Defiant Surrender: A Medieval Time Travel Romance

Book Review- Defiant Surrender by Tamara Gill

Madaline owns an antique shop and considers herself an independent woman. Little does she know that it is going to be tested. One day along the shore of the Thames River she finds a box containing a pewter ring with the names Willelm and Madaline. She is shocked and instantly intrigued. She is also drawn to it wanting to put it on her finger. She fights the feeling as long as she can. But alas the draw proves to be too much.
Once she places the ring on her finger she is thrown into the year 1102. She lands in a carriage bound for her wedding. She is now the Lady Madaline of Aimecourt Castle. She is set to marry Lord William Dowell, Baron of Kingston. The marriage was arranged by their parents and supported by King Henry.
As it turns out William has no desire to marry Madaline. The woman is considered heartless and a tyrant. His plan is they will marry in name only. He becomes a brute forcing her at knife point to marry him. Madaline is shocked at the turn of events and is determined to find the ring hoping it will return her home. She enlists her lady maid for help.
Madaline makes the best of her situation. She shows kindness to her people and tries to embrace the life she was dropped into. William and his mistress, the Lady Veronica de Walter, are the only negative aspects. He makes a fool of her and treats her horribly. She is more determined to go home.
However as time goes on, William witnesses Madaline with her own people. Her friendliness and kindness is shocking. She is nothing what he thought. His feelings for her change and grow stronger. He is determined to have her for a proper wife. Madaline and William settle into their lives but are unaware of the plotting that goes on. Jealousy and revenge is driving those that want to destroy them both. Madaline will be forced to make a heartbreaking choice.
I absolutely love time traveling stories. I’ve been hooked for a long time and this book didn’t disappoint. I immediately liked Madaline. She was thrown into an impossible situation. William treated her horribly and I wanted to strangle him. She just continued being herself and made the best of it. She was a strong character that didn’t rise to the bait thrown at her. Excellent character. William was a brute and hateful at first. I love that she knocked him on his butt emotionally. He didn’t like it but it served him right. It was fun to watch him struggle.
The other characters were great. Lady Veronica and her family were excellent villains. I hated her instantly. The author did a fabulous job making her vile and vindictive. The description of the life was viewed through Madaline’s eyes and confusion which was a fun twist. It made me question what I would do in that situation. Excellent book. I give it a 4 out of 5.