Reviews

Her Dark Knight's Redemption by Nicole Locke

theeclecticreview's review against another edition

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4.0

The year is 1297. The location is Paris, France. A skilled and deadly knight named Warstone is hiding a child and has kidnapped a young woman and thief who is not afraid of the most feared and dangerous man in France.

He never allowed strangers to simply stare at him. Customarily, he hid in corridors or corners and waited to emerge. He liked watching. The waiting made the person he watched reveal more than they wanted to.

Reynold had a hellish childhood. His sadistic and powerful parents scarred him physically and emotionally to bend him to their will like his brothers, and he left home when he overheard his parents plotting to kill him. Now he manipulates, hides, and plays a game to find the legendary Jewel of Kings before his destructive family does. But he has made a mistake. The child...his child, Grace, is with him and he has kidnapped an unusual and moralistic thief to take care of her. This child and woman will be his undoing. He cannot care for anyone or they will be killed along with him.  It is too late.

Aliette had been afraid of only one thing her entire life. Darkness. As a child, she knew shadows hid bad people. This man before her was shadow and night. He was Darkness.

As a child, Aliette was abandoned by her parents and left to fend for herself on the streets of Paris from the age of 5. Fifteen years later she has collected her own rag-tag family of thieves consisting of a young boy missing an ear and an old couple past their prime for stealing.  When she risks her own life to save the boy by returning two stolen loaves of bread, she is kidnapped and taught to read by a mysterious and dangerous man who has chosen her to care for a child who is clearly his.  Why does he hide in a dark and dreary house surrounded by armed mercenaries?  Why are his books more precious than people?  "She trusted her instincts, but she didn’t trust this man or anyone. Lies were too easily told."

I love Ms. Locke's eloquent and free-flowing writing style. The story is tragic and heartwarming.  To see two souls who never knew love or trust come together to protect an innocent child is very romantic. Reynold's home life and family sound disturbing and so sad and the reader realizes that his arrogance and dark brooding is a foil for his kindness and giving nature which compliments Aliette's selfless and generous nature.

This is my first Nicole Locke book. It is charming and full of complex characters with an enjoyable and enigmatic plot. Though it is book 8 in the Legends and Lovers series it reads as a standalone.  Recommend highly!

Thank you to Ms. Locke for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

hinalovestoread's review

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3.0

Review to follow

02.01.2020

Originally published on Hina Loves To Read

The premise of the story was full of intrigue and I very much looked forward to reading the story. I was all set for some thrill; a tale full of secrets. Though the book was worthy of 3 stars, it was not what I was expecting.

It starts with the hero finding out that he has a secret baby whose mother kept the existence of the baby from him because he was 'dangerous'. Even though the actor is seen to kill, I still do not get how he was dangerous. But, that can be chalked to the fact that it is a part of a series and I have not read the previous books.

The heroine is a kickass woman who has a mind of her own. She is brave and that I say considering her circumstances and the time period of the story.

The story is fast paced and can be read in one sitting.

jessbookishlife's review

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5.0

Most everyone knows I love Historical Romances, they are the kinds of books I read when I need to just get transported to another time, and Nicole Locke did an amazing job with this novel, and pretty soon I'm going to start reading her books that I have at home.

I couldn't stop reading the book, I was reading it the day I had a book club session at the library, and I was even reading the book while waiting. I loved it so much and I couldn't stop because I wanted to learn more about the characters.

The amazing thing in this books is the characters. I love their interaction and I can't wait to see if Nicole Locke will give two characters I love their own books, they so deserve to be happy. But back to the MC in this story. Reynold and Aliette... Such an interesting and amazing couple. They may seem like they wouldn't be good together because of their pasts and problems, but that's where they find a connection.

They both had their past, and demons... They both had mysteries... They both were so well written that reading about them felt like I was right there, part of their family. I felt connected to them, despite my life being nothing like theirs, nevertheless, it was amazing. We see their development at the same time as we see their relationship grow and that was so fantastic and heartwarming.

I loved Aliette and her Darkness, they were one of those couples in this genre that are on my list of amazing couples. I wanted to read more about them, see their future more than what was giving to us. Then again, I'm hoping to see them in future books.

Overall, I haven't read all the books in the series, and I know some references appeared to previous books, but that didn't seemed to matter, and you can read it as a Standalone, and I promise, by the end you will want to read the entire series.

[I want to thank Rachel, at Rachel’s Random Resources, and Nicole Locke for the eCopy of this book and for allowing me to join in the fun and being a part of the blog tour with my honest review of the book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.]

samanthapearl's review

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4.0

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Aliette has a lot on her plate. Being a homeless thief is hard enough, however she also has three other people she has taken responsibility for. When Gabriel, the youngest of the three in Aliette's care, steals loaves of bread from a local baker Aliette fears he may of been seen and becomes scared for his life. She tries to rectify the situation by returning what she can and offering to pay for the rest. The baker is enraged and demands she pay for her crime. Aliette is then saved by these mysterious silent men. Finally they arrive at a residence where she finds out she was brought here because of a mysterious dark knight. What he wants is simple, she must claim his child as hers and she will be taken care of. Things about the knight seem less sinister than she had first expected and he may even be good under all his darkness. Now Aliette must see if she can break down his dark shell or is she doomed to be trapped with darkness.

What happens when a sexy, dark, broken knight meets a beautiful, strong willed, equally broken thief? You get a medieval sexy romance that teases and excites until it's finished and leaves you breathless. The chemistry between the dark knight and Aliette is comes on thick and fast. It is brilliantly crafted to have you wanting them together so badly while we are forced to wait on the edge of our seats. They are such complimentary characters, perfectly written for each other.

I adored Aliette and her sassy attitude. There was something about her that I can't quite put my finger on. I fell head over heels for this character the moment she faced Reynold and demanded food for the child. There's something about her not conforming to the roll as servant and prisoner that makes her so ... adorable. Reynold, our dark knight, is incredibly swoon worthy. With his dark hair and eyes and his tough exterior Reynold seems like the ultimate bad boy. Except he's not it's totally adorable. There is something so incredibly delicious about a sexy bad boy becoming soft over his daughter. Everything about these characters was just so well crafted and put together.

This is my first time reading the Lovers and Legends series. Despite starting on book 8, I wasn't lost or confused and feel this could totally be read as a standalone. With that said I totally intend to go back and read the ones I missed just because I loved this one so much.

You can find this and all my other reviews at
Https://fourmoonreviews.blogspot.com/

readingthroughthelookinglass's review

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4.0

Thanks to the author, Publisher and Rachel from Rachel’s random resources for this book in return for my own honest review.

This is an extremely sexy and darkly enjoyable romance.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author but it is book 8 in her lovers and legends series.

This book is emotional, heartbreaking, romantic all rolled into one. This story is about two people so weary of others, they are unable to trust even when their deepest fears are being tested.

hinalovestoread's review against another edition

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3.0

Review to follow

02.01.2020

Originally published on Hina Loves To Read

The premise of the story was full of intrigue and I very much looked forward to reading the story. I was all set for some thrill; a tale full of secrets. Though the book was worthy of 3 stars, it was not what I was expecting.

It starts with the hero finding out that he has a secret baby whose mother kept the existence of the baby from him because he was 'dangerous'. Even though the actor is seen to kill, I still do not get how he was dangerous. But, that can be chalked to the fact that it is a part of a series and I have not read the previous books.

The heroine is a kickass woman who has a mind of her own. She is brave and that I say considering her circumstances and the time period of the story.

The story is fast paced and can be read in one sitting.
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