SPOILER ALERT!
If I Had You
Check out my reviews at http://thewindowseat13.blogspot.com/ Many times, I have sat back and thought about the de Piaget series and thought that this whole series is really Robin de Piaget's story. Everyone that is written about has a connection to him. It is his parents, Gwen and Rhys, that are in the first book. Later books chronicle his siblings, his squires, his children, or his descendants. Although that may change in the future, as of now, I see this series as Robin's story. If that is the case, then this book, If I Had You, being the story of Robin and his beloved wife Anne, is the focal point of the series.
Robin has spent his life at Artane. It is the home of his adopted father, Rhys de Piaget, and his mother, Gwennelyn. It is the magnificent keep that his mother and father built on the shore in order to keep the world at bay and find some peace after many years of turmoil. It is at Artane that Robin, his adopted brother Nicholas, his sister Amanda, and his foster sister Anne began to become a family, despite their unusual ties to each other. It is also the place where, as children, Anne and Robin fell in love. From the time he first put snakes down her dress, Robin knew that Anne was the one for him.
Then fate stepped in and tragedy struck. Within a year of each other, both Anne and Robin had near death experiences. While Robin was able to recover from his, Anne was left with a permanent limp. This only made Robin, an all ready over protective soul, even more protective of Anne. It even got to the point that Robin, still weak from his illness, challenged a bigger and stronger knight who was teasing Anne. But Robin was humiliated when the knight thrashed him. Although Anne didn't see the thrashing, Robin felt the humiliation as though she did. When 14 year old Robin combined that humiliation with the self-doubt he already felt over not being worthy of being his step father's heir to Artane, Robin decided that he was not worthy of Anne and so he pushed her away. Over the next few years, Robin and Anne struggled with the emotional distance between them, but were never able to come to terms with it. Eventually, Robin ran off to fight on the continent with his brother Nicholas and left Anne safely tucked away at Artane.
Now it is many years later. Anne's father is determined to marry her off and Robin's mother decides it is time for Robin to come home and get over his issues before it is too late. The homecoming of the two prodigal sons is heart warming, especially if you have read the previous book, Another Chance to Dream. You start to understand that Artane is a magical place, and the reason is the family that lives there and the love they share for one another.
As Robin and Anne struggle with their feelings of doubt and their undeniable love for one another, evil begins to threaten whatever they are working to create. Someone wants Artane and is willing to kill Anne and the heir to get it. As murder attempts start to add up, Robin is desperate to keep Anne safe. And to give the two of them the life that they were destined to have before fate stepped in and pushed them both off track.
This is an amazing addition to the de Piaget series. Robin is such a unique character and so fully formed. You can see him in your head clearly doing the things that are described because the character is written so clearly and consistently! :) Anne is endearing and sweet without ever being sickeningly so. The only complaint I would have is that Anne should have been a bit more outspoken having grown up at Artane with the rowdy de Piaget children, especially Amanda. But beyond that, both Robin and Anne, and their tender love story are a pleasurable way to spend a few hours.
One thing that is especially wonderful about this series, in general, is the way that the secondary characters are written in such depth that they add so much to the story. Kurland is able to do it in a way that doesn't detract from the couple . The interactions between Robin and his brother are so natural and real that Nicholas's presence in the story doesn't seem at all contrived. That is what is so special. By avoiding the impression that Nicholas is "forced" to be playing a role between Robin and Anne, you avoid feeling like he is a distraction. Instead, the secondary characters add to the beauty and depth of this family saga!
