"A Heroic Medieval"

Cynthia Wendeville has just buried her elderly husband. Now she is mistress of his estate, and has received his dying wish that she marry again -- and this time for love. She is a good steward of his estate and cares for his people. She is a gifted healer, and often spends much time in her herb garden, and is always available for whoever needs her help. The elderly abbot who served her husband has arranged for a new priest for the villagers and the estate, a young monk named Garth de Ware. Garth is reluctant to give up life in the monastery, where he fights his own private demons, but has no choice but to leave the monastery for priestly duties.

Garth does not remember meeting Cynthia on his family's estate when they were children, but she soon recognizes him as the gentle, kind boy she admired as a child. She also sees that Garth has some private battle he is waging, and she believes that he is running from life by being a priest. Garth recognizes Cynthia's special healing gifts during an outbreak of severe illness in the village, and his admiration for her establishes the foundation for deeper feelings.

At the same time that this new friendship is growing Cynthia's maid Elspeth is trying to find Cynthia a new husband by finding young noblemen who are passing by, and parading them in front of Cynthia. And the elderly abbot is plotting to get rid of Cynthia. He had expected to get the estate for himself, and has resented her all during her short marriage to her husband.

I didn't realize when I started this book that it is the third in a trilogy about brothers who are noblemen, trained as knights. I enjoyed this book so much that I found the other two novels as quickly as I could. The characters are delightful, they seem to come right out of the pages, and are people I would like to call friends (except the abbot of course). Normally I would find a priest as main romantic interest to be difficult, but Ms. Campbell handled Garth's character and his motivations so skillfully that I didn't have to suspend my disbelief at all.

Another unique aspect of this book was Ms. Campbell's loving descriptions of Cynthia's gardens and Cynthia's tender care of all growing things. In particular, Cynthia's view of the de Ware gardens in the prologue of the book are so vivid that I could almost smell the flowers and feel the dirt under my feet, and this let me see into Cynthia's loving character. MY HERO is a winner, and will definitely go on my keeper shelf.

Reviewed by Cynthia Meidinger
Posted June 11, 2002