Desire, by Amanda Quick

Today I read Desire, by Amanda Quick. It was a very quick read. In fact, I read most of it while on the beach this morning.

Back blurb:

Upon her father's death, beautiful, headstrong Lady Clarre knew that she must wed, for the protection of the Isle of Desire new fell to her. Yet when her guardian's choice of prospective husband rode through her castle gates, she felt utterly betrayed. All sinewy muscle and savage steel, Sir Gareth of Wyckmere was not the poet she'd requested but a fearsome knight whose only interest was in war.

Legions of robbers had fallen beneath the Hellhound of Wyckmere's sword, and now this bold warrior was certain that he could tame one willful wife. Yet even Gareth could not deter Lady Clare from trying to mold him into her ideal... until their clash of wills ignited a passion that set them both aflame... and a treacherous plot put their lives in deadly peril.

This one was one of Quick's 2 medievals, and like the other one, it's definitely medieval-lite (or MedievaLand, as a reviewer from AAR once called this type of book). I'm not a big fan of historical accuracy, so I much prefer a medieval which glosses over the ugliest elements of the period, as this one does.

I especially loved the setting of this one, the Island of Desire. The name is stupid, but the place itself was great. Beautiful and peaceful. This was one of those books where you really feel as if you were right there with the characters. I could almost smell the flowers.

Gareth was similar to many JAK characters, a lonely man who needed the heroine to bring life into his life. He was a bit high-handed, but good. Clare was somewhat impulsive, but I loved that she was so practical and was ready to recognize when she had made a mistake.

The suspense subplot wasn't too interesting, but it didn't detract from the main story, so it was ok. All in all, a B+