Still on the Harlequin train, and progressing past the ancient world to the 1200s or 1600s, admittedly my history in this era is a bit dim.

But I’m pretty sure this is the 1600s because King Henry is mentioned here. Yeah, that King Henry with his six wives.

A Wedding to Protect Her Fortune

When a braying mob attacks her home in the night, heiress Annis Flemming seeks shelter with her enigmatic neighbor Sir Bennet Thorne. With her life at risk, Ben escorts her to safety at Henry VIII’s Hatfield House. Though they grow closer on the journey, Annis’s distrust of men makes her wary, and Ben still grieves for his late wife. But when they realize the threat has followed them, there’s only one means of true protection—marriage!

One I admire that Fletcher was inspired to write about the Tudor after watching Six with her daughter. Such a good musical. Course, I’m bopping along to it as I read even though it’s at odds with the tone. This is more a historical romance with light suspense, and it actually starts with a bang when Annis finds her mother murdered. It continues from there as we learn that Annis’ mother had a lot of secrets like the fact that Annis has a half-sister who is one the queen’s maidens, and how their mom was a suspected witch or at least a black widow. Ben’s past shows the male side of the arranged marriages, turns out he wasn’t happy with his either, especially as he felt at fault for his late wife’s depression. Predictably, he’s wary of marriage even as he fights his attraction.

The reveal of who was the person orchestrating the hunt for Annis’ fortune and her mother’s death is predictable, but that’s offset by the genuinely sweet romance between two people looking to unearth secrets and make sense of their pasts to choose a better future.

Reclaimed by Her Rebel Knight

Reunited with her warrior husband

When Constance inherited her father’s lands, she had no choice but to marry cold-hearted Matthew Wintour. He left her for the battlefield, without even a wedding night. Five years later, Matthew has returned a valiant knight! But Constance is no longer a frightened girl. And, this time, she must reach out to discover the honorable man behind the armor and what pleasures await them in the marriage bed…

Now we hightail it to Medieval Times (not the theme park) with undertones of Robin Hood.

This was my favorite as its clear from the beginning that this arranged marriage was done when Constance was way too young and Matthew is more than willing to annul it, and allow her a choice. A choice their parents never gave them. Of course, it makes life easier for him to be a rebel against the crown, stealing from the rich and stuff.

However, Constance is no longer a shy twelve year old and while she is uncertain about the world outside of court, she wants to get to know the man who gave her a choice for the first time.

It was a sweet slow-burn mixed with classic court intrigue (Did Matt have an affair with his stepmom?) and I liked it when Constance calls him out on doing things behind her back without consideration for her. Yes, she knows they were separate for most of their marriage but his rebel actions would have still affected her. Just as I liked how Constance provided a new perspective and compassion when it came to Matthew dealing with his abusive father and reuniting with his estranged brother.

They were such a good couple.

Until he gets vengeance! Danr Sigurdsson is indebted to the captivating, mysterious healer living alone in the wilderness who carefully tends his wounds. Consumed with anguish over the massacre that killed his family, Danr has sworn not to touch another woman until he finds those responsible. So resisting Sissa should be easy, but as they search for the truth, fighting their mutual attraction becomes the hardest battle…

Less so with this one. There was nothing too bad about it, but I just can’t get into the Viking era for some reason. Danr was so impulsive and hard-headed and Sissa had to play the level-headed one the entire time. Maybe it’s because this was the last of the series, so I may have missed a lot of character development and other major players that popped in that seemed important but I didn’t know the context. I did like Sissa’s dog, Tove though.

Jenni Fletcher’s romances are perfect for those who like some mystery with their historical settings, and plentiful of new twists on old tropes from arranged marriages, one bed, and enemies to lovers.