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It is rare that a book makes me laugh out loud. I guess I'm something of a hard sell when it comes to reading material. Teresa Medeiros' _Charming the Prince_, however, not only made me laugh, it _kept_ me laughing consistently through the book.

Set in England in 1360, our first introduction to the heroine, Willow, is as a child awaiting the arrival of her new stepmother in 1347. Eager and bright-eyed, she is adorable and instantly endearing. Despite the fact that the introduction to her new parent, and her sudden flock of step-siblings goes less than perfectly is only more reason to like Willow: she shows amazing strength of character for a small girl.

In 1360, we're introduced to the hero of the book, Sir Bannor, the Lord of Elsinore, otherwise known as Bannor the Bold. He's the sort of man whose name strikes terror into an enemy. He is painfully handsome, obscenely just, and has a reputation for being able to get a woman pregnant simply by looking at her. No doubt, that stems from the gaggle of children he has, all little terrors, and as endearing in their own rights as Willow was as a child.

Willow, of course, has grown up into a Cinderella-like beauty. It's inevitable that when Bannor sends his man out to find a new wife to tend his children, insisting that he find the homeliest, most displeasing woman, that Willow's the one chosen.

Bannor and Willow's fights are fantastic, and richly rewarded when the efforts to ignore one another finally fail and they give in to passion and more, love. Willow's plots of revenge on Bannor are _hysterical_ -- pay particular attention to what she does to Bannor's poor war horse.

Charming the Prince is a book that will leave you feeling good after you've finished it, and leave you clamoring for more. A definite must-read for the medieval enthusiast.

The Gilded Chain: A Tale of the King's Blades
Dave Duncan
352 pages
ISBN: 0380974606
Morrow, William & Co
September 1998

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Published in November of 1998, Gilded Chain is Dave Duncan's introduction to the world of Chivial, and to Ironhall, the mysterious academy that produces the King's Blades.

The King's Blades are a brotherhood of knights, all bound to serve their wards through a ritual in which they are pierced through the heart by their own sword as it is wielded by their ward-to-be. Success brings great honor; failure brings death. Acutely aware of their ward's whereabouts and safety, they are the ultimate bodyguards.

The Gilded Chain tells the story of one of the greatest of all of the Blades, a man named Durendal, named after a hero out of Blade History and Legend. The new Durendal is every bit the swordsman and man of honor that his namesake was, and becomes quickly popular among his brothers. He is also one of the few Blades ever to be bound more than once. After losing his first unsatisfactory ward, he is rebound, to King Ambrose himself.

He is pitched, then, into a world of intrigue and plotting. He discovers the shadow side of the King's advisor, and stumbles into a city where men can become immortal by eating the enchanted flesh of foes slain in combat. Not all is gloom and doom, however. Durendal does find love, and true happiness, despite the hardships in life.

Gilded Chain is the first in a series that promises to be fascinating, and well worth collecting.

The Last Viking
Sandra Hill
391 pages
ISBN: 0505522551
Dorchester Publishing
March 1998

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Sandra Hill has written another Viking romance, and I can't blame her, really. There's something about tall, broad-shouldered Nordic men that appeals to a lot of women. Maybe it's the idea of having someone who'll take control. Maybe it's just the blonde hair.

The Last Viking is a time travel romance, but it has a twist. Rather than the heroine moving backward in time, the hero -- the Viking in question -- comes forward to the modern day. Geirolf Ericcson is the son of a Norse jarl, or king, and a master shipbuilder. Caught in a storm in 997, his longboat is wrecked and he is sent forward in time 1,000 years to 1997, and lands on the coast of Maine.

Meredith Foster is a professor at a local college, and is in the process of attempting to complete her grandfather's lifelong project: the construction of a Viking longship using ancient methods and materials. Divorced and determinedly independent, she lives in her grandfather's house which just happens to be where Geirolf -- or Rolf -- washes up.

I have to admit that the book grew on me, the further into it I got. Rolf's introduction to the modern world -- including Breck shampoo, Tim Allen, and cars -- _is_ amusing. Rolf insists on calling Meredith 'Merry-Death'. He is occasionally charming; it's not enough to make this a fantastic book.

There are some basic proofing errors in the book that are jarring and pulled me right out of the story. Rolf has a magical talisman in his belt buckle that acts as a sort of universal translator that seems too contrived to satisfy, and the ending seems as hokey as the buckle. Add to that fact that the cover -- Meredith and Rolf covered only by the surf that breaks around them -- is not something you want to read in public, and the book loses marks.

Outlander
Diana Gabaldon
850 pages
ISBN: 0440212561
Bantam Doubleday Dell
June 1991

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Diana Gabaldon's _Outlander_ is the first in a series of time travel books. There are currently four books published, with at least two more to come. Some would say that's too many. Others would say it's not enough.

My opinion lies somewhere in the middle. Diana has done a fantastic job in researching her books, and writes a world that is immersive, engaging and entertaining. At least, it is so when she's writing about Scotland in 1743.

Scotland in 1945 is not nearly as interesting. It feels like the setup for a more interesting turn of events, which is exactly what it is. Once Claire steps through the circle of stones that transports her back in time, we never again see 1945. Nor do we see Frank, Claire's first husband, at all. Sixty pages of the book is not a great deal when dealing with an 850-page book, but it is enough, especially when placed at the beginning, to make one curious about the setting.

Don't get me wrong. _Outlander_ is fantastic, and once immersed in Jamie's world, in Castle Leoch, with Colum and Dougal MacKenzie, and I couldn't put the book down. The snippets with Geilis Duncan, the "witch" eventually burned at the stake, and apparently a fellow time traveler, left me wanting to see more of her. Even the smallest of Diana's characters are fully-fledged and fascinating.

Maybe that's why I was so disappointed with Frank's character, and the treatment of the "real world" in 1945. Read the book, make your own judgement. Force yourself through the first sixty pages. You won't regret it.

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There's a certain something about werewolves that is fascinating. Most people know about silver bullets and howling at the moon, but it's not often that anyone sits down and writes about werewolf society.

Susan Krinard has built her own world, complete with werewolves, and has done it successfully. Prince of Wolves is the introduction to that world, and yet she doesn't bury the reader in mounds of information. Rather, she spreads it out and lets us pick up pieces as we read.

Joelle Randall is the heroine of the book, a woman who travels to the Canadian Rockies in an attempt to find the wreckage of the plane crash that killed her parents. She is determined to put those ghosts to rest, and get on with her life.

Luke Gevaudan is the hero, and the werewolf of the story. An overwhelmingly alpha male, he sets his sights on Joelle, and he's not about to let her go.

The one major complaint I have with Prince of Wolves is just that. Luke is _so incredibly male_ that I felt choked by it. His every appearance mentions his magnetism and his overwhelming presence. After the first couple of times, it's unnecessary. The character's been established.

This, too, is a book that takes some effort to get through. There are sections that are riveting and page-turning, and others that left me drifting, waiting for something else to happen.

A little dry, with some sparkling moments, if you like strong, rugged men and the women who fall hopelessly in love with them, this is the book for you.

Wicked
Jill Barnett
387 pages
ISBN: 067103412X
Pocket Books
September 1999

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For the reader who likes knights in shining armor, tournaments and fair ladies being romanced by handsome heroes, look no farther than Jill Barnett's latest release, _Wicked_. A classic love-at-first-sight story, Barnett gives the reader a few extra twists and turns for the money

_Wicked_ is set in England, primarily in and around the court of King Edward I. Sofia Howard, our heroine, is a strong-willed and determinedly independent young woman. Orphaned as a child, she has grown up in the court, and as the king's cousin, as his charge as well. Painfully beautiful, with a castle and lands to be inherited when she marries, and rapidly becoming more than Edward himself can handle, he is eager to send her off into a new life, with a new family. Sofia, however, determined that men are inconstant and untrustworthy, thinks up new ways to terrify, infuriate or humiliate each of her suitors away. She will have none.

Until, that is, Sir Tobin de Clare. An unanswered challenge from a childhood game draws the two together when they meet again, and sets in motion a pair of schemes. Sofia is determined to resist Tobin's interest and to ignore her own; Tobin is determined to wear down her resistance and claim her to wife. The sparks fly. Sparks, though, often start fires, and what begins as teasing, testing and tempers turns quickly into true longing and passion, though neither of the two will admit it, not even to themselves.

When Tobin succeeds in winning permission to marry Sofia and fails to give a satisfactory reason for asking Edward for her hand, Sofia runs. She leaves the castle and the life of a lady behind to join a traveling band of entertainers, disguised as a boy. While Edward and Tobin alike turn the court upside down and race to find her, Sofia, now known as Ned, learns the joys and hardships of life on the road, and how, exactly, to treat a dancing bear.

She learns, too, the sometimes gruesome realities of a life outside the castle walls, and what true terror is like. She is, however, rescued, or captured, and returned, at Tobin's side, to Edward's court. For her flight, she is rewarded with punishment: she is sent to a convent, there to wait for Tobin's return from Scotland, and then to marry.

It's here that Sofia meets Sister Judith, prioress of the convent, who has a few too many scars for an ordinary nun, and a chest full of armor. Predictably, Sofia's determination and strength of will both help and hinder her. When Tobin returns, though each is glad of the other's company, the familiar clash of wills begins again. Not even a wedding can keep the peace.

That Tobin and Sofia belong together and are perfect for each other is never in question. Jill Barnett's characters are touching, hilarious and just plain entertaining. She manages both to tug on the heartstrings and bring on a smile, by choosing just the right word to suit the occasion. A fantastic read, just the thing for a rainy weekend at home.

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