The Marrying Maid

By Jo Beverley

"It was as if a new song entered his world, or a new taste, or a new sense -- and yet, one instantly recognized.

Rob Loxsleigh turned to look around the park, striving to make the movement casual to his chattering companions, so noisy in their silks and lace, but already fading under the power of his new awareness. There.

He smiled, with delight but with surprise.

The woman in gray? The one strolling through the park at the side of another woman just as ordinary, wearing a plain gown with little trimming and a flat straw hat?

She was his destined bride?"

Rob's been searching for his bride all his adult life and has only days left before Faery can claim a terrible victory over his family and his line.

Now he's found her, however, he has to win her, and Martha Darby wants nothing to do with a London rake, in his satin and lace. She's the respectable daughter of a Dean of York Cathedral, and as soon as Rob shows interest, she heads resolutely north.

Thus follows a lively pursuit, as every kiss increases Rob's legendary powers, and warring Oberon and Titania urge on their representatives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jo Beverley
• Release date: Jul 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301434497

Jo Beverley

The NYT bestselling author of over thirty historical romance novels, all set in her native England in the medieval, Georgian, and Regency periods, Jo Beverley firmly believes that reading should be fun, and every book should leave the reader with a smile. You can find Jo on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jo.beverley and at www.wordwenches.com where she blogs regularly.

Book preview

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Reviews for The Marrying Maid

[avidreader_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is definitely one of my favorite anthologies. There are so many good stories in here and all of them capture my imagination and make me want to check out all the authors I was introduced to.

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I only read selected stories from Songs of Love and Death, because some of the authors or the first pages didn't appeal. (For example, me and Jim Butcher don't get on very well. Everyone else says the misogyny is just Harry Dresden and is part of his character and it doesn't come from Jim Butcher: it still makes me feel profoundly uncomfortable.)

So, of the ones I read, the first was Jo Beverley's 'The Marrying Maid'. I liked the idea, especially the link to the Robin Hood legend. It could've been a whole novel, really. It felt like it wanted to be a sort of bodice ripper where the courtier seduces the reluctant churchman's daughter, but it didn't quite go there -- and was too rushed to be that in the first place, since she only refused him two or three times! Also, not terribly comfortable with the whole 'there is one woman out there for you, and she will want you, and if she refuses you, well, just rape her, she'll understand' bit.

I skipped over Carrie Vaughan to M. L. N. Hanover's 'Hurt Me'. I found it interesting, but not very creepy, and sort of expected it to work out differently. I don't know that either of these stories really fit my definition of 'star crossed lovers'. There's nothing romantic about a guy who beats his girlfriend, or about the girl who kills him and then moves back into that house with her new boyfriend to torment his ghost. I guess the introduction part is a bit misleading.

Cecelia Holland's offering, 'Demon Lover', is quite like 'The Marrying Maid' in the sense that it's based vaguely on folklore. Both reminded me a little of Tam Lin, though Holland has the man rescuing the woman through his true love.

Robin Hobb's 'Blue Boots' is a simple enough little story. It made me crave a reread of the Farseer trilogy, actually, since it's set in her Six Duchies. It was nice, but not amazing... I suspect I am overly hard to please, with short stories. They're a delicate art, though.

Neil Gaiman's story, 'The Thing About Cassandra', was very interesting. Sort of what I expected from Gaiman, but the twist ending was pretty good.

Marjorie M. Liu's story, 'After the Blood', was... confusing. I wasn't entirely sure what was happening. Henry, I mostly got, but the rest, less so. Hm.

The main reason I read this anthology at all was for Jacqueline Carey's story, 'You and You Alone'. This was what I'd hoped it would be -- except that I might've hoped it was a bit longer. It's the doomed love story of Anafiel Delaunay and Rolande de la Courcel, which lies unspoken behind the first Kushiel trilogy.

'Under/Above the Water' by Tanith Lee... I liked it. I think it was well structured, and not everything was explained away.

Peter S. Beagle's 'Kaskia', not a great fan.

Yasmine Galenorn's story, 'Man in the Mirror', was quite nice. I liked that it really was star-crossed, this time, that it didn't end perfectly.

[jeremypreacher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lovely. Consistently solid stories, with only one or two that really fell flat for me, on the general topic of love amidst death. It's another one of those collections where having read many of the big-name series is probably an advantage, but since I'm in that position, I have no complaints.

[suzemo · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I guess I expected a compilation with the theme of "star crossed love" to be... darker? Some of the tales (even when not dark) fit that theme, but I felt that some did not (which always irks me in an anthology). Most of the stories were decent, but not grabbing.

What I didn't like (maybe I'm just a sensitive, and yet heartless bitch) was the number of stories that seemed to leave the woman either dependent on, or utterly swooning - for no damned reason - some shitty male. Fuck that.

Notables -

Butcher - 3 st, I love Murphy, it was a cute, if irreverent story. It fit nicely in the Dresdenverse and was OK and gave any fans of pairing Karrin&Harry something to enjoy.

Gaiman's "The Thing about Cassandra" was a delightfully chilling story.

Carey's "You and You Alone" was a punch to the gut and was just such a sad and wonderfully written story. I haven't read any of her Kushiel's series, but this may rope me in. It was wonderfully heart wrenching and fit the theme very well and gave me the darkness I was after.

"Hurt Me" by Hanover was awesome and super empowering. Not so much within the theme, which does bug, but it was still a nice super story.

"Under/Above the Water" by Tanith Lee was quite beautiful. I just love her writing, it's always like sinking into the most delicious and complex of drinks. It's invigorating, pleasuring, and always leaves you wanting to sip just a little bit more. Admittedly I'm (mostly) a Lee fangirl (she has disappointed me in the past), but I feel like this short is up to what I love reading from her.


I was disappointed in:
Beverly's "The Marrying Maid" because it just felt like a very weak fairy tale.
Vaughn's "Rooftops" which was ridiculous. It's some sort of world where superheroes are somewhat real, and the protagonist makes some sort of not-quite-agonizing-and-mostly-boring choice between her working beau and a weak-sauce hero (all while secretly wishing the boyfriend was a hero, ugh).
Holland's Demon Lover, which reminds me of Pearl Jam's "Better Man" which pisses me off, because I. Don't. Get. Settling. Seriously, the "Oh, My Hero! You're not as much of an asshole as that guy. I guess I love you because you are the lesser of two shitty options" angers me.
"His Wolf" by Tuttle just feels likes it's been done before.

The others were OK. I just didn't feel like there was a hole lot of memorable to be found in these stories. Definitely not one of my preferred anthologies, and I probably won't be going back to reread most of these any time soon.

[vivalaerin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great anthology, especially considering who is in it. This is great for those who follow a lot of series because most of the stories/worlds/characters are based off those series. This has a little bit of everything, so I took my time going through the stories. And I enjoyed it, even the ones from series I haven't read.

[shabacus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good anthology, if a bit uneven. These are all love stories, with some sort of fantasy, supernatural, or science fiction twist. By reading it, I learned the difference between a speculative fiction author writing about love and a romance author writing fantasy or sci-fi.You can tell the difference by the assumptions the author makes about the reader, about what he or she needs explained to him. Some stories, like Neil Gaiman's excellent "The Thing About Cassandra," give us an eerie backdrop to a non-traditional love story. "The Demon Dancer," on the other hand, gives us comic book-style superhero cops, about which we learn far too much, just to cram a trite love story down our throats.I will return to this collection to read my favorites, but I can't imagine reading it all the way through again. Recommended if your favorite author has a story in here, because you'll probably like it for that, and find a few others to boot.

[cissa_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a really excellent collection of stories. Lots of Famous Names in authors, and they do a great job. Mostly, the stories are not conventional romance- there's a lot of variety here.

[fyrefly98 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Overall Review: Love, love, love! Songs of Love &amp; Death is an anthology of short stories of star-crossed or otherwise impossible love, stories that exist on the borderland between romance and speculative fiction. This book was so good that I am even willing to forgo the usual grumbling about how I really wish George R. R. Martin would stop editing anthologies and just buckle down and publish the rest of the damn Song of Ice and Fire books already. (Well, okay, maybe a *little* grumbling.) But as I said, if all of his recent anthologies are as good as this one was, it makes me almost willing to forgive him the time spent. In most anthologies, there are a few stories I love, a lot of stories I like, and a few stories that do absolutely nothing for me at all. Songs of Love &amp; Death, on the other hand, was almost shocking in how consistently great the stories were. Even my least-favorite stories were still entertaining and fun to read. The stories run the gamut of speculative fiction - historical and alternate-world fantasy, space opera, ghost-story thriller, to name a few - and the love stories range from sweet to twistedly dark, from happy to bittersweet to tragic. But I enjoyed the heck out of all of them, and came away with a number of new authors I want to try.One note: A lot of people will want to pick this collection up for Diana Gabaldon's short story, and for Outlander fans, it's well worth it. However, I thought it was the one story in this collection that relied way too heavily on the reader's familiarity with the author's previous work. The other stories that are set in an established series (Jim Butcher, Jacqueline Carey, etc.) do an excellent job of bringing an unfamiliar reader (namely, me) into their world, but Gabaldon's so cagey about a lot of things that large parts of the story will lose their impact for people who aren't already familiar with the characters. Not that that should deter non-Outlander fans from reading this book, since there are plenty of other fantastic stories that stand alone just fine. 4.5 out of 5 stars.Story Summaries:- Love Hurts by Jim Butcher. Harry Dresden and his partner have to track down a killer who is targeting young couples in love.- The Marrying Maid by Jo Beverly. The young Viscount Loxsleigh must find and marry his destined bride before his 25th birthday, or else a terrible curse will befall him and his family. However, the chosen young lady - one who is far beneath his station in life - wants nothing to do with him. One of my favorites in the collection.- Rooftops by Carrie Vaughn. A playwright with an absentee boyfriend is rescued from a robbery attempt by a masked superhero.- Hurt Me by M. L. N. Hanover. The neighbors are worried about the woman who's moved in next door, as her house haunted by a power that hates women, but she refuses to back down and move away.- Demon Lover by Cecelia Holland. A homely village girl flees from a stuttering suitor into a wizard's realm of illusion, where she is the chosen consort of the wizard... but every bit of beauty has its own terrible price.- The Wayfarer's Advice by Melinda M. Snodgrass. A mercenary ship rescues an Imperial princess from the wreckage of a terrible planetary battle - a princess who happens to be the captain's ex-lover, and who also happens to be tired of the demands of Imperial politics.- Blue Boots by Robin Hobb. An orphan kitchen girl falls in love with a court bard, despite warnings that bards never settle down with one person, and are forever at the beck and call of their Royal Highnesses.- The Thing about Cassandra by Neil Gaiman. Stuart's friends keep telling him that they've run into his high-school girlfriend Cassandra, and how the two of them should really get back together. The only problem? Stuart made Cassandra up. Very Gaiman-ish.- After the Blood by Marjorie M. Liu. In a post-apocalyptic world in which the Big Death turned the infected into zombpires, a young woman living in Amish country must face the fact that her lover's family disapproves of their relationship - and of what their son has become.- You, and You Alone by Jacqueline Carey. A young nobleman falls in love with a prince of the realm, but can their relationship survive a lifetime of courtly schemes and plots? Another one of my favorites; just beautiful.- His Wolf by Lisa Tuttle. A college professor falls for a mysterious young man with a beautiful but equally mysterious wolf as a pet. Probably my least-favorite, since I'm not crazy about romances in which people reorganize their entire lives for someone they've known for a few hours because they're so deeply in love.- Courting Trouble by Linnea Sinclair. A spaceship captain cargo gets impounded, and she realizes she's caught in a web of intrigue... a web that may be spun by her ex-best friend. The story was good, but was a little bit hampered by the "give everything a Weird Name so that they'll know that it's sci-fi" style of the writing.- The Demon Dancer by Mary Jo Putney. A young Guardian and his much older mentor have to track down a succubus that's preying on New York City's population.- Under/Above the Water by Tanith Lee. A looping, dream-like story about missing one's true love, and the chance to try again in the next life, generations later. Ordinarily the writing style of this story would have annoyed me, but something about it held me completely spellbound.- Kaskia by Peter S. Beagle. A man buys a new computer that has some impressive features - like the ability to communicate with an alien intelligence. One of the weaker stories, I thought. Dryly funny, it but didn't have enough of a romance angle to it for my tastes.- Man in the Mirror by Yasmine Galenorn. A woman moves into a seemingly abandoned house, only to find out that it's not quite so abandoned after all. This one did the best with the whole "star-crossed" angle, I thought.- A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows by Diana Gabaldon. A WWII RAF fighter pilot crashes his plane during a test flight over Northumbria, and finds himself not only miles but centuries from home, and from the woman he loves.

[mzonderm · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The problem with reading collections of short stories by many different authors is that there's likely to be a lot of inconsistency. Such was definitely the case here. Some of the stories were absolute dreck, some were ok, some were actually pretty good, and at least one was excellent. Unfortunately, the excellent one was the last one in the book, and it was only barely worth it to read all the stories that came before it to get to that one.

[c5ibarra · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a nice variety of stories, from many well known authors. Stories starring everything from superheroes to faeries to wizards to haunted houses, and even a zombiefied post-apocalyptic setting. A little something for everyone! My favorites include Neil Gaiman’s The Thing About Cassandra, Jo Beverley’s The Marrying Maid, and Marjorie M. Liu’s After the Blood. All of the authors were new to me with the exception of Neil Gaiman. Gaiman’s story is reason enough to pick this one up, and the reason this made it onto my to be read pile in the first place. He is such an amazing writer. Jim Butcher’s story was also very good. Fans of Harry Dresden will love it. I can’t believe I haven’t started that series yet, but maybe this story will be the push I need.A few were a little dark and twisty. M. L. N. Hanover’s Hurt Me gave me chills. Super creepy and super awesome! A couple were a little bit too sci-fi for me, and I wasn’t as into them as I would have liked. Still a nice variety of solid short stories. I’d definitely recommend it especially if you’re a fan of the authors featured.

[pollywannabook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review courtesy of All Things Urban FantasyThe moment I heard the words ‘Outlander spinoff’, I was sold. Diana Gabaldon’s epic Outlander series is probably my all time favorite series ever in any genre. The other authors who I love in this anthology like Jim Butcher, Carrie Vaughn, and Yasmine Galenorn are just icing on the cake.“Love Hurts” by Jim Butcher (a Harry Dresden story)In addition to the main series, I have now read several short stories starring the Wizard P.I. Harry Dresden and I think Love Hurts is my favorite yet as it follows Harry and Murphy tracking down a love spell slinging villain and dealing with their own past failed relationships. Normally, short stories featuring a character from a main series have to keep things to a minimum and save the good stuff for the main series. Apparently Jim Butcher didn’t get the memo because there is a HUGE character development that I’d personally been hoping for since STORM FRONT. Sexual Content: Kissing. References to incest.“The Marrying Maid” by Jo BeverlyThis is a new author to me, but I’m already a fan. Weaving together the Robin Hood legend, the faerie King Oberon and his Queen Titiana, The Marrying Maid is a sweet Jane Austen-esque romance between a twenty-four year old spinster and the possibly mad Viscount who relentlessly pursues. Lots of renaissance style romance and witty dialogue in this one. Sexual Content: Kissing. A brief sex scene.“Rooftops” by Carrie VaughnA surprising story from Kitty author Carrie Vaughn capitalizes on the current popularity of Superheroes in a world similar to The Incredibles/Watchmen in which superheroes are a common day part of society. A lonely playwright witnesses a burglary and is saved by somewhat low-key hero dubbed Blue Collar by the press. I was instantly taken with Blue Collars ‘I do what I can’ attitude, but the heroine felt flat and uninteresting. Sexual Content: Kissing. References to sex.“Hurt Me” by M.L.N. HanoverThe first ghost story in the anthology comes from M.L.N. Hanover. A woman buys a new home only to learn from her neighbors a grim story about the original owners and the history of hauntings since. Hurt Me was fascinating and exceptionally written. The story is dark and unflinching in it’s portrayal of domestic abuse with a truly satisfying ending and an M. Night Shyamalan twist. Sexual Content: Brief sensuality. References to S&M.“Demon Lover” by Cecelia HollandAn odd, adult fairy tale about a scarred woman who trades her freedom to an incubus in exchange for eternal beauty and the simple man who tries to save her. Demon Lover, while having an intriguing premise, had un uneven plot and at least one character turn around that was too sudden and too great to be believed. Sexual Content: Scenes of sensuality.“Blue Boots” by Robin HobbFantasy author Robin Hobb offers a touching story of a young woman orphaned and working as a kitchen maid when she catches the eye of a handsome traveling minstrel. The writing is beautiful and I easily sank into this world where privilege and circumstances often stood in the way of true love. Sexual Content: A non graphic sex scene.“The Thing About Cassandra” by Neil GaimanThe Thing About Cassandra is one of the stories that starts off strong and gains momentum only to end up disappointing. A man begins to reminisce about his first love, revealing something very surprising about her before he runs into her again as an adult. The ending tries to be poignant and flip the whole story on it’s head. I just found it frustratingly confusing. Sexual Content: Kissing. References to sex.“After the Blood” by Marjorie M. LiuVampires, zombies and The Amish collide in Liu’s post apocalyptic tale that throws you right into the middle of the story. I trusted that all would eventually be explained, and while parts were, the bigger questions were left unanswered. The ending is left open in what could eventually be the start of the series. Overall, the story was disorienting. Sexual Content: Kissing.“His Wolf” by Lisa TuttleA bored English teacher has a chance encounter with a notorious man and his wolf. The dialogue in this one was dry and mundane and I thought the couple fell in love way to quickly even by short story standards, but the twist ending enough to almost compensate. Sexual Content: References to sex. “The Demon Dancer” by Mary Jo PutneyPart Harold and Maud, The Demon Dancer follows a young Guardian and the elderly Guardian woman he has come to care for in an impossible way as they hunt down a demonic Succubus. The relationship between the two leads was touching in a regretful hopeless way. They cared deeply for the other and mourned a love that could never be. One of my favorites in the bunch. Sexual Content: References to sex. “Under/Above the Water” by Tanith LeeIn a word: confusing. Lovers from different times and different worlds, sought to find their lost soul mates from another life. Retold from different POV’s this dreamlike story was a bit of a snooze. Sexual Content: Kissing. References to sex.“Kashkia” by Peter S. BeagleAn odd, compelling story about a lonely middle aged man who finds companionship with an alien beauty he meets online. There is potentially uncomfortable revelation at the end, but overall, I enjoyed the bizarre tale. Sexual Content: None.“Man in the Mirror” by Yasmine GalenornA young woman moves into the family home of her deceased abusive husband and finds her self falling for the sad handsome man trapped in her mirror. A surprisingly soft and tender romance from the typically bold Galenorn. Sexual Content: References to masturbation.“A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows” (an OUTLANDER spinoff) by Diana GabaldonThe absolute best story is hands down the last (and thankfully the longest) one. Whether a full length novel or a short story, Diana Gabaldon writes with an unparalleled beauty that can transport you to a WWII era Scotland just as easily as the centuries earlier Highlands. Outlander fans will thrill at reading the story of Roger’s fighter pilot father Jerry and his ill-fated trip through the stones and his desperate struggle to return home to his wife and infant son. I only needed a few pages to fall hopelessly in love with yet another Gabaldon hero (nobody writes them like her) and I’m already planning my next reread of the Outlander series. Sexual Content: Kissing. References to sex. "It's a little unusual, in that it's about Roger MacKenzie's parents--but it does fill the interesting hole regarding Roger's father that I opened up in AN ECHO IN THE BONE. - Diana Gabaldon"There were three stories that I just could not get into. “The Wayfarer’s Advice” (an Imperials story) by Melinda M. Snodgrass and “Courting Trouble” by Linnea Sinclair which were both hardcore science fiction stories featuring spaceship captains getting second chances at love, and “You and You Alone” (a Kushiel story) by Jacqueline Carey which is an m/m romance which contains at least one moderately graphic sex scene.

[vampiregirl76 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This anthology holds stories about star-crossed lovers. The authors included in the book are: Jim Butcher, Jo Beverly, Carrie Vaughn, M.L.N. Hanover, Cecelia Holland, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Robin Hobb, Neil Gaiman, Marjorie M. Liu, Jacqueline Carey, Lisa Tuttle, Linnea Sinclair, Mary Jo Putney, Tanith Lee Peter S. Beagle, Yasmine Galenorn & Diana Gabaldon.There were a few stories I didn't care for - but all in all it was a good read. A well put together anthology. Whether your a fan of Science Fiction or Fantasy, your gonna find something you love in the pages of this book. Here are a few of my favorite stories...Love Hurts by Jim Butcher- Fun read! Very much classic Dresden. Harry realizes something about himself that most fans have known for a while.The Thing About Cassandra by Neil Gaiman- This was my first time reading anything by Gaiman. I have to say this story was freaky, but absolutely brilliant.You, and You Alone by Jacqueline Carey- As heart wrenching as this story was - I loved it! Fans of the Kushiel's Legacy will eat this one up. Especially since it's narrated by Anafiel Delaunay, a much beloved character.