What A Scoundrel Wants
by Carrie Lofty
A
stunning debut medieval romance and a
new, passionate insight
into the world surrounding Robin Hood!
Haunted by thoughts of Sherwood
Forest, Will Scarlett journeys through Charnwood Forest. Separated from
Robin Hood and Marian, the forest is a reminder of happier days and the
longtime rift between Robin Hood and his nephew. When a battle between
Lord Whitstowe and Roger Carlisle, representative of the Sheriff of
Nottingham and Will's superior, breaks out, Will hardly knows which way
to turn until he hears the screams of a woman in the background.
Protecting her by instinct from Carlisle's men's plans, Will knows not
where to go amidst all the plots and double crosses. Will Scarlet turns
to the woman as the only witness to the truth, the only witness who
might stand in the way of his hanging. For Meg of Kentworth, the lie is
easy. She needs protection and if Will Scarlett can help her get there
faster, all the better. Blind from an illness, she is determined to
save her imprisoned sister Ada. Arrested by Will Scarlett himself, Meg
has every reason to hate Will but the closeness brought on by their
uneasy pairing sets off sparks of desire in both Meg and Scarlett. Can
Will and Meg's growing passion for one another be enough to see them
through the dangers of their journeys and even more, set the past
aright?
Carrie Lofty's debut medieval romance WHAT
A SCOUNDREL WANTS blazes onto the scene with a new chapter of
the Robin Hood tale, a tale that makes this classic come alive like
never before with emotion, passionate romance, and suspenseful
adventure. With a hero and heroine at cross purposes, the tension
between them is palpable in priceless dialogue as the two banter, each
standing up to the other. Despite her blindness, Meg is a defiant and
brave woman, just the woman to tame the man known as a scoundrel, the
man who betrayed Robin Hood. Clever and creative, Meg has the power to
heal not only physical wounds but deeper injuries. Torn between
families and their love, the passion between them has the power to heal
or divide.
Carrie Lofty has a gift for both the action scenes and also vivid
descriptive detail that makes one feel the passions and thoughts of her
characters. The physical landscape captures the imagination not only by
placing the reader right there but also as part of the inner lives of
her characters as can be seen in Will Scarlet's relationship to the
forest and Meg's relationship to fire. WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS is a
sensuous romance, with a passionate, emotional romance as well as
sensuous in the action scenes. The sights, the smells, the touch come
alive in vivid detail.
One scene in particular towards the end, blew me away with a riveting
tension-filled moment, a moment so close to heart-breaking. Carrie
Lofty takes the reader right to the edge and then, at just the right
moment, with the perfect twist, the romance expands into such a
passionate, joyous moment. In the midst of that dynamic edge moment,
the author reaches deeper with such insight into her characters and
love itself that I fell in love with both Will Scarlet and Meg. WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS is a fine
mix of intrigue, action and emotional depth. The transformation in the
hero and the heroine as they love one another is just beautiful. Carrie
Lofty captures in fiction and precise imagery the essence of a good
man. Even though Will Scarlet is very much a scoundrel bad boy, in some
ways, in love, he has a self-presence to put Meg's interest above what
is expedient, to trust her and protect her without diminishing her.
Although set in distant times, WHAT
A SCOUNDREL WANTS captures in imagery, psychological depth and
imagination, a timeless truth in the way only fiction can. WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS is an
exciting book --- a book to read slowly in order to savor in all its
details. Keep a hanky for the ending --- not for tears of pain but
joyful tears.
Publisher: Kensington
Zebra (December 2008)
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Medieval Book Reviews
