This was my second attempt at reading this book. The first time, about 12 years ago, I thought it was very clumsy, long, and boring. I enjoyed it more the second time, I think mostly because my knowledge of the historical era it is set in has grown, but also because it has more story and less steamy parts. That is a way my reading tastes have changed in the last decade.
Overall, however, this is your average romance story. Misunderstandings abound, heroine is feisty, hero is a rogue who must be tamed, heroine is kidnapped and must be rescued by the hero, heroine is poor, hero is rich, etc. The clothing, activities and settings of the medieval era are well researched and well depicted in the story, so that is encouraging. Both villains made me want to puke, which I suppose means they were accurately portrayed. I guess I was just left with an overall 'ho-hum' feeling after reading this book. Wasn't great, didn't suck. ( )

one of her earlier works; couldn't finish it; female character too young and makes stupid choices; male abusive alpha; won't read agian ( )

I read this because it is referenced frequently in Radway's study of romance-reading habits as one of the participants' favorite novels (and because it was reissued and sold in the grocery store). I was curious as to the character of a good romance from the early 80s, when Radway performed her study; and The Black Lyon had just been reissued.

It was terrible. I have been spoiled, apparently, by Mary Balogh, and my standards for the behavior of my romance-novel hero are far too high: I actually expect him not to be physically abusive! I can only imagine what the worst of the novels available to the study participants must have been like, since one of their greatest preferences was a gentle, nurturing hero...

The heroine, quite an admirable character in many ways, reminded me of Chaucer's Clerk's Griselda, suffering in endlessly creative ways in order to prove her fidelity to her husband, who is presented as a rather godlike figure but in fact must have been a sadistic numbskull. ( )

http://kristine.vox.com/library/book/... ( )

I am a big Jude Deveraux fan, but I hate this book. The heroine is raped by the hero and then falls in love with him. What bollocks. If this is 'real life', it belongs in something more hard core than romance fiction. ( )