Secret Song by Catherine Coulter

Secret Song by Catherine Coulter - 371 pages

Roland de Tournay is a landless knight whose dream is to buy his own land and home. He knows what keep he wants to buy and is earning the money to buy it. He accepts a job from Damon le Mark to rescue his niece from the Earl of Clare.

Daria of Fortescue, niece of Damon le Mark was promised to wed. On the journey to her betrothed her escorts are murdered, she is kidnapped and taken to the Earl of Clare who wishes her for his wife. She has no desire to marry at all. Several weeks after her capture a new priest is installed at the castle and Daria immediately feels drawn to him. The priest is Roland whose expertise is his ability to masquerade. He frees Daria. Several days later he takes ill with a fever and she must now nurse him back to health. During his fever she allows him to make love to her, planning to never tell him. The Earl has been tracking them and Daria takes Rolands horse and leads him away from where Roland is staying. She is taken back to the castle. A couple of months later Roland again rescues her and takes her to King Edward who is journeying in the area.

Daria is pregnant and Roland marries her believing that the Earl of Clare is the father and not believing her when she tells him that he is the father. He cannot remember making love to her because of the fever he had at the time. Both the Earl and her uncle are furious at the marriage and set out to gain revenge. Daria's dowry is huge as her father had been an Earl himself and left everything to her. Roland is now able to buy his keep. They argue constantly because he believes her a liar. He does however bring her mother to live with them. Daria's mother is filled with her own secrets regarding what Daria's father was really like and also who her real father really was. With the help of Daria's mother and Roland friends many secrets are revealed before Roland comes to believe Daria and they find happiness.

Earth Song by Catherine Coulter

Earth Song by Catherine Coulter - 412 pages

Philippa de Beauchamp, as impulsive as she is beautiful, flees her father's castle when she hears she is to be wed to the repellent Baron de Bridgport. But her daring escape in a wool wagon quickly becomes a misadventure, and she winds up in the arms of Dienwalk de Fortenberry, a rogue as smooth and bold as Aquitaine wine. Soon Philippa finds herself a prisoner at Dienwald's castle, where there are mysteries to be solved, villians to be bested, and a stubborn man's heart to be won. You'll also meet old friends, Graelam and Kassia de Moreton from Fire Song, as well as the king of England, who is closesr to Philippa than she could ever imagine.

Fire Song by Catherine Coulter

Fire Song by Catherine Coulter - 463 pages


Lord Graelam de Moreton was a warrior, a man both hard and ruthless, a man who took what he wanted and never looked back. But things change and Graelam finds himself in a situation he never anticipated: he has gotten himself a wife through no fault of his own. Kassia de Lorris of Brittany is gentle and yielding, untested in the ways of men. She cheats death only to find herself wedded to a stranger.

When the two meet as husband and wife at Graelam's castle of Wolffeton in Cornwall, Kassia is prepared to give obeisance to this man he father chose for her. Graelam is willing to accept her as she appears - a lady as innocent and guileless as rainwater flowing through his fingers.

But things change again. Graelam comes to believe she has betrayed him. It's time for Kassia to prove her mettle.

Warrior's Song by Catherine Coulter

Warrior's Song by Catherine Coulter - 374 pages



Chandra de Avenell might look like a golden princess, but she has been raised to fight like a warrior, dreams a warrior's dreams, and wears a warrior's pride like a suit of armor. She wants to be strong, independent, and free. She has no use at all for a husband.

Enter the man her father has selected for her. Jerval de Vernon takes one look at Chandra, and he wants her. After he saves her from a very bad situation, he sets himself to wooing her - not an easy task.

How does a man convince a woman he coerces into marriage to become a wife? To give him her loyalty and her trust? Love is something he would like her to consider as well. But what if the wife has no intention of cooperating? Does he break her or finally give up on her?

A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin

A game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin, 694 pages

A Game of Thrones is the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, a five book series by George R.R. Martin.  The book introduces what I can only assume are major characters to the series, being that it is the first in it.  I've never read a fantasy type book before, but it was recommended to me by a friend whose opinion I value and I must say I was impressed.  For a fantasy novel, there was less magic and such than I would have guessed there to be, but also I have never really read in the genre, so yeah.  Anyway, the story takes place in the fictional land of Westeros where seasons last longer or shorter than they would regularly, which I suppose will be important towards the general plot of the series and follows the struggle of three major houses: The Starks, the Lannisters, and the Barantheons.  The Barantheons hold the crown but the king married a Lannister and fathered three heirs with her, while making Eddard Stark the king's hand, which is kind of like the Vice President.  Well, to make a long story short, some stuff happens and then other things happen because of the initial stuff happening.  The book was good.  Read it, or don't.  I liked it.  Oh, and also HBO made a t.v. show from it.  From what I have seen of it, the show follows the book pretty faithfully, which is somewhat of a rarity for film adaptations of books.