Almost Innocent [Mass Market Paperback]

I'm always impressed at how her heroes are less than the perfect ideal compared to the standard, and Guy is no exception. Though there are times you want to strangle him for not being typical ultimately it enriches the story. Magdelen is as what's to be expected for the genre, a woman vs her lot in life, but she doesn't have that selfish nature that's so exasperating in other heroines, like the modern 90s woman trapped in some nightmare. Like Guy she ultimately does what's right for herself, her child and her country, even with the personal sacrifice, and that's what makes this story believable and the culmination is better for it. Nobody's perfect, and Jane Feather doesn't try and pretend otherwise.

The secondary characters, as always, are as interesting as the main characters, and no one writes a more wicked villan than Jane Feather.

Add to all this the fact that Feather has clearly done her research in respect to the medieval world and you have a romance novel that's less romance and more escapist.

I'll add my voice to the reviewers who have said that this is not for the reader who wants something generic with flawless characters, nor one who wants to read about a period past through the presentist's eyes. And I'll also add my voice to that of the reviewer who says that Jane Feather should break out of the genre for a little bit and try her hand at a more general fiction novel.

Magdalen's lover and protector, Guy de Gervais, is a truly nurturing and loving man despite the fact that he has at "un pointe non plus" slapped her to remind her that her wilful disobedience gravely threatens Guy's task to keep her safe from harm that was placed upon him by her father, the Prince John of Gaunt. At issue is an uneasy truce between England and France that governs the political balance of power and she is a major player.

She is utterly absorbed in her passions and physical neediness, rendering her extraordinarily unlikeable. Yet, this may reveal the realities of women in that era, who is to say? The tale is a fascinating slice of history which makes it worthwhile reading for this fact alone. I do hope that in the future Ms. Feather makes her heroines more sympathetic, because, in all fairness, she is nearly as gifted as Guy Gavriel Kay in her ability to evoke the reader's deepest involvement with her characters which makes the story unforgettable on many levels.

This IS a story about adultery, so if that bothers you, you will never like this book. HOWEVER, it is worth noting that Magdelen never had a choice about her marriage. It was decided when she was just a child, and she did try and prevent it.

Finally, lets be honest about Edmund, who is Magdelen's husband. Everyone goes on and on about how great he was and how he did not deserve what Magdelen did to him. Come on, maybe he was great for his time, but not only did he cheat on Magdelen with prostitues, he raped a woman who's husband he had killed. So, in short, he got no sympathy from me.

Read this if you are looking for something other than a mindless boddice ripper. Although judging from the reviews here, most people aren't.