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Saturday, August 8, 2009

Review of Knight of Desire



Title: Knight of Desire
Author: Margaret Mallory
Publisher: Forever, Hachette Book Group
BUY KNIGHT OF DESIRE HERE

Rating: 4.0 of 5
Reviewed by: MarthaE


Blurb:

FEARLESS IN BATTLE

His surcoat still bloody from battle, William FitzAlan comes to claim the strategic borderlands granted to him by the king. One last prize awaits him at the castle gates: the lovely Lady Catherine Rayburn.

TENDER IN BED

Catherine risked everything to spy for the crown. Her reward? Her lands are declared forfeit and she is given this choice: marry FitzAlan or be taken to the Tower. Catherine agrees to give her handsome new husband her body, but she’s keeping secrets and dares not give him her heart. As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.

REVIEW: This is a very wonderful and solid Historical Romance debut novel. I enjoyed this tale of intrigue and battle of wills.

Catherine is beautiful and resourceful. Although she didn’t kill him directly, Caroline’s spying resulted in the death of her brutal and cruel husband who was plotting against the King. However, she certainly didn’t expect to be forced to marry the man who defeated her husband in battle. And with her experiences she doesn’t trust any man, especially in the bedroom!

William FitzAlan is a truly honorable knight and not about to let a woman go to the Tower because of a traitorous husband. Once he meets the beautiful lady he is even more determined to marry her and get her into his bed. He just doesn’t think he will trust a woman who would plot against her own husband!

Catherine and William have plenty of issues jumping into this marriage! They also have a past that William recognizes but doesn’t catch the significance of till it’s pointed out to him and Catherine remembers but doesn’t connect to William. Add jealousy, betrayal and kidnapping and you will be plenty busy enjoying the battling romance and unraveling the intrigues!

I really like these two well developed characters. They are strong but vulnerable; smart in their areas (his war and hers the household and spying) but sort of slow dealing with each other! Neither wants to trust but someone is going to have to budge if they are going to make progress!
The betrayal seems easy to spot, although it could have been a red herring. Although the jealousy and betrayal by a trusted friend are not totally new plot lines, the author has added some extra elements that make the story different and interesting.

The reading flows well and moves quickly. I appreciate that the love scenes are sensual and sizzling without being graphic or offending in any way. I think this is a very good debut novel and I will want to read more in the series!

Enter the giveaway HERE


Earn Two Additional entries:


A. Comment here on the review.


B. Go to the Author's site here: Margaret Mallory Website
and tell me something you learn about her!

7 comments:

  1. Hello Martha,

    Thanks for the review. I've seen this book around the blogs and was wondering about it. If you give it a 4 out 5, I will definitely need to check it out. Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello Martha,

    I learned on her website, she has a new novel coming out in December titled Knight of Pleasure.

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  3. I haven't read a historical romance in a long time. This one sounds great!

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  4. Thanks for the lovely review of my debut novel! I especially like that you found the love scenes "sensual and sizzling," without being offensive. :) Hope you like my next ones as well. And yes, the 2nd in the series will be out Dec. 1st.

    Margaret
    Margaret Mallory
    Tales of Love & Adventure
    www.MargaretMallory.com
    Knight of Desire-4 Stars, RT Book Reviews
    Knight of Pleasure-Dec 2009
    Knight of Passion-June 2010

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  5. Hi Martha,
    As always a great review. I definitely appreciate tasteful, sensual love scenes without graphic language.
    Rebecca
    dixie92298@yahoo.com

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  6. I visited MM's site and learned that Mary Balogh thinks "Margaret Mallory is a star
    in the making"
    Rebecca
    dixie92298@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you to those entering the contest! I won't normally respond to contest comments.

    J.Kaye - I think you would enjoy this and I thought it is a fast read.

    Margaret - Thank you for stopping by to comment on the review! I will be watching for the next in the series!

    ReplyDelete

Your comments are always appreciated!