BOOK REVIEW-The Defiant Bride

BOOK REVIEW-The Defiant Bride-Dariana refuses to be forced into marriage, even if it has been ordered by the king, so she fakes her own death only to be discovered and tricked into marriage with William, a man she may not be able to forgive. Furious at being used as a political pawn, the Lady Dariana defies King Henry VII by faking her own death to avoid marrying a man she has never met. Praying the king will not retaliate against her father, she seeks refuge in the forest and learns to fend for herself. When William, a warrior knight, is felled by an arrow, she saves his life and arranges his rescue before fleeing to avoid discovery. William awakes from his injury to be told he imagined the beautiful woman in the forest. Besotted and determined to make her his own, he hunts her down and tricks her into marrying him, intent on turning her defiance into love. But even as he begins to succeed, their enemies join forces to end the marriage-even if it means that Dariana must die. When Dariana is abducted, William must track her down to fight for her life and their happiness. And, Dariana, once the most defiant of brides, must channel her own strength of will into survival, both for herself-and for the child she now carries.   AMAZON

I really, really enjoyed this story.   Ariana was a heroine to be admired.  She didn't  just bend or didn't go meekly to her fate.  She was creative, ingenious in her plan to outwit the King's command; a warrior.  OK, she had also been a privileged, spoiled, deeply cared for woman.  She wasn't perfect.  What were you expecting?  
William was an honorable man who became so besotted with Ariana that he pursued her and pushed things into the conclusion he wanted.  She saved his life, she was his Angel and he was going to make her his.  Then when he re-found her,  he took off with her and tricked her into marriage.  So not quite as honorable an action of a knight but he figured he could win her over,  It might have helped had he taken the time to woo her, something he later admitted.  She had fought so hard to keep her freedom, to marry for love and not be forced into a marriage not of her choosing.  
What a wonderful cast of supporting people in the story too. Too many to name, but not confusing in their addition to the story.  There were also plenty of people who were villains in the story as well.  Each with their own cruel, selfish motives of course.  Most of them hated William and coveted Ariana.  Those who hated William had no real reason to except in their own twisted minds.   Plenty of drama, mystery, some deaths and some married sex, of course.  


I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.