Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Surrender to an Irish Warrior by Michelle Willingham
Historical medieval romance released by Harlequin Historical 01 Sep 2010

I haven’t read Michelle Willingham’s entire backlist yet, but I’m at the point where I’m getting pretty darn close.  So I feel fairly confident when I say that her latest Harlequin Historical, and the last in her long-running MacEgan Brothers series, is possibly her best work to date.  That being said, it’s a book that isn’t going to appeal to every reader thanks to it’s very heavy subject matter and tone.

The back cover copy is, I suspect, purposely vague but rest assured my plot description pretty much adheres to the first chapter.  Trahern MacEgan makes his living as a bard/storyteller.  However when he learns that his betrothed is killed when Vikings raid her village, he swears vengeance.  He’s tracking the killers when a young girl, barely 13, stumbles into his camp.  She recognizes him, and begs him to help her sister, who she fears is dying in a nearby hunting shelter.

Morren O’Reilly lived in the same village as Trahern’s beloved.  She survived, but was the victim of a brutal gang rape.  She’s miscarrying the baby that was the result of the events of that terrible night, and her sister, not knowing of the pregnancy, runs for help and fetches Trahern.  What follows is Trahern’s promise to protect Morren and find the men responsible for the raid.  In turn, Trahern needs Morren’s help in identifying them.

The only way to describe this story is heavy.  It’s a heavy read featuring two deeply emotionally damaged people who have lived through unspeakable pain.  Even though the author does not write these events in graphic detail, the mere suggestion of what Morren endured is beyond horrifying and haunting.  From the time I started the first chapter, to the time I finished the last, I was stuck on an emotional roller coaster, feeling the pain that these two people felt, and marveled that they were still able to put one foot in front of the other.  Even the secondary character of Morren’s sister isn’t spared from this angst, having witnessed exactly what happened to her sister.

Besides the internal conflict, there’s the mystery of who was behind the raid.  This is largely what propels the plot forward, and is what literally sucks all the air out of the room when the Big Reveal happens.  When a story can floor me like that, and in a good way, I know I’m reading something special.  Ironically, this is actually when the story stumbles a bit for me.  As amazing as the resolution to the mystery was, I felt that the heroine started to behave a bit out of character.  Especially when compared to what had been motivating her throughout the entire story.

That said, this blip on the radar wasn’t enough to diminish how accomplished I thought this book was.  It’s certainly not going to be a book for everybody.  It’s dark, heavy, and emotionally-gutting.  Certainly those attributes can, and in this case do, make the happy ending all the more sweeter and rewarding, but it’s still a tough read.  I was exhausted after the first chapter, and that feeling stayed with me for a long time.  It’s a departure in tone from previous books I’ve read by this author, and it’s a risk that I largely think she pulls off.  Yes, I had quibbles, but not enough to overshadow all that is so good.

Grade: B+

Summary:

An Irish warrior with a thirst for revenge…

Trahern MacEgan—his body is honed for fighting, his soul is black and tortured. Women want to tame him, but he has loved once, and now is lost.

A woman who has suffered in silence…

Morren Ó Reilly—she has known pain and shame, but holds her head high, even though she shrinks from a man’s touch.

Their passionate redemption

Can Morren be the light to Trahern’s darkness, and can she be made whole again by her surrender?

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Taming Her Irish Warrior (The MacEgan Brothers #5) by Michelle Willingham
Historical romance released by Harlequin Historical 01 Oct 2009

Michelle Willingham continues her Irish medieval series about the MacEgan brothers with this latest entry, featuring the youngest of the lot, Ewan.  I’ll admit I have a huge soft spot for younger brother romance heroes with a need to “prove themselves” to their older siblings (siblings that usually tend to cast long shadows).  Ewan fits that mold, and while I found him appealing at times, his stubborn nature, coupled with the equally stubborn heroine didn’t always make the romance sing for me.

Ewan is the youngest of five brothers, and while the oldest one is a King, Ewan’s prospects are pretty slim.  It’s imperative that he weds a lady of means, preferably one with some land to her name.  He sets his sights on Lady Katherine of Ardennes.  Unfortunately for him, Katherine has the kind of beauty (and dowry) that inspires a number of suitors.  As a lowly younger son, one with few prospects, he’s got his work cut out for him.

Katherine’s older sister, Honora St. Leger has already survived one disastrous marriage.  After her husband dies, she finds herself thwarting the unwanted advances of her odious son-in-law.  So she returns home to her father and sister to regroup.  For years Honora has secretly honed her fighting skills among her father’s warriors.  In fact, it was Ewan who helped to train her.  She wants to rid the poor peasants of her vile son-in-law, but to do so she needs to raise an army.  There’s also the small matter that the villain terrifies her.  On top of that, her father is pressuring her to remarry, which Honora would rather be skinned alive than do.  That is until Ewan shows up.  He’s there hoping to win the hand of her properly feminine sister, and Honora knows she lacks everything he needs in a proper wife.  So how come these two cannot stay away from each other?  And what will they do with the villain comes calling?

There are a lot of potential pitfalls in the story that will likely turn off some readers.  For one, we have the heroine who likes to disguise herself as a man and play warrior woman.  Then we have a hero who is wooing one sister while lusting after the other.  It all sounds a bit….distasteful.  For the most part Willingham does a good job working the angles.  Chicks in pants playing with swords can annoy, but it fits Honora’s personality well.  Once determined to prove herself to a father who had little use for her, she now welcomes her skills as a means to protect herself – which come in especially handy during the course of her marriage.  Where this story stumbles a bit is with the conflict revolving around Ewan’s wooing of Katherine.

It’s very apparent early on that Ewan is smitten with Honora.  She infuriates him, puzzles him, vexes him, and she drives him totally mad with lust.  As the reader, this is very easy to see and understand.  Unfortunately it takes Ewan a while to realize it.  From a historical standpoint, I get it – making a good marriage match was everything, especially if you were a younger brother with little to no prospects.  He needs an heiress for a wife.  He needs the land, the dowry, the whole deal if he wants any sort of semi-comfortable life for himself and his future children.  So it’s easy to understand why he doesn’t throw Katherine over within the first 50 pages, but it does drag on for the bulk of the novel.  And then there’s the small matter of Honora pushing him away because she’s not what he needs, never mind she’s exactly what he wants.  It was kind of sick actually.  “Darling, I know you lust after me, but go!  Go marry my sister!”

Ultimately something happens that forces their hand, Ewan has to finally make his choice, and the villain must be dealt with.  Still, the couple keeps tap-dancing around their feelings for each other, and the belief that neither is what the other one needs continues to linger.  By this point I found myself getting a bit exasperated with them both.

Willingham continues to write interesting medievals, and it’s to her credit that she delivers a readable story featuring plot devices that generally are harder sells for me.  If you’re a reader who is a sucker for a chick in pants or heroes who start out the story wooing another woman?  This one will surely deliver what you crave.

Grade: C+

Summary:

When did Ewan MacEgan grow to be so overwhelmingly strong and disarmingly sexy? He intends to wed Honora St. Leger’s demure sister—but why should that matter to her? Honora would rather wield a sword than a mending needle and, as a widow, she knows there is little pleasure in the marriage bed….

Ewan MacEgan has set his sights on a wealthy bride but, tantalizingly, he finds himself drawn to the forbidden Honora! One touch and he is longing to awaken her sensuality, for he suspects she will be as passionate in bed as she is on the battlefield!

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: