3.5 Rating.

Joan is 24 years old, she has been betrothed to three men and each has died. Joan wants a child, but she will not marry, she couldn't have another man die because of her.

Ronan home has been overtaken by the enemy and his father in prisoned. He runs for his life and goes to the MacEgans asking for help, he needs their men to help him take back his home and free his father. The MacEgans brothers will help him but with a catch, he has to marry their sister, Joan.

Ronan, when he meets Joan is taken with her. But he's not too keen on marrying, for several reasons. He watched his brother die and carries a lot of guilt, he doesn't believe he deserves happiness. But he might need to make an exception if he want's his home back and free his father. So he thinks possibly marriage is in the cards, but not until he has recaptures his home and frees his father. Oh and Ronan doesn't want children either, he doesn't deserve them.

The two navigate through what each wants and if there is any compromise for them. The process of each bending and adjusting their preconceived ideas is a challenge for both. But as the develop a relations and give into their attraction, they begin the difficult task of each giving into the others desires and wishes.

This was nicely written and likable characters. I did find at time some of the issues were receptive and over done/used. It was a nice read and enjoyable ending.

This is the third book in the <i>Warriors of the Night</I> series of stories set in medieval Ireland. Joan has had three men die on her upon her betrothal to them. She and the others in father's castle are convinced that she is cursed. Her future lies ahead of dreary and shunned and without a family of her own. She fiercely wants to have a child of her body to mother. It is her one driving passion and dictates her actions for much of the story.

At a mutual acquaintance's castle, she meets an Irish Prince on the run, who is looking for allies to help him overthrow the usurper to his father's throne. Joan's brothers promise to loan him men-at-arms on the condition that they wed Joan. Joan, afraid for his life, refuses. Ronan has no desire to marry under duress nor does he want to ever father a child due to tragedy in his past, so tries to finagle a way to have enough fighting men at his back without having to marry Joan.

But they have a strong attraction to each other. Joan doesn't see that Ronan has much choice other than to marry her, so she wants to break the curse and prevent him from dying, and she also desperately wants a child. So with the aid of love potion from a wise woman, she seduces him...and falls pregnant.

Willingham does a marvelous job navigating the shoals of this relationship. It all comes down to trust. Can he trust her again after her betrayal? Can she trust him to not abandon her to loneliness? Can they each trust each other to relinquish their fears in order to forge a life and family together? Trust. A force of such power and such fragility, that in the hands of a skilled writer is revealed in its many facets.

Willingham does a marvelous job navigating the shoals of this relationship. It all comes down to trust. Can he trust her again after her betrayal? Can she trust him to not abandon her to loneliness? Can they each trust each other to relinquish their fears in order to forge a life and family together? Trust. A force of such power and such fragility, that in the hands of a skilled writer is revealed in its many facets.

“Forbidden Night with the Prince”}
by Michelle Willingham

Series: Warriors of the Night, Book #3
Reviewed by: Barb Massabrook (of)
Tartan Book Reviews
Purple Tulip Book Reviews
Celtic Barb’s Tartan Book Review Blog

Heat Rating:🔥

Overall Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

1175

Joan de Laurent is the sister of Rhys and Warrick de Laurent from Forbidden Night with the Warrior and Highlander. She wears only white as a sign of her purity, an iron cross to keep away magical enchantment beings and she attended mass everyday. People avoided her believing she has supernatural powers. Joan believes only because she comes from a royal family they don’t try to destroy her as a witch. Joan feels she is cursed since the three men who she was betrothed to all perished before the wedding. They each died of various reasons, injuries from battle, illness and old age. Yet Joan still felt she was cursed.

Prince Ronan ó Callahan just saw his evil step-brother and his evil step-mother overthrow their Kingdom. They had manipulated many with cold blooded murderers just to get their hands on the throne. Ronan had no choice but to run as he would of been easy prey and target to murder. His father was abducted as far as he knew but he had to rescue his people and kingdom.

The only place he knew to ask for help was the powerful King Patrick MacEgan. The King who had the most powerful tribe and lands. As it happens the de Laurents also went there to ask for help or suggestions for their sister’s current situation.

Patrick’s advice was for Ronan to overthrow his step-brother and grab the title as King for himself. He suggested Ronan marry a woman with a powerful family and warriors. Of course he was hinting at Joan. Ronan has sworn off women since the death of his brother. Plus he didn’t want to wed anyone without a home! Joan also refused to marry and watch another betrothed die! Yet with these two attraction and sizzling passion can't be denied! Will these two go against all odds and get what they truly desire and deserve? Or will All their hopes and desire go up in smoke and fall on deaf ears?

I highly recommend this exhilarating book. A story that will stay with you long after it’s been read.

I received an advance readers copy from the publisher. I voluntarily agreed to do a fair review and blog through netgalley. All thoughts, ideas and words are my own.

Amazon Buy Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-Night-Prince-Warriors/dp/1335522840

For a Harlequin Historical Romance, this book moved really slow for me. However I do enjoy reading books that are outside of the Victorian time period that more historical romance novels seem to gravitate to.

3.75 Stars
A Norman-Irish historical romance with strong-willed but emotionally scarred MCs and a sizzling romance that helps them heal. A quick and easy read that's part of a series, but the novel can be read as a stand-alone. I look forward to seeing how the next installment develops and I enjoyed this book enough to go back and read its predecessors. For historical romance fans.

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This was Ronan and Joan’s story. She thought she was cursed because the her 3 betrothals ended in the man dying before their marriage. Ronan is trying to save his tribe from his stepbrother. She wants to have a child he doesn’t because his brother’s child died under his watch. Her brothers will help Ronan if they marry. It was a very exciting story. I want to read the other books in this series.

Joan de Laurent believes she’s cursed. She has had two betrothals and both of her intendeds died before the wedding! She heads off to Ireland to meet her third betrothed and guess what? He’s dead too! Of course he was older, but still!

Ronan Ó Callaghan is an Irish prince who heads to the MacEgan holding to gather reinforcements. His step-brother staged a coup and took over his father’s throne, taking his father hostage. Ronan cannot let this stand and asks the MacEgan’s for warriors. They say they’ll provide them but the de Laurent brothers can also provide warriors. Unfortunately they’ll only do so if Ronan marries their sister. Ronan isn’t interested in marrying but when he meets Joan he is quite taken with her.

Joan doesn’t want to get betrothed again. She doesn’t want to take the chance of killing another man. When she starts to have feelings for Ronan, she especially doesn’t want him to die. She gets desperate and goes to an old medicine woman to ask how to break the curse. The woman tells her to have Ronan drink a potion and then Joan is to lay with him and once they have the curse will be broken. Joan is skeptical but she’s also desperate, so she goes for it. They spend a wonderful night together and Ronan even agrees to marry Joan, but Joan won’t marry him as he refuses to have kids. (He believes he killed his brother and nephew.) The two need to come to an agreement so that Ronan can get the warriors he needs and save his father like he couldn’t save his other family members.

This was a good story. I felt so bad for Joan! With her believing that she’s cursed and everyone acting like she’s the devil, I’d want to leave as well. Ronan was good for her as he brought her out of her self-induced shell. She wasn’t a meek and mild person but felt she needed to act like one in order to break the curse. I loved how Ronan dealt with Joan and she with him., they were really perfect for each other.

I felt that the part of the story that dealt with Ronan and his step-brother was also well done. It seemed very realistic – something that I could imagine happening (even though I’m not really up on my Irish medieval history).

In the end I enjoyed the book and found it entertaining – a nice way to spend a quiet evening.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

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