In 12th century England, Mallory de Saint-Sebastain is a
young woman residing at St. Jude's Abbey. Since appearances
can be deceiving, one would never guess that behind her
youth and beauty hides a trained warrior sworn to protect
England and the royal family by using martial arts skills
that have been honed to near perfection. As unusual as this
may be, she is not alone. Many young women reside and train
at St. Jude's, a program founded by Queen Eleanor of
Aquitaine.
Now, Mallory has been called upon to leave the abbey and
protect the queen's life. The queen and sons have waged war
on the king trying to unseat him from power, but the king
has many loyal supporters willing to aid him at any cost.
The queen also has many supporters, one among them Saxon
Fitz-Juste. He's part of the queen's entourage, but Mallory
is confused as to his real purpose. Saxon acts a lute-
playing seducer of women with not a care in the world one
moment and a skilled knight and defender the next. But
which part is an act? Mallory is troubled by the feelings
Saxon stirs within her, but she's determined not to let
Saxon's silken words or the thrill of his touch divert her
attention.
The knowledge that Saxon hides something gives Mallory
great concern. Until the queen's enemies are uncovered,
everyone is suspect. Even the queen smiles as she warns
Mallory to question Saxon's honesty. But Mallory needs no
warning on that score. The past has taught her about the
betrayal of men and how their lust can destroy families.
Although a tender bond begins to grow between them, Mallory
must learn who Saxon really is and where his loyalties lie.
Unfortunately, the answers will threaten not just her
chance at love but also her life and the future of the
abbey.
This is the third in the Ladies of St. Jude's Abbey series
and another winner for Ms. Kelley. As in the other two
books, it's character driven. The heroine is determined and
strong in character, but what makes her unique and sets
these stories apart is that she's mastered knightly
techniques that allow her to match a man's physical ability
to fight and defend. She can be both tender and loving, yet
hold her ground and best a male opponent in a contest of
skills. And all of this without the brawn. Most readers
will find the hero of this story more intriguing than the
others and the sense of mystery surrounding him very
appealing. Although the hero's true motivation isn't known
until later in the book, it's easy to go along with the
story and uncover bits and pieces along with the heroine. A
well-written and exciting continuation of a series that
will have readers eagerly awaiting the next St. Jude's
Abbey story.
In 12th-century England, St. Jude's Abbey is no ordinary
sanctuary of prayer and ritual. It was established by
Eleanor of Aquitaine to train young women in the knightly
arts, so that in times of trouble these formiddable women
can be called upon to protect the royal family and England.
Here, Mallory and Saxon become irresistably drawn to each
other, and may soon discover the dangers of lust...and the
redemptive power of love.
Summoned in the middle of the night, Mallory de Saint-
Sebastian must leave the Abbey to protect Queen Eleanor's
life as a revolt against King Henry rages. With a knight's
sense of obligation, she is determined not only to shield
Eleanor but to find the enemies threatening her. Arriving
at St. Jude's Abbey, Saxon Fitz-Juste is amazed by the
Queen's choice of a female knight as her newest warrior. A
troubadour in Eleanor's royal court, Saxon is ostensibly
loyal to Her Majesty, but his true mission remains to be
seen.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy