When her sister Mellana tearfully needs money for her dowry, the feisty and independent Finnula has no choice but to kidnap a rich man and hold him for ransom to get the money. She finds Sir Hugh Fitzwilliam, a knight just returning from the Holy Wars, and makes him her hostage. Perfect.
However, her hostage is hiding a few secrets. For one, his real name is Lord Hugo Fitzstephen, and he is the heir to Stephensgate Manor, the town where Finnula resides as the miller's sister. Hugo has had his fair share of women, but not capture his attention so much as the Fair Finn, whose acerbic manner and complete unawareness of her beauty make him practically unable to keep his hands off her.
There are more than a few reasons why Finnula wants nothing to do with the future Earl of Stephensgate, though, because of a disturbing past that may threaten to destroy everyone's present and future happiness if someone doesn't do something about it...
If you want a light, frothy, and fun historical romance, look no further than RANSOM MY HEART. I'm not a big romance novel reader, but this book completely won me over with the strong of the attraction between Finnula and Hugo. They are arresting and appealing, if somewhat stereotypical, characters--Finnula is the willful free spirit, Hugo the dangerously sexy royalty guy. However, that didn't bother me much at all, simply because their story was so fun to read.
This novel is actually the senior project of Mia Thermopolis (from The Princess Diaries), and so of course there are some aspects of it that are rather cliche: the romance-y terms, the faux-Olde English speech. Additionally, the second half of the novel drags a bit, and the ending felt a bit too well wrapped up. Overall, however, RANSOM MY HEART is a truly enjoyable and fun romantic romp, and it's going to stay on my bookshelf when I need a lighthearted and sexy escapism read.
However, her hostage is hiding a few secrets. For one, his real name is Lord Hugo Fitzstephen, and he is the heir to Stephensgate Manor, the town where Finnula resides as the miller's sister. Hugo has had his fair share of women, but not capture his attention so much as the Fair Finn, whose acerbic manner and complete unawareness of her beauty make him practically unable to keep his hands off her.
There are more than a few reasons why Finnula wants nothing to do with the future Earl of Stephensgate, though, because of a disturbing past that may threaten to destroy everyone's present and future happiness if someone doesn't do something about it...
If you want a light, frothy, and fun historical romance, look no further than RANSOM MY HEART. I'm not a big romance novel reader, but this book completely won me over with the strong of the attraction between Finnula and Hugo. They are arresting and appealing, if somewhat stereotypical, characters--Finnula is the willful free spirit, Hugo the dangerously sexy royalty guy. However, that didn't bother me much at all, simply because their story was so fun to read.
This novel is actually the senior project of Mia Thermopolis (from The Princess Diaries), and so of course there are some aspects of it that are rather cliche: the romance-y terms, the faux-Olde English speech. Additionally, the second half of the novel drags a bit, and the ending felt a bit too well wrapped up. Overall, however, RANSOM MY HEART is a truly enjoyable and fun romantic romp, and it's going to stay on my bookshelf when I need a lighthearted and sexy escapism read.
