booksuperpower's review against another edition
5.0
“Where now is the warrior? Where is the warhorse? Bestowal of treasure, and sharing of feast? Alas! The bright ale-cup, the mail-clad warrior, The prince in his splendor---- those days are long sped
In the night of the past, as if they had never been!”
From the Anglo- Saxon poem: The Wanderer
Rouge Knight is the second book in the Medieval Warriors series, and gets off to a rousing start and builds upward to a stunning and epic conclusion.
Emma is outraged over the carnage and cruelty she has witnessed from the Normans, fully backing her father's alliance with the Danes, who have begun an uprising against King William.
But, it is a French Knight that will come to Emma's aid on more than one occasion, and therefore finds herself in the most heart wrenching and precarious situations one could possibly imagine.
Geoffroi is loyal to William, but sees the same over the top cruelty Emma does. But, he never suspects that Emma is caught in the cross hairs, and her secret could tear apart all the love and trust between them if it ever came to light. Eventually, Emma will have to take a stand. But, which side will she take?
Emma is a strong female protagonist, loyal to her family, but in love with a man who, while very honorable, plays for the other side. I am sure that this happens in real life in any war. It's often a 'no win' situation, and at times, Geoffroi, detested what his fellow warriors did in the name of the king.
So, we have a little bit of forbidden love, a fierce uprising, and divided loyalties, mixed with intrigue and adventure, that makes this a deeply layered tale, one that will stir up your emotions, have your heart racing and then melting.
When historical romance novelist these days use the excuse of “I'm a romance writer, not a historian”, to push aside any inaccuracies or expansive liberties they take, I say “Bah!”
I challenge them to read any novel written by Regan Walker, to get an idea of how to write a great romance within the historical fiction context. Great and epic romances are often told amid the backdrop of real events or are based on real people.
A historical romance can be every bit as sensual, romantic, and filled with passion, and still have accuracy, authenticity, and realistic historical details, without offending the sensibilities of the modern reader.
Regan Walker always goes the extra mile to bring her stories to life, igniting the imagination, transporting you into a long ago era that is endlessly fascinating and absolutely riveting. The writing is excellent, the research impeccable, and the love story is epic. You can't ask for more than that.
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