Firstly, this book could have benefitted from a foreword or afterword, briefly explaining what was going on in England, and why a merchant might find it wise to hedge his bets. For persons with limited historical knowledge, this book can be very frustrating. Even for readers with greater knowledge of 13th century England, it can be a bit hard to follow the events. I felt as if I should have consulted a history of England before reading this book, even though I knew the background of the baronial revolt against Henry III.

Secondly, as a romance, this book is definitely not ideal. It earns at least 3 stars as a romance (possibly more), because there *is* a romance, although it is slow to develop. The characters marry for very practical reasons, but they do not communicate very well for much of the novel. The heroine refuses to sleep with her husband (the hero), and she is not told about his disastrous first marriage which might have explained much to her. Nor does the hero talk that much to the heroine (even if this is keeping with medieval practice) - about his trade, his history, let alone his political intrigues. And of course, they spend part of the book apart although for good reasons.

Actually, as a romance, this was not as frustrating to me as I would have expected. After reading a spate of historical romances by very good writers, where the hero and/or heroine behave irrationally at times and the villain has no clear motivation to act as he/she does, this book was a very pleasant change. Neither hero nor heroine act irrationally; they simply fail to communicate at times (like real people).

For the record, the secondary characters really came alive for the most part. The heroine's problems in taking over her husband's household is well-done, as is her limited control over her father's household. There are several household servants with their own problems and worries, there is the possibly traitorous aide to the husband with his own family tragedy to bear. (I have to say though that his actions *before* the death of a relative are not that clearly fleshed out]. There is the mean-spirited and thieving villain with a definite motive.

In short, this is a really good read, although it will appeal far more to those readers who really want their history to come alive (and realistically alive at that). It is a story of a cross-class romance where the heroine, a noblewoman, largely loses touch with her fellow aristocrats and must learn to live life as a merchant's wife. While I picked this book out because of its resemblance (in the theme) to Madeline Hunter's BY ARRANGEMENT, I have to admit that it was nothing like that book. This is more of a slice of life as it might have been in the Middle Ages; Hunter's book, while far more compelling and disturbing, is also less realistic in some aspects. You might want to read the two books side by side, as well as parts of Edward Rutherford's LONDON.

I rate this book 4.5, with points taken off for the failure to completely flesh out one of the major secondary characters (the aide/secretary to the hero) and some minor problems with the development of the story. Also, the book is in an odd position, a romantic historical fiction rather than a historical romance. I don't take points off for the different genre, but rather for the hero's failure (or the failure of the heroine) to discuss his first marriage, and a dropped plot line here and there, as well as the lack of a foreword or afterword to explain the context of the story. While not as sweeping as some of Elizabeth Chadwick's historical fiction works (notably THE WILD HUNT set in the last years of the reign of the ill-fated William Rufus, and THE LOVE KNOT set in the time of the civil war between Stephen and Matilda), this work could stand up to some of her lesser works. I would be interested in comparing this to Hunter's BY ARRANGEMENT (a historical romance with a politcal twist), and to certain works by Roberta Gellis that focus on the merchant and peasant classes (for example, THE ROPE DANCER). Fans of these authors might be interested in trying Anne Avery's THE BARTERED BRIDE.

Rating = 4.5

However, the hero and heroine spent too much time embroiled in communication problems. This kept me at a distance from the story. Robert never even told Alyce about this failed first marriage!

I gave this book a B- at All About Romance.