This is two books in a row with the same problem that came highly recommended. This one is medieval, during the time of Henry II. Rolfe is feuding with his neighbor and decides to solve his problems by marrying the woman Lady Leonie. So, it starts out fine though not very realistic from a historical standpoint. But it goes downhill quickly. Rolfe keeps his mistress around though he isn't sleeping with her anymore, but Leonie puts up with it in a very passive-aggressive way. There's also a weird subplot with her father and step-mother that ends up with Leonie beaten, so she's unrecognizable on her wedding day. Then it's just fighting and makeup sex with Leonie constantly running away and Rolfe bringing her back. It was just tiresome as it didn't make for much of a story. Rolfe is the big gruff knight and Leonie the airhead woman constantly causing trouble because she can't listen to advice. Ugh, not for me. ( )

Cuando Lady Leonie de Montwyn fue informada de que debía casarse con el temido Rolfe d'Ambert, más conocido como el Lobo Negro, creyó que su vida había terminado. Sin embargo, todos sus temores fueron desvaneciéndose ante las ardientes caricias y los tiernos abrazos del fiero guerrero, que consiguieron conquistar, poco a poco, su corazón de mujer.

Great Tale. Another 5 star for Johanna.
Lady Leonie is forced to marry her feared neighbor "The Black Wolf".
Rolfe D'Ambert is plagued by his neighbor and her people. So he decides to marry to stop the harassment.
Neither of them can resist the pull they have between them. ( )

Typical Lindsey historical. Overblown emotional yarn with great characters. Quick read. ( )

I picked up an entire collection of Johanna Lindsey books from the free cart at the library and over this weekend, I've decided to read and get rid of books that are "cover challenged." A mere glance at "When Love Awaits" attests to the fact that it clearly falls into that category.

The male protagonist, Rolfe, is butt naked and holding a sword, and Lady Leonie's neck is abnormally long and bent at an unnatural angle.

At any rate, I used to be a huge Lindsey fan, and I've never read this 1986 one, so I thought, why not. It's been a while since I've read an old school style "bodice ripper" and this one was refreshing in some ways in comparison to the regencies I've been gorging myself on lately.

Interesting Medieval Setting: The Medieval genre is particularly enjoyable to because the women were productive and contributed to the well being of the household rather than dressing up and attending yet another house party and another ball. It was interesting to read about how they led their lives and households.

I haven't read about the "warrior" hero in a while, and while Rolfe was fairly cookie cutter, he seemed like a really great guy, particularly in the way in which he tried to appease his (psycho) wife. He told her he loved her, he bought her gifts, and he constantly tries to communicate with her and tries to get through to her in order to make their relationship better. He wasn't exactly the brightest bulb int he box, but I liked him.

And now to the negatives:
-Lady Leonie, the psycho: The heroine in this book was a complete idiot. She literally had no brain and made the stupidest decisions based on the stupidest misconceptions. She believed the wrong people and didn't show one moment of thoughtfulness. The plot device that kept them apart was a weak one, and it was, in my opinion, a foolish one based on Leonie's idiocy. Leonie is impulsive and flounces around the novel too much or runs away every time something angers or hurts her instead of staying to fight for her marriage and relationship. She was weak, she was dumb, she was sometimes conniving, and an overall moron. I really don't know what he saw in her, unless it was her silvery good looks and hot bod.

-Miscommunications and Misunderstandings: This, apparently is a big trope in older romance novels. I think romance readers these days demand a little more complexity to the characters and to the relationship. This book, written in 1986 makes use of the misunderstanding and miscommunication plot device to much and not enough time having the characters build a relationship and slowly begin to trust each other. The book was too much about Rolfe dominating Leonie and bending her to his desire and will and Leonie's resistance and not enough about them getting to learn and love each other despite their fear and mistrust.

Overall, this was an alright effort in an old school genre of romance writing.


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