It's 12th-century England and Elspeth Braybrooke 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 Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Now Elspeth has been called upon by the Queen to complete a mission, one that seems almost impossible to perform. Legend has it that if the king treads upon the "Llechlafar" stone he will die. But where is this cursed stone, and who can lead her to it before it's too late? Many have heard the prediction, but just as many say it's a myth and the stone does not exist. Along the way, Elspeth meets Tarran ap Llyr and his men.

Tarran is also on a mission, but his is to avenge the murder of his wife. He's torn between a vow of revenge and his honor to protect a defenseless woman traveling alone. But time and again, Elspeth proves she neither needs nor wants his protection. In the beginning, Tarran is annoyed by his attraction to this strange, secretive woman, and Elspeth is troubled by the feelings Tarran stirs within her. But as a loving bond forms between them, danger lurks, threatening not only their love, but their very lives.

This is the second in the Ladies of St. Jude's Abbey series and certainly destined for success. As in the first book, A KNIGHT LIKE NO OTHER, it's a character-driven story that stays predominantly in the female point of view. The heroine is, of course, determined and strong in character, but what makes her unique and sets the story apart is that she's mastered 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. It's absolutely a breath of fresh air, and readers will be eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.