Hellion

Rating:
Summary: Mon Dieu, These Grapes Are Cold!
Review: Did anyone else notice the copious abuse of the French language during climax scenes? It's really hard to yell out "Mon Dieu!" in the throes of passion without sounding like you're sneezing uncontrollably. That's almost as unsexy as the use of grapes internally...

Rating:
Summary: Reading over and over again.
Review: I love Bertrice Small. After I read my first(being Hellion) I knew I had to buy more. And now after reading six of her books, I have decided to try to collect them all.

Rating:
Summary: Hellion
Review: If you're not familiar with Bertrice Small's books and are likely to be offended by graphic [love] scenes, this is not the book for you. Don't say I didn't warn you. Personally, I generally enjoy Small's books because of the way she really tries to interweave her plot with actual history and because she creates such vivid and strong characters. Believe me, there are no shrinking violets in this book. Here, Hugh, the male lead, is ordered to marry Isabelle by the king. In the beginning of the book, Belle is more of a spoiled brat than a hellion. Hugh is an unusual but likable hero. He isn't handsome, but he is kind and loyal. Through a lot of plot twists, Hugh loses his memory and is more or less enslaved by a sorceress. Belle comes to rescue him but becomes equally enslaved to the sorceress' brother. Belle fairly willingly becomes his [love] slave while Hugh is busy with the sister. Things only get weirder from there. One of the things I liked best about the book was that once Hugh and Belle get away from the kinky duo, they don't automatically blissfully reunite. They actually have a lot of emotional baggage to work through - a nice realistic touch as opposed to the pat romance novel ending.

Rating:
Summary: Another "dislike grows to love" story!
Review: Many of Mrs. Small's books feature a heroine who is strongwilled, unconventional and refuses to be dominated. In Hellion, Belle is no exception. Forced by the king to marry Hugh Falconier, she at first resists her growing passion for him. As he learns to respect her and her fine mind, she grows to love him, even as he loves her. Naturally, something must part these lovers (this is a Small book, after all!) and in this case it is caused by Belle's wicked half brother. Of course there is a happy ending, but first the lovers must be separated and put through all sorts of sexual escapades, exactly as one would expect from Mrs. Small's writing. Not for the faint of heart, there is sexually explicit material in her; once again, after all, it is by Bertrice Small!!! Give it a read!!

Rating:
Summary: Hellion of a Book!
Review: Of all the Bertrice Small books that I have read (most of them) Hellion is still my favorite. I like the fact that Hugh wasn't some knockout Adonis as most Romance novel men are. This definitely had the Historical bent... but there was also the entire fantasy realm open as well. With Guy and Vivienne you get another slant to the book that truly adds more instead of taking away substance. The love scenes were definitely steamy (Though anything but conventional)... and a few were borderline kinky. This one's not for the conventional romance reader... but if you're into the more experimental side of sex... it may just be a good idea book.

Rating:
Summary: Read this only if you like it rough!!!
Review: Our story starts off in the year of our Lord 1100. King Henry decided that one of his most faithful and trusted knights' was in need of land and a wife. Hugh Fauconier was given the lands of Langston and its current mistress/owner, Lady Isabelle also known as Belle from Hell. Hugh and fellow knight/best friend Rolf de Briard set out for his future home and bride. Unsure what to expect, Hugh certainly did not expect to find his future mother in law so completely hospitably, abiding and accommodating, and his future wife the complete opposite of her mother. To say that Belle from hell was pissed off about the king deciding to relieve her of her lands and marry her off is putting it mildly. She adamantly refused to wed with a man that she had not chosen for herself. Unlike Bell and Hugh; Rolf and Belle's mother Alette fell for each other almost right away. Unfortunately love at first sight means nothing when you've been hurt as bad as Alette was by Belle's late father. Alette has taken a vow never to marry once she found out about her husbands death. {There is only a 15-year difference between mother and daughter. Belle is only 15 years old when she first meets Hugh.} In addition to being a knight in the kings' service Hugh raises and trains hunting birds, namely falcons.

Little time passes when Belle finally decides to trust Hugh and accept him as Lord over her lands and people as well as her husband. The same fate befalls her mother as well. Rolf's love for Alette wins her over and she eventually accepts him as her husband. {Now it wasn't as easy as I wrote in this review...read the story, it is very interesting how they finally get married}...

Robert Duke of Normandy is the oldest brother of King Henry. War is looking eminent between the king and his brother {Robert was indeed cheated out of the throne of England and is willing to fight to reclaim what he believes is his.} Hugh and Rolf are called to the kings' service.

Robert de Manneville is Belle's late father. In addition to his daughter, Robert had two other children {boys from a previous marriage. Their mother died while giving birth.} The oldest named William also died in battle with his father. The middle brother Richard has his own plot of lands but his not satisfied with just that. He his eager to obtain Langston as well. Having no affection or love for either his step mother and sister his very upset to find out that Belle is already married. The fact that she is married does not stop his want for Langston and his willingness to do whatever he can to take control of it.

Fortunately war is abated and in an act of piece Hugh his sent by the king to his brother Robert in Normandy with a gift of a trained hunting bird. As weeks turn into months, with no word from her husband at all Belle sets out to find him and bring him home. She talks her stepfather Rolf into talking her to England to ask of news of her missing husband. Rolf knowing full well what type of man the king is, is very reluctant to take his beautiful stepdaughter before the king. Rolf is then proven right when king Henry makes a play for Belle and his determined to make her his newest mistress. After ducking and dogging the king word finally reaches Belle that her husband departed from his visit with Robert some time ago and was invited to visit with her brother Richard under guise of peace and friendship. Hugh and his party were then giving to an evil sorceress by the name of Vivienne d'Bretagne and her brother Guy...

Realizing what her brother had done Belle and sets out to find and reclaim her husband that has been made a sex slave of sorts by Vivienne. Pretending to be a young man Guy sees through her disgust almost immediately and the same fate that befalls her husband happens to her. And this is where the story picks up!!!!

Very good story!!!! I was very impressed with my first taste of B. Small. I wish someone would have turned me on to her a lot sooner I probably would have read all of her novels by now!!! I will say that the story line before Hugh went missing was pretty good; the sex was also just pretty good!!! But when Hugh went missing, is when the story picks up and I got down right excited! Realizing that Vivienne's brother Guy is one of the main villains in the story did not stop me from liking him immensely...

Read this book!!!!



Rating:
Summary: Hell no!
Review: This is my first book by Small and I have to say, now I understand why I hadn't read any sooner...the first part of the book introduces us to a heroine who is a total spoiled brat whose behaviour and attitude does not endear...Granted the story is interesting, until she falls under Guy's spell...then the book descends into slightly poetic pornography that leaves you shuddering and cringing. The purpose of a romance novel is to whisk one away to a world where things aren't so gritty and distasteful, we have reality for that Ms. Small! The ending does not neatly tie up the loose ends, either. As a whole it was regretful that I read "Hellion". Better luck with the Skye O'Malley saga, I hope!

Rating:
Summary: Mon Dieu, These Grapes Are Cold!
Review: This is what Love Slave should have been. I finished this book in record time. I love the characters and the time. I highly recommend the book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Prepare to feel smutty
Review: What happened to Bertrice Small? Normally her books are a whirlwind of history, adventure and sensuality. She is usually one of my favorite authors. Her books have always been hot, but this is ridiculous! The first half of this book was classic Small. The rest of it read like a bad porno flick. There's sensual, sexy and sizzling and then there is this crock. I felt sleazy just reading it and didn't even bother to finish it through. I just skipped to the end to read the requisite Happily Ever After ending and sighed with relief that this didn't come out in hardcover. Please, Ms. Small, go back to writing what your readers want and don't jump on the "more sex than story" bandwagon!