Reviews for Breath of Heaven

The average rating for Breath of Heaven based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-06-04 00:00:00 Bob Graton This was a sweet medieval romance with a realistic enemy, a tortured hero who would do Sherrilyn Kenyon proud, and a beautiful heroine who has a mythical secret to guard. Eliane is a beautiful young lady who has spent her life playing in the surrounding forest of her lands, and she is an expert huntress. Rhys is a landed knight who got caught with his pants down (literally) by a widow he'd been *ahem* keeping company, while he was keeping another widow company at King Henry's court. So the ladies told on him, and Henry told Rhys to marry. The assumption was that he would marry one of the widows he'd been with, but a favor owed by Rhys to Lord Edward took precedence. Edward wanted Rhys to marry his daughter Eliane, and Rhys jumped at both the opportunity to repay the only man who'd ever shown him kindness, and the chance to leave Court. Likes: I liked the mystery of Eliane's history-everyone is "of the forest" and that is all we're ever told-more than likely you'll figure it out, but I won't spoil the secret since it really isn't revealed til the last few pages. I liked the realistic feel of the story. The sociopath Renaud Vannoy was a believable bad guy who wanted Eliane's lands and once he saw her, he wanted her too. I liked how our hero fell in love with Eliane before he realized it, and how everyone but Eliane knew with the way he looked at her, touched her hair, etc. it was cute. The ending had me on pins and needles seeing what would happen. And wow, was it crazy. Very well-done, exciting, and Vannoy's defeat wasn't enough in my opinion-he should have been tortured and cut into bits. (can you tell I hated him?) Dislikes: Only one, but it's a big dislike, and it requires a bit of story- Eliane and Rhys had just gotten married, Rhys got her all hot and bothered and then her father died. They had to leave it unfinished. Then Vannoy interrupted the wedding night with the intent of having Eliane for himself, and the marriage set aside. So after her father died, they ran back to the room, he pushed her down and they consummated. Quickly and forcefully- but not in a brutal way. That didn't bother me. What did, was Rhys wouldn't touch her again for like 4 months because he felt he basically raped her and would wait til she came to him. That annoyed me, because the two were hitting off sparks, but not even kisses were shared. So if you want a beautiful realistic medieval read with a bit of magic tossed in, this is an excellent read. I would rate it 4.5 but GR doesn't have 1/2 stars.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-10-04 00:00:00 Carlo Spoon I reviewed this book for Romance Reader At Heart website. RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS: I've never read Ms. Holby's books before, and I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised by the way that she seamlessly blended romance and fantasy in BREATH OF HEAVEN. This was a fun, fast-paced, and entertaining medieval romantic fantasy. Rhys DeRemy is a brave, honorable knight in King Henry's court, and a lady's man. His childhood was not an easy one, and after his parents died, it was even worse with his grandmother who was too eager to tame the 'devil' in him. Love was not something he received nor did he ever give it. Lust, on the other hand, he understood, and that is what gets him in the hot water with King Henry. Caught between two women who want him, both wards of King Henry, he's made to choose either for a wife. His decision gets a temporary reprieve by the King, only because Lord Edward Chandler of Aubregate summons him to his home to repay a debt owed him by saving Rhys many years ago. Eliane is a unique and beautiful woman who always knew love. She received it as a child and is still loved by her father, her vassals and forest people. She's a loving and obedient daughter, and now she will do her father's bidding and marry a man she never met and doesn't know. Her unconventional upbringing will come in handy in dealing with her husband, but will also put her in danger. This heroine will fight one and all to protect those she loves, and she'll never be ashamed of who and what she is. It was so much fun reading this lighthearted story. Ms. Holby has created a delightful and fast-paced medieval fantasy full of characters that felt real and poignant. She's put forth a good storyline, and her character development, secondary as well primary, was extremely well done. It was fun reading the interaction between Rhys and his squire Mathias, Eliane and her dog Llyr, Madwyn and Han, Peter and his wife Lydia, and Lord Renauld and Rhys; they all came to life through these pages. Her hero and heroine were strong, and the villain was a sick and vicious man. If you love this time period, you'll want to read this story. Melanie