especially knowing their brother Robert is likely to kill
Jack if he discovers Mellana's condition before a marriage can be
arranged. Hugo Fitzstephen, accompanied by his squire Peter, returns
battle weary from the Crusades. With the strange death of his father,
the Earl of Stephensgate, he can now enjoy his new title. He catches a
glimpse of a modest naked bathing beauty but when he confronts her, she
slaps him in the face. To his later surprise, he finds himself captured
by this maiden! Despite Finnula's odd ways, Hugo can't help but feel a
growing attraction for her. Can he tame the one woman not intent on
marriage? As Finnula's ransom plan unravels, can their love survive?
Can Hugo survive period?
In her debut medieval romance, Mia Thermopolis, the Princess of
Genovia, straight from the fame of THE PRINCESS DIARIES, has achieved
her secret dream of becoming a published author. With the chronicle
help of Meg Cabot, Princess Mia's romance is finally here for both
PRINCESS DIARY and romance readers! RANSOM MY HEART has all the classic
components historical romance lovers cherish --- and then some. Some
characters and events are wonderfully reminiscent of details of Mia's
own life while others add a new twist to Mia's imagination and romance
itself. Romance readers will enjoy this tongue-in-cheek romance both
for its close attention to the genre and period as well as for the
humorous, exaggerated look into the genre's most classic scenes.
Finnula is a delightful heroine from her obsession with her leather
braies to her determination to preserve her independence, from her care
for the peasants and her poaching skills to her ability to love her
sister despite Mellana's quirks. Despite her oddities and miller
father, she is a princess at heart, a woman whose innocence and natural
empathy for others ennobles all around her. Her captive Hugo
Fitzstephen is one of a kind ---- the one man who can inspire and
challenge Finnula. He is the one man who sees the woman in her. As
romance draws Finnula and Hugo closer and closer together, unexpected
dangers pull them apart. Light fairy tale suspense abounds as plots
against the two emerge and their pasts come back to haunt them. Only
together can Finnula and Hugo save each other and the Stephansgate from
the cast of evil villains and their devious plans. One new plot wrinkle
after another leads the reader down an exciting path until the author
reveals the last shocking clue.
Hugo's practicality and common sense provides the reader with a
hilarious running commentary on the world of medieval romance. Having
been away from the estate for 10 years, this medieval man finds his
world upturned, a world where women hunt ribbons and men. Part classic
medieval romance hero and part outsider to this strange new world, Hugo
leads the reader on a journey of laughter from start to finish as he
both conforms to and unveils the romance tradition. Hugo is both very
medieval and modern in his vision of the new romance world around him.
Even in the midst of the gentle satire, by the end of romance, the
reader cannot help but be moved by these delightful characters and
their romance. RANSOM MY HEART incorporates classic scenarios of the
traditional medieval romance from the classic captive/captor theme to
the issues of marriage and land inheritance. Combining historical
detail authenticity with humorous look into the medieval romance genre
conventions, RANSOM MY HEART provides one insider's laugh after
another. Above all, RANSOM MY HEART is just a great story full or
romance, adventure and characters whose antics, values and
personalities will steal your heart and make you laugh. However, for
romance readers in particular, RANSOM MY HEART will make you fall in
love with the genre all over again. Meg Cabot's RANSOM MY HEART is a
romance that will make you smile at the characters, the genre and
mostly at yourself.
Publisher: Avon A (January 2009)
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Medieval Book Reviews
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