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Lady Valiant
A REBELLIOUS BEAUTY
Once Mary, Queen of Scots, had been her closest friend. Now Thea Hunt was determined to pay back the queen's kindness--by journeying to Scotland to warn her away from a treacherous marriage. But in the thick of an English forest, Thea suddenly finds herself set upon by thieves ... and chased down by a golden-haired highwayman who'd still her struggles--and stir her heart--with one penetrating glance from his fiery blue eyes.
A DARING ROGUE
As a spy in Queen Elizabeth's service, Robin St. John was prepared to despise this traitorous wench ... to enjoy her torment as he spirited her away to the castle where she'd remain until Mary Stuart was safely wed. But from the moment he beheld Thea's tantalizing golden eyes, her raven locks and stubborn courage, he found himself desiring her more than any woman he had ever met. And now, as captive and captor clash, Robin vows to use his every weapon to make Thea surrender--to the raging fires of his need and to the rising heat of her own passion.
Once Mary, Queen of Scots, had been her closest friend. Now Thea Hunt was determined to pay back the queen's kindness--by journeying to Scotland to warn her away from a treacherous marriage. But in the thick of an English forest, Thea suddenly finds herself set upon by thieves ... and chased down by a golden-haired highwayman who'd still her struggles--and stir her heart--with one penetrating glance from his fiery blue eyes.
A DARING ROGUE
As a spy in Queen Elizabeth's service, Robin St. John was prepared to despise this traitorous wench ... to enjoy her torment as he spirited her away to the castle where she'd remain until Mary Stuart was safely wed. But from the moment he beheld Thea's tantalizing golden eyes, her raven locks and stubborn courage, he found himself desiring her more than any woman he had ever met. And now, as captive and captor clash, Robin vows to use his every weapon to make Thea surrender--to the raging fires of his need and to the rising heat of her own passion.
321 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published July 1, 1993
4 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Robinson
34 books59 followersLynda Suzanne Robinson (b. July 6, 1951 in Amarillo, Texas) is an American writer, author of romance (under the name Suzanne Robinson) and mystery novels (under the name Lynda S. Robinson). She is best known for her series of historical whodunnits set in Ancient Egypt during the reign of Tutankhamun and featuring Lord Meren, "the Eyes and Ears of Pharaoh". She lives in Texas with her husband and has a doctorate in anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 2, 2020
Lady Valiant is as much fun as Lady Gallant, which is saying a lot, after Lady Defiant was ok to read.
You've got your Elizabethan spy plot where the hero doesn't trust the heroine but this time the hero faces off with a heroine with a backbone in a plot that's easier to suspend reader disbelief! Lady Valiant stars Derry, a spy trained under Christian de Rivers, off to stop Thea from delivering secret messages to Queen Mary. Derry and Thea have both been hurt in the past and are distrustful of the other sex. Derry, due to his past wife who betrayed him, and Thea, for being made a conquest of among the courtiers in the French Court. What I love about the Queen's Spies Quartet is the dialogue - Thea and Derry both bicker as good as they got, but it's not bickering where you start to feel uncomfortable because they hate each other, but watch like it's a tennis match, both matched to the skill of debate and insult. Of course, there is a mandatory ambush scene and at least one moment where the heroine is not paying attention to the hero because she's literally just staring at the hero.
I'm really loving Suzanne Robinson's writing.
You've got your Elizabethan spy plot where the hero doesn't trust the heroine but this time the hero faces off with a heroine with a backbone in a plot that's easier to suspend reader disbelief! Lady Valiant stars Derry, a spy trained under Christian de Rivers, off to stop Thea from delivering secret messages to Queen Mary. Derry and Thea have both been hurt in the past and are distrustful of the other sex. Derry, due to his past wife who betrayed him, and Thea, for being made a conquest of among the courtiers in the French Court. What I love about the Queen's Spies Quartet is the dialogue - Thea and Derry both bicker as good as they got, but it's not bickering where you start to feel uncomfortable because they hate each other, but watch like it's a tennis match, both matched to the skill of debate and insult. Of course, there is a mandatory ambush scene and at least one moment where the heroine is not paying attention to the hero because she's literally just staring at the hero.
I'm really loving Suzanne Robinson's writing.
December 12, 2022
4.5 STARS
March 12, 2022
Robin St. John is Queen Elizabeth's man, sent to intercept Thea Hunt's trip to Scotland. Traveling at the behest of her grandmother, Thea is unknowingly carrying a cypher for Mary, Queen of Scots. St. John, more commonly referred to as Derry, is a Spy/Adonis who wants to take Thea down a peg. No easy task, for Thea has claws. (I mean this literally. She's always scratching him!)
They are a bickering, biting, mess of a pair, and it was quite fun. They both distrust the other party, but are drawn to each other with such force that the result is inevitable.
I hate how I'm always comparing books to others, but this made me think I need to rate the earliest book in this series, Lady Gallant, higher, because even when I was having a good time with this one I was thinking about the great time I was had with Lady Gallant.
They are a bickering, biting, mess of a pair, and it was quite fun. They both distrust the other party, but are drawn to each other with such force that the result is inevitable.
I hate how I'm always comparing books to others, but this made me think I need to rate the earliest book in this series, Lady Gallant, higher, because even when I was having a good time with this one I was thinking about the great time I was had with Lady Gallant.
August 12, 2010
Elizabethan stories always seem to include lots of spies, plots to help or undermine the queen and this one is no exception. It is a sequel to Lady Defiant (a sequel to one of my favourite Elizabethans, Lady Gallant) and as the previous book it doesn't come close to the first book.
Common to all 3 books is the love / hate relationship between the main characters. The heroes believe the heroines to be spies trying to harm Queen Elizabeth and they do their best to hurt, imprison and control them. Here I thought the hero worked on little evidence between deciding Thea was guilty. Not only that but in the beginning it seemed almost a game between them, with him accusing her of things she did not understood. I think the story has an uneven balance between some funny moments and some poignant ones and it would have been better served with choosing one or the other.
Robin catches Thea on the road to Scotland and due to her intriguing grandmother he believes that she carries messages to Mary Stuart, aiming at putting her on the throne instead of Elizabeth. He stops her and eventually imprisons her before realising that she is an innocent pawn. Unfortunately, like in so many other similar stories the hero never really grovels enough after what he did to the heroine and she is definitely too quick to forgive him. To forgive and to fall in love with him. Not only that but Thea ends up being the strong one. Robin is scarred by the treason of his dead wife and seems incapable of committing again. He is also estranged from his father because of the death of one of his brothers and Thea helps him deal with all that baggage.
In the end Thea really was a valiant lady but while this was an entertaining story it was not a memorable one.
Grade: 3.5/5
Common to all 3 books is the love / hate relationship between the main characters. The heroes believe the heroines to be spies trying to harm Queen Elizabeth and they do their best to hurt, imprison and control them. Here I thought the hero worked on little evidence between deciding Thea was guilty. Not only that but in the beginning it seemed almost a game between them, with him accusing her of things she did not understood. I think the story has an uneven balance between some funny moments and some poignant ones and it would have been better served with choosing one or the other.
Robin catches Thea on the road to Scotland and due to her intriguing grandmother he believes that she carries messages to Mary Stuart, aiming at putting her on the throne instead of Elizabeth. He stops her and eventually imprisons her before realising that she is an innocent pawn. Unfortunately, like in so many other similar stories the hero never really grovels enough after what he did to the heroine and she is definitely too quick to forgive him. To forgive and to fall in love with him. Not only that but Thea ends up being the strong one. Robin is scarred by the treason of his dead wife and seems incapable of committing again. He is also estranged from his father because of the death of one of his brothers and Thea helps him deal with all that baggage.
In the end Thea really was a valiant lady but while this was an entertaining story it was not a memorable one.
Grade: 3.5/5
July 29, 2018
The most amazing heroine ever, except Scarlett O'Hara. A wonderful story and I think will read it again for good measure!
March 5, 2012
Overall Rating: 4.15 // Action: 4 / Emotion: 3 / Romance: 3 / Sensuous: 1 / Suspense: 3 // Historical Flavor: 4.5 / Laughter: 2 / Tears: 0
All in all, Lady Valiant , unfurls all the characteristics that make for a fun, entertaining, interesting read. {1} A multi-layered angst-filled hero, who is alpha, hunky, charismatic and determined to win the day. {2} An independent, stubborn, broken-hearted heroine who is determined to chart her own path, not to be used by any man. {3} Plenty of exciting action that moves the story along with speed and interest. {4} Although not intense, nor tear-inducing, an emotional connection ties the reader to the characters of the book. {5} An aura of suspense pervades the story as the protagonists deal with their rocky relationship as they hunt for the bad guy. {6} The romantic attraction between Derry and Thea does not take top billing, nor does the tame lovemaking heat up the pages of the book, but their romance is still a pertinent part of the story. {7} Robinson inspired a desire to read the other books in the series by creating interesting supporting characters.
Lady Valiant may not be a must-read, nor a favorite, it is still not a book to be ignored. It inspired interest from the beginning to the end. An easy read for those who love the old Historical Romances. A more in-depth, detailed review of Lady Valiant appears at Wolf Bear Does Books.
Caveat: Would recommend that the four books of The Queen's Spies Quartet be read in order. It is much easier to understand the connections between the characters and to follow the historical progression.
All in all, Lady Valiant , unfurls all the characteristics that make for a fun, entertaining, interesting read. {1} A multi-layered angst-filled hero, who is alpha, hunky, charismatic and determined to win the day. {2} An independent, stubborn, broken-hearted heroine who is determined to chart her own path, not to be used by any man. {3} Plenty of exciting action that moves the story along with speed and interest. {4} Although not intense, nor tear-inducing, an emotional connection ties the reader to the characters of the book. {5} An aura of suspense pervades the story as the protagonists deal with their rocky relationship as they hunt for the bad guy. {6} The romantic attraction between Derry and Thea does not take top billing, nor does the tame lovemaking heat up the pages of the book, but their romance is still a pertinent part of the story. {7} Robinson inspired a desire to read the other books in the series by creating interesting supporting characters.
Lady Valiant may not be a must-read, nor a favorite, it is still not a book to be ignored. It inspired interest from the beginning to the end. An easy read for those who love the old Historical Romances. A more in-depth, detailed review of Lady Valiant appears at Wolf Bear Does Books.
Caveat: Would recommend that the four books of The Queen's Spies Quartet be read in order. It is much easier to understand the connections between the characters and to follow the historical progression.
October 28, 2015
While not as good as Lady Gallant (European Renaissance Duo, #1) or Lady Defiant (European Renaissance Duo, #2), this was still enjoyable. I liked the intrigue (one of my favourite parts of this genre) and the language and poetry/quotations really worked for me.
May 10, 2024
Lady Valiant ,this book is confused by goodreads with lady gallant,which is not.
I liked this book ,same writing style,although not as intense as the first in series.I’ve enjoyed the medieval intrigues and the fast pace .The ending wasn’t believable and a bit too much ,also left some loose ends to the mystery,which hopefully will close more with the last book. Overall not too bad ,still could have been better ..
I liked this book ,same writing style,although not as intense as the first in series.I’ve enjoyed the medieval intrigues and the fast pace .The ending wasn’t believable and a bit too much ,also left some loose ends to the mystery,which hopefully will close more with the last book. Overall not too bad ,still could have been better ..
September 27, 2018
Dis-a-point-ment.
Didn't even bother to finish. Could not buy into the misunderstanding between the leads. Dumb.
Didn't even bother to finish. Could not buy into the misunderstanding between the leads. Dumb.
November 7, 2019
These characters were maybe the most reckless couple of SR’s, if I put it mildly.
I am enjoying these secret agent story of Queen’s thoroughly.
I am enjoying these secret agent story of Queen’s thoroughly.
December 26, 2025
fake man hater i woulda st*bbed his bitch ass by page 45
October 10, 2022
4 stars!
I really liked it, I liked the intrigue with the Wyvern mostly.
The story was basically a Stockholm Syndrome type of love so I can't give it a 5 stars.
While I understand why Derry had to lock Thea to extract important intel in order to save his order, he basically tortured her and that annoyed me...
At least she didn't give herself to him right after her freedom so that was something.
I would have loved for him to grovel more, like Christian did with Nora in book 1.
Derry had it too easy, all he had to do was using his hips as weapons like sir calm down! Thrusting hips here, thrusting hips there... I had a visual and that was hilarious, not sexy or scaring, just ridiculous!
Good hate to love, the first third is them fighting with a lot a teasing. Second third has more intrigue and fight, last third with more teasing and Derry acting like an ass.
I really liked it, I liked the intrigue with the Wyvern mostly.
The story was basically a Stockholm Syndrome type of love so I can't give it a 5 stars.
While I understand why Derry had to lock Thea to extract important intel in order to save his order, he basically tortured her and that annoyed me...
At least she didn't give herself to him right after her freedom so that was something.
I would have loved for him to grovel more, like Christian did with Nora in book 1.
Derry had it too easy, all he had to do was using his hips as weapons like sir calm down! Thrusting hips here, thrusting hips there... I had a visual and that was hilarious, not sexy or scaring, just ridiculous!
Good hate to love, the first third is them fighting with a lot a teasing. Second third has more intrigue and fight, last third with more teasing and Derry acting like an ass.
August 3, 2023
This didn't get 1 star only because the heroine hates men and so do I
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews