Karla B. (gaslight) -
Helpful Score: 6
The characters are well-drawn, and Jane's secret isn't revealed right away. In the meantime, the reader is given a descriptive & involving portrait of medieval scholarly life, with the conditions that Jane has to contend with. Her cross-dressing isn't a ploy, but part of who she is, and Duncan's confusion & anger over the deception is paired with grudging admiration that women aren't the one-dimensional creatures he's been instructed to believe by Very Serious Men. Surrounding the romance are issues of royal birth & the benefits and trials that it can entail, as well as the struggles that all people have to endure to survive, whether one is male or female.
Ruth T. (foundmyknight) reviewed In the Master's Bed (Harlequin Historical, No 962) on + 19 more book reviews
This book was a very quick read for me. It was okay. Nothing like the cover suggests. I would recommend reading the book "The Harlot's Daughter" first, since it apparently gives a LOT of the background story. I did think that the author did her research and is a true lover of history. She points out who the characters are based on and what facts she took artistic license with at the end of the book. I would pass it along but it isn't "hot" like the title page or title suggest.
