Book picks similar to
The Rain Maiden by Jill M. Phillips


historical-fiction
historical
medieval
fiction

Forever My Love


Rebecca Brandewyne - 1982
    He begged a king for her hand, and she braved secret torture to be true.Theirs is a legend of struggle against relentless hate, of two wild hearts who pledged defiantly, Forever my Love

So Speaks the Heart


Johanna Lindsey - 1983
    Rugged and powerful Rowland of Montville sees only a beautiful enchantress in peasant's rags--a wench to serve his every need. Defenseless against his unbridled passions, Brigitte is forced to yield her innocence to the desires the warrior lord arouses in her heart. But her surrender will vanquish the handsome knight--awakening within him a love as mighty and relentless as his conquering sword.

Lady of the English


Elizabeth Chadwick - 2011
    Matilda, daughter of Henry I, is determined to win back her crown from Stephen, the usurper king. Adeliza, Henry's widowed queen and Matilda's stepmother, is now married to William D'Albini, a warrior of the opposition. Both women are strong and prepared to stand firm for what they know is right. But in a world where a man's word is law, how can Adeliza obey her husband while supporting Matilda, the rightful queen? And for Matilda pride comes before a fall ...What price for a crown? What does it cost to be 'Lady of the English'?

Once More, Miranda


Jennifer Wilde - 1983
    Never a hero as sexy and masculine as Cameron Gordon. Meet Miranda James. As a ragged pickpocket, she stole the Londoners' money. As a celebrated novelist, she stole their hearts. But only one man could capture Miranda's love...

The Wolf and the Dove


Kathleen E. Woodiwiss - 1974
    And she burns with malice for the handsome Norman savage who would enslave her. . .even as she aches to know the rapture of the conqueror's kiss.The DoveFor the first time ever, mighty Wulfgar has been vanquished — and by a bold and beautiful princess of Saxon blood. He must have the chaste, sensuous enchantress who is sworn to his destruction. And he will risk life itself to nurture with tender passion a glorious union born in the blistering heat of hatred and war.

The Raven and the Rose


Virginia Henley - 1987
    The love child of King Edward IV, Roseanna Castlemaine was pledged to her father's most prized warrior. Baron Ravenspur was dark, strong, and commanding, and in the bedchamber, where he forced her to honor her marriage vows, she learned to crave his intoxicating touch. And still she swore not to love him even as she surrendered to the dark rapture of... THE RAVEN.HIS PASSION WAS THE FIRE...Lord Roger Montford's shoulders were broad within the coat of mail that made him invulnerable to everything but Roseanna's innocence. Obsessed with taming the fiery beauty who inflamed his flesh, he fell in love, knowing ruthless men plotted to topple the king he served and at the heart of the intrigue was she who would be either his death or his salvation...THE ROSE.

Lady Of Fire


Anita Mills - 1987
    Beautiful Eleanor of Nantes is pursued by many great noblemen, including the evil Robert of Belesme and charming Prince Henry, son of William the Conqueror. But it is the dashing Roger FitzGilbert, born a bastard with no title to his name, who sweeps her off her feet. Their love may be forbidden, but their passion is undeniable...

Where Magic Dwells


Rexanne Becnel - 1994
    Awed by her magic, would-be suitors kept their distance. Until the fierce English knight rode into Radnor Forest on a mission to seize one of her children ... even as this knight laid siege to her body with ungodly powers that matched her own ...... IN HER ENEMY'S ARMSDispatched to Wales to reclaim his liege lord's by-blow offspring and to win the long-coveted rewards, Sir Cleve FitzWarin was prepared to face an army --- but not the defiant beauty guarding her children with her magic and her life. This was war. Girded for battle, he vowed to have her, to brand her with kisses, set her aflame, this enchantress who held him in thrall with the sweet magic of her innocent embrace ...

The Sword & the Swan


Roberta Gellis - 1977
    Face-to-face with an oncoming army, he could decide matters of life and death. But now, face-to-face with one gentle woman, he was hopelessly confused and uncertain. Startled by Catherin's pale beauty when he first saw her, he was dumbfounded by her passionate radiance now, and he felt a desire far different from his usual impersonal need for a woman.

Queen Defiant


Anne O'Brien - 2011
    Orphaned at a young age, Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, seeks a strong husband to keep her hold on the vast lands that have made her the most powerful heiress in Europe. But her arranged marriage to Louis VII, King of France, is made disastrous by Louis's weakness of will and fanatical devotion to the Church. Eleanor defies her husband by risking her life on an adventurous Crusade, and even challenges the Pope himself. And in young, brilliant, mercurial Henry d'Anjou, she finds her soul mate-the one man who is audacious enough to claim her for his own and make her Queen of England.

When Christ and His Saints Slept


Sharon Kay Penman - 1994
    1135. As church bells tolled for the death of England's King Henry I, his barons faced the unwelcome prospect of being ruled by a woman: Henry's beautiful daughter Maude, Countess of Anjou. But before Maude could claim her throne, her cousin Stephen seized it. In their long and bitter struggle, all of England bled and burned.Sharon Kay Penman's magnificent fifth novel summons to life a spectacular medieval tragedy whose unfolding breaks the heart even as it prepares the way for splendors to come—the glorious age of Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Plantagenets that would soon illumine the world.

The Plantagenet Prelude


Jean Plaidy - 1976
    But such a position for an unmarried woman puts the whole kingdom at risk. So on his deathbed William made a will that would ensure his daughter's protection: he promised her hand in marriage to the future King of France.Eleanor grows into a romantic and beautiful queen, but she has inherited the will of a king, determined to rule Aquitaine using her husband's power as King of France. Her resolve knows no limit and, in the years to follow, she is to become one of history's most scandalous queens.

The Shield of Three Lions


Pamela Kaufman - 1983
    But when her family is killed and her lands seized, Alix is forced to flee from the only home she’s ever known. Her one hope of restoring her inheritance is to plead her case to King Richard the Lion Heart, who is far away in France, preparing to go on his Crusade. Alix resolves to follow him. She cuts her hair, dresses as a boy, and takes the road south to London. Disguised as a beautiful young boy, Alix is more than befriended by the handsome and mysterious King Richard, even becoming his favorite page. Their relationship sets tongues wagging and places Alix in considerable danger as the battle for Jerusalem unfolds.

Red Adam's Lady


Grace Ingram - 1973
    She is not wealthy. She prizes her virginity. And her liege, whom she despises, is intent on rape. Red Adam is the lord of Brentborough castle—young, impetuous, scandalous, a twelfth-century hell raiser. On one of his nights of drunken revelry he abducts Julitta. Though she fends him off, keeping her virginity, he has sullied her honor. Then, to the astonishment of all, he marries her. Red Adam’s Lady is a boisterous, bawdy tale of wild adventure, set against the constant dangers of medieval England. It is a story of civil war and border raids, scheming aristorcrats and brawling villagers, daring escapes across the moors and thundering descents down steep cliffs to the ocean. Its vivid details give the reader a fascinating and realistic view of life in a medieval castle and village. And the love story in it is an unusual one, since Julitta won’t let Adam get closer than the length of her stiletto. Long out of print though highly acclaimed, Red Adam’s Lady is a true classic of historical fiction along the lines of Anya Seton’s Katherine and Sharon Kay Penman’s Here Be Dragons.

The King's Man


Elizabeth Kingston - 2015
    Ranulf's actions have gained him lands, title, and a lasting reputation as a hired butcher. But after years of doing his king's bidding, he begins to fear for his mortal soul and follows his conscience away from Edward, all the way to the wilds of Wales. Gwenllian of Ruardean, Welsh daughter of a powerful Marcher lord, has every reason to leave Ranulf for dead when one of her men nearly kills him. As a girl she was married by proxy to a man Ranulf murdered, only to become a widow before she ever met her groom. In the years since, she has shunned the life of a lady, instead studying warfare and combat at her mother’s behest. But she has also studied healing and this, with her sense of duty to knightly virtues, leads her to tend to Ranulf’s wounds. Saving her enemy’s life comes with consequences, and Gwenllian and Ranulf are soon caught up in dangerous intrigue. Forced together by political machinations, they discover a kinship of spirit and a surprising, intense desire. But even hard-won love cannot thrive when loyalties are divided and the winds of rebellion sweep the land.