I sell books, and I absolutely hate most romance novels. I liked this book. I think most of the reviewers misunderstand. Roland does believe Bridgitt, he just doesn't want to lose her, so he pretends not to believe her. He is in denial. Luthor took Roland from his family. Luthor is in denial about what he did.Roland does the same thing because he wants Bridgitt. Luthor doesn't seem to like anyone but Roland. Roland doesn't seem to like anyone but Brigitt. I think this is why Roland forgives Luthor.

This was my first Johanna Lindsey book and I have probably read it a hundred times. Bridget adn Rowland were such interesting characters and I found my self getting emotionally involved in the twists and turns of the amazing plot.

I did not enjoy this book very much - I didn't hate it but didn't love it. I didn't get much sense of the chemistry between the main characters. I also do not enjoy stories where the male characters forces himself on the female character. There were a couple touching moments but for the most part I didn't feel too much for Brigitte and Roland.

I'm a huge fan of Ms. Lindsey's books but this one did not do it for me. The only exciting part was almost toward the end. The heroine drove me CRAZY and the hero wasn't to much better. Overall it was not one of her best in my opinion.

Lady Brigitte de Louroux is trapped in her fief with an aunt determined to steal what is hers and no hope of escapse. Her brother, the Baron de Louroux, is believed to have been killed in a war with the Saracens. Her aunt, Druoda, has come to act as her guardian, but forces the gently-bred Brigitte to work as a servant while she schemes to find her a husband who will let Druoda have free rein of the fief.

Rowland de Montville is a hard man who has been trained in the art of war. He has never known tenderness and was taught at an early age that he must fight his way though life. When his life is in danger and is saved by a Frenchman who asks one small favor--to tell his sister that he was not murdered in a war after all--Rowland feels that it is his duty to indulge him. Little does he know that on the way to deliver his message he will meet a haughty servant who claims to be a lady and be saddled with her for the rest of his journeys.

While this story is unconventional at best, it bears repeating that it was written in 1983. Yes, the first love scene is virtually rape which is unacceptable by today's standards, but at that point was a key technique in romantic fiction. Lindsey does no more than fall in with what other writers of the time were doing and had been for years.

That aside, Rowland is an arrogant bastard who refuses to admit for a second that he could be wrong about anything. And Brigitte is a willful innocent who refuses to leave well enough alone. Both of them got on my nerves at points with the stubborn refusal to admit that things are not always what they appear. That being said, this wasn't a bad book by any means and certainly helped to pass the time.