taracipri's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
valoriedalton's review
3.0
In Knight of Desire, Lady Catherine Rayburn is locked in an abusive marriagve, her only solace the memory of the one innocent night she spend with a kind man as a girl and her son. When her husband becomes a traitor to the English crown for his own benefit, she spies on him and sells him out to the English. When they put him to death, Catherine considers herself delivered and free. All she wants is a quite life in her castle with her child. Unfortunately, the King of England has other plans for her– it is either to the Tower for being the wife of a traitor or marry another man and let him resume control of her castle.
Emotionally and mentally wounded from her former husband, Catherine does not trust or submit easily to her new husband William FitzAlan, who she does not recognize as the man she spent her one good evening with before marriage. William, a soldier, has a hard time understanding women or trusting her because his own mother quite manipulative. It takes the two of them a while, but they soon enough fall into passionate love with a few tiffs in between since William is the jealous and quick to assume type. At the same time, conspiring against them is William’s friend Edmund, who pretends to be a loyal protector in order to give Catherine over to the enemy. Held hostage by the Prince of Wales and the Tudor family, the now pregnant Catherine can only accept her fate or hope that her husband comes to rescue her.
Knight of Desire is a historical romance, its context Medieval England and the Welsh rebellion of the 15th century. I have to admit, my knowledge of Medieval England is a bit lacking, but I do know a considerable bit about Medieval society and expectations in general. Aside from a few things that I couldn’t imagine a woman of the time doing (not saying some women didn‘t and couldn‘t defy expectations, of course), I was pretty much pleased with the historical accuracy of Knight of Desire—and trust me, I was looking at the small things such as what they used for dinner and how they ate. If a fork showed up, I would have promptly closed the book and refused to reopen it!
The book is very well written, as well, so it flows along from page one to the end without those little bumps along the way that come with reading a book that is a bit difficult or awkwardly written at times. All of the action and the descriptions work well on text. As it seems, this is Mallory’s first novel and shows just what a adept writer she is and how much she deserves to be published. Her talent with words give credibility to the entire novel in general. Mallory’s English countryside is breathtaking, the wilderness wild, the fights rough and bloody, and the passion hot. I certainly never got bored with reading this novel and had it in bed with me late into the night and early morning.
Most of the second half of the drama was fueled by Catherine supposedly being so beautiful that a man wanted her enough to hate her. Typical romance stuff there, which I have difficulty enjoying. I prefer my romance to defy convention in certain ways and to catch me by surprise. I was a bit bothered by the rampant use of the phrase “in sooth” because I don’t believe in dotting modern language novels with archaic terms unless the words used are nouns. That is just a personal pet peeve of mine, and my personal feeling on the matter doesn’t diminish the simple fact that Mallory wrote a very good historical romance novel, which paints a satisfactory picture of Medieval life in England. All in all, Knight of Romance is a good book and I would definitely recommend it to fans of the romance genre.
Emotionally and mentally wounded from her former husband, Catherine does not trust or submit easily to her new husband William FitzAlan, who she does not recognize as the man she spent her one good evening with before marriage. William, a soldier, has a hard time understanding women or trusting her because his own mother quite manipulative. It takes the two of them a while, but they soon enough fall into passionate love with a few tiffs in between since William is the jealous and quick to assume type. At the same time, conspiring against them is William’s friend Edmund, who pretends to be a loyal protector in order to give Catherine over to the enemy. Held hostage by the Prince of Wales and the Tudor family, the now pregnant Catherine can only accept her fate or hope that her husband comes to rescue her.
Knight of Desire is a historical romance, its context Medieval England and the Welsh rebellion of the 15th century. I have to admit, my knowledge of Medieval England is a bit lacking, but I do know a considerable bit about Medieval society and expectations in general. Aside from a few things that I couldn’t imagine a woman of the time doing (not saying some women didn‘t and couldn‘t defy expectations, of course), I was pretty much pleased with the historical accuracy of Knight of Desire—and trust me, I was looking at the small things such as what they used for dinner and how they ate. If a fork showed up, I would have promptly closed the book and refused to reopen it!
The book is very well written, as well, so it flows along from page one to the end without those little bumps along the way that come with reading a book that is a bit difficult or awkwardly written at times. All of the action and the descriptions work well on text. As it seems, this is Mallory’s first novel and shows just what a adept writer she is and how much she deserves to be published. Her talent with words give credibility to the entire novel in general. Mallory’s English countryside is breathtaking, the wilderness wild, the fights rough and bloody, and the passion hot. I certainly never got bored with reading this novel and had it in bed with me late into the night and early morning.
Most of the second half of the drama was fueled by Catherine supposedly being so beautiful that a man wanted her enough to hate her. Typical romance stuff there, which I have difficulty enjoying. I prefer my romance to defy convention in certain ways and to catch me by surprise. I was a bit bothered by the rampant use of the phrase “in sooth” because I don’t believe in dotting modern language novels with archaic terms unless the words used are nouns. That is just a personal pet peeve of mine, and my personal feeling on the matter doesn’t diminish the simple fact that Mallory wrote a very good historical romance novel, which paints a satisfactory picture of Medieval life in England. All in all, Knight of Romance is a good book and I would definitely recommend it to fans of the romance genre.
sadie_rae's review
5.0
There are not glittering ball rooms and satin dresses in this novel, so if that is what your after then best look somewhere else. But if you are looking for a novel with a heart wrenching romance and historical events then by all means dive right in! Cathrine and William are brought together just days (if that) after her first husband dies in a rebellion against the King. With preconceived notions about his new wife and a instilled lack of trust William manages to make himself quite miserable more often than not; And with Kate's first marriage leaving much to be desired she doesn't make things any easier in the beginning. After several botched starts things seem to be going well and then Kate is kidnapped by the Wellish rebels. With love in his heart but a devils advocate in his ear William heads out to bring back his wife or die trying.... and then you still have a good 1/4th of the book to go! And lets not forget to mention handsome Princes, surprising half brothers, French invaders, secret passageways, The Fierce One, and traveling minstrels who just might be more trouble than there worth... or are they? I will definitely be reading the next book in this series!
kriff08's review
3.0
This was a pleasant read. I’d never read any of Margaret Mallory’s works prior to this, but these historical romances are kind of a guilty pleasure read of mine. This book lived up to all my previous guilty pleasure reads and even surpassed a few. I’ll admit there were times I found Catherine and William a bit annoying and the turns in the story a tad played, but overall I enjoyed this book a lot. I’ll probably venture to read more of Mallory’s work in the future.
ccgwalt's review
3.0
Medieval isn't my go-to time period for romance novels, but I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It was an engaging book full of well-drawn characters and a decent plot. It's a "typical" romance book, yet there were non-typical events and actions, which I appreciated. There is a strong female lead that nonetheless feels at home in the time period and not a modern transplant. I read through it quickly and was happy to pick it up whenever I had the chance to read. That's the measure of a successful book these days! ;-)
gemmalaszlo's review
3.0
This would have been four stars, but the hero's extreme jealousy in the second half of the book took it down a notch for me.
loverofromance's review
4.0
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
Knight of Desire is the first book in the medieval series "All The King's Men" which is set around the same time that her "Return of The Highlanders" series. This book and this series is set around the time when King Henry IV took the throne and which deals with the Wales rebellion. I don't get a chance to read too many books around this time era and I had such a wonderful time with this book, it swept me back into this majestic period of history in England. Margaret Mallory has a almost magical touch when it comes to writing medieval era romances and I really got a kick out of her "authors note" that she put at the end of the book that explains some historical figures that we see in this book. Including King Henry and his son Harry and some of the Wales rebellion leaders.
This book begins with a prologue where our hero and heroine meet for the very first time. Lady Katherine, is to be married at sixteen to a man who frightens her but this is what the King is asking of her, and she is loyal. But the night before the wedding she wants some freedom but a knight....Sir William. William knows the risk of escorting Katherine, but fears what could happen to her if she doesn't have protection. So he goes out with her so she can enjoy her last night of freedom. There is a strong bond that forms between William and Katherine, a frienship of laughter and understanding. But Sir William goes off to war to fight and gain his own lands and Katherine is to be married to Lord Rayburn.
Lady Katherine has had to bear years of her husband forcing himself upon her, beating her for the lack of a child but finds a way to get pregnant and now she has a small son she loves and adores. But now Rayburn wants a second child and she doesn't know if she will survive his beatings once again. So when she realizes that her husband is a traitor to his King, she reports him to the King knowing that he is working along side with the rebels. She received notice that her husband has been killed and one of the King's men, a loyal knight, will be taking over the lands and will be the one to decide her fate. Sir William doesn't know if he can trust Rayburn's wife, considering she betrayed him even if it was due to her loyalties to the King. But when he sees her, he recognizes her as the one whom he protected that one night and one he never forgot even after all these years. So he has two choice send her to the tower in London or...marry her.
At first, Katherine is apalled that she will have to marry again especially to a man that is a stranger to her. But she soon realizes that Sir William is very different from her late husband...he is kind and gracious to her son. Soon a slow trust begins to form between them, but there is still a level of miscommunication between them. And when they both make mistakes, they soon realize that they need to embrace their marriage and come to an understanding and acceptance. But the battles with the King's enemies will prove to push the love they have found to the brink and they may lose each other just as they have found each other again...
What a tremendous and beautifully written story that I devoured. I honestly didn't want to put this book down and breezed through this audio book. I have had this trilogy on my TBR for the LONGEST time, in reality...years. I will admit, that the covers that Forever designed for these books are stunning and just makes you want to buy them so they can look pretty on your shelf. But I adore medieval romances and Margaret Mallory is so talented at writing these books and the time era that she has chosen for this trilogy is one of my favorites. There are so many unique dynamics that bring this book together.
One of my favorite aspects was seeing all the secondary characters and where as some of them are actual historical figures. Such as King Henry IV and his son Harry. Prince Harry we see quite a bit of in this book, he and Katherine were childhood friends, and we see how he plays a pivotal role in the story and the development of the plot and some of the Wale rebels machinations. I was fascinated by Prince Harry to be honest. I so don't like his father since he was very cruel. But his son, was the opposite. Of course, he was a warrior and at the young age of eighteen, he already was in charge of England's armies and despite how youthful he could be...he was cunning and so intelligent yet charming and kind too. I was really intrigued with how Mallory developed the plot because...seriously...it didn't turn in the way I expected it and she always does this to me. She turns my world upside down with twists and plot developments that take those unexpected turns. The historical aspects of the story are one of my favorite elements of this story. Its so rich with history and details and I was really intrigued with how she handled the rebellion of Wales. This is such a fundamental part of England's history and she wrote it so well. I found myself really intrigued with the leaders of Wales who are in charge of this rebellion and now I want to pour through historical books to find out more about them. This is the true talent of Margaret Mallory, when she wants me to pour over history books....you just know how well she pens a story.
The romance between William and Katherine isn't a easy road for either of them. The first half of the book, the focus is them learning each other and boy the misunderstanding and miscommunciations are ridiculous at times. If they were to just sit down for five minutes, it would be resolved. But then its a romance novel...so its not going to be that easy. But they do find some common ground and boy does the hero let Jealousy get the better of him. We see him face up to why he is feeling jealous of the Prince....so much that he almost wants to attack him even though its obvious they are just good friends. Katherine has her own issues of course too....she hasn't emotionally recovered from the abuse she was dealt by her first husband and at times she does take it out on William, even if she doesn't realize what she is doing at first. They both have to learn about trust and honesty and being open with each other if they want their relationship to work. But they do make it work and find some common ground although....the learning aspect of their relationship was so dramatic at times that it could be a bit frustrating. This aspect of the story is the reason this book isn't a five star read. Lack of honesty and communication can drive me up the wall.
Overall I fell in love with Knight of Desire....its a tale rich in history, vibrant in sensuality, stunning in detail and endearing in emotion, simply a romance to remember!!!UNFORGETTABLE!
[foogallery id="60305"]
Knight of Desire is the first book in the medieval series "All The King's Men" which is set around the same time that her "Return of The Highlanders" series. This book and this series is set around the time when King Henry IV took the throne and which deals with the Wales rebellion. I don't get a chance to read too many books around this time era and I had such a wonderful time with this book, it swept me back into this majestic period of history in England. Margaret Mallory has a almost magical touch when it comes to writing medieval era romances and I really got a kick out of her "authors note" that she put at the end of the book that explains some historical figures that we see in this book. Including King Henry and his son Harry and some of the Wales rebellion leaders.
This book begins with a prologue where our hero and heroine meet for the very first time. Lady Katherine, is to be married at sixteen to a man who frightens her but this is what the King is asking of her, and she is loyal. But the night before the wedding she wants some freedom but a knight....Sir William. William knows the risk of escorting Katherine, but fears what could happen to her if she doesn't have protection. So he goes out with her so she can enjoy her last night of freedom. There is a strong bond that forms between William and Katherine, a frienship of laughter and understanding. But Sir William goes off to war to fight and gain his own lands and Katherine is to be married to Lord Rayburn.
Lady Katherine has had to bear years of her husband forcing himself upon her, beating her for the lack of a child but finds a way to get pregnant and now she has a small son she loves and adores. But now Rayburn wants a second child and she doesn't know if she will survive his beatings once again. So when she realizes that her husband is a traitor to his King, she reports him to the King knowing that he is working along side with the rebels. She received notice that her husband has been killed and one of the King's men, a loyal knight, will be taking over the lands and will be the one to decide her fate. Sir William doesn't know if he can trust Rayburn's wife, considering she betrayed him even if it was due to her loyalties to the King. But when he sees her, he recognizes her as the one whom he protected that one night and one he never forgot even after all these years. So he has two choice send her to the tower in London or...marry her.
At first, Katherine is apalled that she will have to marry again especially to a man that is a stranger to her. But she soon realizes that Sir William is very different from her late husband...he is kind and gracious to her son. Soon a slow trust begins to form between them, but there is still a level of miscommunication between them. And when they both make mistakes, they soon realize that they need to embrace their marriage and come to an understanding and acceptance. But the battles with the King's enemies will prove to push the love they have found to the brink and they may lose each other just as they have found each other again...
What a tremendous and beautifully written story that I devoured. I honestly didn't want to put this book down and breezed through this audio book. I have had this trilogy on my TBR for the LONGEST time, in reality...years. I will admit, that the covers that Forever designed for these books are stunning and just makes you want to buy them so they can look pretty on your shelf. But I adore medieval romances and Margaret Mallory is so talented at writing these books and the time era that she has chosen for this trilogy is one of my favorites. There are so many unique dynamics that bring this book together.
One of my favorite aspects was seeing all the secondary characters and where as some of them are actual historical figures. Such as King Henry IV and his son Harry. Prince Harry we see quite a bit of in this book, he and Katherine were childhood friends, and we see how he plays a pivotal role in the story and the development of the plot and some of the Wale rebels machinations. I was fascinated by Prince Harry to be honest. I so don't like his father since he was very cruel. But his son, was the opposite. Of course, he was a warrior and at the young age of eighteen, he already was in charge of England's armies and despite how youthful he could be...he was cunning and so intelligent yet charming and kind too. I was really intrigued with how Mallory developed the plot because...seriously...it didn't turn in the way I expected it and she always does this to me. She turns my world upside down with twists and plot developments that take those unexpected turns. The historical aspects of the story are one of my favorite elements of this story. Its so rich with history and details and I was really intrigued with how she handled the rebellion of Wales. This is such a fundamental part of England's history and she wrote it so well. I found myself really intrigued with the leaders of Wales who are in charge of this rebellion and now I want to pour through historical books to find out more about them. This is the true talent of Margaret Mallory, when she wants me to pour over history books....you just know how well she pens a story.
The romance between William and Katherine isn't a easy road for either of them. The first half of the book, the focus is them learning each other and boy the misunderstanding and miscommunciations are ridiculous at times. If they were to just sit down for five minutes, it would be resolved. But then its a romance novel...so its not going to be that easy. But they do find some common ground and boy does the hero let Jealousy get the better of him. We see him face up to why he is feeling jealous of the Prince....so much that he almost wants to attack him even though its obvious they are just good friends. Katherine has her own issues of course too....she hasn't emotionally recovered from the abuse she was dealt by her first husband and at times she does take it out on William, even if she doesn't realize what she is doing at first. They both have to learn about trust and honesty and being open with each other if they want their relationship to work. But they do make it work and find some common ground although....the learning aspect of their relationship was so dramatic at times that it could be a bit frustrating. This aspect of the story is the reason this book isn't a five star read. Lack of honesty and communication can drive me up the wall.
Overall I fell in love with Knight of Desire....its a tale rich in history, vibrant in sensuality, stunning in detail and endearing in emotion, simply a romance to remember!!!UNFORGETTABLE!
[foogallery id="60305"]
cranberrytarts's review against another edition
4.0
I bought this trilogy based on the recommendation of a bookseller. She said for debut novel this was really well done so I decided to give it a try. I have to say I was very impressed.
I adore medievals as a rule and this one was lovely. Though there were several misunderstandings and a lack of trust between the couple, I felt they were justified on both sides.
Although Catherine is a strong, independent woman, I never felt she was too independent. Despite betraying her first husband she was very loyal and caring. She suffered quite a bit throughout the book, both mentally and physically, but she bore each new strain admirably. Though I understood why her husband mistrusted her, I still felt her pain.
At times I became just as frustrated with William as Catherine, but it was hard to remain angry. His strong sense of honor and self-doubt made him an extremely sympathetic character. Plus, the kindness he showed not only Catherine but her son and the inhabitants of her home was very endearing.
I found the setting and political backdrop fascinating. The Prince, King and their enemies were written in a way that was engaging on their own while advancing the main storyline. I also enjoyed the other secondary characters, especially Robert, Stephen and the Tudors (who were featured here before their reign).
I adore medievals as a rule and this one was lovely. Though there were several misunderstandings and a lack of trust between the couple, I felt they were justified on both sides.
Although Catherine is a strong, independent woman, I never felt she was too independent. Despite betraying her first husband she was very loyal and caring. She suffered quite a bit throughout the book, both mentally and physically, but she bore each new strain admirably. Though I understood why her husband mistrusted her, I still felt her pain.
At times I became just as frustrated with William as Catherine, but it was hard to remain angry. His strong sense of honor and self-doubt made him an extremely sympathetic character. Plus, the kindness he showed not only Catherine but her son and the inhabitants of her home was very endearing.
I found the setting and political backdrop fascinating. The Prince, King and their enemies were written in a way that was engaging on their own while advancing the main storyline. I also enjoyed the other secondary characters, especially Robert, Stephen and the Tudors (who were featured here before their reign).
kmelso's review against another edition
5.0
The best of the series. The main characters have such personality and the way the story unfolds is so good that you can't even put the book down. I read this book in one sitting. It's a fast read but a completely enjoyable one!
nicolesavinar's review against another edition
2.0
Generally easy read, at times unintentionally funny, and as promised, “steamy.” would appeal to readers of Bridgerton and Outlander. Catherine is married off to a terrible husband for political reasons, rats him out and then is given to her knight in shining armor as a reward for spying. The romance was raunchy, the conflict was far-fetched which made this a guilty read. Does teach you a little about the English Welsh medieval conflict. There are some graphic and violent scenes which may be triggering to readers. Do not recommend to younger readers, would be more appropriate for readers over 30.
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