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The King of Bavars has a
problem. He promised his beloved
wife, Willow, on her
deathbed that he wouldn't remarry unless he found a woman who resembled
her.
And many years later, a fairy related to Willow appears
and demands he honor his promise…by wedding her.
King Henri's quandary is
complicated by the depth of his
feelings for his wife's cousin, and the nanny to his half-fairy
daughter,
Princess Water Lily. Violet has struggled to conceal the fact that
she's been
in love with him for the past 18 years, whilst raising his daughter and
knowing
that he mourned the loss of his wife to childbirth for so long.
But, the time has come
for Henri to choose between honoring
Willows dying wish, or following his heart into Violet's loving
embrace. One
path leads to a second chance at true love and the other to disaster.
But sometimes promises
are meant to be broken...
It is clear from the
beginning of this spicy short story
that Violet and Henri are one of those couples who deserve a shot at
happily
ever after. They've endured the loss of Willow, who was
very dear to both of them, and while they've grieved in their own ways,
it has
given them a strong connection, as well as the raising of Henri's
daughter,
Lily.
Both Violet and Henri are
willing to give and take when the
smoldering coals that are given fuel and a chance burn brightly. Even
with
recent revelations that threaten to reopen old wounds, they find the
strength
in their love to face a bittersweet encounter, which serves to deepen
the
realization that their love is a right and good thing.
I did find myself feeling
as though I'd walked into the
middle of a great story and missed something that had gone on before
while
reading Taming of the King. I
was also left wondering if there was more to of Violet and Henri's
tale. It's
rather like an enticing chapter at the back of a book, but I seemed to
have
missed the rest of the story. I hope Ms. Winston will revisit Violet
and Henri,
giving me the inevitable "what's next?" that this tale deserves!
Reviewed
by Niniri Theriault for The Road to Romance
July 2, 2004
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