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The Executioner Knights #10
Lord of the Shadows
The year is 1215 A.D., and the reign of King John were dark days for all of England. Not one man, woman or child lived without fear. Magnifying this fear is the man they call The Lord of the Shadows - a terrifying figure who sits at the right hand of the King, manipulating the royal moves like a puppet master. The Lord of the Shadows has been known to tear men apart with his bare hands and can, with a snap of his fingers, alter the future of anyone he chooses. The nobility is terrified of him, and for good reason. That is - the nobility that know of his existance. Lady Sheridan St. James has been drawn into the political arena by her father. Having no sons, he shares all with his eldest daughter, a stunningly beautiful and bright creature. Upon his death, Sheridan finds herself at the head of the mighty House of St. James, a major leader in the rebellion against the crown. During her first visit to London she becomes acquainted with a massive knight who has, in kindness, saves her sister’s life. She has no idea Sir Sean de Lara is the man known as The Lord of the Shadows, and even when she is told of his horrible deeds she still cannot not believe it. Sheridan and Sean draw close despite the influence of the horrendous affairs of state sweeping London. All she knows is that he is handsome and kind, and although Sean is well aware of the lady’s status, it makes no difference that she is, in perception, his enemy. To him, she is quickly becoming his reason for living - but out of necessity his responsibilities to the king become stronger than his love for Sheridan and he is forced to perform his duties or risk death to them both. Still, he swears to her that his days as the Shadow Lord are numbered even as rival factions cruelly separated them. It soon becomes a test of Sean and Sheridan’s love to find each other again in a world which is determined to keep them apart.
308 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 19, 2011
346 people are currently reading
349 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Le Veque
323 books2,084 followersJuggernaut Indie author Kathryn Le Veque is a 'tour de force' in publishing.
Kathryn is a critically acclaimed 21-time USA TODAY Bestselling author, a charter Amazon All-Star author, an Indie Reader top seller, and a #1 bestselling, award-winning, multi-published author in Medieval Historical Romance with over 100 published novels.
Among her many accomplishments, she is the CEO of Dragonblade Publishing, the #1 Historical Romance e-book publisher on Amazon. In 2020, Kathryn collaborated with Sourcebooks publishing for a Medieval Fight Club series set in Scotland.
Kathryn is a critically acclaimed 21-time USA TODAY Bestselling author, a charter Amazon All-Star author, an Indie Reader top seller, and a #1 bestselling, award-winning, multi-published author in Medieval Historical Romance with over 100 published novels.
Among her many accomplishments, she is the CEO of Dragonblade Publishing, the #1 Historical Romance e-book publisher on Amazon. In 2020, Kathryn collaborated with Sourcebooks publishing for a Medieval Fight Club series set in Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
May 30, 2014
Edit 5/29 to add some quotes and hopefully clean the review up a bit. Apologies for tl;dr
Second edit 5/30. Correct typos, additional clarification on historical accuracy after visiting author's website.
Full disclosures:
1) I own a copy of this, purchased in a boxed set Magnificent Medieval Men: A Medieval Romance Boxed Set.
2) I am posting this review on my private profile. It is my intention to only to share this review with my Goodreads friends. If I had the option to mark this for friends only, I would do so - anysnark humorous comments contained in this review are only intended for above said friends.
3) While I understand from the author's notes that this was originally written in 2009 when the internet and info wasn't quite so instantaneous, it still should have been fact checked and spell checked prior to releasing this on the world. I don't believe distain is a word that exists in the English language.
4) I understand this is a historical romance,and granted I haven't seen the author all over the net claiming this is historically accurate**, but there are still so many historical howlers that I feel I must address some of them. There won't be enough room in this review space for every one of them. **Edited comment** See author's FAQ:"My books are historically accurate 98% of the time, but there is occasion when I take slight artistic license as a writer. It's rare, but I do. I use real battles and real historical figures to incorporate into my novels."
5) I freely admit to having read and loved Julie Garwood's medievals back in the day, and loved them to bits despite the inaccuracies. I highly doubt I could go back to that fairyland of medieval make-believe now.
The book begins in January 1215, Tower of London, a few months prior to the signing of the Magna Carta. John is king, and per this author he's a sex-depraved baddie of the very worst kind. If he spots a beauteous maiden and desires her, his flunkies will deliver said maiden to his rooms where he abuses them and leaves them for his flunkies to take their turn. Doesn't matter if they're married or unmarried, an earl's daughter or that everyone in the kingdom knows the king is a sexual sadist (where is his queen BTW?). You would think all the barons would keep their women folk out of town, but no...
"The room was dark and smelled like painful sex."
Ewwwwww.
This King John also has seizures (my medieval expert says no, that's not the case, although his father did). Apparently the reader needs to be clubbed over the head to tell us what a nasty brute he is so we also hear that he rarely bathes (my medieval expert says he was a frequent bather) and had poor hygiene (look up the origin of that word). Hell, my medieval expert tells me John was all over England in January 2015 and not hanging out raping women in the Tower of London.
"John, a short man with a droopy eye and noticeably bad hygiene, gestured benevolently to the group in the hall."
"He was speaking with the petulance of a child, exaggerated, with dribble flying from his lips. Sean knew that paroxysms were imminent."
Origin of PAROXYSM
Middle English paroxism, from Medieval Latin paroxysmus, from Greek paroxysmos, from paroxynein to stimulate, from para- + oxynein to provoke, from oxys sharp — more at oxygen
First Known Use: 15th century.
If I had paid someone to edit my book and got these kinds of results, I would ask for my money back. Just sayin'.
“The king wants nothing more than to rob you of your maidenhood and violate you as you cannot even possibly imagine that a man could do. I could tell you horror stories that would give you nightmares for the rest of your life, but I will refrain simply for the fact that I would protect your dignity as a lady."
I have a higher tolerance level for dead defaming in those older cray-cray romances from the 70s and 80s, but not with today's books and with fact checking so readily available. I believe John had a reputation as a bit of a womanizer, but this? No. No. No.
All righty, on to the H and h. Our hero is a huge brute of a man who is John's #1 bad guy and supposed procurer of women, and murderer of any baron who might cross John's path. Everyone in the land fears him, but he's got a bit of a secret that's pretty damned easy to guess .
So, our big lug of a hero happens to be outside one of the towers and there's this girl on the upper floor ready to commit suicide (!!) by jumping (she's all a-flutter over a romance gone bad). He catches her, but this is the younger sis and he's all hot over the older girl. Turns out they are daughters of the now deceased Third Earl of Bath (google that, I dare ya). The elder sis is nineteen and never been wed (!!) because she hasn't found twu wuv (in an era where well-bred medieval misses had no say in the matter and married pretty damn young). As far as I could determine, these two girls came to court with only a Bishop as their escort, and a chamber maid in attendance (remember there's no queen attending these functions). These two unmarried ladies are quickly swept up into the angst and drama and intrigues surrounding the plots against the king with super secret meetings (in their own chambers no less!) and stuff like that.
No, I am not kidding.
K, so I understand some folks care about historical accuracy and others don't, and that's each reader's decision if it matters or not. I will say this:
1) There isn't a lot of romance (and no worthwhile sex) to make up for all the above mentioned silliness.
2) Inaccuracies aside, there is just too much of what Judge Judy calls if it doesn't make sense, it's usually not true. Like the cart that becomes a wagon in the next paragraph to become a cart again on the next page. Knights who wear armor (plate at that!) just about everywhere in or outside and not just on the battle field. Better yet, they can get in and out of the armor and hauberks with nary a mention of a squire to help them. Or when the heroine takes a serious sword wound to her leg and the physician tends her in the middle of a crowded yard and not a word about having to lift her skirts to get at it. Worse yet, she's finally stitched up and drugged to sleep only to awaken and realize her darling is in danger and picks up a large sword to save her man and with her wounded leg can race across the bailey. For realz guyz. It happened.
"John had not wanted to share her so he had dismissed most of his entourage. But Sean was entering the room alone and instantly, the king’s fury, and distrust, was peaked."
Shouldn't that be piqued?
A Bishop at the dinner table seated next to our heroine. Note, my medieval expert says it would be highly unlikely for a woman of lower standing to be seated so high at the table.
"William, Bishop of Coventry, eventually showed himself; a slight man that reeked of alcohol, he seated himself and several retainers across the table from Jocelin and the St. James women. He greeted Jocelin amiably, introduced himself to the ladies, and spoke well of Henry St. James. He seemed congenial enough. But he finished the otherwise normal conversation by running an inviting foot against Sheridan’s leg...She casually shifted so that her leg was not within reach of his dirty toes, but it seemed the bishop had long legs and managed to stroke her ankle once again with his cold digits."
Barefoot at the banquet? Really? Oh, and our heroine needs to take care of nature's business, but in this Tower of London there's no garderobe (nor a maid to accompany her), so she's escorted out into the bailey by:
"Sheridan shook the first two off but allowed the third, a young lad dressed in red bloomers, to show her to the door."
Bloomers? For realz?
This review is already much too long, so I'm not even going to go into a bishop being the one to decide who these two heiresses will wed, but I'd probably win the bet that it's the king in charge of it and not the bishop.
From all of the gushy! exclamation! point! laden! five! star! reviews! on Amazon, this author is quite popular with readers, so perhaps it's just me again - wouldn't be the first time. I guess I'd have to classify this as a make-believe fairytale medieval in a wall paper setting written without much attention to historical details. I guess I could compare it to Stephanie Meyer's take on Forks and the Olympic Peninsula and E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey (links to my reviews that discuss the geographical howlers). Write what you know.
Second edit 5/30. Correct typos, additional clarification on historical accuracy after visiting author's website.
Full disclosures:
1) I own a copy of this, purchased in a boxed set Magnificent Medieval Men: A Medieval Romance Boxed Set.
2) I am posting this review on my private profile. It is my intention to only to share this review with my Goodreads friends. If I had the option to mark this for friends only, I would do so - any
3) While I understand from the author's notes that this was originally written in 2009 when the internet and info wasn't quite so instantaneous, it still should have been fact checked and spell checked prior to releasing this on the world. I don't believe distain is a word that exists in the English language.
4) I understand this is a historical romance,
5) I freely admit to having read and loved Julie Garwood's medievals back in the day, and loved them to bits despite the inaccuracies. I highly doubt I could go back to that fairyland of medieval make-believe now.
The book begins in January 1215, Tower of London, a few months prior to the signing of the Magna Carta. John is king, and per this author he's a sex-depraved baddie of the very worst kind. If he spots a beauteous maiden and desires her, his flunkies will deliver said maiden to his rooms where he abuses them and leaves them for his flunkies to take their turn. Doesn't matter if they're married or unmarried, an earl's daughter or that everyone in the kingdom knows the king is a sexual sadist (where is his queen BTW?). You would think all the barons would keep their women folk out of town, but no...
"The room was dark and smelled like painful sex."
Ewwwwww.
This King John also has seizures (my medieval expert says no, that's not the case, although his father did). Apparently the reader needs to be clubbed over the head to tell us what a nasty brute he is so we also hear that he rarely bathes (my medieval expert says he was a frequent bather) and had poor hygiene (look up the origin of that word). Hell, my medieval expert tells me John was all over England in January 2015 and not hanging out raping women in the Tower of London.
"John, a short man with a droopy eye and noticeably bad hygiene, gestured benevolently to the group in the hall."
"He was speaking with the petulance of a child, exaggerated, with dribble flying from his lips. Sean knew that paroxysms were imminent."
Origin of PAROXYSM
Middle English paroxism, from Medieval Latin paroxysmus, from Greek paroxysmos, from paroxynein to stimulate, from para- + oxynein to provoke, from oxys sharp — more at oxygen
First Known Use: 15th century.
If I had paid someone to edit my book and got these kinds of results, I would ask for my money back. Just sayin'.
“The king wants nothing more than to rob you of your maidenhood and violate you as you cannot even possibly imagine that a man could do. I could tell you horror stories that would give you nightmares for the rest of your life, but I will refrain simply for the fact that I would protect your dignity as a lady."
I have a higher tolerance level for dead defaming in those older cray-cray romances from the 70s and 80s, but not with today's books and with fact checking so readily available. I believe John had a reputation as a bit of a womanizer, but this? No. No. No.
All righty, on to the H and h. Our hero is a huge brute of a man who is John's #1 bad guy and supposed procurer of women, and murderer of any baron who might cross John's path. Everyone in the land fears him, but he's got a bit of a secret that's pretty damned easy to guess .
So, our big lug of a hero happens to be outside one of the towers and there's this girl on the upper floor ready to commit suicide (!!) by jumping (she's all a-flutter over a romance gone bad). He catches her, but this is the younger sis and he's all hot over the older girl. Turns out they are daughters of the now deceased Third Earl of Bath (google that, I dare ya). The elder sis is nineteen and never been wed (!!) because she hasn't found twu wuv (in an era where well-bred medieval misses had no say in the matter and married pretty damn young). As far as I could determine, these two girls came to court with only a Bishop as their escort, and a chamber maid in attendance (remember there's no queen attending these functions). These two unmarried ladies are quickly swept up into the angst and drama and intrigues surrounding the plots against the king with super secret meetings (in their own chambers no less!) and stuff like that.
No, I am not kidding.
K, so I understand some folks care about historical accuracy and others don't, and that's each reader's decision if it matters or not. I will say this:
1) There isn't a lot of romance (and no worthwhile sex) to make up for all the above mentioned silliness.
2) Inaccuracies aside, there is just too much of what Judge Judy calls if it doesn't make sense, it's usually not true. Like the cart that becomes a wagon in the next paragraph to become a cart again on the next page. Knights who wear armor (plate at that!) just about everywhere in or outside and not just on the battle field. Better yet, they can get in and out of the armor and hauberks with nary a mention of a squire to help them. Or when the heroine takes a serious sword wound to her leg and the physician tends her in the middle of a crowded yard and not a word about having to lift her skirts to get at it. Worse yet, she's finally stitched up and drugged to sleep only to awaken and realize her darling is in danger and picks up a large sword to save her man and with her wounded leg can race across the bailey. For realz guyz. It happened.
"John had not wanted to share her so he had dismissed most of his entourage. But Sean was entering the room alone and instantly, the king’s fury, and distrust, was peaked."
Shouldn't that be piqued?
A Bishop at the dinner table seated next to our heroine. Note, my medieval expert says it would be highly unlikely for a woman of lower standing to be seated so high at the table.
"William, Bishop of Coventry, eventually showed himself; a slight man that reeked of alcohol, he seated himself and several retainers across the table from Jocelin and the St. James women. He greeted Jocelin amiably, introduced himself to the ladies, and spoke well of Henry St. James. He seemed congenial enough. But he finished the otherwise normal conversation by running an inviting foot against Sheridan’s leg...She casually shifted so that her leg was not within reach of his dirty toes, but it seemed the bishop had long legs and managed to stroke her ankle once again with his cold digits."
Barefoot at the banquet? Really? Oh, and our heroine needs to take care of nature's business, but in this Tower of London there's no garderobe (nor a maid to accompany her), so she's escorted out into the bailey by:
"Sheridan shook the first two off but allowed the third, a young lad dressed in red bloomers, to show her to the door."
Bloomers? For realz?
This review is already much too long, so I'm not even going to go into a bishop being the one to decide who these two heiresses will wed, but I'd probably win the bet that it's the king in charge of it and not the bishop.
From all of the gushy! exclamation! point! laden! five! star! reviews! on Amazon, this author is quite popular with readers, so perhaps it's just me again - wouldn't be the first time. I guess I'd have to classify this as a make-believe fairytale medieval in a wall paper setting written without much attention to historical details. I guess I could compare it to Stephanie Meyer's take on Forks and the Olympic Peninsula and E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey (links to my reviews that discuss the geographical howlers). Write what you know.
December 30, 2014
2.75 Stars
This reminded me a lot of some classic Virginia Henley I read years and years ago. English monarchy, court cruelty, and political intrigue abound in this book.
It was an entertaining enough read, although I would have preferred a bit more "interaction" between the H and the h as the story progressed. I don't think this author will become a go-to for me for historicals by any means, but I can definitely see myself reading more from her in the future.
This reminded me a lot of some classic Virginia Henley I read years and years ago. English monarchy, court cruelty, and political intrigue abound in this book.
It was an entertaining enough read, although I would have preferred a bit more "interaction" between the H and the h as the story progressed. I don't think this author will become a go-to for me for historicals by any means, but I can definitely see myself reading more from her in the future.
January 26, 2020
I MUST re-read this after finishing the fourth of the Executioner Knights series where Sean de Lara plays such a prominent role. This is HIS book!
Yep! Sean de Lara is still a favorite of mine. So happy the author changed her original ending before publishing this book. As it was my first book by Kathryn Le Veque (years ago), I never would have picked up another one by her and that would have been a travesty. I would have missed out on what has turned out to be a plethora of my favorite books of all time. No one does medieval romance better, IMHO.
Yep! Sean de Lara is still a favorite of mine. So happy the author changed her original ending before publishing this book. As it was my first book by Kathryn Le Veque (years ago), I never would have picked up another one by her and that would have been a travesty. I would have missed out on what has turned out to be a plethora of my favorite books of all time. No one does medieval romance better, IMHO.
May 24, 2025
This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.
Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖
Narration:🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨
First Impressions
Lord of Shadows is a medieval historical romance that is part of the "Executioner Knights" series and I was in the mood for a softer heroine, so I picked up one of her older books and decided on Lord of Shadows cause it had a knight rescuing a damsel type of scene and I am glad that I picked this one up. I really needed a good historical that would pull me in and I was looking for an audiobook that I could do. LOVE Brad Wills, he does some of the best narrations. This is set around the time of the reign of King John in the early 1200's. I found the premise of this story so fascinating, it has a sense of forbidden, courtly politics and some soft sweet courting. So it definitely delivered a solid story.
First Line
He shouldn't have bothered.
The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Sir Sean de Lara (Lord of Shadows)
The Heroine: Lady Sheridan St. James
Summary
Sir Sean, or also known as the Lord of the Shadows, is the right hand man of King John. He has built the king's trust for almost a decade and dedicated his life to building that trust because not everything is at is seems with the Lord of Shadows. Lady Sheridan is pulled into his magnetism when her sister almost commits suicide and Sir Sean is the knight that saves her life. Even though Sheridan is part of the group that is in rebellion against the king, she can't resist the pull that she feels for Sir Sean. Because despite his position and his terrifying reputation, when he is with her, she feels cherished in a way she has never experienced. But there are dangerous secrets about Sir Sean's true mission and those secrets could destroy the sweet love they have...
What I Loved
I found the time era so fascinating, I am not sure that I have ever read this type of court politics before and it was interesting to see how the author really dug deep into it. I really love how she implements Welsh plot lines within her stories. No other author writes them like she does. And if you want a more authentic heroine, then I definitely recommend this one here. The sweet courting between them was so endearing. I liked the dynamic of the dangerous plot and the poignant soft endearing and very romantic love story that builds. It delivered some unique elements to the story. And wow what a ending. I didn't want to put it down and I loved how it kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen in those moments.
What I Struggled With
Some of the pacing could have been better, but that might have been my fault as I probably had the speed of the narration too fast, I normally keep it slower but I didn't this time and I am wishing I had kept it at 1.3 instead of 1.6x.
Narration
Brad Wills is actually one of my favorite historical narrators, and especially if you want a medieval feeling narrator, he needs to be your goto! I actually adored the moments. I do think you will need to keep it slower than you normally have. Not that he has super strong accents, but he does a full cast and to get the best enjoyment keep it around 1.35x speed.
Overall View
Lord of Shadow was a brilliantly mastered historical that really showcased the time period in a authentic way. Its a tale to keep you edgy, thrilled, and swoony from beginning to end!
Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Historical Romance
Time Era: The Normans, The Plantagenets, House of Lancaster
Character Types: Knights, Bodyguard, Spy, Soft Heroine
Themes: Tear Jerker, Court Politics, Heart/Emotionally Touching, Couple A Courting
Tropes: Forbidden Love, Forced Proximity
Book Perspective
3rd POV
Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
Plot Conflict
If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Julie Garwood
Amanda Quick
Elizabeth Lowell
Recommendation For Reading Order
You can read as a standalone
Steam/Spice Explanations
Simmering cup of tea---soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.
Narrators:
Brad Wills
February 16, 2016
Lady Sheridan St. James has taken over for her father that has died. Sheridan has to also try to keep and eye or her sister who thinks she falls in love with every man that she sees. On one of her sister's heartbreak fits..she tries to jump out the widow. Sir Sean de Lara known as the 'The Lord of the Shadows' happens to see the sister as she is trying to jump. He also gets a look at Sheridan and finds he likes her looks. Sean catches the sister and meets Sheridan. They are both drawn to each other at once. But Sheridan thinks they are on different sides of politics. But Sean is playing as a double spy so they really are on the same side. But it takes a little while before he comes clean as his life would be in danger but he also does not want to loose Sheridan. This was a good book that I had to read in one sitting!
September 1, 2013
Story about the oppressive, debauchery reign of King John which lead to the signing of Magna Carta. Most ofthe characters are real-life historical figures like the Earl of Pemberly, Joceline, and of course the King. Promising enough however,
Lord of the shadows started out pretty-well. I though at first the prose was beautiful and because I've been aticipating it for a whole week, I started reading out loud the first couple of pages. In truth, I am obtuse enough that I may not have noticed what followed if not for a stupid yonger sister's follies pushing the stupidest stunts in my face. Then the dialogues started going downhill too and because I was reluctantly forced to witness such stupidity I became sensitive to more silliness. The first jumping out of the window scene is enough and couldbe amusing if it wasn't followed by more childish, stupid stunts. The rest tha followed focus more on the romance and more silly couple dialogues and polics andstrategy go downhill from there.
Lord of the shadows started out pretty-well. I though at first the prose was beautiful and because I've been aticipating it for a whole week, I started reading out loud the first couple of pages. In truth, I am obtuse enough that I may not have noticed what followed if not for a stupid yonger sister's follies pushing the stupidest stunts in my face. Then the dialogues started going downhill too and because I was reluctantly forced to witness such stupidity I became sensitive to more silliness. The first jumping out of the window scene is enough and couldbe amusing if it wasn't followed by more childish, stupid stunts. The rest tha followed focus more on the romance and more silly couple dialogues and polics andstrategy go downhill from there.
December 7, 2012
Grade: C-
OK, I will admit I was wrong. I WAS WRONG. During the first read, this seemed pretty dreadful, and I even tweeted some snotty things about it.
But after finishing this, I read By Royal Command, aka Death By Thesaurus. And then I read a certain gay BDSM mistorical that will forever be the definition of "dreadful."
So I upgraded Lord of the Shadows from a D+ to a C-. I can’t really recommend it, but it’s a helluva lot better than some of the other dreck I've been reading.
Read the full review
Like the allure of a good beheading, it was pure entertainment.
OK, I will admit I was wrong. I WAS WRONG. During the first read, this seemed pretty dreadful, and I even tweeted some snotty things about it.
But after finishing this, I read By Royal Command, aka Death By Thesaurus. And then I read a certain gay BDSM mistorical that will forever be the definition of "dreadful."
So I upgraded Lord of the Shadows from a D+ to a C-. I can’t really recommend it, but it’s a helluva lot better than some of the other dreck I've been reading.
Read the full review
July 20, 2020
This story is filled with intrigue, bloodshed with a romance on the side
I knew going in that this book was not going to be an easy read as Sean’s position was a very tough one. This story doesn’t disappoint, it’s filled with all of the intrigue that John’s court was known for. The events leading up to the Magna Carta are filled with bloodshed, betrayal and a lot of spying and plotting. Sheridan and Sean’s romance is almost a byline, if it wasn’t for the fact that it accelerates certain events and dictates Changes in plans. Lots of twists and turns and many heart stopping moments.
I knew going in that this book was not going to be an easy read as Sean’s position was a very tough one. This story doesn’t disappoint, it’s filled with all of the intrigue that John’s court was known for. The events leading up to the Magna Carta are filled with bloodshed, betrayal and a lot of spying and plotting. Sheridan and Sean’s romance is almost a byline, if it wasn’t for the fact that it accelerates certain events and dictates Changes in plans. Lots of twists and turns and many heart stopping moments.
November 13, 2017
A wonderful book with a great hero and heroine. A really well written story full of excitement and romance. Well recommended
March 14, 2024
ADULT Medieval🏰 Knights🐺💪🗡🐎 Warfare💀🗡🐎, Politics and Romance💕
Beautifully written.
I got this e-book from Amazon📚 with kindle unlimited
Beautifully written.
I got this e-book from Amazon📚 with kindle unlimited
Want to read
January 24, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (1/24/2020)! 🎁
October 4, 2024
❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋
Brilliant Epic adventure with the Executioner Knights.
💋💋
Brilliant Epic adventure with the Executioner Knights.
January 30, 2015
This audiobook review comes with a warning label: If you’re a person who doesn’t like to smudge your mascara, dislike dark, edgy suspense, disapprove of the mayhem and wildness of the Medieval period in England, and hate crying buckets of tears chapter after chapter, I suggest you forego listening to this book.
This is the second book I’ve read by author Kathryn Le Veque and was excited to be able to listen to the narration, produced by Brad Wills. Both book and narration are over the top. Truly, over the top. Brad, with his spectacular voice, so aptly uses its wide range of voice texture to support this terrific tale. With his booming deep throttled voice, I see a man in full mail towering over me. I feel either very feminine, in need of protection, or a bug he could squash if he had a care to. Agh! Sir Sean de Lara is an unknown character. Is he protagonist or antagonist? Through the telling of the story, he shows his colors.
I totally, absolutely and incredibly love the way Brad Wills uses his voice. In this particular story, dialog includes long whispered conversations, which was just as emotive as his normal voiced dialog. Women’s dialog isn’t anything short of sounding feminine.
This tale had many characters and each I was easily recognized. The depiction of John, King of England had me reading some history about him. When a book of historical setting reaches out to you enough to want to separate fact from fiction, it most certainly has gone beyond the author’s intent, but I believe in a good way. The king was depicted as being rather spiteful and weak with a suspicious nature of all around him. The voice and emotional tone Brad Wills used was spot-on.
The story was all about intrigue and being caught up in the uprising against the king. Woven into its fabric was a poignant love affair between two virtual strangers who could not have walked away from each other even if they wanted to. Their love was a deep, fathomless ocean of tumultuous emotion where I, as listener, could not help but be sucked into the maelstrom. Hence, the bucket of tears, the searing heart, the hours of listening where I could not pull myself away.
This book captured and enthralled. A wonderful treat indeed--for those who dare the listen.
This is the second book I’ve read by author Kathryn Le Veque and was excited to be able to listen to the narration, produced by Brad Wills. Both book and narration are over the top. Truly, over the top. Brad, with his spectacular voice, so aptly uses its wide range of voice texture to support this terrific tale. With his booming deep throttled voice, I see a man in full mail towering over me. I feel either very feminine, in need of protection, or a bug he could squash if he had a care to. Agh! Sir Sean de Lara is an unknown character. Is he protagonist or antagonist? Through the telling of the story, he shows his colors.
I totally, absolutely and incredibly love the way Brad Wills uses his voice. In this particular story, dialog includes long whispered conversations, which was just as emotive as his normal voiced dialog. Women’s dialog isn’t anything short of sounding feminine.
This tale had many characters and each I was easily recognized. The depiction of John, King of England had me reading some history about him. When a book of historical setting reaches out to you enough to want to separate fact from fiction, it most certainly has gone beyond the author’s intent, but I believe in a good way. The king was depicted as being rather spiteful and weak with a suspicious nature of all around him. The voice and emotional tone Brad Wills used was spot-on.
The story was all about intrigue and being caught up in the uprising against the king. Woven into its fabric was a poignant love affair between two virtual strangers who could not have walked away from each other even if they wanted to. Their love was a deep, fathomless ocean of tumultuous emotion where I, as listener, could not help but be sucked into the maelstrom. Hence, the bucket of tears, the searing heart, the hours of listening where I could not pull myself away.
This book captured and enthralled. A wonderful treat indeed--for those who dare the listen.
March 20, 2019
Sean de Lara could be seen as the villain in this book and indeed some reviewers have said that they didn't enjoy the book because of this, but one has to remember how dark, evil and abhorrent Medieval England was. Sean is caught up in a web of lies, trying to save England from a debauched and deviant king.
People's scruples and beliefs were not the same as they are today and Sean's behaviour, I think is understandable.
Sean de Lara is a hero fighting for England, working towards new changes. He is an enormous, handsome and sensitive man, who is feared and misunderstood by everyone around him, working as a spy for William Marshall.
This book takes you on a roller coaster ride where plots abound and at the centre of this lies this vile king, King John.
Quite by chance Sean encounters the Lady Sheridan St. James, and his world changes. His heart is instantly captured by this very beautiful, enchanting, strong willed young woman and now realising that he has something to live for, his loyalties become torn.... What will he do, he has to see his work through to the bitter end, while keeping Sheridan safe.
As usual Kathryn visually describes these very dark times and brings the horrors of Medieval England to life.
A very enjoyable, though troubling love story.... and yes, I do think Sean de Lara deserves his happy ending, he was a true hero!
People's scruples and beliefs were not the same as they are today and Sean's behaviour, I think is understandable.
Sean de Lara is a hero fighting for England, working towards new changes. He is an enormous, handsome and sensitive man, who is feared and misunderstood by everyone around him, working as a spy for William Marshall.
This book takes you on a roller coaster ride where plots abound and at the centre of this lies this vile king, King John.
Quite by chance Sean encounters the Lady Sheridan St. James, and his world changes. His heart is instantly captured by this very beautiful, enchanting, strong willed young woman and now realising that he has something to live for, his loyalties become torn.... What will he do, he has to see his work through to the bitter end, while keeping Sheridan safe.
As usual Kathryn visually describes these very dark times and brings the horrors of Medieval England to life.
A very enjoyable, though troubling love story.... and yes, I do think Sean de Lara deserves his happy ending, he was a true hero!
August 6, 2022
Too short for meeeeee. Would love an epilogue but overall a great book. I enjoyed everything.
October 19, 2016
I liked this one. The plot exists beyond the 'relationship' and shows King John at his most dire, personally, as well as his unsuccessful attempts to deal with the barons which led to the Magna Carta. Did John 'suffer from a case of "royal schizophrenia" in his approach to government, or did his actions merely reflect the complex model of Angevin kingship in the early 13th century?', Wiki asks. In LotS he's practically evil incarnate, with a side of insecurity. But John, who gets plenty of bad press, is the go to royal bad guy of his time.
The ending was rewritten, originally not having that HEA beloved by romance readers. It is OK but truly, it could have been smoother - right now it reads as a not terribly convincing after thought.
The ending was rewritten, originally not having that HEA beloved by romance readers. It is OK but truly, it could have been smoother - right now it reads as a not terribly convincing after thought.
July 27, 2016
***** For some reason the stars won't work for me from my blackberry so I will just say I give it 5 stars. Yet another great book from Kathryn Le Veque. I have read a few of hers now,and no matter which one I have picked I enjoyed it. The history is so well written the characters grab you right away. If real history books in school were like this I for one would have paid much more attention. The romance is exciting and fun. The story in this one shows that sometimes you have to give everything you have in you to get what you deserve. I think I will now go and decide which of the other 14 of her books I have on my kindle that I will read next.
July 18, 2017
(KISSES BOOK)
The great Shadow Lord is (apparently) the champion of Bad King John. In reality....
Well, all characters created by Kathryn LeVeque are rather complicated (unless they are the flatly one dimensional evil ones). This man is no different, and as he moves through the shadows of London just before the battles that led the the signing of the Magna Carta, he makes no sound.
The lady he sees, who steals his heart, is likewise stuck with a complicated role. Still, I confess, her younger sister strikes me as even more complex.
The characters interact believably, and the ending is wonderful, as usual.
I am currently on a LeVeque kick. I !I've these books.
The great Shadow Lord is (apparently) the champion of Bad King John. In reality....
Well, all characters created by Kathryn LeVeque are rather complicated (unless they are the flatly one dimensional evil ones). This man is no different, and as he moves through the shadows of London just before the battles that led the the signing of the Magna Carta, he makes no sound.
The lady he sees, who steals his heart, is likewise stuck with a complicated role. Still, I confess, her younger sister strikes me as even more complex.
The characters interact believably, and the ending is wonderful, as usual.
I am currently on a LeVeque kick. I !I've these books.
June 26, 2020
This was intense! The character of Sean De Lara had me intrigued because he appeared in a book or two of The Executioner Knights series. I wanted to know more about him and was delighted to find he was the hero in Lord of the Shadows. This story drew me in like a moth to a flame and I finished it in one day. It was filled with intrigue, things not as they seemed, all kinds of twists and turns and a sweet, heartbreaking love story. I don't want to spoil anything but I will say that I loved the ending!
May 11, 2017
Lord Of The Shadows
Kathryn Or Veque has ,as usual , written another fantastic novel. The Shadow Lord is filled with adventures of a Knight for the freedom from the tyrant King before the signing of the Magna Carta to stop the evil madness of the King. Sean DeLara was a spy for 9 years for the freedom cause. He met and fell in love with Sherridan St. James. The love that never dies is theirs for a lifetime. This is a must read for all Le Veque fans.
Kathryn Or Veque has ,as usual , written another fantastic novel. The Shadow Lord is filled with adventures of a Knight for the freedom from the tyrant King before the signing of the Magna Carta to stop the evil madness of the King. Sean DeLara was a spy for 9 years for the freedom cause. He met and fell in love with Sherridan St. James. The love that never dies is theirs for a lifetime. This is a must read for all Le Veque fans.
September 2, 2019
Overwhelming medieval courtly intrigue and romance!
Heart pounding romance and intrigue from the get go involving the St. James daughter's and the drop dead gorgeous shadow lord, Sean de Lara! Couldn't put this one down and am so beyond happy the king didn't get his way with either St. James daughter and that the sacrifices secretly made by Sean all these years were finally rewarded! He deserves Sheridan and a HEA!
Heart pounding romance and intrigue from the get go involving the St. James daughter's and the drop dead gorgeous shadow lord, Sean de Lara! Couldn't put this one down and am so beyond happy the king didn't get his way with either St. James daughter and that the sacrifices secretly made by Sean all these years were finally rewarded! He deserves Sheridan and a HEA!
July 29, 2024
A complete let down.
I was so confused! This book is listed under the Executioner Knights series and features one of the knights, but this book was actually published under the The Great Marcher Lords of De Lara series back in 2011. It even lists it under that series on her website. The Executioner Knights started in 2019. So it seems like this book and character was added into this series, but the book doesn't fit into the themes of the Executioner Knights series, and the character acts very differently than he does in those books.
All the other books have the same tavern meeting scene in the beginning, but this did not. No big espionage assignment meeting. Nothing. No mention of Sean being an excecutioner knight was mentioned at all. William Marshall is an active member now instead of the retired leader sitting at home and everyone reports to him? He is too old at this point to be doing what the author has him doing. I was utterly shocked it was not the character it should have been as according to previous books in the series. No other Executioner Knights are even IN this book. This book is like the climax event for this series! You want me to believe that no other Executioner Knight came for the final battle after NINE YEARS??!! I was so upset!!!
Sean is built up as this horrible person who does disgusting things for the greater good. The few vs the many argument...which I thought would come into play here. But his actions of kidnapping and helping the king rape women that is ON PAGE in previous books in not mentioned. Nor his torn relationship with his family. Nothing. Was it a cute insta-love romance? Yes... I felt like I was reading a different character than the one from all the previous books. As a standalone it works. But not in this series.
I was so confused! This book is listed under the Executioner Knights series and features one of the knights, but this book was actually published under the The Great Marcher Lords of De Lara series back in 2011. It even lists it under that series on her website. The Executioner Knights started in 2019. So it seems like this book and character was added into this series, but the book doesn't fit into the themes of the Executioner Knights series, and the character acts very differently than he does in those books.
All the other books have the same tavern meeting scene in the beginning, but this did not. No big espionage assignment meeting. Nothing. No mention of Sean being an excecutioner knight was mentioned at all. William Marshall is an active member now instead of the retired leader sitting at home and everyone reports to him? He is too old at this point to be doing what the author has him doing. I was utterly shocked it was not the character it should have been as according to previous books in the series. No other Executioner Knights are even IN this book. This book is like the climax event for this series! You want me to believe that no other Executioner Knight came for the final battle after NINE YEARS??!! I was so upset!!!
Sean is built up as this horrible person who does disgusting things for the greater good. The few vs the many argument...which I thought would come into play here. But his actions of kidnapping and helping the king rape women that is ON PAGE in previous books in not mentioned. Nor his torn relationship with his family. Nothing. Was it a cute insta-love romance? Yes... I felt like I was reading a different character than the one from all the previous books. As a standalone it works. But not in this series.
January 30, 2022
Sean and Sheridan.
Sean, an Executioner knight dubbed the Lord of the Shadows, is bodyguard to the king while sworn to William Marshal. A chance meeting connects Sean to Sheridan, who inherited the earldom when her father died. She is part of the opposition to the king and doesn’t know that she and Sean are on the same side. They are immediately attracted to each other and she can’t control it, even though several close to her have warned her against him. Sean will do anything to protect her from the king and in doing so, puts himself and his position at risk. Sean has always been one of my favorite characters of the Executioner knights. Now he is my favorite. Tormented, misunderstood, respected and feared. In his story we see the softer side of him and it does not disappoint.
Sean, an Executioner knight dubbed the Lord of the Shadows, is bodyguard to the king while sworn to William Marshal. A chance meeting connects Sean to Sheridan, who inherited the earldom when her father died. She is part of the opposition to the king and doesn’t know that she and Sean are on the same side. They are immediately attracted to each other and she can’t control it, even though several close to her have warned her against him. Sean will do anything to protect her from the king and in doing so, puts himself and his position at risk. Sean has always been one of my favorite characters of the Executioner knights. Now he is my favorite. Tormented, misunderstood, respected and feared. In his story we see the softer side of him and it does not disappoint.
July 13, 2024
Finally, I got to read Sean’s story. There is a hint of it in his brother’s book. However, the two stories of what happened to Sean at the tower and his rescue don’t quite add up which spoilt it for me. Also the stories of the Executioner Knights aren’t written in chronological order which is off putting. Having said all that, I loved Sean and Sheridan’s story. Love at first sight could describe their first interaction. The details in this story are interesting. We get an insight into why Sean has gained his horrendous reputation as mentioned in many previous stories. However, his love for Sheridan comes out of the blue and threatens to ruin his cover and the long term plan to overthrow John. A great read!
May 1, 2023
Love Sean ❤️❤️
Have been looking forward to Sean de Lara’s story in the series and it was NO disappointment!! It was everything I hoped it would be and more. I’ve enjoyed this series and each time I think one of the books is my new favorite, I read another and it becomes my new favorite. The only complaint - Sean and Kevin de Lara’s books are out of order. I realized this when I went to read book 6 (Kevin’s story) so immediately jumped to book 10 (Sean’s story) because I didn’t want anything given away to what had happened. I’m glad I did that. Great series and highly recommend!!!
Have been looking forward to Sean de Lara’s story in the series and it was NO disappointment!! It was everything I hoped it would be and more. I’ve enjoyed this series and each time I think one of the books is my new favorite, I read another and it becomes my new favorite. The only complaint - Sean and Kevin de Lara’s books are out of order. I realized this when I went to read book 6 (Kevin’s story) so immediately jumped to book 10 (Sean’s story) because I didn’t want anything given away to what had happened. I’m glad I did that. Great series and highly recommend!!!
November 26, 2024
A Favourite
Of all the books by Kathryn Le Veque that I love, this is my favourite. I have now read it about three times. It is, in my opinion, one of the best written and best developed of all her books. There are only two ‘flaws’:
1) given how her father brought her up and supposedly educated her, how come she couldn’t read?
2) Magna Carta was not signed, but sealed.
Both of these are easily ignored, and there is no doubt that in a year or so, I will read it again; it really is that good.
I highly, highly recommend it.
Of all the books by Kathryn Le Veque that I love, this is my favourite. I have now read it about three times. It is, in my opinion, one of the best written and best developed of all her books. There are only two ‘flaws’:
1) given how her father brought her up and supposedly educated her, how come she couldn’t read?
2) Magna Carta was not signed, but sealed.
Both of these are easily ignored, and there is no doubt that in a year or so, I will read it again; it really is that good.
I highly, highly recommend it.
October 12, 2025
MAN!!! What a story this one is!!
I’ve always liked Sean even tho he was a tough, hard and ruthless guy. What a hard job he’s had for 9 years. He’s remarkable to have endured all that, kept his cover and remained completely selfless in the process-working for the cause, the greater good as he was made to look as evil personified. I love the tender man behind the tough exterior! I love how his heart became Sheridan’s. A beautiful love story. There’s so much drama in this story. Much pain. Much victory!! This is another great book by Kathryn Le Veque!!
pamarella
PRCS
I’ve always liked Sean even tho he was a tough, hard and ruthless guy. What a hard job he’s had for 9 years. He’s remarkable to have endured all that, kept his cover and remained completely selfless in the process-working for the cause, the greater good as he was made to look as evil personified. I love the tender man behind the tough exterior! I love how his heart became Sheridan’s. A beautiful love story. There’s so much drama in this story. Much pain. Much victory!! This is another great book by Kathryn Le Veque!!
pamarella
PRCS
Read
July 11, 2023Ups and downs!
I loved this story. From one step to another, the outcome was not guaranteed, nor easy to foretell. It was difficult to tell whose side Sean was really on due to the nasty things he did for King John. Even though you know that he was an agent for William Marshall, it was still hard to believe some of his actions. Through it all, Sean and Sheridan's love story prevailed!
I loved this story. From one step to another, the outcome was not guaranteed, nor easy to foretell. It was difficult to tell whose side Sean was really on due to the nasty things he did for King John. Even though you know that he was an agent for William Marshall, it was still hard to believe some of his actions. Through it all, Sean and Sheridan's love story prevailed!
July 24, 2018
Enjoyable storyline but unrealistic love story
I enjoyed all of the intrigue that was woven into the concept of the story, namely Sean being a deeply embedded spy in King John’s inner circle. But, The love story didn’t seem as realistic and progressed too quickly. They were deeply in love with each other, in this life and the next, after talking for maybe 30 minutes.
I enjoyed all of the intrigue that was woven into the concept of the story, namely Sean being a deeply embedded spy in King John’s inner circle. But, The love story didn’t seem as realistic and progressed too quickly. They were deeply in love with each other, in this life and the next, after talking for maybe 30 minutes.
Read
June 13, 2020Heartwarming
It is very hard to put down a LeVeque novel. Every word seems to draw you to the next. Thank you for always ending your stories on a positive note. Sean and Sheridan were two gifted and powerful characters. Life in medieval England was not often easy on women. It is inspiring to read of strong and gifted female characters. The k you.
It is very hard to put down a LeVeque novel. Every word seems to draw you to the next. Thank you for always ending your stories on a positive note. Sean and Sheridan were two gifted and powerful characters. Life in medieval England was not often easy on women. It is inspiring to read of strong and gifted female characters. The k you.
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