When I saw this month’s TBR prompt of, “Drama!”, I immediately started roaming through my TBR pile and scanning the back cover blurbs for hints of wild antics. When I got to one of the very few ‘letter’ books by Amanda Quick that I still haven’t read, it delivered in spades. Mystique promised a mysterious crystal whom others have killed to possess, buried treasure, an evil uncle, and a fake betrothal to a hero named Hugh the Relentless. How could this NOT bring all the drama?

And, yes it did. First of all, for a medieval written in the 1990s, this book stands up incredibly well. This novel also reminded me of one thing about Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick that I loved back in the day. She can tell a story full of suspense and drama, and yet also make the romance portion of it feel downright cozy.

This story opens at the home of Lady Alice’s dreadful uncle. Hugh the Relentless shows up hot on the trail of a mysterious green crystal that has disappeared from the estate he has been awarded by his liege lord. Legend has it that the owner of the holding will lose it if he cannot hold the crystal. Hugh, an orphan born out of wedlock, has only gotten so many decent breaks in life, and he isn’t about to mess this one up.

When Hugh sweeps in with his soldiers, Alice sees her chance. She proposes a bargain with Hugh that will get her and her disabled brother out of their uncle’s clutches. So, the two embark on a temporary betrothal and join forces to find the mysterious green crystal.

The quest and the mystery surrounding it make for engaging reading, but the real star of the story is the romance. Hugh and Alice are both wounded in various ways, and as they learn to deal with each other, the relationship that blooms is deeply satisfying. For starters, each gives the other room to lean into their strengths. Hugh is a skilled fighter, but also a good businessman and deeply loyal to those he cares for. Alice has endless intellectual curiosity, and she is also a skilled healer. Together, they form a formidable partnership once they start to understand and trust one another.

Hugh and Alice are initially wary of one another, and all too aware that their betrothal is merely a sham. However, both are observant people by nature and as they watch one another, they pick up on pieces of the other’s personality and discover that they actually like one another. While there’s plenty of exterior drama, this story also has something of a cozy feel as we get drawn into the genuine warmth and fondness the leads develop for each other.

Also, while not the primary focus of the story, I did like the character arc for Alice’s brother. We learn that her brother is disabled due to an accident that injured his leg. Given the era, some occupations would be foreclosed to him. Alice, in a loving but misguided attempt to secure his safety and future, fixes on him studying the law as a means to make a living without considering what he would actually want to do. Throughout the story, as the two find themselves under Hugh’s protection, Alice and her brother both get to explore who they are outside of the survival mode they were forced into at the uncle’s home. As a result, Alice’s brother finds a path for himself that promises to bring him happiness even if it wasn’t what his sister had planned for him.

The setting of this book feels a little bit wallpapery, but it still worked for me. What I mean by this is that while the details of the story definitely read as ‘medieval’; the historical background is somewhat vague. The medieval era covers several hundred years of history, and it can be challenging to figure out where in that span this novel is supposed to be set. Given the references to the crusades, to legal bans on jousting in England and to conventions of courtly love, I tended to imagine this one being set in the 12^th century in my mind, but in the end, the exact year of the story’s setting was not the most important feature of the backstory.

Mystique isn’t perfect, and the ultimate resolution of the mystery was a little overly convenient, but this was still a very satisfying read. As I read, I realized that I’d been missing medievals and I did enjoy this one.