By Design – so-so
By Possession – so-so
Stealing Heaven 12/06. This one was ok. We meet David as a young merchant.

By Arrangement – Really enjoyed this one. David is a self-made man.
The Protector – Ok.
Lord of the A Thousand Nights – Ok.

People, including myself, have recommended Hunter's medievals as being pretty good. But not sure By Arrangement holds up as well in 2020 as I remembered. Need to read a few more. And compare to Penman or Chadwick or Kingston. ( )

This was an easy weekend read - a bit of brain candy. It is not the best historical romance I have read but was sufficiently entertaining to keep me reading. I found I was more interested in the political intrigue plot than the romance itself; if I had seen the heroine's eyes described as "diamonds" once more I might have retched. There were a few editing/grammatical errors and missing words, as well, which in my experience is unusual for this genre and was distracting to me.

Overall, not a fabulous book but I generally do not expect too much from romances so it was fine. ( )

By Arrangement has more human characters, and more human conflicts, that most romances - and I find that often, more realism equals less romance. I think that is the case here, where the dark atmosphere and gritty portrayal of David and Christiana's relationship made the book more intense, and more satisfying, but also less fun.

Hunter writes very well and I think she should get major kudos for writing about a period that is generally ignored - late medieval/early Renaissance - and for her attention to period detail and historical accuracy.

A lot of the book revolves around the class distinction between David and Christiana - David is a merchant, Christiana a baron's daughter. Christiana's marriage to David entails real sacrifices, and Hunter doesn't gloss these over - Christiana is taking a step down in the world. But Hunter also explores the changes in lifestyle and the freedoms that may have been possible for women in the merchant class.

One thing that I thought that Hunter handled very well was Christiana's age. She is very young and very innocent. She really thinks and feels like an 18 year old. David, on the other hand, is 30 - and a mature 30, at that, hardened by experience. This kind of disparity can be really disturbing, but I thought that Hunter did an amazing job of showing how David fostered her growth - he seems to be in love with the woman he knows she'll become even more than the girl that she is.

So much of the novel takes place while the two are actually married and the plot seems to revolve around issues that will impact their ability to live together and love one another long-term, rather than the excitement of the moment. Emphasizing Christiana's future, and the potential that David sees in it, adds to that aspect of the novel.

On the whole, definitely a cut above. Character driven, well put together, well written, with a core of emotional truth. ( )

A medieval romance about a young noblewoman forced to marry a merchant who has a secret she is trying to unravel. It was okay, but I don't seem to be as crazy about this author's books as others are.

http://ktleyed.blogspot.com/2010/05/by-arrangement-by-madeline-hunter.html ( )