Reviewer: Holly A Knight's Temptation by Catherine Kean
Series: Knight's #3
Publisher: Medallion Press
Publication Date: April 1st 2009
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 388
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Series Rating:
A ruby pendant stands at the center of this tale of disgrace, plotting, redemption, and the reunion of childhood friends. Aldwin Treynarde is a squire who, in his youth, was banished from home for shooting Lord Geoffrey de Lanceau with a crossbow bolt and nearly killing the man. Later on, Aldwin discovered that he had been set up by the deceitful Baron Sedgewick, who fed him false stories about the lord's wrongdoings. Now, several years later, Lord Geoffrey sends out a call for volunteers to find a stolen, valuable jeweled pendant before it falls into the hands of the Baron and his wife Veronique. Aldwin accepts at once and hopes to make amends to Lord Geoffrey. If he excels in his duty, he hopes he might even be awarded knighthood. Meanwhile, Lady Leona Ransley and her aging father, who have possession of the pendant, want only to turn it in anonymously and collect the reward money. Under an assumed name, Leona arranges for a secret meeting with Aldwin in a seedy tavern, and, making yet another rash decision, Aldwin decides to kidnap her. She fights furiously against him and finally reveals her true identity: she and he had once been great companions. In fact, Aldwin had nearly caused her death 12 years earlier when they disturbed a bees' nest during a childhood game. By this point, the feckless squire desires his warrior captive more than any woman he has ever met, and he knows he has one last chance to protect her life. Only by settling the events of their past and fighting side by side will Aldwin and Leona be able to defeat their opponents and surrender to their greatest temptation—love.
I always forget how much I like medieval romances. This reminded me quite a bit of the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in imagery.
I enjoyed the setting and the basic storyline. Though I did struggle quite a bit with the characters. The hero’s internal dialogue would have us believe he was a compassionate and chivalrous night, but I wasn’t totally convinced by his actions. The way he treated the heroine on their journey left quite a bit to be desired. Especially the way he const…more I always forget how much I like medieval romances. This reminded me quite a bit of the movie, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, in imagery. This is the third book in Kean’s Knight’s series, and while I think you can skip the first book and not suffer for it, the second book, A Knight’s Vengeance, should really be read before this one. Aldwin, the hero of this book, was heavily featured in A Knight’s Vengeance. The blurb is pretty detailed, so I’m not going to add my own.
I enjoyed the setting and the basic storyline. Though I did struggle quite a bit with the characters. The hero’s internal dialogue would have us believe he was a compassionate and chivalrous night, but I wasn’t totally convinced by his actions. The way he treated the heroine on their journey left quite a bit to be desired. Especially the way he constantly accused her of tempting him, making it her fault he couldn’t keep his hands off her.
Beyond that, I felt he wasn’t willing to bend, or see things from any perspective but his own. Even when faced with irrefutable proof or flawless logic, he still insisted his way was the way to go. It was frustrating from a reader standpoint.
At first I understood the heroine’s attraction to him, but as the story progressed I started thinking she was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. I didn’t really believe she fell in love with the hero based on his actions, but more because he was her captive. The way he treated her didn’t lend itself to an everlasting love, especially considering the events that transpired in their childhood.
There were parts I enjoyed, however, so this wasn’t a total loss. On their own the characters were wonderful, it was just when they got together that I didn’t believe in their actions and reactions. The setting was well-drawn and the basic plot was interesting and engaging. Despite my annoyances with the main characters, I still flew through this in a matter of hours. I’ll be checking out more from Kean in the future.
3 out of 5
The Series:
Totally unrelated to my review: Those covers? Awful. Very distracting.