22 Nights by Linda Winstead Jones

Merin is a General in Columbyana, now ruled by Emperor Jahn. The time has come for Jahn to take a wife, and he's sent out invitations for various women around the kingdom to travel to the Royal Palace to present themselves for his inspection. One of those woman is the Turi Belavalari Haythorne. But Merin knows that the Kingdom can't just send a messenger there: the Turi will send the messenger home in pieces.

Merin is also being looked at as a possible bride, and after being trapped on a stairwell in the Royal palace by one too-overeager mama with matchmaking plans, he decides to go escort Bela himself. He knew Bela in the past, when he took part in battles for Columbyana, and he even had a single sexual encounter with her when she lied and told him she was a widow desperate for male "comfort". She fled after drugging him so he couldn't follow, and left the encounter undone.

But that encounter, which lost Bela her virginity, was very good for her. She thinks that unions between men and women are painful and unnatural, but her no longer virginal status means she has been able to live her life as she wants to, and she likes to be a fighter and defend the village. She is upset that her closest friend is getting married, and warns her that if her husband hurts her, Bela will hurt him.

But the celebration is interrupted by the arrival of Merin, who Bela prevents her brothers from killing. Merin meets with her father, who then demands Bela's presence. She is forced to admit that, yes, Merin took her virginity, but that she was the one who approached him, and that they are actually married- she made them go through the marriage ceremony first. But without telling him what it was.

This troubles her father and brothers, and they decide to make Bela and Merin go through the marriage dissolution ceremony. They will be linked together by a rope for 22 days, and at the end of it, their marriage will be dissolved. They cannot cut the rope without ending the ceremony- and cannot try again for a full three years! Merin is desperate to leave and take Bela back to Emperor Jahn, but eventually decides to go through with it.

Linked closely together, the two are put to work by the villagers- weeding the gardens, mining, working the fields, and their enforced proximity gives them time to talk about why Bela chose Merin in the first place, and for her to begin to realize that she is attracted to Merin, and realize that lovemaking was more than the single thrust that hurt her so.

Bela is also the owner of a magical sword that she calls "Kitty", one with a crystal handle which speaks to her. Little does she know it, but others want her for that sword, including a man called Nobel, who wants to marry Bela, whether she wants to or not. He will return when her marriage is dissolved and marry her and take the sword. His men threaten her family, especially her mother, to get her to comply.

Why does this man want Kitty? To find that out, Merin and Bela go in search of the origin of the sword. But there are other people out to kill Bela for a very different reason, and she and Merin must be on their guard if they want to live. What they find at the mountain may change their whole outlook on their relationship and possible marriage. But what outcome will Bela choose?

Contrasted with the story of Bela and Merin is the story of Leyla, another one of the women summoned to the palace, and her lover Savyn, a wheelwright and swordsmith. Leyla has the power to steal memories and twist thoughts with but a touch, and she tries wiping the memory of their relationship from Savyn so that he can be happy with another woman. But when he joins their party on the journey to the Capital, they are attacked by an assassin who means to see Leyla dead.

Leyla and Savyn flee together, trying to keep ahead of the assassin, who is literally immortal. But when Savyn is hurt by the assassin, his convalescence brings him and Leyla back together again in confined quarters. Can they return to the relationship they once shared, or will the memory of their lovemaking drive Savyn mad from what he no longer has?

I loved this book even though it's Bela who has to do most of the bending here, and also the learning. She has to learn her view of men, and of sex, is wrong. She also has to learn why her mother was so upset about her becoming a warrior, because Bela herself is going to be the mother of a destined warrior- who is also a woman.

Despite my usually hating the sort of book where it's the woman who is the one who has to do all the bending and reshaping of herself, I liked this, mainly because the readers will feel that Bela's attitude towards men, sex and love is definitely wrong. And while her soon-to-be-ex-husband is an Alpha male in that he's secure and confident in himself, he's not an asshole and is willing to bend and do things that aren't always considered manly. Aside from feeling annoyed that Bela think's he's beautiful, Merin is a good man without being a caricatured paragon.

The writing is excellent, the sex is hot, and the story is beyond good. The story of Bela's daughter may end up being sequel bait at some point, but I forgave that part, if it brings us more books as good as this. Highly recommended.