Review: Lord of a Thousand Nights by Madeline Hunter

From the Back Cover:

Called the Lord of a Thousand Nights, Ian of Guilford was famed as much for his feats in the bedroom as on the battlefield. But Lady Reyna Graham had no idea of this when, disguised as a courtesan, she passed behind enemy lines with a desperate plan to save her people. Now, sitting in the tent of the dizzyingly handsome warrior who commanded the army outside her gates, the beautiful widow suddenly realized that she had underestimated her foe. For she found herself in the company of a man whose charms were said to be impossible to resist...and who would show no mercy in laying siege to her heart—and body—with every sensual weapon in his arsenal. For the sake of her people, she must not give in ... and she must somehow turn this legendary lover who never lost his heart into a man who would exchange all his thousand nights for one with her....

My Thoughts:

Well the first line hooked me:
"Be sure he drinks the wine before he gets your clothes off."

It's the summer of 1357, and though Scotland is officially under English rule, the English lords are still having trouble bringing their subjects to heel.  Lady Reyna Graham's home, Black Lyne Keep, is under siege, and Reyna, a young widow stuck inside with people who believe she murdered her much older husband, is desperate to get out. She's concocted a plan to assassinate the English military commander, and in the process lift the siege on her home and make her escape to more friendly territory. Of course, her plan goes awry, and she inadvertantly ends up helping that commander, Ian of Guilford, storm the keep and take it over.

What follows is an entertaining game of cat and mouse in which Reyna tries to thwart Ian's rule of the keep, while Ian tries to subdue the swearing, spitting wildcat, and both try to banish their growing feelings for each other. But Ian sees the danger in Reyna's situation and becomes determined to prove her innocence, and in the process uncovers not only her late husband's secrets, but those of her own family, and discovers how much danger Reyna is really in. Ian is actually a really great hero, portrayed very realistically as a soldier of this time period, and he's got his own dark secrets. I was impressed with the well-developed plot that has some pretty good twists and angst-inspiring moments. And it's very sexy!

Overall, I liked this book, but I didn't love it. While it has more of a plot than other novels of the genre, it has less history. In fact, it pretty much has no history, and very little in the way of social commentary or custom, either, and I was disappointed in that. The story also has a couple of what I call "yeah, right" moments. For example, Ian invents the outdoor shower and Reyna invents leather lingerie. I will try this author again, though. There's no question she can write a good story; I liked the main characters in this one, and I like the descriptions of some of her other books. I'll just hope for a little more historical flavor!

My Rating:  3.5 Stars out of 5

This review is also featured as a Guest Review at Royal Reviews!