[.ca] Bethrothed (ISBN 055357566X)

From Amazon.com:
Guy of Montague steps off the pages of Elizabeth Elliot's The Warlord and into his own book, Betrothed. Guy arrives at Lonesdale Castle to claim what is rightfully his. He meets Italian-born Lady Claudia Chiavari and sparks fly. But lies and subterfuge are the couple's enemies, and they must fight to keep their love alive. Great characters make this a page-turner and so does the visit of Kenric from The Warlord.

wonderful 2nd book in the series:
the first book in the series"The Warlord" briefly introduced the character of Guy, the half brother to Kenric. He is now the Baron of Montague and a very strong, wealthy, smart, man. He goes to Lonsdale castle to get back Halford hall which is rightfully his back. He spots a beautiful woman and looses his heart right away. The woman is Lady Claudia Chivari, a half English, Half Italian niece of Lord Lonsdale. She has not had an easy life and is not well liked by her uncle. She speaks with a heavy accent and it is hard for people to understand her, all except Guy that is. Thiers is an instant attraction but Guy insists that it is not love and only lust. Claudia fights her feelings for him as well and this makes for some very interesting conversations. They must learn to trust each other and when both her uncle and her brother Dante mess with thier lives this makes it almost impossible to do. There are wonderful secondary characters in this book and we even get to meet Kenric and Fitz Alan again. I really enjoy these books and look forward to more by this author.

Suprisingly good.:
I really didn't expect the book to be as good as it turned out to be, I liked being suprised. I wanted a little more flavor to the books, but other than that it was a really fun read.

Outstanding Read:
Baron Guy of Montague came to Lonsdale with the intention of regaining Halford Hall -- prepared to buy or lay siege in order to get what was really his by right. On the way into the keep he noticed a maid standing in the doorway of the chapel and he was bewitched. Finding her later in the chapel garden, he knew he had to have her at all costs but events would unfold that put both their lives in danger before he could set in motion his plans to ask for her hand in marriage. Lady Claudia Chiavari, half Italian, half English, was the despised niece of Baron Lonsdale and for the last five years her life had been treated little better than the lowliest servant. With Baron Lonsdale thinking that Guy Montague was going to back out of the deal, he concocted an elaborate scheme in which he drugged Guy and his niece; transported Guy into his nieces bedchamber stripping both of them naked so that he could then force Guy into a betrothal and marriage to his niece thereby gaining more money in the dower price. Both were locked up. Claudia, overhearing the rest of her uncle's plan, found out that he also planned murder. Claudia would then risk her life to rescue Guy and escape. Guy, thinking that the Claudia was part of the elaborate scheme, would take Claudia with him, but as his prisoner. Being Italian and not always being understood had made her life quite solitary. She had no friends and was looked down upon as a foreigner. Her distrust of the English made it difficult to understand what Guy wanted from her. She found him intoxicating, but having lost everyone she ever loved, she would not take the chance of being his mistress and then being tossed aside when he tired of her. Guy, on the other hand, could not consider marriage now, after being tricked by her uncle no matter how much he burned for her. Treachery abounds with more threats from relatives, murder attempts and betrayals before either could trust one another to admit what was in their hearts. This was an amazingly intense historical romance that absolutely sizzles with sensuality. The characters are totally believable and so very much in love that you really have to root for them. The prequel The Warlord was outstanding, although more humorous, by this relatively new author and I certainly hope she can continue with more sequels to this series as I could certainly envision entirely new stories with the outstanding secondary characters that she brought to life in this book, such as Claudia's brother Dante. This is an outstanding read and certainly stands alone but you will find it all that more enjoyable if you read The Warlord first.

Never Judge a Book By It's Cover! 6 stars!!!:
Oh, How I love Claudia! She's smart and courageous. She's able to twist your words around with her logic. It's hard to understand her when she speaks English, being Italian herself. They say she talks to fast. She's living in exile with an uncle who hates her. He plans to marry her off to Guy of Montague. These plans also include blaming her for Guy's death. Her scheming uncle is very greedy. Guy finds Claudia on the chapel steps at Lonsdale Castle. Guy can't understand why everyone isn't gawking at Claudia's beauty. Claudia herself is wondering what Guy is looking at so intently behind her. Guy has come to purchase Halford Hall at an outrageous price from Claudia's uncle, Baron Lonsdale. Guy's decided Claudia should also be included in the purchase. When Guy tries to set up a meeting with Baron Lonsdale to discuss this, the baron thinks Guy's discovered that Halford Hall isn't his to sell. The baron sets a trap to find Claudia and Guy in a compromising position, puts Guy in the dungeon and starts making wedding plans for the two. Claudia overhears her uncles plans of murdered and decides she must help Guy escape. Elizabeth Elliott opened my eyes to what a horrible life it was for a woman alone in centuries past. This is the first novel I read by her. I'm looking forward to all the rest. I see by all the reviews may people weren't thrilled with this one. I thought it was fabulous and can't wait to read The Warlord. By all the accolades here I'm expecting my breath to be taken away.

Couldn't put it down!:
Of Ms. Elliott's three books, this is my absolute favorite-and her others were phenomenal! Guy is bargaining with Claudia's uncle over a holding his family once owned. While under the dubious hospitality of her uncle, Guy is drugged and left to be discovered in Claudia's bed. Thinking she was a part of the conspiracy to get his fortune, Guy kidnaps Claudia during his escape(although she is quite willing and ready to go) and takes her to his home. Her uncle tells people they are betrothed (hence the title) and he's willing to go along with it for a while. Claudia, the sister of the Italian assassin we saw try to do Kenric in in the Warlord novel, starts to finally feel at home somewhere. Then, of course, Guy falls in love with her and has to convince both her and his family of it. As if the characters in this book weren't great enough, the characters from the Warlord show up in this one to add a touch more depth and humor. I couldn't read this book fast enough to get the amazing story or slow enough to savor every word of it! Quite the dilemma! If you haven't read this (and her other two) yet, why not? It is well worth the bucks!