Betrothed (ISBN 055357566X)

Amazon.com Review:
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.

Great read! Hope the author writes more!:
I found this book in the clearance bin at my used book store for the outrageous price of $0.20!...what a pleasant surprise! I had never heard of Ms. Elliott but after reading Betrothed I couldn't wait to read Warlord which I also enjoyed...though not as much as Betrothed. I liked Claudia, what a relief to find a heroine with intelligence...I laughed out loud over the rat in the bedchamber scene...I haven't yet gotten around to Scoundrel since I like historical romances...I hope Ms. Elliott picks up the pen once again!

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.

Weakest of the three but still pretty good:
Guy Montague is a powerful baron who prefers to expand his estates and coffers through business and trade rather than warring. He has just come to a tentative agreement with Baron Lonsdale to purchase Lonsdale castle. Hidden within Lonsdale castle is Claudia Chiavari, the Baron's niece. She has been much maligned and abused by her uncle and his people that Claudia pretty much keeps to herself. What Guy doesn't know is that Baron Lonsdale has a malicious plot in the works to get more gold out of him and also to keep his hold on Lonsdale castle. Guy escapes with his life, with Claudia in tow. He believes that Claudia was part of the conspiracy and plans to hold her prisoner until he can decide what to do with her. Betrothed is not exactly my favorite among the three books written by Elizabeth Elliott (Warlord, Scoundrel and Betrothed). In my opinion, it is the weakest of the three, but still, Elizabeth Elliott's gift of words is such that she succeeds in weaving another fascinating story about the Montagues.

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.

A few inconsistensies...:
OK, I didn't expect it to be as good as WARLORD, and it wasn't. I gave it 4 stars because it was a good read, as expected of E. Elliot's books and it was a great way to spend a relaxing rainy afternoon. The characters had sizzling chemistry, the romance brought a few sighs along the way, and Claudia was definately not your feeble, swooning heroine. Having said that, there were a few nagging inconsistensies. Firstly, there was the thing with Claudia's language problem, which at times miraculously vanished and she communicated like a true native, and at others could hardly string two coherent words together. Then, there was the ease that Kenric accepted his brother acting like a lovesick fool (which at times got a little annoying,)and the readiness to accept CLaudia into his family, even though her brothers were hired mercenaries and a history between their families full of bloodshed. I found that completely out of character where Kenric was concerned. But it did leave me me craving for more, and I wish that Dante's story had developed as the little we saw of his character showed promise of a powerful and tormented romance, my favourite kind...