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.
Elspeth Braybrooke, trained in the knightly arts, has no
defense against her heart when she meets a handsome warrior
with dark secrets and a manly, irresistible caress.
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