Ransom by Julie Garwood

Ransom (1999) (Pocket Books)
Julie Garwood
Grade: A
Genre: medieval romance
Sex scenes: mild
Source: own
Highlands' Lairds: (1) The Secret, (2) Ransom

Romance RBC 2014: An AAR Top 100 Romance 2007 

At three-years-old, Gillian witnessed her father’s death at the hands of Baron Alford, as her father tries to send Gillian and her older sister Christen to safety with Arianna’s Box, a great treasure belonging to King John. When her father is betrayed, the sisters are torn apart. Years later, Gillian is blackmailed by Baron Alford into finding her sister and the Box so that the power-hungry Baron can gain favour with King John.

When the Rogue Returns by Sabrina Jeffries

When the Rogue Returns (2014) (Pocket Books)

Sabrina Jeffries

Grade: B-

Genre: historical romance

Sex scenes: mild

Source: NetGalley 

Duke's Men: (1) What the Duke Desires, (2) When the Rogue

Returns

Romance Reading Bingo Challenge 2014: A book with a 'secret baby' 

Ten years ago, love-struck newly-weds Isa and Victor were duped by Isa’s cunning sister and brother-in-law in a series of events that led to a bitter decade of separation. Isa worked in a jewellery shop and is skilled in making imitations. When the Dutch Royal Family’s diamonds go missing, Victor is led to believe that Isa is a common criminal and has fled Amsterdam with her family and the proceeds, leaving him as the prime suspect. In turn, Isa is spun a tale by her sister that Victor played an equally incriminating role and has taken his share of the jewels and abandoned her to make a fresh start.

The Secret by Julie Garwood

The Secret (1992) (Simon and Schuster)
Julie Garwood
Grade: A-
Genre: medieval romance
Sex scenes: mild
Source: eBay
Highlands' Lairds: (1) The Secret, (2) Ransom

Judith and Frances Catherine became best friends before they even knew they were natural enemies. The English and Scots don’t mix, but four-year-old girls aren’t ones to understand such feuds and by that point, their friendship is too firm to break. Judith lives in England: six months with her wonderful aunt and uncle near the Scottish border, and the other six months with her unloving mother and drunk uncle Tekel. Her time with Aunt Millicent and Uncle Herbert is the time of year she gets to see Frances Catherine, and the happiest time of her life.

Saving Grace by Julie Garwood

Saving Grace (1993)
Julie Garwood
Grade: A-
Genre: medieval romance
Sex scenes: sweet
Source: own

Married as a child and widowed not long after, Lady Joanna never wanted to marry again. Her husband was a brute of a man, prone to beat and rape her as he liked, channelling his frustration at her barrenness using his fists. He changed the staff every month, so that she would never have the chance to get close to anybody, and her confessor, Bishop Hallwick preached that God viewed women as lower in standing than oxen. Raulf was a favourite of King John, and thus privy to all sorts of damning information – one piece of which Joanna happened to overhear, and could get her killed.

Kidnapped by Nicola Cornick

Kidnapped (2009)
Nicola Cornick
Grade: C+
Genre: historical romance / ship
Sex scenes: doesn't hit mild
Source: library

The death of eighteen-year-old Catriona Balfour’s father just short months after it took away her mother has left Catriona numb. Her parents never resented the fact that she was a girl and their only child, and her father never thought that her lack of a ‘Y’ chromosome meant that she couldn’t be educated to the highest level in astronomy, mathematics and philosophy. She loves the small Scottish village that is her home but her newly orphaned status and almost-penniless state means that she can stay no longer. Fortunately, her Balfour relatives have taken her in, but as Catriona later discovers, this is a mixed blessing.