Review: Winter's Heat

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Rowena of Benfield's hopes for a life as a powerful churchwoman are dashed when she's forced into a marriage to a rich and powerful lord. Embittered by his second wife's betrayal, Rannulf of Graistan wants nothing from the new woman in his bed except an heir. Then a tide of treachery rises around them and their only hope is to trust, to cherish and to love unconditionally.

Genre: historical romance

Publication date: August 2015

Mature content: yes

Review:  I really wanted to like Winter's Heat, but in the end I found myself a bit disappointed. The writing is good, although the book is not an easy one to read, because it's rough, dark and twisted, which, in my opinion, makes it much more historically accurate than most other historical romances. 

My problem with Winter's Heat were the characters, which I found too inconsistent. One second Rowena hates her husband, to the point of being physically and verbally abusive, and on the next second she's draped all over him seemingly in love. And vice versa, Rannulf behaves exactly in the same way. There's just too much going back and forth - I'm leaving, he wants me to leave, I'll stay, I don't want you to stay, you can't make me leave...and so on - after a while, it just became confusing and then a bit boring. 

So, if you want to read a romance that is probably very medievally accurate, Winter's Heat may be a book just for you. But if you're looking for something a bit less dark, there are better alternatives out there.

Winter's Heat is book one in the Seasons Series by Denise Domning, which comprises five books in total. I may or may not try to read one of the others in the future but if I do you can expect my review here.

Have a wonderful weekend,