The Fall [NOOK Book]

Beautiful

From the very beginning, I was drawn in by the beautiful writing. As I read on, the theme and symbolism caught my attention. By the end of the book, I was completely invested in everything, including characters and plot. The story was beautiful, made all the more powerful by the writing. I don't have very many keepers, but this is one that's going to stay on my bookshelf, after I've loaned it out to everyone I know. I can't wait to share it with everyone!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Exciting romance

In the twelfth century, fourteen years old Juliane of Stanora marries a man selected by her father. However, before she is bedded her spouse dies. Juliane earns an unfair name as Lady Frost............................. A few years later, womanizing Ulrich of Caen arrives at Stanora with plans to enhance his reputation by defrosting Juliane ¿le Gel¿. However, she considers him a handsome loser, the ¿Lord of Nothing¿ as he has no property or anything else. When Juliane¿s dad becomes ill, he worries about whom will protect his beloved daughter so noticing the attraction between his guest and his child beyond the face of their war, he arranges a marriage between his daughter and Ulrich. However, on the way to the ceremony, Juliane is abducted leaving Ulrich to risk his life to save the woman he loves................................ Fans will appreciate this fine medieval romantic rendition of The Taming of the Shrew (though Lady Frost is actually a nicer person than Kiss Me Kate is). The story line starts slow until the lead couple turn into enemy combatants. From that moment the tale never looks back as the fine duet turns into Beloved Enemies. Though a late twist adds suspense, the tale belongs to the gender warring warriors................................ Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Dark & Distinct

I love Claudia Dain! And I loved The Fall!

While reading her Medieval Knights Series, I felt as though I was taken back in time. Her descriptions, characters and plots feel authentic to the era. If you are looking for bubble gum romance or a light romp you will probably not like this series. But if you are looking for something deeper, with more substance, you can't go wrong with The Fall or with any of the books in the Medieval Knights Series. This story and the others depict medieval England more accurately than others I've read. Yet there is still a touching and loving romantic tale intertwined throughout the pages.

This book is a stand alone, but if you've read the others, a past hero is mentioned and plays somewhat into this plot. For me it's always fun to find out what happened to past characters once their book says "the end".

Juliane is a strong woman and witty. I loved her attempts to frighten Ulrich away. But the lure of both land and the lady are too tempting to scare off the courtly knight with no land of his own. There are wonderful secondary characters, an awful villain, and a hero and heroine who are the perfect match for each other.

If I could give this book zero stars, I would have.

I've read one other book by Claudia Dain and was hoping that this one would be as good. It was not. The interactions between the characters are absurd and so much of the plot consists of irrelevant descriptions of mundane tasks. The dialogue is written in a poor attempt at period-authentic speech, which makes it difficult to keep up with the plot, such as it is. The characters are not likable or relatable. There is no tension or passion between any of them. There is no romance in this romance novel. The heroine chooses to have sex with the hero just hours after her brutal rape and while I know that one must suspend one's disbelief when reading fiction, that is just a bit too far-fetched. I really hate it when I waste my time and money on things like this.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Devastated with Disappointment

Approximately eleven of the twenty-four chapters were filled with nonsensical conversations between all the characters. The characters never truly developed any consistent qualities. Just when I thought the story was beginning to develop the heroine was brutally raped on her wedding day by the villain. This was an unexpected and not very creative twist in the story.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Do proffesional critics really READ the books?

bought this book based on an editorial review but I sure didn't find the sparkly repartee or seething sexual tension they did. What I found instead were sexual assault and softcore porn. The 'hero' is a brute and the 'heroine' a spoiled whiner. Very disappointing from a bestselling author.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Not a book to fall in love with

I got two of Dane's books as gifts and this one is better than 'Temptation' which was unbelievably bad, but this wasn't too much better. Gives a good feel for the period but I want love in my romance books, and there just wasn't any here. Rape is not the least bit tittilating, nor is having the couple consummate their marriage in front of an audience. The reader is left feeling like a voyeur. A big disappointment. Read Loraine Heathe or Fern Michaels instead.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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