Rating: 
Summary: "Passion Of Medieval England At Its Finest" ...
Review: "From This Moment On," by Lynn Kurland is a delighful book. I enjoy stories created around this time period. Bestselling author Lynn Kurland transports the reader back to the thirteenth century with all the spark and passion of medieval England. An engaging story with colorful characters, fun dialogue, and a plot second to none!John Savoy
Savoy International
Motion Pictures Inc.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Kurland's Best...
Review: Being an avid Kurland fan, I was expecting a bit more from this book. I have read most of her books and was surprised she wrote this one -- the characters did not pop off the page and I did not really like the Butcher of Berkhamshire. I found him to be a bumbling man, who did not really have anything in his character to even show how he got the nickname, "The Butcher." Frankly, he annoyed me.
As for Alienore, she was a very contradictory character. She was tough and fought like the knight she was pretending to be, but she was a wimp at letting Etienne blackmail her with her identity. I have read books where I sympathized with a character's plight between confessing a dark secret that could ruin her image/future, but this "secret" was just too much to bear.
If you love Lynn Kurland's books, like me, you will save your time and avoid this one. It just isn't worth your time reading -- go for a walk or watch a movie instead.
Rating:
Summary: Not Kurland's Best...
Review: Being an avid Kurland fan, I was expecting a bit more from this book. I have read most of her books and was surprised she wrote this one -- the characters did not pop off the page and I did not really like the Butcher of Berkhamshire. I found him to be a bumbling man, who did not really have anything in his character to even show how he got the nickname, "The Butcher." Frankly, he annoyed me. As for Alienore, she was a very contradictory character. She was tough and fought like the knight we was pretending to be, but she was a wimp at letting Etienne blackmail her with her identity. I have read books where I sympathized with a character's plight between confessing a dark secret that could ruin her image/future, but this "secret" was just too much to bear. If you love Lynn Kurland's books, like me, you will save your time and avoid this one. It just isn't worth your time reading -- go for a walk or watch a movie instead.
Rating: 
Summary: The Butcher finds Love?
Review: Could it be? Our beloved Smelly big guy gets himself a girl? Yes it is so, as "From this Moment On" Reveals just how such a thing is possible! I give it 4 stars merely because the tale was adorable in it's ctreation. Personally I had trouble seeing Colin in the "romantic" lead, but this quirky tale is most definately worth a read, a laugh and a giggle. Prepare to bundle up in your favourite robe and follow til the very end.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding - One of Kurland's BEST!
Review: First of all - I LOVED this story - and believe I read it with a perpetual smile on my face. There were no scenes of hot sexual encounters, which I do admit to enjoying, but it was a different kind of love story that I found to be exquisitely funny and moving at the same time with a cast of characters that will remain forever in my heart. First introduced in Kurland's previous novel, "This Is All I Ask", Colin of Berkhamshire, aka the Butcher of Berkhamshire, is so fearsome that all of his prospective brides have created impressive excuses to avoid marrying him-all except one. Alienore of Sologne, causing Colin immense embarrassment. Where the others at least had the decency to see him - Alienore simply ran away! Fearing her murderous step-mother as much as the much maligned Butcher of Berkhamshire, Ali disguised herself, and had secured a position for the past two years attending Lady Sybil of Maignelay as the knight, Sir Henri. Alienore accompanies Sybil to meet the man to whom she has been 'secretly' betrothed to - and who else could the bridegroom be, but the infamous Butcher. To Ali's horror, Colin who is the consummate warrior, makes it his mission to teach the inept "Sir Henri" sword skills and 'manliness' of speech and mannerisms as he felt sorry for the very slight and 'oh so pretty' knight. Colin, who in spite of his magnificent fighting skills, gruff, menacing demeanor, and his rather 'ripe' odor - is really sweet and lovable as he continually surprises Sir Henri with kindly overtures - and begins to wonder himself what the attraction is for this rather 'attractive' knight. As Ali gets discovered and blackmailed by the evil Sir Etienne, she would like to tell Colin who she is but Etienne convinces her that if he ever finds out 'who' she is Colin will 'kill' her! Suffice it to say that once the discovery is made, the 'wooing' is priceless beyond measure! This, in my opinion is Kurland at her absolute best! I so love the entire de Piaget series and never want to see it end! This is another one for my keeper shelf and I so hope that the de Piaget's and friends remain fruitful enough to continue down through the generations.
Rating:
Summary: Accurate and Meaningful
Review: First of all, this book amazed me in two ways:
One: It totally went against traditional historical romance.
Two: It was historically accurate.
Some readers may be annoyed with the hero, who has less-than-perfect manners, doesn't bathe and is "not attractive." However, this is most likely the was it really was. Few people now know that the Roman Catholic Church believed it was sinful to expose your nakedness, even to yourself, and so bathing was a rare thing. Most regular people (not high nobility or royalty) only bathed twice a year. Manners and the British "proper" way of doing things didn't really start until the 18th century. Colin's behavior in the book was most likely not too far off the mark.
Alienore is finally a romance character I can get into. She's frightened of a man's whose horrible reputation precedes him, but that doesn't make her lose her reason. When cornered, she thinks her way out of trouble (though more often than not she doesn't have to actually implement her plans) and uses her brain, not freak chance to continue.
Yet despite his behavioral and physical flaws, Kurland mananges to make Colin a likeable character. He is a decent, honest man who, despite his gruff and ill-mannered exterior, really wants a family. But only on his terms. He has no patience for wilting flowers and giggling idiots. He want a woman who had courage, like a man, is willing to get dirty, like a man, and who won't faint everytime he comes in the room. You begin to feel sorry for him if you think on how many times his reputation has chased away his potential brides. Kurland does a brilliant job of giving the reader more insight into Colin while Alienore (the herione) gains more knowledge of him. When the two first meet, the reader feels sympathy for Ali, who must face this devil of a man, but as time goes on, both reader and herione develop trust and appreciation for the finer sides of Colin.
As far as traditional romances go, having a rude hero and a masculine-ized herione really shouldn't sit well. Yet in this instance, it seems to work.
True, the book has its slow moments and sometimes you have to wonder at the characters' actions, but all in all, it's a worthwhile read.
Rating:
Summary: Accurate and Meaningful
Review: First of all, this book amazed me in two ways:
One: It totally went against traditional historical romance.
Two: It was historically accurate.
Some readers may be annoyed with the hero, who has less-than-perfect manners, doesn't bathe and is "not attractive." However, this is most likely the was it really was. Few people now know that the Roman Catholic Church believed it was sinful to expose your nakedness, even to yourself, and so bathing was a rare thing. Most regular people (not high nobility or royalty) only bathed twice a year. Manners and the British "proper" way of doing things didn't really start until the 18th century. Colin's behavior in the book was most likely not too far off the mark.
Alienore is finally a romance character I can get into. She's frightened of a man's whose horrible reputation precedes him, but that doesn't make her lose her reason. When cornered, she thinks her way out of trouble (though more often than not she doesn't have to actually implement her plans) and uses her brain, not freak chance to continue.
Yet despite his behavioral and physical flaws, Kurland mananges to make Colin a likeable character. He is a decent, honest man who, despite his gruff and ill-mannered exterior, really wants a family. But only on his terms. He has no patience for wilting flowers and giggling idiots. He want a woman who had courage, like a man, is willing to get dirty, like a man, and who won't faint everytime he comes in the room. You begin to feel sorry for him if you think on how many times his reputation has chased away his potential brides. Kurland does a brilliant job of giving the reader more insight into Colin while Alienore (the herione) gains more knowledge of him. When the two first meet, the reader feels sympathy for Ali, who must face this devil of a man, but as time goes on, both reader and herione develop trust and appreciation for the finer sides of Colin.
As far as traditional romances go, having a rude hero and a masculine-ized herione really shouldn't sit well. Yet in this instance, it seems to work.
True, the book has its slow moments and sometimes you have to wonder at the characters' actions, but all in all, it's a worthwhile read.
Rating: 
Summary: From this Moment On
Review: For me it was a bore and absolutely un-Kurland like. Usually I can't put her books down, but this time I only finished it because I was on a flight from LA to Atlanta and had no other choices.
I usually wait for her next offer, but I think I'll have to pass on it unless she gets 5 star reviews.
Sorry
Rating:
Summary: Bad Odor, Bad Humor
Review: How can you have a real hero who smells bad, burps at the table and wipes his mouth on the tablecloth or his sleeve? Yuck. This book is far too long, spending most of its time on scenes of Colin teaching Alienore to fight. It has a very thin plot, has a hero you can't possibly want to take home, and a heroine that spends her time quaking and squeeking. The attempt at humor, such as when Colin accidently breaks Alienore's nose, and when he faints several times at seeing his newborn daughter are ridiculous...but not funny. This book is a waste of the author's writing time and my reading time.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly entertaining.
Review: I enjoyed this book very much. The characters are funny and endearing. Not to be missed. And, Colin does bathe.
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