Friendships forged in battle are stronger then the steel of
their swords and the friendship between two professional
mercenaries, Martin and Gunter, was strong indeed. So, when
Martin realizes that he will not survive from the injuries
he sustained in the battle they had fought in northern
Italy, he begs his longstanding friend, Gunter Behain, to
not only take care of his beautiful fiancée, but to marry
her as well! Scarred physically and mentally by life,
Gunter seldom made promises, but when he gave his word, he
vowed with his life to keep the promise.
Callous as the arrangement may seem, Gunter was almost sure
that Martin had detected how the beauty of Martin's
intended, Alonsa Garcia de Aranjuez, had affected him,
despite his attempts to control his interest. Martin knew
that Günter would love her. The only little glitch in
these fine plans was that Alonsa's was now more determined
than ever to never marry again.
Ten years earlier, she had not run away with a gypsy.
Bitter and insulted at the rejection to his pride, the
spurred lover has angrily cursed Alonsa by saying every man
that loved her would die. When coincidence became fate,
Alonsa was petrified by her feelings for Gunter and that ,
if she married him, would ultimately lead to his death!
Alonsa confides in her companion, Ines, a war weary camp
widow, of her dilemma, but is afraid to tell Gunter. For
his part, he senses she is hiding something, but since he
admires her grit and determination as well as her beauty,
he decides on a new strategy for this battle.
Returning to the setting of her very well received debut
novel, "The Legacy", T.J. Bennet has spun a captivating,
yet realistic love story connected to the Battle of Pavia
in 1525. Forming a very effective foil to the love dance
between the two main characters, the unlikely romance
between Inez and the young Fritz is a delight to watch
unfold. Struggling with adversity, yet finding joy in small
moments, they strive to protect each other as they follow
Gunter and Alonsa on their journey. Filled with humour,
sparkling wit, sexy escapades and lots of suspense, you
will want to read on to see if love's plan can succeed.
In 1525, Günter Behaim is a Landsknecht (a professional
soldier in the service of Emperor Charles V). Günter has
been betrayed by love and promises not kept. As a result,
he has sworn to make few promises of his own and keep those
unto death. However, when his friend is mortally wounded
while saving Günter’s life, he gives a pledge to marry his
betrothed. To keep his promise, Günter must use every
weapon in his romantic arsenal to convince the reluctant
woman to marry him. As his passion for her grows, he
realizes he is falling in love. Is he prepared to risk his
worst fear: having his heart rejected once more?
The Spanish beauty Alonsa García de Aranjuéz is determined
to withstand Günter’s relentless pursuit. Haunted by a
gypsy’s curse on any man who loves her, Alonsa yearns for
Günter, but fear for his safety forces her to rebuff him.
As she struggles to deny the growing attraction between
them, she begins to realize that fate may have other plans.
With danger surrounding them, will Alonsa bite from the
forbidden fruit? Or will Günter be bitten instead by the
mysterious misfortune that seems to plague any with the
courage to become ... Alonsa’s love?