Bliss
Grade : C-

Something strange and unexpected happened about two thirds of the way through this book. It started to get interesting. This was a direct contrast to the seemingly never-ending tediousness of the first section and took me by surprise. But it still wasn't enough to save the plot that had dragged out two hundred pages into a seemingly infinite series of bad gags acted out by unsympathetic characters, who spoke ostentatiously modern vernacular, spotted with equally-ostentatious attempts at more historically accurate phrasing.

Helen of Tiernay has been pestering King Henry. The cause? Her evil neighbor Lord Holden has been abusing his serfs again, although we're not really told how until very late in the book. For his part, Hethe of Holden complains that Helen is a shrew, and makes vague threats to his sovereign as to what will happen to the lady if something is not done about it. Thus, Henry - or rather his interfering chaplain Templetun - comes up with the brilliant idea to marry the two and let them battle it out amongst themselves. Templetun is then dispatched to carry out Henry's decree, and make sure that neither party is able to escape.

Helen and her aunt Nell are deeply horrified by the order, and conspire to get Hethe to beg off - assuming for no good reason that the king will allow him to do so, when Templetun is obviously not at all inclined to allow for any such thing - and set in motion what will become a huge number of unending tricks, mostly involving foul and disgusting smells, to get Hethe to refuse marriage. The author is clearly shooting for light and funny with these relentlessly irritating gags, but she falls far short, landing somewhere in the range of tiresome and annoying. These consume the first two thirds of the novel and aren't amusing in the least.

Luckily, at that point, the plot suddenly changes direction entirely - the change conveniently marked by the bride and groom finally consummating their union - and follows the fact that Hethe's steward has been torturing and maiming serfs, supposedly on his master's orders, and has now conveniently disappeared. Out of nowhere, the story becomes interesting and even intriguing. The characters, whose characterization was sorely lacking in the first part of the novel (save for their relentlessly bratty and obnoxious behavior toward each other) suddenly become likable and fleshed out in interesting ways. While the plot still has holes big enough to drive a war party through, the change is immensely welcome.

Another problem in the novel, however, is the habit of the characters to say things like "nope" or "damn, you're good," and then later use phrases (very inconsistently) like "needs must." Also, the inaccuracies, such as Helen being referred to as "Lady Tiernay". Or the fact that she, as the sole heir to Tiernay, has been allowed to run her lands for an indefinite amount of time without a male relative, or without the king taking the opportunity to marry her off as a reward to some lord or knight. None of these fit with twelfth century practices, and each is distracting from the overall story.

Taken in two parts, I would give this book respectively an F and a B, possibly even a B+. Together, while the intriguing later third helps to balance out the unlikable earlier portion, the grade falls below average. If the author can produce a book like this, however, surely she can sustain a whole novel of a quality equal to this story's finale, and I look forward to reading that tale.

Reviewed by Heidi Haglin
Grade : C-

Sensuality: Hot

Review Date : October 14, 2001

Publication Date: 2001

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Heidi Haglin

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