Adair Radcliffe is the mistress of Stanton Hall, which is located on the lush countryside of England near the Irish border. After a raid takes both of her parents' lives, Adair and her maid travel many weeks to reach King Edward, whom they hope will protect her from the border wars. King Edward declares himself her protector and young Adair, age six, will receive the same schooling and training until she turns 16 as the children who will one day rule England.

After 10 years, Adair decides she wants to return to Stanton, so she approaches the king to ask him to send her back. For political reasons, King Edward agrees, with the stipulation that Adair marry the man of his choice. Instead of agreeing, Adair flees to Stanton on her own and unbeknownst to her, begins the long journey to a fate and destiny that will define her and those she loves.

As the first book in a new historical romance series, it was a good and descriptive read, but very typical of Beatrice Small. While reading A DANGEROUS LOVE, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd read this story before. And the use of modern slang to describe intimate moments did not fit the era and was a bit disruptive to the reading experience.

Book Summary

Adair Radcliffe is only a child when her family perishes in the War of the Roses, so her real father, the womanizing King Edward IV, takes her in, honoring his promise to her mother. Once Adair turns sixteen, the king marries her off without her knowledge - and to her later outrage - in a wedding by proxy. But when tragedy leaves her a widow twice over, Adair realizes that her already tenuous social position has sunk even lower. Now, all she can do is hope that the Scottish laird to whom she is sold will have mercy on her. But little does master or servant suspect that love knows no rank.