Misbegotten

Lady #5

by Tamara Leigh

Passionate Betrayal

Tricked out of his rightful inheritance by his treacherous half brother, baseborn knight Liam Fawke swore to contest the claim of the young nephew who was now heir. But he soon found himself at dangerous odds with Lady Joslyn, the boy's beautiful, spirited mother—as well as with the fiercely passionate hunger she aroused in him.

Dangerous Desire

Lady Joslyn was determined to protect her son from Liam's vengeance. But her resolve was no defense against the heated desires the ruggedly handsome warrior ignited—or the forbidden love no duty and honor could make her deny.

Genres: Historical Romance, Medieval, Historical, Romance, Historical Fiction, Medieval Romance, Christian Fiction

389 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1996

About the author

Tamara Leigh signed a 4-book contract with Bantam Books in 1993, her debut medieval romance was nominated for a RITA award, and successive books with Bantam, HarperCollins, and Dorchester earned awards and appeared on national bestseller lists.

In 2006, the first of Tamara’s inspirational contemporary romances was published, followed by six more with Multnomah and RandomHouse. Perfecting Kate was optioned for a movie, Splitting Harriet won an ACFW Book of the Year award, and Faking Grace was nominated for a RITA award.

In 2012, Tamara returned to writing historical romance with the release of Dreamspell and the bestselling Age of Faith and The Feud series. Among her #1 bestsellers are her general market romances rewritten as clean and inspirational reads, including Lady at Arms and Lady of Conquest. In late 2018, she released Merciless, the first book in the new AGE OF CONQUEST series, followed by Fearless and Nameless, unveiling the origins of the Wulfrith family. Psst!—It all began with a woman. Watch for Heartless in Spring 2020.

Tamara lives near Nashville with her husband, a German Shepherd who has never met a squeaky toy she can’t destroy, and a feisty Morkie who keeps her company during long writing stints.

Connect with Tamara at her website www.tamaraleigh.com, Facebook, Twitter and tamaraleightenn@gmail.com.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this romance. This is the mid-evil time period and you really get to go back in time with any Leigh book. I haven't read these in order so I don't know about the series. This stood on it's own rather well. I love that these are adult reads without the sex. I like the sensuality and the tension she can write in a story. This one had a good story that really hooked me. I enjoyed it. Nothing to complicated about this one. These are not religious really but the characters do pray and normally have a priest, but sometimes he's the bad guy.

[Marguerite Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love traveling back to the Middle Ages with a good book by Tamara Leigh. This novel was full of secrets, forgiveness, and second chances. Things the characters are never as they seem.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't. Ever. Stop. Writing Mrs. Leigh! I'm such a fangirl of Mrs. Leigh and her writing that if she wrote the phone book I'd read it. She never disappoints and this book is just further proof that she still has that 'medieval' touch. Her heroes are always drool-worthy, but one that is honorable as Liam only continues to raise the bar. Liam is a fierce warrior who shows his tender side to his half-brother's son and other misbegottens that will make you fall all the harder for him. How can Joslyn (or anyone else for that matter) not be attracted to him? There's also a lesson to be learned about how to react when things do not go our way. Pout and become angry and bitter - or - rise above, accept and move forward? My only complaint with this book, was that I finished it too quickly. Can't wait for her next one.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Justice

Again, I feel like a bad person because the hero forgives and I want justice. The romance starts off with lies and distrust but eventually becomes mutual frustration as they battle rules and danger together. I'm glad they have a happy ending but I just wanted things set right.

[Bess · Rating 4 out of 5]

*sigh...

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that has been sitting on my shelf for a couple years now, but it has been calling to me. I put off reading it because I had older books I needed to read, but finally I was able to read this one! I definitely was not disappointed! It was really hard to put Lady Undaunted down and even when I did, my mind was on the characters and wondering what would happen next!

The main downfall for me was the lack of spiritual thread. It was clean for the most part, but I can't really call it christian fiction. There were a couple of prayers here and there and the characters, I believe went to church, but no more than what was probably expected of them for the time period. If a character over came a problem, God was not given the glory and so on. There were a couple exclamations of "Almighty!" or "God's eyes!" which I didn't really care for. Also there was some heavy kissing. Some other smaller issues to me were I felt Oliver who was almost 3 could speak a bit too well for his age. I could be wrong on that, but that's how I felt. Also, there was another issue I though got resolved too easily. Again, that's just my opinion.

So for what I liked! First, that cover! Absolutely beautiful! Next, the setting! England in the 1300's is not a time period I know much about and I found it really interesting. I also liked the writing style. It was a little hard to get used to, but it really helped to put me into the story. The characters were enjoyable and pretty easy to relate to. They had struggles and things that they had to work through. Liam had his temper, Joslyn had to work through fears and protect her son (who was pretty adorable). I thought Liam and Joslyn's love story was sweet and I was definitely rooting for them.

Overall, a good read, but would have been better with a stronger spiritual theme in it.

[~•verena•~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐

Ich habe dieses Buch in einem offenen Bücherregal gefunden. Jemand hat seine ca. 30-40 teilige Sammlung von Liebes-/Erotikromanen dort freigelassen. Ich habe eine Seite irgendwo in der Mitte aufgeschlagen, zu lesen begonnen und bin in lautes Lachen ausgebrochen.
Dieses Buch zu lesen sah ich als Erkundung eines mir unbekannten Genres und Experiment. Ich erwartete "Schund", dass der Inhalt genauso schlecht ist wie das Cover (Ausgabe: Bastei Lübbe Taschenbuch, 1. Auflage, August 2002).

Aus feministischer Sicht natürlich eine Katastrophe: eine Frau, die nur reagiert und nicht aus eigenem Antrieb handelt.
Die Einbettung der Geschichte ins 12. Jahrhundert entschärft dies jedoch. Man denkt sich, die Lady ist für ihre Zeit eigentlich sehr fortschrittlich.
Also historisch gesehen auch wertlos.

Was etwas schwer im Magen liegt und meines Erachtens problematisch ist:

~~~~{TW: Gewalt}~~~{Spoiler}~~~~

Die Abneigung von Juliana gegen Gabriel, die einfach "nur" durch die Leidenschaft verschwindet, die grausame Behandlung, die sie durch ihren Ehemann erfährt, die Entführung, die gewaltvolle Sprache + das Drängen. Und das sie Gabriel am Schluss einfach mir nichts, dir nichts vergibt, für alles was er ihr angetan hat, weil sie ihn ja so liebt und begehrt.

[Trudy Miner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book at an Used Book Store and let it linger on my TBR shelf for years. What a mistake! It's the height of the Middle Ages, 1348 England, and base-born Liam Fawke is about to reclaim his rightful inheritance stolen after his father's death by his brother, Maynard, who lies dying from a fall from his horse. It was not to be! There's a legitimate heir, Maynard's son, living in southern England and hidden from Liam. Now Liam travels to check on the legitimacy of this heir only to be stopped at the wrong end of a shovel by his angry mother! Still, legitimacy must be proved and only the king can decide their fates. With results neither of them like, the small family returns with Liam to Ashlingford to carry out the king's wishes. Through in a wicked Uncle Ivo, who parades as a clergyman but acts more like a bad man and Liam, Lady Joslyn and her small son must overcome before they find true happiness.

This book is great reading. It portrays the Middle Ages and conniving that goes on among the elite. It's well-paced and the characters are well-developed. You can't help but want Liam to get his inheritance back but will he?

[Erica Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent story but the dialogue is a little stilted. And the child in it speaks like a modern child would sometimes which is jarring after reading about the adults with their antiquated speech.
These people fell in love rather easily and quickly but never told each other. And they almost did the deed after barely knowing each other...almost. Like one inch more. But it seemed really odd that a woman who had only had sex with her husband once would only take a few days to nearly be seduced by the man that she thinks wants her son dead.
Then she spends the rest of the book wrestling with her feelings...and sometimes still accuses the man she is in love with that he wants her son dead.
The villain is supremely villainous. Ridiculously villainous. We're talking Claude Frollo villainous.
On top of the over-the-top villain, we have people battling the plague and a random man from Arabia coming in to combat the disease. That seemed like it could be a whole book in itself because I doubt any Muslim man could find acceptance among isolated village people who already think the plague is God's punishment for their sins. It seemed like a weird plot point to throw in.

[Lis K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid book and I appreciate the clean re-write as it's often hard to find clean Medieval fiction. I liked both of the main characters and their struggles with their relationship. I also liked Oliver because he seemed to cute. However, I felt the conflicts were always changing and too easily overcome (e.g., initial mistrust then the evil uncle then the obstacle to marriage). I think I would have liked one consistent source of conflict that grew over time and which drew the couple naturally together. However, I still enjoy this author's writing and that she really knows how to create romantic tension with likable characters. I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator did a great job with all the voices, even Oliver's voice was cute.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A trying tale of family rivalry on so many levels!

Lord Liam Fawke, misbegotten born, robbed of his inherited destiny not once but twice, faces those who stole it from under him with amazing perseverance and fortitude and the honor honed through his Wolfen training as a knight. Upon his brother? Maynard's death he meets the love of his life in Jocelyn Fawke, Maynard's widow and the struggle to maintain his honor and his very life begins! This is a wonderful medieval love story of tantamount deceptions and Love conquering all complete with laughter, tears, death, betrayal and not found in life and Love 💘 Highly recommend any medieval historical romance novel by this phenomenal author!

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic read by Tamara, as always. Romance is my favorite genre and this author gets it and she writes it so well. I mean she's ruined me for other authors, her romances are just so well done, and not just that, her characters, plot intrigue, I mean her books are unputdownable, I literally have no life whenever I start reading her book, it's awful. And since I've absolutely no self control I'm at the point where I just can't stop reading them...

And the world she's built around the Wulfrith clan is insane, I just love how many of her books are set in that world, it's such a treat. Wulfen castle trained knights are the best, love their stories 🩵

[Tayo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think what I've finally realised is I don't often like the characters in Leigh's books and this ultimately determines my enjoyment. The only book of hers (that I've read) where I entirely liked both love interests is Baron of Emberley. Other than that book I usually like either only one or none of the love interests.

In this case I thought the story was fine (although a bit predictable). I didn't really like Joselyn though so I never felt invested in the romance which was the death knell for this story).

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guilty pleasure

I love these midieval books. I seem to always pick one up for a fun escape. This was a great romance. I really liked the hero in this story -- so many lies and much betrayal but he overcame and mastered his anger in the face of unfairness.

Content: Closed door, but there is always a little more mature content in Leigh's books.
Language: Clean
Religious: A little. Conversations about prayer but they fit the time period

Happy reading!!

[KeebNtxawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story!

Love all her books! She writes the most interesting and enjoyable books. This one is no exception either loved every bit of it with full of twist and turns of events with kisses here and there but no more than that either. Can’t wait to read the next book of hers.

[Sara Turnquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. As with all of Leigh's medievals, it is well written and draws the reader in to the story and the time period. I find that I am having to distinguish her books between four and five stars so that the truly exceptional ones stand out. They are all fabulous.

[Austin Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this too 💖 and cried, and smiled. So many lovely hours of reading!

[Jody Bjarnason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crazy good, as are all her books!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good. I like her older books (1994/1995/1996), but this one got a little long and boring, but still WAY better than her recent stuff!

[Barbara Beebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joslyn

This story takes place in Europe, which is across the world from me. I had almost guessed the ending, but then there was a twist. I enjoyed it.

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Leigh has become my go-to when I need a little medieval fix and this was another fun addition to her medieval collection.

Joclyn and Liam seem to have everything stacked against them, while they should be enemies there is an attraction between them that can’t be denied. Joclyn was a likable heroine, she is fiercely loyal to her young son and her love for him really jumps from the pages. Maybe since I have a son the same age I felt a connection to her and what she must have been going through trying to keep him safe. Liam has spent his life trying to live up to his father’s expectations, which isn’t easy since questions surrounding his birth have always shadowed him. Desperately wanting to gain the title that is rightfully his, he is disappointed time again when it continues to be snatched from him. Liam has a kind heart, I like that even in his anger he never holds it against Joclyn or Oliver. From the time Joclyn and Liam meet sparks fly, they do have great chemistry and I did enjoy their overall story.

I thought this was a fun read; I of course was sucked in right from the start. Ms. Leigh is able to create a realistic medieval world and it feels as if you’ve stepped back in time. As usual, there is a lot going on in the story, forbidden love and betrayal. I loved coming to know Joclyn and Liam and to be a part of their story.

I did have a couple minor quibbles.
*Oliver is a little over two-years-old but spoke as a boy much older. Whenever he spoke I just always pictured a much older child, so was always a little surprised when his age was mentioned and he was in fact so young.

*Joclyn and Liam end up spending a lot of the book apart. I guess it was the only way to keep them from shacking up. Haha. Seriously though, I wish we could have seen them get to know each other and fall in love with out so much lust. It was like when they were together it always ends with them having to stop themselves from going to far. I thought things started great with their mutual distrust and all they had stacked against them, but it got to the point where a lot of that tension faded and they spend so little time together they lost that fun tension.. Maybe if the time they were apart they had been exchanging letters or something, but by time they *finally* are able to be together they have actually barely spent any time together at all. Their story drags a bit once he leave for his new home and they are separated. He returns rarely and its just assumed that Joclyn is sitting around waiting for him. I would have liked to see Liam have to fight for her, have to earn her love back or something.

*I thought the Father Ivo storyline was resolved a little quickly and abruptly. His secrets were a little predictable.


Content
Romance: Pretty clean. Fade to black wedding night.
Language: None
Violence: Mild
Religious: None-mild
Other: Originally published in 1996 as Misbegotten

Source: Amazon

[LadyS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, authenticity to a Medieval romance. This is the best Medieval experience I have had so far. There seems to be quite a trend of authors choosing the medieval as a setting for their books, insomuch that I have read a few this year that I remotely enjoyed. Tamara Leigh schools those stories. Infact, she clearly demonstrates that throwing in a few dukes and marketing it as “Medieval” does not make it so. The language in the novel is appropriate, as well as the locations described through the events of the story. All worked to create the Medieval feel. I aware that this particular novel is a rewrite of an older story, but it still shows how medieval should be done.

From the first page, I was besotted with the plot and especially the characters.
Lord Fawke, the passionate hero charmed me from the moment I met him. It did not matter that his flaws were evident in his pursuit for his believed inheritance, Sir Liam was a warrior of a man. “Appearing” to be viscous, he was incredibly attractive, and masculine, yet underneath a man capable of tender love and affection. He was strongly committed to justice and honesty which I really adored about him
His leading lady, the fiery lady Joslyn was his match Try as she may, she could not resist Lord Fawke’s charms for too long. Although initially gullible and prejudiced towards her man, she proves herself by considering his point of view. At times the motherly protectiveness for the apparent heir ‘Oliver” blinded her from the integrity of Lord Fawke’s character. Still, she managed to win me over. And you know folks, if the heroine wins me over, that’s a wrap.

The romance between Fawke and his lady was not without its trials. Although those trials raised moral questions, the characters overcame and pledged a life of "endless" love to each other.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5...I have been stuck in contemporary land for much too long, so when I saw that Ms. Leigh had a new medieval release, I started it...and finished it in a little over 24 hours. :) I just LOVE her medieval romances. They are clean but never lacking on the passion side.

Liam Fawke has struggled his whole life with belonging, it more so proving he belongs, because he has always been thought of as a misbegotten Irish son of a baron. His younger brother was awarded the barony after his father's death, even though his father wanted Liam to take over. But eventually Liam came back to Ashlingford and has always taken care of the barony as though it was his own. The book begins with Liam at his brother's deathbed, and Maynard reveals he broke his promise to not marry and have an heir. So Liam goes in search of said heir and his mother...and so begins our story.

I don't know if it's because it's just been SO long since I've read a medieval (especially a Leigh medieval), but I loved this one. Joslyn was easy relate to as a mother, and I found myself pulling for them the entire book.

The 4.5 star rating was only because I wish they'd had more time together. The time spent apart made sense in the story, but I found myself scrolling forward to see how long it would be until they were reunited. And while the "secret" was partly predictable, I thought only half of it was. I wasn't expecting the other half. I don't want to say anymore. :)

All in all another WONDERFUL medieval read by Ms. Leigh. She is my favorite medieval author for a reason and this book proves why. Side note: since Liam's last name was Fawke, it kept reminding me of Fulke from Dreamspell...which is quite possibly my all time favorite Leigh book. I might have to go re-read it...again. :)

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some authors that you highly anticipate reading their books and will preorder them right away, Tamara Leigh is just such an author! I have truly enjoyed both her contemporary and historical Christian novels, as well as her clean read books/rewrites. And I can't wait for her next novel to be released!

A Lady Undaunted, was a good read and very enjoyable. The story moved at a nice pace and was engaging. There were a few things I would mention... I don't consider these spoilers, but if you want to have no clue about what transpires between the pages then please stop and do not read further.

While I liked the main characters and felt that there was definitely chemistry there, I wish the last part of the novel would have shown more interactions between the two. Often we saw them battling their attraction towards each other, but there really were not that many occasions later in the book where you saw a lot more than that.

There is of course a villian and the tangled web of lies; those that harm and cause misfortune. While I was pretty sure I saw where this was headed, there was a slight twist to how it all worked out. And it did not work out exactly as I would have thought, but do not fear there is a happy ending!

For those looking for a cleanly written medieval romance, I do recommend this one and I did really like it!

Content:
A few kissing scenes, language none.

**** This is a clean-read rewrite of Misbegotten published by HarperCollins in 1996.

[Tina Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tamara Leigh never disappoints

Firstly you need to know that I'm an huge fan of Tamara Leigh's stories; historical, contemporary or both!

I really liked the premise for Liam and Joslyn's story, although I can't say that I was surprised by any of the plot as it developed, I still found it difficult to put the story down. I found the ending to be honourable in line with the characters.

Speaking of characters, Liam and Joslyn made a great pair. It was nice having a couple that actually wanted to believe the best of the other after the initial meeting, and so the hurdle to them coming together came from outside themselves. It was an interesting plot device and I think it worked well. Oliver is a delightful little darling. Although I would have been greatly amused if he'd actually thrown that tantrum. It's always funnier when it's someone else's child!

A very satisfying and enjoyable read. Thanks again, Ms Leigh.

Now to wait for Lady Ever After... I knew I shouldn't have read the preview at the back...

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book, since I've enjoyed so many others by this author. But the story fell flat for me. I noticed the writing was a little different. The author skipped around to multiple points of view within each chapter. That might of had an affect on how infested I was with the characters (surprisingly less). Also, I assumed the twist in the beginning and so I spent the rest of the book just waiting for it to come out in the open. I read it, but I wasn't on pins and needles over it.

[Marylin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I read this book my emotions were all over the places. I went from concerned to sad to suspicious to happy to crying to happy at last!
Tamara Leigh has a wonderful way of painting colorful medieval tales.
Her characters are entertaining and engaging, so much so that you can just picture them talking and walking with you. You become connected with them and don't want the story to end.
Many times I found myself staying up really late just to read more of the story.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tamara Leigh's medieval books are always enjoyable. This one has less action than most of the others, but we do get to travel to court and see a bit of intrigue there. The protagonists are very likable as well as some supporting players. Little Oliver is very cute with his Unca Liam. There is a quite wicked villain. There is another horrible character that rears his ugly head--the plague! So, there's plenty to engage the reader.

[Kirsi Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clean Medieval Romance

I do love a good Tamara Leigh book, and this one was no exception. Call me a sucker for medieval romance (seriously, you can call me that). I fell in love with Joslyn and Liam's story. Intrigue, sword fights, the plague, and romance (i.e., love conquers all) -- seriously, what's not to love?! The fact that it's a clean read just seals the deal for me!

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

First read Misbegotten 8/22/13 - 2*

2nd read: Lady Undaunted 5/10/16 - 3*
I'm liking her re-writes better than the originals. The clean romance doesn't detract from the story - in fact, it's more romantic.