Spellbinder
By Elizabeth Taylor George 

     I loved Spellbinder. It lives up to his name. Romantic and touching!

     Is it a magician's spell or the enchantment of true love?

     Lady Marial Barnsworth doesn't remember the accident that scarred her face. All she knows is she is flawed. The suitors and proposed bridegrooms seeking her hand are repulsed by her ugliness, crying off their marriage contracts. She has but one more chance for happiness with a husband and children in her future; if Lord Jerrod Hawkwood repudiates their betrothal as well, she is bound for a life of servitude to the church.

     To ensure her prospective husband finds her attractive, Marial begs a potion that will make all men oblivious to her scarred visage. She scarcely dares to hope that it will be successful. The day he is scheduled to arrive, she is apprehensive and her temper is not as tightly leashed as the day warrants.

     Lord Jerrod Hawkwood is ready for a marriage that will ensure sons for his estate. His days of warring and wenching have left him jaded. He cares not who the bride is as long as she is fertile. However Lady Barnsworth is not what he expected; her figure is much too petite. He is worried that she will not be able to carry a child. His reassurance from her father that there will not be a problem is welcomed; but the lady herself takes issue with his questioning.

     Lovely she might be, but there is something more. Tis almost as if she has cast a spell over him. Her riotous wit rivals her soft and loyal heart. His first taste of her delectable body is soured when she does not enjoy the experience. He vows that he will not be as his father was, lacking the gentlemen qualities that he would offer Marial. He abstains from making love to her until she desires him as well.

     Marial finds herself falling in love with Jerrod, but she fears he will hate her when he finds out she has deceived him about her looks. When her potion is stolen, she is distraught; she is positive her beloved will send her packing. When he does the unexpected, Marial knows that no potion on earth could equal the power of love.

     Ms. George delighted this reviewer with her take on medieval life and courtship. The marriage bed was both tender and spicy, as well as the witty banter between the hero and heroine. Throw in meddling servants, a joust or two and an evil Lord out for revenge and you have an absorbing and breath-taking tale of love.