:) Yeah - I was just thinking now (when replying to intertext) how I have a most split reaction to Sutcliff's willingness to keep the girls in historically-appropriate positions, unlike modern historicals. There's one - don't know if you read it - The Shield Ring and the girl/woman character is anything but a passive sit-at-home, but it still refers back to the beginning, where the hero as a little boy grabs her skirt and says 'Come you' and - you know - that's the way it is. No need for him to ask her to come with him again! And that kind of horrifies me and I kind of admire it deeply. But even though the male friendships are usually by far the most important, I like the little flashes of humour in the romances sometimes. And some of them just rock.

Gah to your library getting rid of them! But next time I see any of hers for sale (they were 5 books for one Euro at our library!) I'll grab them for you and keep them until someone's going in this direction or that across the pond and can bring them over. I love your thinking they were medieval!