The first is the original published novel filled with Middle English dialogue and deep period detail.

And, now for the first time, readers can choose between two versions of the story. Can these two help each other overcome the powers conspiring against them? Will the passion in their hearts escape the constraints of their station? Is devotion enough? With her classic romance FOR MY LADY'S HEART, author Laura Kinsale has crafted a rich, sensual portrait of life during the Middle Ages. Where Ruck sees a clear path, Melanthe must navigate through twisting alleyways, using shrewd deceit and devious strategy. Her husband's death has left her kingdom an inviting target for neighboring territories. For the beautiful widow, Princess Melanthe, those same laws and traditions conspire to consume her land and her independence. Even as his wife leaves him for the Church, taking his money and his steed, Ruck's life is one of devotion and mission. For Ruck, a noble and honest knight, those rules provide an unwavering path. One could expect Allegreto to engage in such behavior given his background, but Elena? Raised as an educated young woman in a happy home in England, it was hard to believe.In medieval Europe, vows and laws are as inflexible and confining as a suit of armor. As a result, we have a very hard time envisioning a happily-ever-anything for these two.” I, too, found it unbelievable. We were given no reference point from which to understand the flowering of the relationship between Elena and Allegreto, other than the point at which they came together to draw blood. As it was, we had to make some lightning-fast adjustments to keep up with the young girl we were first introduced to who was alarmed by the aggressive kisses of a romantic knight, and within a matter of weeks morphed into a disturbing and disturbed seductress. While I don’t typically quote other reviewers, the following assessment so closely paralleled my own views I thought to use it: “Had she written a bigger buildup of Elena’s obsession with her “angel” of the past so there was a foundation for the present relationship, then made Elena a reluctant apprentice in the S&M and bondage in an effort to “save” Allegreto's black heart and soul, the scenes could have been made darkly beautiful and believable. As to Elena and Allegreto’s sexual relationship, I just have to say it was strange for a 17-year-old innocent.

For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale