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Sunshine, secrets, and swoon-worthy stories—June's featured reads are your perfect summer escape.

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He doesn�t need a woman in his life; she knows he can�t live without her.


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A promise rekindled. A secret revealed. A second chance at the family they never had.


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A cowboy with a second chance. A waitress with a hidden gift. And a small town where love paints a brand-new beginning.


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She�s racing for a prize. He�s dodging romance. Together, they might just cross the finish line to love.


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She steals from the mob for justice. He�s the FBI agent who could take her down�or fall for her instead.


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He�s her only protection. She�s carrying his child. Together, they must outwit a killer before time runs out.


The Rose & The Shield

The Rose & The Shield, March 2009
by Elaine Barbieri

Leisure Books
Featuring: Rosamund of Hendsmille; Dagan
336 pages
ISBN: 0843960140
EAN: 9780843960143
Mass Market Paperback
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"Can love unshackle the tyranny of hatred?"

Fresh Fiction Review

The Rose & The Shield
Elaine Barbieri

Reviewed by Audrey Lawrence
Posted May 5, 2009

Romance Historical

Wavering in and out of consciousness from a festering war wound, Sir Dagan was unable to protect himself when attacked by three men. Badly injured, stripped of his fine clothing and left only with discarded rags, the Norman knight could barely find the last of his strength to mount his mighty horse, Conqueror, before passing out again. As the horse brought him forward into the village, he is discovered by the Master Mason's assistant who immediately does what all she can to save what she thinks is an injured Saxon. After the Norman Conquest in 1066, life had changed dramatically for the people of Hendsmille in Saxon England. While some Norman knights given lands and wealth after the bloody battles were fought proved to be fair landowners to the Saxons under them, Baron Guilbert de Silva was not one of them. Loyal only to his own self, the odious and cruel Baron demanded and got what he wanted, including forcing the ailing and near blind Master Mason Hadley to take over the construction of his cathedral or be killed. While worried that the Baron would find out about the extent of his vision problems, Hadley's real concern was for his beautiful daughter, Rosamund, who he did not want the Baron to notice and take to use for his own. Thinking to outwit the Baron, Hadley asked his daughter to disguise herself as a lad and become his assistant, Ross. As Ross fights to take care of the injured "Saxon", Dagan gradually realizes that his saviour is beautiful in more ways than a lad with a gentle touch and a lovely face. As he recovers from his wounds, Dagan vows to protect the very determined and feisty spirited Ross from the dangerous Baron. Can he do that without giving away his real mission for Duke William? And for Rosamund, as her heart fights to love, can she ever forgive him for being a hated Norman? Drawing on her many and well known talents as a top historical romance writer, Elaine Barbieri has brought to life two very determined lovers with devoted loyalties to their own sides during this unsettled time of "peace" after the Norman Conquest. With her excellent research and strong plot development, this is one story that will instantly pull you back into the tensions, dramas and smells of the times. A real page turner that will be hard to put down!

Learn more about The Rose & The Shield

SUMMARY

His love could heal her heart. After Norman raiders killed her family and confiscated their holdings, Rosamund of Hendsmille dressed as a lad and dreamed of revenge. But even roughly chopped hair and breeches could not disguise her extraordinary beauty. Soon she was in a more urgent kind of danger—until an injured stranger rode into her life and taught her to trust again. Her tears could bring him to his knees. He became her shadow, her fierce protector, her lover, but even as he won her heart, Dagan feared that he could never keep it. As a warrior, he would fight to have the woman he’d claimed as his own. But when she realized that the loyalty he’d sworn to her belonged equally to the king she loathed, would she relinquish her hatred to save their love?


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