Tara Chevrestt's Reviews > Hugh and Bess: A Love Story

Hugh is the son and grandson both of traitors who have been executed. Bess is much dismayed at being told that she is to marry him and at the mere age of thirteen. Thankfully, he must wait one year to bed her. But when that year is up...

This is not an exciting, pulse pouding tale. There is no great mystery. Nor is there scandal to make one gasp in shock or dismay. Rather, it is a love story. It is about marriage and how if nurtured properly and with an open mind, a seed can become a flower. It is up to Hugh and Bess to make a flower grow out of the seed of their arranged marriage. Or will their antics cause a weed to grow instead? And there are antics aplenty what with Bess being a sassy tho naive young girl and Hugh a seasoned soldier who is bound to take "no" for an answer for only so long. Tensions build and arguments ensue.

In the end, it may not be up to Hugh and Bess. Fate may play a big role in determining the outcome of their marriage with Hugh fighting the king's wars against Scotland, participating in a siege in Calais, and then there is the pestilence..

This is a sequel to The Traitor's Wife, but thanks to a very informative prologue, one does not necessarily need to read The Traitor's Wife to understand and enjoy this one. I personally liked this one more. I enjoyed both Hugh's and Bess's characters and I also liked the issues brought up within the story: A virgin's fear of sex, arranged marriage, adultery, and forgiveness.

I actually sat and read this in one evening and it is a good 271 pages of pure story. I was that entertained. 5 stars.