In the early 8^th century in Galwyddel, Princess Elwytha's brother Richard hatches up a plan for peace --- or at least peace is the offer he plans to claim vengeance on the treacherous murder of their brother Thor. Only the kingdom of Northumbria now remains their enemy and with it, the Prince and the Commander. The disfigured murdering Commander is not exactly her ideal choice of a husband but Elwytha is a warrior who plans to exact her revenge on this evil brute, not marry him! As Princess Elwytha enters the enemy's den, everything she has ever known will be put to the test. The mysterious, enigmatic Commander treats her differently than anyone in her family. Can she trust him or will he use her as a part of a devious plot and then be done with her? She can't help but question this plan which puts her life at stake, especially when there seems more to her enemy than meets the eye. Whom can she trust? Put in a position where she must betray either family or the man who moves her heart, she must make a choice that will forever change her life.

Jennette Green's THE COMMANDER'S DESIRE is a romance full of emotion, intrigue and sparks as a fiesty woman comes face to face with an unusual romance hero ---a back-stabbing murderer with no sense of honor! Jennette Green. puts a difficult heroine in a difficult, dangerous position. With her brains and her physical prowess, she is a match for any man, even a man as powerful as The Commander. Jennette Green steps up both the drama and humour when Princess Elwytha encounters the household of the Commander. Born a princess, Elwytha certainly acts like one as she judges her new household with the removed distance of a spoiled princess, making for several wonderfully light moments within the story, but love ennobles her, making her a true princess in spirit. The Commander is a powerful man that strikes terror in the hearts of her family. Battle scarred and a murderous brute, no one in her family dares to even speak his name. The Commander is a man of secrets. Within his own household, he is a man of honor, the exact kind of healing force Elwytha needs.  On the surface, his character may appear less developed than that of Elwytha, but yet, he is a source of strength for her.  His innate steadfastness provides her with the constancy to see herself and her family more clearly, and thus becomes a catalyst for her inner growth.

Jennette Green's THE COMMANDER'S DESIRE is a quick paced romance read. Much of the action is presented through dialogue and inner thoughts rather than slower paced descriptive detail. The reader easily sees the internal transitions in the heroine as she moves from being ruled by her family to becoming a woman of her own. The author adds some twists here, not only in the Commander's name itself but in some of the secrets that Elwytha uncovers. I could not help but think this book could be enacted on a stage in one of the medieval enactment festivals or some similar presentation because the action is centered around close encounters between characters, not only between the heroine and the hero but within the two households through the use of dialogue and inner monologues that would play out well on the stage. Some of the lines would be fun to hear aloud. Certain elements of this story (especially the mystery of the Commander's name) remind me of Medieval drama. If readers are looking for a sweet medieval historical romance with lush, slow descriptions of scenery, this is not the romance to choose. If instead, a reader prefers a dramatic, emotional encounter between characters with a moving transformation, THE COMMANDER'S DESIRE is a romance that moves quickly with lots of emotional drama. Although this romance does not have the polish of more heavily edited medieval romances from larger publishers, THE COMMANDER'S DESIRE has a refreshing innovation in form more readily available in smaller press books. THE COMMANDER'S DESIRE focuses on emotion, dynamic encounters and internal transformation more than minute medieval historical details. Jennette Green is an author whose career medieval romance readers should watch with interest, particularly for her ability to make the reader feel the inner changes within her characters.