Overall Rating: 4.05 // Action: 3.0 / Emotion: 3.5 / Romance: 3.5 / Sensuous: 1.5 / Suspense: 3.5 // Historical Flavor: 4.5 // Laughter: 1 / Grins: 2 // Tears: 2 / Teary: 1Candle In The Window: 4.05:Although this was not the most exciting and emotionally touching medieval romance, Candle In The Window, was a very enjoyable read that never let the reader's interest waver.Hero: 4.0:Sir William of Miraval: Even though Dodd failed to give William a multitude of layers to his personality, loved that this big, loud, handsome, very alpha champion of tournaments displayed his sense of honor, his authority and a soft side. His simplistic, 'I'm just a good old country boy' ways were appealing.Heroine: 3.0:Lady Saura of Roget: At first Dodd really inspired a fascination with Saura because she was not hampered by her blindness. Saura's mother taught Saura to be self-sufficient and to dispense authority and kindness equally. It was difficult to understand and sympathize with Saura when she switched gears in the second half of the book and no longer felt herself worthy to marry William and would not open her heart to him.Story Line: 4.0:Very intriguing story line. When a warrior is blinded during a skirmish, his father enlists the aid of a noblewoman who efficiently served as chatelaine for her stepfather in spite of being born blind. An attraction builds between the hero and heroine and in the background, a friend looks on with envy and decides to destroy his friend and take his woman.Action: 3.0:Being in the mood for an exciting, action-packed 'knight in shining armor' kind of story, was a bit disappointed that action and adventure scenes were not featured abundantly.Emotion: 3.5:Dodd failed to inspire a deep-seeded emotional connection between the reader and William and Saura. However, the connection was strong enough to keep one reading to see how Dodd was going to get Saura past her insecurities.Romance: 3.5:The attraction between William and Saura was immediate and enduring. William was a one-woman man and after kissing Saura, he wanted no other. Saura was immediately attracted to William because she had never been able to dream of having a relationship with a man before and that kiss wetted her appetite.Suspense: 3.5:Dodd kept the reader on pins and needles as she introduced the villain hiding in the shadows watching William and Saura. Not only did one wonder which of William's friends had betrayed him, but also wondered how Dodd was going to break down the barrier around Saura's heart.Sensuality: 1.5:This book was written in 1991 when purple prose was the rule when writing lovemaking scenes, and Dodd followed that pattern so there was no sizzle or spice to be found in this story.Secondary Characters: 2.5:Dodd was incredible when she wrote secondary characters that came to life and inspired great interest. But, she dropped the ball when it came to really fleshing out their personalities and truly interweaving them into the fabric of the story.Historical Flavor: 4.5:Dodd imbued the entire story with a strong historical flavor. Dodd obviously researched the times. Her characters discussed the state of the nation because of the warring royals. The manner of dress and everyday activities were well described and took the reader back in time.See Wolf Bear Does Books for a more in-depth, detailed review of Candle In The Window.
Bintang 3Ini adalah kisah perjalanan hidup seorang gadis buta yg berusaha bertahan hidup di zaman para knigth di daratan Eropa yg keras.Lady Saura of Roget gadis cantik dan pewaris yg kaya raya, memiliki cacat fisik buta sejak lahir. Tapi kekurangannya ini tidak membuatnya terbelakang. Saura adalah gadis yg tegar, cerdik dan cekatan dalam mengatur urusan rumah tangga dan sangat sensitif dengan suasana dan keadaan disekitarnya. Karena kekayaannya, Saura dipaksa ayah tirinya untuk tetap tinggal bersama untuk menguasai harta Saura dan menjalankan niatnya yg tidak senonoh pada Saura. Untungnya seluruh saudara tiri Saura adalah pelindung bagi diri Saura dari tindakan pelecehan dan kekerasan oleh ayah tirinya itu disamping pembantu setia Saura. Namun walau begitu kerusakan emosi atas rasa tak diinginkan yg disebabkan oleh sang ayah tiri tetap tidak dapat dihindari. Saat seorang Lord Knigth yg sedang putus asa menawarkan Saura keluar dari rumahnya, Saura menerimanya karena merasa dirinya dibutuhkan untuk menyadarkan seorang knigth yg tiba tiba mengalami kebutaan dalam sebuah pertarungan.Lord William Miraval adalah seorang knight yg tangguh. Mengalami keterpurukan setelah dirinya buta. Berkat kata kata Saura yg keras dan pedas serta tingkah laku Saura sebagai pengurus rumahtangga William yg tegas dan cekatan, William sedikit demi sedikit sadar bahwa dirinya dapat melakukan sesuatu walau dirinya buta.Saat aksi penculikan terhadap William dan Saura, tanpa disengaja William memperoleh kembali penglihatannya. Dan terkejut William saat menyadari Saura sendiri yg merupakan mentornya merupakan seorang gadis buta. Dan menurut William mukjizat yg dialaminya adalah karena perhatian dan perasaan Saura terhadap William. William yg sebelumnya telah memberikan penilaian yg tinggi terhadap Saura dan kebutuhannya akan kedekatan Saura pada dirinya berusaha meyakinkan Saura untuk menikah dengan William dan menerima perasaan cinta William.Akan tetapi setelah William memperoleh penglihatannya kembali, Saura merasa tidak yakin dengan keberadaan dirinya didekat William. Saura merasa keberadaan dirinya disamping William setelah William dapat melihat tidak ada gunanya. Kisah percintaan Willian dan Saura menjadi tidak mudah. Saura yg cantik menjadi pusat perhatian para knight dan sahabat William teruta saat pesta pernikahan mereka sehingga menimbulkan kecemburuan William. Dan tanpa disadari William ternyata memiliki musuh dalam selimut. Tidak hanya William dalam bahaya, Saurapun menjadi incaran musuh William.Saat William mencurigai Charles salah satu sahabatnya, Saura meminta William mempertimbangkan sekali lagi karena Saura tidak yakin kalau Charleslah yg memiliki niat jahat terhadap mereka. Dan saat musuh berhasil menculik Saura dan memaksa William untuk datang sendiri untuk masuk dalam perangkap sang musuh, William yg terjebak bersama Saura dalam ruang tahanannya yg gelap mengalami ketakutan akan mengalami kebutaan kembali. Dan saat itulah Saura sadar akan perasaan cintanya terhadap William serta posisinya sebagai penyelamat William. Dengan kecerdikan Saura mereka berhasil keluar dari mereka ditahan. Dan dengan bantuan ayah William serta para sahabatnya yg masih setia William berhasil menggagalkan niat musuhnya.
What do You think about Candle In The Window (2007)?
I just finished reading this and looked at some of the reviews to see if my impression was the same. I think the person who was abhorred by the "rape" misunderstood. Saura did not think she was raped. There was rumor going through the castle started by malcontents that she must have been raped for who would want a blind woman for anything serious. Saura's response on hearing the rumor was to declare that it was most pleasant if it was rape.Anyway, I liked the story. It bogged down a couple of times when Saura vacillated between thinking she was intelligent and useful even though blind to thinking she brought nothing to the marriage but wealth and property. I found William to be outstanding in his understanding and patience with her even if he was flustered at first. He also sought to understand her and what her needs were. He was a great hero.
—Cherie
4.5 starsIntriguing premise, heroine is blind, hero has been blinded recently. She's an heiress, he's a knight but has succumbed to depression due to his handicap and his father brings her to the castle to try to shake his son out of his apathy. Unfortunately, there is still danger and they have to find a way to rescue each other. Nice atmosphere, interesting glimpse of life during Medieval period, plucky independent heroine, stalwart hero, faithful dog, flowering romance, exciting swordfights. Enjoyable read.
—E.
More like 3.5* A lot happened in this story, but none of it really pulled me in the way I was hoping. Bronnie ended up being my favorite character and I hope to see more of him in future books. Saura was strong and fearless and William was proud and determined. I liked their relationship, but I wanted more. I spent most of the story hoping that Raymond was not the bad guy, and was very happy when he wasn't! I am looking forward to his story. I am not ready to give up on the series.
—Jennifer
