It's the year 1065, and King Edward has decreed that any man who defeats Lord Richard Dumont in battle will receive claim to Dumont's castle and title. But Edward doesn't count on the victor being Lord Brand Risande, Norman lord and friend of Duke William of Normandy. Nor that the Witan Council would demand that the new lord wed Lord Dumont's daughter at threat of battle.

Lady Brynna Dumont is furious by the Council's decision that she must marry the Norman savage who defeated her father, but the threat of war is more disturbing. Imagine her surprise when she meets Lord Brand, a man she'd seen once before and with whom she fell instantly in love.

Dubbed Lord Brand "The Passionate" by Duke William, Brand is not the same man Brynna spied on in a secluded glen a year ago. Betrayed by his former betrothed, Brand believes love is a curse and wants no part of marriage. But Duke William demands he marry.

From the start, their marriage is volatile, yet blazing with passion as Brynna fights to win her husband's love. But can her all-consuming passion heat Brand's frozen heart? Or will the return of the woman he loves destroy Brand's growing fascination with his unwanted wife?

LORD OF DESIRE is an amazingly powerful tale, written in a dramatic vein reminiscent of Heather Graham, though Quinn's voice is uniquely her own. I loved the story. Brynna and Brand burst off the pages evoking heartache, passion and humor, the depth of which carries the simple plot. And secondary characters aren't too shabby either.