It's 2012 and Julianna, a leading member of The Richard III Society, arrives at the ruins of Middleham Castle on the anniversary of King Richard III's death, to take part in their annual seance. The group have had success in calling his presence to them for short periods, and they hope that this time will be no different. But Julia gets a lot more than she bargained for when she calls for him to appear.
In 1476 we see King Edward IV and his brothers, George and Richard, as they conduct their daily lives. Edward, always the ladies man, runs his kingdom in a capable way, while having as much fun as is possible. George loves to coast through his life, drinking and carousing, leaving the important decisions to this elder brother. And finally we meet Richard who is the steadfast, sensible one of the bunch.
When they become involved with a wizard, the brothers are thrust into the twenty-first century with hilarious consequences. Not only do they find love, they also find fame as they become part of a major movie, depicting their actual lives in the fifteenth century. As Richard tries to enlighten the modern world as to what he is truly like, he finds himself falling in love with Julianna. When happiness is within the brothers' reach, the wizard arrives with a proposition. Will Julianna lose Richard just as they are beginning their new life together? And what will happen to their close knit family if Edward, George and Richard choose different paths?
FOR LOVE AND LOYALTY by Diana Rubine is a light hearted, original historical novel. I enjoyed the story most when it was based in the fifteenth century because the description used was very detailed. George became my favourite character as the story progressed - being portrayed as considerate and caring, if a little too laid back at times. The plot was a little bit too out there for me but I still found FOR LOVE AND LOYALTY by Diana Rubine unusual and entertaining.
England, 1476: A wizardβs charm sweeps Richard, Duke of
Gloucester, far, far away.
England, 2012: The Richard III Societyβs annual sΓ©ance
doesnβt go quite as planned.
Julianna Hammond believes their mysterious visitor really
is
Richard. As a loyal Ricardian, she feels obligated to
educate him on past and present. In dismay Richard learns
of
his destiny in a certain battle, and his depiction in a
certain play. Julianna and he wonder: can history be
rewritten? Back in the Middle Ages, Richardβs brothers
King
Edward and George Plantagenet are determined to find
him--wherever he is--with the help of a little magic
conjured up by a wizard. Since the wizard canβt say no to
money or a lady, Edward-infatuated Elizabeth Woodville
isnβt
far behind them.
Changing oneβs destiny is complicated. So is falling in
love. When the two collide, three brothers, three women,
and
history will never be the same.
βWell, youβre certainly a hero,β Julianna lavished well-
deserved praise on him. βYouβre kind, sensitive, brave,
warm and very good looking. Everything a hero should be.
But why donβt you think youβre romantic?β
Richard shook his head. βI never brought a lady flowers,
I donβt pour honeyed flattery over them like Ned, I donβt
recite poetry like George, I donβt cook gourmet cuisine.
All I can do is spread bananas on pizza.β
She smiled and sipped at her wine. βItβs romantic if your
intentions are sincere. I enjoyed your banana pizza more
than any gourmet meal I could get at LaGrenouille.β
βSincere?β He buffed the Middleham Ring on his shirt.
βMayhap. I donβt put forth any false fronts. Nay, thereβs
naught false about my front.β He took a quick glance
downward. Her eyes couldnβt help but follow.
βThatβs my idea of romantic,β she assured him. βNot
flowers or poetry or flattery. Just sincerity. That other
stuff is just veneer, and it wears quite thin after a
while.β
His eyes pinned her and she took another sip to ease the
tension. βSimply speak your heart. Share your heart.
Thatβs what romance is all aboutΒto me,β she said softly.
He reached over, took the glass from her hand and placed
it on the table in one swift, graceful movement. βThen
may we share some tonight?β
The hearth glowed, seductive music floated through the
loungeΒthe perfect ambiance. But now that the moment was
here, the reality of it nudged her in a stern warning:
Donβt.
βCome here, Julianna.β The way he opened his arms to her,
she couldnβt refuse. One warm embrace canβt hurt. But
once she was in that embrace, and his lips sought hers,
it felt as natural as breathing. He kissed her lovingly,
gently and thoroughly. Stopping him would be as wrong as
telling the sun not to shine.
Her heart beat the same primitive tattoo as the music
surrounding them.
When his hand slid to her breast, she knew she had to
take charge or nature would. βRichardΒβ She hadnβt meant
sound so whispery, but her voice was nowhere to be found.
She cleared her throat. βWe canβt get involved. Itβll be
too much heartache if something happens and you get sent
back.β She wondered how convincing she really sounded,
with her fingers still wound through his hair and her
body half pressed up against his.
βIβm not going back, Julianna. Iβm resigned to my fate.
Iβm not like Ned, I donβt rake every wench that crosses
my path. I keep my desire firmly in check. But right now
my desire is about to burn a hole in these thin trousers
so Iβll have to go back to wearing that torturous denim
castrati garment.β
She let out a deep sigh and tried to calm her breathing.
Thereβd been some pretty heavy breathing till now.
βRichard, Iβve been fighting my feelings all along and
doing a pretty good job of it so far. Donβt let me
weaken. Donβt let me fall in love with you. Thereβs
enough weird stuff going on here already. Weβve got
enough to do.β
βIβve grown very fond of you, Julianna.β He stroked her
cheek. βAnd Iβm still growing.β He relaxed his embrace
and brushed her lips with his before sitting back.
βHowever, you must lead and I follow, as this is your
domain. Iβm also a gentleman. If this were Ned sitting
here, youβd have been ravished thrice already, in six
different ways, and on your way to fetch him a beer.β
βDoesnβt he take no for an answer?β Her hand still played
through his hair.
βHe doesnβt even ask.β
βLooks like he doesnβt mind never going back to his own
time. After tonight, George might not, either.β
βWell, Ned covered his arse quite well. He informed me he
left the kingdom in good hands with no detail unattended
to, and George will go anywhere thereβs wenches and
booze, even if itβs back to the stone age.β
βI wonder if you can go back by sheer force of will. Our
minds are so much more powerful than we think.β A jumble
of thoughts entered her head and vanished. This wasnβt
the time to ponder telekinesis, as he tickled her earlobe
and ran his thumb over her bottom lip. All she could do
was close her eyes and let the exquisite sensations take
over. She instinctively moved closer. Their bodies
touched, his skin against hers. One more kiss, just one
more of those delicious warm kisses, and Iβll call it a
night, she convinced herself. Their lips met.
The door knocker pounded.
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