MARIAN

September 06, 2023

MARIAN

by Gayle Feyrer

GENRE: Historical Romance

Warrior. Spy. Marian Montrose dons silk or chain mail with equal aplomb. Sent by Queen Eleanor on a mission to Nottingham, Marian is waylaid in Sherwood Forest by the infamous Robin Hood. Her companions are stripped of their riches, but from her, Robin steals only one brazen kiss.

Seething with anger at the thief’s presumption and the haunting memory of his searing embrace, Marian arrives at the castle to find the sophisticated and seductive Sir Guy of Guisbourne a welcome distraction. Guisbourne would be the perfect ally against the Sheriff and Prince John but he believes he’s already picked the winning side. Deft at games of intrigue, Marian discovers Guisbourne’s involved in plans to steal the ransom meant to free King Richard the Lionheart.

Conquering her misgivings, Marian returns to Sherwood and recruits Robin with the promise of a pardon for him and his men. Now they are allies in the fight to return the king, but Robin wants far more from Marian. First she resists his almost magical allure, then succumbs, then resists again, distrusting the elemental power he has over her. Guisbourne may be lethally dangerous, but Robin threatens to consume both her body and her soul.

Danger surrounds them. Betrayal separates them. But desire—and fate—will not be denied.

Read an Excerpt:

Almost before she saw him move, Robin Hood had grasped her arms and pulled her against him, locking her within his embrace. His eyes met hers in flaring challenge. Then he kissed her, full on the mouth, a slow, hard, relishing kiss. Stunned, Marian felt every sense inundated. She inhaled the scent of him, the pungent spice of male inextricably woven with vibrant forest scents. She felt the ruthless grip of his hands and thighs, the hard tension of his chest against her breasts, and the moist, seductive movement of his lips against her own. Most shocking of all, though her gaze encompassed only the blurred lineaments of his face, she envisioned his nakedness and her own pressed close, as if the leather, silk, and linen that covered them had vanished at his touch.

A rush of heat swept through her, terrifying in its sweetness, as though all her blood blossomed into flame, red upon red unfolding, blurring her senses. A soft gasp escaped her, but that faint parting of her lips against his was all the betrayal of her own flesh Marian would endure. Freezing that melting warmth, she willed herself to utter stillness. He might have held a statue carved of ice.

Her coldness must have penetrated his heat, for instantly he released her and stepped back. For a second he watched her intently, his eyes revealing their misted green, his expression strangely pained and hungry all in one. Then he smiled again, flashing with willful insolence, and turning strolled back toward the head of the caravan.

About the Author:

Gayle Feyrer began drawing as soon as she could hold a crayon and writing when she was twelve. She holds a Bachelor's in Pictorial Arts from UCLA, and MFA from the University of Oregon in Creative Writing. In her varied career, she has been a tie dye artist, go-go dancer, baker, creator of ceramic beasties, illustrator, fiction teacher, and finally, novelist. A Libra with Scorpio Rising, Gayle’s romantic nature takes on a darker edge. She hopes these shadows bring depth to her romances.

A world traveler, Gayle has visited Paris, England and Italy numerous times. She lived for two years in Jakarta, Indonesia, with many trips around Asia. She currently resides across the bridge from San Francisco, with her husband and their two rescue cats, Charlotte and Emily, the Flying Bronte sisters, half Siamese and half tabby.

Q&A With the Author:

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I wanted to write a really fierce, warrior heroine. I’d enjoyed the old Robin Hood movies, but Marian was usually the damsel to be saved. I’m republishing my historical romances, and when I wrote it there weren’t very many really believable tough heroines. I gave Marian a valiant warrior grandmother who went on crusade with Eleanor of Aquitaine, and a grandfather who taught her weapons because he’d fallen in love with a strong woman and wanted his granddaughter strong too—especially since Marian’s mother was brutally murdered. So Marian is great with a bow and arrow, a sword, a knife. And she loves being a fighter, loves weapons, though she has feminine vanities as well. She doesn’t like being a spy, even though she’s good at it, good at assessing both people and situations. At her core, she’s a very honest person, but she understands the need for subterfuge and has great emotional control. She’s clever enough to have been a great political operative, or a queen, but she’d hate it. She rather be off flying her falcon.
One of my favorite lines about Marian is: “She knew well that her skills at dissembling were particular in nature. While she could keep a secret even at the expense of pain and lie with perfect sangfroid, she was not an emotional chameleon able to change the color of her character to blend with her surroundings or to match another's mood or desire.”
Because of the trauma in her youth, loss of control is Marian’s deepest fear, but it’s a fear that makes her strike out in anger. Robin is terrifying because he steps through all her defenses without hardly trying.
I broke a lot of romance “rules” writing Marian. I do sort of enjoy breaking rules—they make me bristle. But I believed the changes were all felt necessary to the story. She’s a woman who takes control of her life. I didn’t set out to write a love it or hate it book but it seems I did. I got the worst and one of the best ever reader reviews for Marian. One woman wrote, literally, “I spit on it.” Another proclaimed it her favorite romance ever, because it busted the rules wide open. Marian isn’t a virgin and her central conflict in the book is choosing between two men.

Do you have any other books you are working on that you can tell us about?
I’ve got two other historical romances to republish. Heart of Night is the sequel to Heart of Deception, and my first one, set in the Italian Renaissance, The Prince of Cups. I’m also finishing the third book of my Paris trilogy, A Harmony of Hells, written as Yves Fey. It’s very Gothic, with my poet, Averill, and his crime lord lover hunting for Averill’s sister, imprisoned in an asylum by his evil father.

Can you tell us about what you have planned for the future?
I love the Paris world of my mystery series and have a couple of ideas for other books set there. Reediting the romances stirred up my interest in the Italian Renaissance and Elizabethan England again, so another romance is possible. Aside from the books I do fun book trailers for promotions. I owned the rights to my romances, but not the covers, so I’ve helped design the new ones. I might paint the cover for The Prince of Cups, as I haven’t found any image that works for it.

How long have you been writing?
I read as child, but my father died when I was 10 and I started to live in books much more. Writing—since I was in the sixth grade. We had a short story assignment that my teacher praised. And I always had elaborate fantasies. I started writing more seriously in high school and then college. I’d majored in theatre, but I’m really more comfortable when I can hole up on my own with words or paints.

Anything more you would like to say to your readers and fans?
I’m really proud of my book trailers and poem videos. I think they’re fun and would give you an idea if you’d like the book. They’re on my YvesFey channel on YouTube, and on my websites.