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Book Review By L. Watson
A Memory of Love by Bertrice Small

Rhonwyn is the child of Llywelyn ap Gryffydd, the man known as the prince of the Welsh, and his beloved mistress. Llywelyn is fighting against Edward I of England and has many enemies. Rhonwyn is raised in a remote castle becoming more of a soldier than a lady. When Llywelyn arranges a marriage for Rhonwyn to further his political ambitions, Rhonwyn must learn to be a proper lady.

Rhonwyn marries Edward de Beaulieu, a Marcher lord. She begins to fall in love with him but cannot respond with anything but panic and fear whenever he has sex with her. When Edward accompanies the English prince Edward on Crusades, Rhonwyn goes with him. When their camp is attacked by Saracens, Rhonwyn goes into battle and is captured. The caliph, enthralled with her beauty, puts her in his harem and teaches her passion. But while she revels in the sexual passion she finds with the caliph, Rhonwyn wants to return to her husband Edward.

With the help of the chief eunuch and her brother, who has been wandering as a minstrel looking for her, Rhonwyn escapes the harem and returns to England. There, she finds Edward has remarried and no longer wants her as his wife since she has been with another man. Rhonwyn demands justice and goes before the English prince to seek the return of her dowry and a penalty from Edward for abandoning her. But the prince, wary of Rhonwyn's father, decides Rhonwyn must marry again.


Plot & Themes
Time/era of story
Difficult/unusual lover? Yes
How difficult?
Captor, in love with Yes

Main Male Character
Profession/status:
Age/status: - 20's-30's

Main Female Character - a teen
Profession/status:
Effect of sexing
Unusual characteristics:

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK
Asia/Pacific Yes
Asian country: - Arabia
Misc setting - castle

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
What % of story is romance related? - 80%
How explicit is the sex? - vague references only - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - licking - actual description of sex - Boob talk - Vagia talk - Weiner talk - rape/molest (yeech!)
Focus of story - Her
How much dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
How much sexing? - 10 or more (that's a lot!)
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