It is a time of great political strife in England. King Richard the Lionheart is away in France trying to win back his lands in Normandy and has taken most of his loyal defenders with him. His brother, the power hungry Prince John, is plotting to take over England in Richard's absence. Left behind in charge of the protection of the Palace at Westminster is Garret de Moray, Captain of King Richard's Royal Household Guard. Garret's warrior skills are unsurpassed. He served brilliantly and honorably for King Richard in the Crusades in The Levant, has considerable experience, and is totally dedicated to his king and to his country. Garret has a calm demeanor, is serious and cynical and is always in total control. All of that cool, calm is about to be shattered to dust on the day this knight in shining armor comes to the aid of a damsel in distress.
Lady Lyssa du Bose is a lady-in-waiting to the Duchess of Colchester. Lady Lyssa is bright, beautiful, innocent and naive. Because of a slight stutter, she believes she has no hope for a husband and children. Even working under oppressive and restrictive conditions in the home of the Duke of Colchester, she remains humorous, open and honest, trusting and joyful while thirsting for life.
When our lady in distress (Lyssa) is saved from a potentially horrific situation by our knight in shining armor (Garret), they are immediately drawn to each other. As their time together grows, Garret, who thought the world could no longer hold any surprises, takes such delight in Lyssa's excitement in things he found mundane and dull. Seeing the world through Lyssa's eyes was something he had never experienced before. For Lyssa, she can't quite believe that a man of his repute even has an interest in her. However, in a short amount of time, two lonely people suddenly realize they are not alone anymore because they have each other.
This is a lovely, old-fashioned romance at its best! This is definitely a "sigh worthy" book. I absolutely loved the tender scenes of discovery between the two characters that Ms. Le Veque created. And, of course, we can't have things go smoothly for long. There always has to be a villain who throws a very big wrench into the works with lots of angst and tension to just make me a nervous wreck! And, oh I was a wreck! I don't believe anyone does that better than Kathryn Le Veque. However, just when I think things couldn't get worse for our knight and lady, they do. Just how are our lovely heroine and gallant knight going to survive this calamity? You just HAVE to read the book to find out! It is so worth it! Then, read "The Gorgon" by Ms. Le Veque. You will see that Bose de Moray (Garret and Lyssa's son) is a chip off the old block.
I will end with this quote from the book which just about sums it up: "There is no greater reason in the entire world than to fight for love."
