Robin Schone - Sharon Schulze
Schone, Robin - AWAKEN, MY LOVE (Avon - 1995) (4+)
Robin Schone's first novel is a very sensual and explicit time-travel romance that has become a hard-to-find collector's item.
Enduring a passionless modern-day marriage, Elaine Metcliffe wakes up one morning in another century and in somebody else's bed and body! Somehow she has been transported into the body of Morrigan, devout and still-virgin wife of Charles Mortimer, Lord Arlcotte. Confused and frightened, she pretends to have a throat problem and refuses to talk, discovering she is at the mercy of a vicious personal servant and a very angry husband. All she wants is to return to her own body and hopefully return Morrigan to hers. The longer Elaine remains in this situation, the more she finds herself becoming attracted to her "husband," and she knows she's committing adultery.
Charles fell in love with Morrigan the first time he saw her dancing in the forest on her uncle's estate. Despite her relatives' objections, he married her; but on their wedding night, he discovered a cold and soulless woman. He decided to give her up to a year before consummating the marriage. Now he is confronted by a "new and different" wife, but his patience is at an end—he must have an heir! However, dark and evil pagan forces threaten the future of these two lovers. Will they and their newfound love survive?
I highly recommend this book to any and all romance readers. The plot is unusual and very intriguing; and although the love scenes are very explicit, they are not crude, and all the characters have great depth to them. I'm looking forward to Robin Schone's future books because this one is a shining example of love conquering all! ~Sharon L. (TLLAIRD@aol.com)
Schone, Robin - LADY'S TUTOR, THE (Zebra - 8/99) (4+)
Setting: Victorian England
Married at a very young age to a man chosen by her prime minister father, Elizabeth Petre is the perfect wife of the future prime minister. However, she has had to cope with a passionless marriage for sixteen years. After hearing gossip about her cold, unfeeling husband having a mistress, she decides to seduce him. In order to learn how to become the ultimate seductress, she hires a tutor: Ramiel Devington, the bastard son of an English countess and an Arab sheik. Ramiel is a social outcast and, if all gossip is true, the most sensual and dangerous man in all of London.
At first, Ramiel is angry at Elizabeth's proposition because she threatens blackmail, but he decides to go along with her provocative plan and provide her with an education in sensuality. As Ramiel begins the lessons of love, these two lost souls discover an attraction that is forbidden; and looming in the distance are dark and evil forces that threaten their future and their love.
Robin Schone has once again written a very passionate, explicit romance with a unique plot. The hero and heroine are extremely lifelike, and they are likable even though they both push the limits of what's socially acceptable. Readers will cheer for Elizabeth and Ramiel as they desperately search for love and approbation amidst the evil that surrounds them. Read THE LADY'S TUTOR and find out why this is one of the most talked-about books of the year. ~Sharon L. (TLLAIRD@aol.com)
Schulze, Sharon - HIDDEN HEART, THE (Harl. Hist. - 11/99) (4)
Setting: The Welsh Marches, 1213 AD
Someone has been raiding Gillian de l'Eau Clair's lands, and
with her father dead and she unmarried, Gillian has little
choice but to appeal for help. She desperately requests aid
from her godfather, the Earl of Pembroke, as well as her English overlord, King John.
The King sends his emissary, Lord Nicholas Talbot, who becomes Gillian's guardian and l'Eau Clair's warden. Among his men is Rannulf FitzClifford, who loved but rejected Gillian two years earlier because of a family tragedy. FitzClifford is also in the employ of the Earl of Pembroke, who hired him to spy upon Lord Nicholas Talbot. Thrown together, Rannulf's and Gillian's passion rekindles. She must learn to trust again despite Rannulf's previous brutal rejection, and Rannulf must learn that true love redeems the past. Together they face the hidden enemy who thirsts for—and will do anything to obtain—both l'Eau Clair and Gillian.
THE HIDDEN HEART, which continues the l'Eau Clair Chronicles series, is a well-crafted, leisurely-paced romance that is sure to please medieval fans. Explicit sensuality and a plot woven with danger add a provocative edge to this story. Now I can't wait to read TO TAME A WARRIOR'S HEART (Harlequin Historical - 10/97), starring the enigmatic Lord Nicholas Talbot. ~Debora Hosey for Bookbug on the Web
Schulze, Sharon - SHIELDED HEART, THE (Harl. Hist. - 1998) (4)
Setting: England/Wales - 1215
Anna de Limoges was a child when her father sent her to the Abbey, believing she had been given a special gift in
redemption for his sin of leaving the priesthood and marrying. Anna's gift is the ability to capture a vision of beauty in incomparable enamelwork, and she believes her purpose in life is to use her visions from God to craft beautiful altar pieces. The village of Murat, where she lives and works, exists solely to enable the creation of these prized possessions for the Abbey
and its eminent patron, King John. Anna knows nothing about the world outside Murat. The naive young woman has no friends other than William, captain of the Abbey's Guards, and his wife Bess—the couple who adopted her as their own daughter.
Under the protection of William and the guards, Anna is returning from her latest summons of the Abbot when she experiences a sudden rush of sensation—a tingling at the nape of her neck that intensifies into an icy chill. She glances up to see a warrior, dark and menacing, sitting atop a mighty destrier. When William learns this huge Norse fighter has served with Lord Ian ap Dafydd and Prince Llwelyn's Dragons, he is welcomed to join the group. Anna is intrigued by this man and curious to learn what caused her unusual awareness of him.
Swen Siwardson, the godlike Norseman, has met Anna before—but only in his dreams. When the group is attacked by a band of mercenaries and Anna is almost kidnapped, Swen becomes her protector, staying with her party and seeing her safely back to Murat. Swen, who has his own unusual gift, does not understand his own actions and why he is so drawn to Anna. The story becomes more intriguing and suspenseful as William and Swen attempt to find those who are plotting to capture Anna. The sexual tension runs high as Swen fights to remain true to his vow to keep Anna a virgin in order to protect her gift, but the young woman tempts him to the limits of his endurance. Pasts are revealed and the secrets of their gifts are shared as they learn to trust each other. And Anna's view of her life is turned topsy-turvy when Swen teaches her how to have fun and see God's creations outside of her workshop.
THE SHIELDED HEART is a gentle love story set against a bold Medieval tapestry. Sharon Schulze has created a dream hero—a fierce, proud, but romantic and sensitive man. Anna is his inspiration, all sweetness and light, who teaches him to believe in love. This is the third book of a series and even though it stands alone, I am anxious to read the preceding books: HEART OF THE DRAGON and TO TAME A WARRIOR'S HEART. I'm hooked! ~Carol Carter for Bookbug on the Web
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