At first I wondered if Hannah Howell had written this book on a dare. The hero has ‘bright red hair’ and the author uses the word ‘ugly’ to describe him. His surname is Saitun, which sounds a bit too much like Satan to me… However, if you can get past this, this book is quite good. I found it a change from the many other romance books out there. The hero is confident on the field and as a commander of his men, but not with the ladies. His doubts about his own appeal, and how the heroine, Gytha, could possibly find him attractive creates unforeseen problems for the couple. The moral of the story is certainly that appearances are not everything, and ‘don't judge a book by it's cover’ – neither the ‘ugly’ hero nor the beautiful heroine. I finished the book with a real appreciation of both the hero and the heroine. I felt I could have kept reading after the last chapter… Would have liked an epilogue to find out all that happened in their lives! I also particularly enjoyed the depth the author gave to the minor characters, including the romance that blossomed between two of them – definitely would have read their book if they'd had one of their own! I recommend the book, but just warn you that the hero is not your typically stunningly handsome romance hero. But well worth the read. I had trouble putting it down and finished it in two days.
