The Commander's Desire
by Jennette Green
In the early 8th century in Galwyddel,
Princess Elwytha's brother Richard hatches up a plan for peace --- or
at least peace is the offer he plans to claim vengeance on the
treacherous murder of their brother Thor. Only the kingdom of
Northumbria now remains their enemy and with it, the Prince and the
Commander. The disfigured murdering Commander is not exactly her ideal
choice of a husband but Elwytha is a warrior who plans to exact her
revenge on this evil brute, not marry him! As Princess Elwytha enters
the enemy's den, everything she has ever known will be put to the test.
The mysterious, enigmatic Commander treats her differently than anyone
in her family. Can she trust him or will he use her as a part of a
devious plot and then be done with her? She can't help but question
this plan which puts her life at stake, especially when there seems
more to her enemy than meets the eye. Whom can she trust? Put in a
position where she must betray either family or the man who moves her
heart, she must make a choice that will forever change her life.
Jennette Green's THE COMMANDER'S DESIRE is a romance full of emotion,
intrigue and sparks as a fiesty woman comes face to face with an
unusual romance hero ---a back-stabbing murderer with no sense of
honor! Jennette Green. puts a difficult heroine in a difficult,
dangerous position. With her brains and her physical prowess, she is a
match for any man, even a man as powerful as The Commander. Jennette
Green steps up both the drama and humour when Princess Elwytha
encounters the household of the Commander. Born a princess, Elwytha
certainly acts like one as she judges her new household with the
removed distance of a spoiled princess, making for several wonderfully
light moments within the story, but love ennobles her, making her a
true princess in spirit. The Commander is a powerful man that strikes
terror in the hearts of her family. Battle scarred and a murderous
brute, no one in her family dares to even speak his name. The Commander
is a man of secrets. Within his own household, he is a man of honor,
the exact kind of healing force Elwytha needs. On the surface,
his character may appear less developed than that of Elwytha, but yet,
he is a source of strength for her. His innate steadfastness
provides her with the constancy to see herself and her family more
clearly, and thus becomes a catalyst for her inner growth.
Jennette Green's THE COMMANDER'S DESIRE is a quick paced romance read.
Much of the action is presented through dialogue and inner thoughts
rather than slower paced descriptive detail. The reader easily sees the
internal transitions in the heroine as she moves from being ruled by
her family to becoming a woman of her own. The author adds some twists
here, not only in the Commander's name itself but in some of the
secrets that Elwytha uncovers. I could not help but think this book
could be enacted on a stage in one of the medieval enactment festivals
or some similar presentation because the action is centered around
close encounters between characters, not only between the heroine and
the hero but within the two households through the use of dialogue and
inner monologues that would play out well on the stage. Some of the
lines would be fun to hear aloud. Certain elements of this story
(especially the mystery of the Commander's name) remind me of Medieval
drama. If readers are looking for a sweet medieval historical romance
with lush, slow descriptions of scenery, this is not the romance to
choose. If instead, a reader prefers a dramatic, emotional encounter
between characters with a moving transformation, THE COMMANDER'S DESIRE
is a romance that moves quickly with lots of emotional drama. Although
this romance does not have the polish of more heavily edited medieval
romances from larger publishers, THE COMMANDER'S DESIRE has a
refreshing innovation in form more readily available in smaller press
books. THE COMMANDER'S DESIRE focuses on emotion, dynamic encounters
and internal transformation more than minute medieval historical
details. Jennette Green is an author whose career medieval romance
readers should watch with interest, particularly for her ability to
make the reader feel the inner changes within her characters.
Publisher: Publisher: Wild Rose
Press
(eBook) October 2008, (print) January 2009
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Medieval Book Reviews
