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Title: His Forbidden Touch
ISBN: 0380781204
Author:
Shelly Thacker
Publicate Date: 1997-05
Publish: 1997-05
List Price: $5.99
Average Customer Rating: 5.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $9.00
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.01
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1: Absolutely wonderful read
From the inside front cover:
Her perilous fate...
Hidden away during years of war, the beautiful princess Ciara knew little of the world outside--until the conqueror came and the castle was lost. Now, in the cause of peace, she must wed the brute who destroyed her home and happiness. And the man charged with delivering her safely to the shameful ceremony is a heartless mercenary!
His forbidden touch...
Recalled from exile, Royce Staint-Michel can now win back his confiscated title and land if he transports the proud, defiant princess to her powerful fiance. But the road is long and dangerous, prowled by assassins who wish the marriage thwarted and the lady dead. And the greatest threat to the impending union is Royce's own yearning heart, enflamed by Ciara's courage, her fire, her innocence, her beauty--and by the promise of a passion for which Royce would gladly forfeit all he stands to gain...including, if necessary, his life.
And my review:
This was the first book I tried by Shelly Thacker, and it will certainly not be my last. This book was absolutely wonderful. It's one of the best medieval romances I've ever read, and I've been reading romance since I was 11!
Thacker created wonderful, loveable characters. Both of them. Royce, the brooding hero, was not bitter or too dark of a character. He was a wonderful, honorable man (more honorable than most romance heros), and I would dare any reader not to be just the tiniest bit in love with him by the end of the book. Ciara, the heroine, was a wonderful, strong woman. While she was a little sheltered because of her pampered and protected life, she grew up quickly, and was never shrewish or unlikeable. This is very rare in romance today, to find to such lovely characters in the same book. Both characters did some growing up by the end of the book, yet you loved them the whole way through it.
The romance between them was also beautifully paced. And it wasn't all based on lust, either. Yes, there was physical attraction between them, but it wasn't the only influence that brought them together. This was a book where you could clearly see why they should love one another. You didn't feel like they fell in love just because they were thrown together, or because their libidos were doing all the talking. It's very rare in the lust-soaked world of romance writing for an author to create a romance where the love between the characters is first, and the sexual attraction is an added bonus. Not that this wasn't a sensual book--it was, but it was in its proper place. It wasn't paramount in this book; the love story was. That's just as it should be.
There was none of the "I love you but I'm going to act like I hate you" or "I hate you but I just can't keep my hands off you" garbage in this book. When Ciara and Royce did fall in love (and it never felt rushed), they freely admitted it to each other. It was so refreshing to read a book where the hero and heroine didn't play mind games with each other. Also, the hero was an honorable and gentle man. There was none of that domineering male garbage you find so often in romance.
The history was also lush and vivid without overpowering the plot. It was woven into the background of the story, never distracting from it. The plot was fast-paced and exciting, yet I never felt that the romance was sacrificed for the sake of the adventure. And it sure kept you turning the pages. I couldn't see how the author would believably create a happy ending out of the impossible situation, but she did.
This was a book the engaged the reader's emotions. There were laugh-out-loud moments, hanging-off-the-edge-of-your-seat moments, make-you-cry moments (lots of them!) and make-you-smile moments. The sign of good writing is work that can move the reader to every emotion on the spectrum. This book did it. I applaud Thacker on creating such a wonderful story.
I don't hand out my praise lightly. I am a very hard sell. (See my other reviews if you don't believe me.) There are few books that I like, and even fewer of which I love. I don't give out many five-star ratings, but this book earned it. I highly recommend it, even if you're not a big fan of medieval romance. You won't regret it.
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2: Shelly Thacker keeps getting better with each book wriiten
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HIS FORBIDDEN TOUCH
Shelly Thacker
Avon, May 1997
In 1302 near the French border, the mercenaries of Prince Daimon
have overcome the strong defense of the local militia of the small
principality of Chalons. The heir to the throne of Chalons, Prince
Christophe, dies
in the fight. The peace settlement provides Daimon with some land and
the hand of the Chalons royal daughter, Princess Ciara. While waiting
for the betrothal to occur, a rebel who wants to continue the war,
tries to kill
Ciara. The king sends for an exiled knight Royce Saint-Michael, to
safely escort his only living child to Daimon's keep.
Though bitter about being stripped of his name, honor, and land,
and stunned by his countrymen's defeat, Royce agrees to escort the
princess for the good of Chalons and to regain what he lost. What he
did not count o
n was falling in love with the intrepid Ciara during the perilous
journey and for her to return the feelings. Both Royce and Ciara must
choose between honor and country, and love with either decision
impacting the future
of their war-torn nation.
HIS FORBIDDEN TOUCH is a brilliant blending of THE BODYGUARD and
ROMAN HOLIDAY into a fantastic Medieval romance. The return of
characters from the classy FOREVER HIS brings an additional warmth to a
tale that oozes
thermo-energy. Sagacious Shelly Thacker triumphs with one of the top
Medieval romances of the midyear.
Harriet Klausner
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