Review: The Conqueror by Kris Kennedy

Holly‘s review of The Conqueror by Kris Kennedy

After seventeen years of a civil war, things are about to change.

Reluctant hero Griffyn ‘Pagan’ Sauvage is single-minded in pursuit of his mission: overthrow England. He has vowed to reclaim his beloved home, lost seventeen years ago in a coup of the English crown, and wreak his vengeance upon the man who stole it, John de l’Ami.

He veers from his quest only once, to rescue a brave and beautiful woman from a midnight abduction.

Guinevere de l’Ami, countess of Everoot since her father died two weeks ago, is equally committed to only one thing: redemption.

One fateful night changes everything. A midnight rescue on the king’s highway results in a single night of unforgettable passion, making them risk everything for the despair-defying connection neither ever hoped to find.

Their explosive reunion, a year later, follows betrayal and a bloody invasion.

Now cold vows of revenge, the lure of buried treasure, and the deadly enemy closing in threaten a love that could unite a realm, or bring it crashing to the ground.

I’d forgotten just how much I enjoy medieval romances until I started reading this. I always claim to be burned out on historical romances, but I think I’m just burned out on the Victorian and Regency set ones. Medieval, Gothic and Highland (no matter what time period they’re set in) always catch my attention.

After her father’s unexpected death, Guinevere de l’Ami is nearly forced into marriage with a man she despises. Marcus fitzMiles has long wanted Gwyn and her ancestral home Everoot, commonly known as The Nest, for himself. Through sheer cunning he almost traps Gwyn into marrying him, but she escapes at the last minute. Alone on the Kings highway she is beset by his men who have been instructed to bring her back. Until a knight appears from nowhere and rescues her.

For 17 long years Griffyn Sauvage has been on a quest of vengeance to win back his home. With almost blinding intensity and ruthless self-control he has managed to almost succeed in gaining what should have been his from birth. But then he comes upon a raven haired beauty in desperate need of a savior, and his tight moral code will not allow him to leave her alone and in distress. He rescues her, but through their long night together it is Griffyn who is saved. He sees, for the first time in nearly two decades, that there is good and kindness in the world. And though they must part he leaves her with something he thought lost to him forever…hope.

A year later they’re reunited, but they have both been betrayed by the other. For Griffyn’s birthright, the thing he has been after with single minded intensity for years, is none less than Gwyn’s home. And it was she, on that fateful night a year ago, that inadvertently betrayed him to his enemies.

With her debut release, Kris Kennedy has given us a stunning tale of betrayal and redemption. Although this started out a bit slow, once it picked up it turned into a beautiful story. I found the characters to be three-dimensional and their personal plights to be very emotionally engaging. On the surface this would seem to be just another historical romance novel, but hidden in it’s depths are real treasures.

I absolutely adored Gwyn. It isn’t often that I find an impetuous heroine who isn’t at all too stupid to live. Though she made rash decisions on occasion, Gwyn was a woman who knew what she wanted and was willing to stand up for what she believed to be right. I found her to be a basically good, yet flawed character – one I immediately identified with. I expected to be angry with her for some of the decisions she made, but in the end I couldn’t fault her for doing what she believed was right.

I don’t want to give too much of the story away, but watching Griffyn melt under her magic was truly heartwarming, and something each of you should experience. My stomach was in knots as the final confrontation approached and I was afraid to continue reading, yet completely unable to stop.

I highly recommend this. The Conqueror has something for all of us; buried treasure, war, betrayal and, above all, love.

4.5 out of 5

This book is available from Zebra. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Related Posts