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To Touch the Knight
As a pestilence sweeps medieval England, a low-born woman has only the sharpness of her wits-and the courage of her heart Edith of Warren Hamlet plays a dangerous game. At the knights tourneys across the land, among the lords and ladies, she is a strange foreign princess. But in the privacy of her tent with the other survivors of her village, she is but a smith s widow with a silver tongue. They are well-fed, but if discovered, the punishment is death. And one knight-fierce, arrogant, and perilously appealing-is becoming far too attentive
Sir Ranulf of Fredenwyke cares little for tourneys: playing for ladies favors, when his own lady is dead; feasting, while commoners starve; "friendly combat, when he has seen real war. Still, one lady captivates him-mysterious in her veils and silks, intoxicating with her exotic scents and bold glances. Yet something in her eyes reminds him of home and draws him irresistibly to learn her secrets
"Romantic and compelling the author [has a] strong voice and narrative skills. -Red Roses Reviews (5 Red Roses) on "A Knight s Enchantment"
"A promising new voice! -Shirlee Busbee"
Sir Ranulf of Fredenwyke cares little for tourneys: playing for ladies favors, when his own lady is dead; feasting, while commoners starve; "friendly combat, when he has seen real war. Still, one lady captivates him-mysterious in her veils and silks, intoxicating with her exotic scents and bold glances. Yet something in her eyes reminds him of home and draws him irresistibly to learn her secrets
"Romantic and compelling the author [has a] strong voice and narrative skills. -Red Roses Reviews (5 Red Roses) on "A Knight s Enchantment"
"A promising new voice! -Shirlee Busbee"
273 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2011
2 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Lindsay Townsend
81 books61 followersLindsay Townsend is an English novelist with a passion for writing historical romance. Her books are published by Kensington Books, Bookstrand, Prairie Rose Publications, Audible, Ulverscroft Large Print and MuseItUp. Her earlier historical romances and romantic suspense novels are reissued through Kindle Direct.
Lindsay lives in Yorkshire, in the north of England, with her husband, Alan, and also has family in Devon. She loves singing, music, walking, reading and cooking - especially trying out old recipes.
She has been writing stories since the age of six, and has been a professional novelist for many years. Her previous books are romantic thrillers.
Lindsay lives in Yorkshire, in the north of England, with her husband, Alan, and also has family in Devon. She loves singing, music, walking, reading and cooking - especially trying out old recipes.
She has been writing stories since the age of six, and has been a professional novelist for many years. Her previous books are romantic thrillers.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 18, 2011
I found it started off strong. It's the year 1349, and during the prologue,a very clever and cunning widow saves her fellow villagers from being bricked into the church by their lord, in quite an unorthodox manner. With many sick and more dying, they were walled in to die of the pestillence, and keep the sickness from spreading. Edith, though, is no ordinary woman. She is a blacksmith. She has her tools with her, and once the lord and his men are gone, she pulls out her tools, and frees the villagers.
The beginning was quite intriguing, as what can a bunch of villagers with no home, no money, do with themselves? Edith has some rare silks from China that her grandfather had brought back, and from his journals, she sets about to make them all costumes. They travel the tournament circuit pretending she is a princess from the Far East, and they her court. Here is where I felt that so much more could have been done with the book. The game of pretend was a serious one, and she would have been killed if anyone found out she was mingling with her “betters,” but I thought that it was being set up to make use of that fact so much more.
Fast forward a couple years to 1351, and we see Edith at a tournament accepting gifts from the knights. My first thoughts, with such a dangerous game of acting as the Lady of Lilies, was that there were two directions the author could take this-either it would be light, and ridiculous with the heroine dressed as a veiled harem girl, but feigning to be a Chinese princess, or it would be the opposite. She would be discovered for the fraud she was and would need to be rescued by either her own wits, or the hero. Well, the author surprised me-she did neither. The heroine stayed Lady of Lilies, Princess of the Far East, up til the end. She was only Edith with Sir Ranulf, the hero, and only towards the last third of the book.
In fact, it was almost bittersweet to see how people either hung around her to see her bright silks, and veiled face, only because she was a princess. Or with her friends, the ones from her village, they still treated her as one of them. So when Ranulf went to a bit of trouble to set up their first time together, she thought:
""No other man had taken such trouble to please her, not when they knew her simply as Edith."
Now, while the beginning starts off strong, it’s a slow book, a slow build-up, and a slow romance. A couple things didn’t work for me. I didn’t like how both characters were willing to say “I love you” (and they did mean it, don’t get me wrong) but in the same scene each thinks that he/she doesn’t trust the other. This happened a couple times. Another thing that bothered me was that I didn't feel there was much resolution at the end. "She was content." that was the last line. There had been so much to deal with and that was the end? They'd dealt with Sir Giles, Edith's former lord-the man who walled them into the church and left them for dead. They'd dealt with the Plague, they'd accepted many new people (and children) to their motley crew. They'd had an angry mob looking for salvation from the pestilence. And at the end, "She was content." I felt like there was so much left undone.
One thing I really did like was that the villain of the piece wasn’t necessarily Sir Giles (although he was a bastard) but it was the Plague. I liked how the heroine was much more practical than most. She knew how to tell how far along someone was before they weren’t going to make it. There was a scene where a baby was stillborn and completely deformed. I thought it was so sad that everyone automatically said it was the devil's work, and the girl's fault. The girl called herself "many" meaning she was one of many girls the men would pass around. I think that several dashes of realism from the author gave this medieval romance a harsher edge than most I’ve read. Everything from the fleas in the borrowed tunic, to the branding of Sir Giles’ servants (he was an awful lord! Awful-he branded his serfs across the face as one would cattle), but all of that harsh reality only drove home the point that it was after all, the year 1351. And i liked how it was stressed by Ranulf how young Edith was. She was married at 14, widowed and betrothed by 19, and I'm guessing that she's only about 22 when this is all taking place. She's very resourceful and good at thinking on her feet. I only wish that there had been more showing and less telling.
***Thank you to Kensington for the ARC
http://www.demonloversbooksandmore.co...
The beginning was quite intriguing, as what can a bunch of villagers with no home, no money, do with themselves? Edith has some rare silks from China that her grandfather had brought back, and from his journals, she sets about to make them all costumes. They travel the tournament circuit pretending she is a princess from the Far East, and they her court. Here is where I felt that so much more could have been done with the book. The game of pretend was a serious one, and she would have been killed if anyone found out she was mingling with her “betters,” but I thought that it was being set up to make use of that fact so much more.
Fast forward a couple years to 1351, and we see Edith at a tournament accepting gifts from the knights. My first thoughts, with such a dangerous game of acting as the Lady of Lilies, was that there were two directions the author could take this-either it would be light, and ridiculous with the heroine dressed as a veiled harem girl, but feigning to be a Chinese princess, or it would be the opposite. She would be discovered for the fraud she was and would need to be rescued by either her own wits, or the hero. Well, the author surprised me-she did neither. The heroine stayed Lady of Lilies, Princess of the Far East, up til the end. She was only Edith with Sir Ranulf, the hero, and only towards the last third of the book.
In fact, it was almost bittersweet to see how people either hung around her to see her bright silks, and veiled face, only because she was a princess. Or with her friends, the ones from her village, they still treated her as one of them. So when Ranulf went to a bit of trouble to set up their first time together, she thought:
""No other man had taken such trouble to please her, not when they knew her simply as Edith."
Now, while the beginning starts off strong, it’s a slow book, a slow build-up, and a slow romance. A couple things didn’t work for me. I didn’t like how both characters were willing to say “I love you” (and they did mean it, don’t get me wrong) but in the same scene each thinks that he/she doesn’t trust the other. This happened a couple times. Another thing that bothered me was that I didn't feel there was much resolution at the end. "She was content." that was the last line. There had been so much to deal with and that was the end? They'd dealt with Sir Giles, Edith's former lord-the man who walled them into the church and left them for dead. They'd dealt with the Plague, they'd accepted many new people (and children) to their motley crew. They'd had an angry mob looking for salvation from the pestilence. And at the end, "She was content." I felt like there was so much left undone.
One thing I really did like was that the villain of the piece wasn’t necessarily Sir Giles (although he was a bastard) but it was the Plague. I liked how the heroine was much more practical than most. She knew how to tell how far along someone was before they weren’t going to make it. There was a scene where a baby was stillborn and completely deformed. I thought it was so sad that everyone automatically said it was the devil's work, and the girl's fault. The girl called herself "many" meaning she was one of many girls the men would pass around. I think that several dashes of realism from the author gave this medieval romance a harsher edge than most I’ve read. Everything from the fleas in the borrowed tunic, to the branding of Sir Giles’ servants (he was an awful lord! Awful-he branded his serfs across the face as one would cattle), but all of that harsh reality only drove home the point that it was after all, the year 1351. And i liked how it was stressed by Ranulf how young Edith was. She was married at 14, widowed and betrothed by 19, and I'm guessing that she's only about 22 when this is all taking place. She's very resourceful and good at thinking on her feet. I only wish that there had been more showing and less telling.
***Thank you to Kensington for the ARC
http://www.demonloversbooksandmore.co...
September 19, 2011
Originally posted at: http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...
There is pestilence in the land and serfs are dying. Edith’s Lord decides to handle the matter expediently. He herds all the living serfs into the church building, mixing the healthy with the sick, and bars the doors. What does he care if they all die? He can always get more serfs.
It’s easy to see that this author has done some research on this historical era. She emphasizes the difference between good Lords and bad, she shows insight on the character of knights that joust (they are no better than the man they are to begin with), and she shows how hopeless it is to be a serf under a bad Lord.
Ms. Townsend gives both of her lead characters strong personalities and a will to survive. Edith attends the tourneys with her friends, impersonating an Eastern princess. She manages to feed them with goods given them by knights who are seeking her attention and her hand. Sir Ranulf is a widower who only attends the jousts to keep his mind from dwelling on his dead wife; he takes no pleasure in it.
I really enjoyed how this author made Edith a spitfire who spars words with Ranulf. He snaps back, often regretting his quick words. In no time at all, the sparks flying between them are not just words, he’s determined to bed her. Of course, she’s determined to bed him, too, so that’s all right. I laughed out loud at the times they got close to “bed” and were interrupted by staff. Seems the best laid plans of mice and men didn’t seem to work out…
Danger is close, pestilence still exists, and Edith’s old Lord is after her adding a tremendous amount of suspense, so the words pass quickly as you read. This was an exciting tale with plenty of plot strings crossing back and forth to keep your interest.
Why not take a trip in time back to medieval England and follow Edith’s adventures? Her life was a trial, but it was going to get better…
There is pestilence in the land and serfs are dying. Edith’s Lord decides to handle the matter expediently. He herds all the living serfs into the church building, mixing the healthy with the sick, and bars the doors. What does he care if they all die? He can always get more serfs.
It’s easy to see that this author has done some research on this historical era. She emphasizes the difference between good Lords and bad, she shows insight on the character of knights that joust (they are no better than the man they are to begin with), and she shows how hopeless it is to be a serf under a bad Lord.
Ms. Townsend gives both of her lead characters strong personalities and a will to survive. Edith attends the tourneys with her friends, impersonating an Eastern princess. She manages to feed them with goods given them by knights who are seeking her attention and her hand. Sir Ranulf is a widower who only attends the jousts to keep his mind from dwelling on his dead wife; he takes no pleasure in it.
I really enjoyed how this author made Edith a spitfire who spars words with Ranulf. He snaps back, often regretting his quick words. In no time at all, the sparks flying between them are not just words, he’s determined to bed her. Of course, she’s determined to bed him, too, so that’s all right. I laughed out loud at the times they got close to “bed” and were interrupted by staff. Seems the best laid plans of mice and men didn’t seem to work out…
Danger is close, pestilence still exists, and Edith’s old Lord is after her adding a tremendous amount of suspense, so the words pass quickly as you read. This was an exciting tale with plenty of plot strings crossing back and forth to keep your interest.
Why not take a trip in time back to medieval England and follow Edith’s adventures? Her life was a trial, but it was going to get better…
August 12, 2011
RATING:4.5) TO TOUCH THE KNIGHT by Lindsay Townsend is an exciting historical romance set in 1351 England. It is written with depth and details. The characters are engaging,believable,and will capture your heart. It has romance,sweet sensuality,Knights,love,deception,betrayal,wit,courage,
secrets,the knights' tourney games and forgiveness. When a low born woman with wit and courage of heart,Edith of Warren Hamlet meets the knight,Sir Ranulf of Fredenwyke you get not only attraction,wit,but also trust and love. Edith is playing a dangerous game where the punishment is death if discovered. Sir Ranulf fierce,arrogant and has his own secret.They are attracted to each other from the beginning.Sir Ranulf is drawn to Edith and intends to learn all her secrets. This is a fast paced,action packed story that will have you turning pages from beginning to end. I hope there will be another installment to this amazing story. "To Touch The Knight" is a keeper and a must read. This book was received for the purpose of review from the publisher.Details can be found at Zebra Books, published by Kensington Books and My Book Addiction Reviews.
secrets,the knights' tourney games and forgiveness. When a low born woman with wit and courage of heart,Edith of Warren Hamlet meets the knight,Sir Ranulf of Fredenwyke you get not only attraction,wit,but also trust and love. Edith is playing a dangerous game where the punishment is death if discovered. Sir Ranulf fierce,arrogant and has his own secret.They are attracted to each other from the beginning.Sir Ranulf is drawn to Edith and intends to learn all her secrets. This is a fast paced,action packed story that will have you turning pages from beginning to end. I hope there will be another installment to this amazing story. "To Touch The Knight" is a keeper and a must read. This book was received for the purpose of review from the publisher.Details can be found at Zebra Books, published by Kensington Books and My Book Addiction Reviews.
August 29, 2011
In Lindsay Townsend’s To Touch the Knight, a woman must make a choice: to trust a handsome stranger with secrets of her past or continue to run from it.
It’s England during the time of the Black Death. To escape a cruel lord, Edith of Warren Hemlet has re-invented herself as the Lady of Lilies. Dressed in the elaborate, costly fashions of a supposed princess of Cathay, she holds court on the tournament circuit and keeps the men enthralled. Until the arrival of Ranulf of Fredenwyke, a northern knight who suspects Edith’s origins. He poses another danger – his best friend is the villainous Giles de Rothencey. If Edith allows Ranulf into her heart, she risks the possibility that he may discover the truth of her past and the connection to Giles. The author does a good job of keeping the tension between the hero and heroine. There are also personal stakes for both in their interactions with Giles that keep the reader’s interest. The love story is sweet and sensual at the same time.
It’s England during the time of the Black Death. To escape a cruel lord, Edith of Warren Hemlet has re-invented herself as the Lady of Lilies. Dressed in the elaborate, costly fashions of a supposed princess of Cathay, she holds court on the tournament circuit and keeps the men enthralled. Until the arrival of Ranulf of Fredenwyke, a northern knight who suspects Edith’s origins. He poses another danger – his best friend is the villainous Giles de Rothencey. If Edith allows Ranulf into her heart, she risks the possibility that he may discover the truth of her past and the connection to Giles. The author does a good job of keeping the tension between the hero and heroine. There are also personal stakes for both in their interactions with Giles that keep the reader’s interest. The love story is sweet and sensual at the same time.
Read
September 5, 2011With a cast of strong characters, Townsend will blow you away with To Touch the Knight. Townsend’s historical romance is down right delicious read because it not only encompasses romance, it tells us what 1391 during the plague was like and how there was those who sought to exploit others during the time. Knight Sir Ranulf of Frendenwyke doesn’t like what’s happening around him, but there is little he can do. It’s all about how both Edith and Ranulf interact with each other and if Edith will feel safe telling him her true story about being a princess, after all her people come first before anything else. The passion and interaction is electric between the two, those who love historical, medieval romance are sure to like this wonderful story during a time that was not as beautiful.
June 27, 2019
About the book, As a pestilence sweeps medieval England, a low-born woman has only the sharpness of her wits and the courage of her heart.
Edith of Warren Hamlet plays a dangerous game. At the knights' tourneys across the land, among the lords and ladies, she is a strange, foreign princess. But in the privacy of her tent with the other survivors of her village, she is but a smith's widow with a silver tongue. They are well-fed, but if discovered, the punishment is death. And one knight—fierce, arrogant, and perilously appealing—is becoming far too attentive.
Sir Ranulf of Fredenwyke cares little for tourneys: playing for ladies' favors, when his own lady is dead; feasting, while commoners starve; "friendly" combat, when he has seen real war. Still, one lady captivates him—mysterious in her veils and silks, intoxicating with her exotic scents and bold glances. Yet something in her eyes reminds him of home...and draws him irresistibly to learn her secrets
great read, loved the setting and characters love how it turn out.
Edith of Warren Hamlet plays a dangerous game. At the knights' tourneys across the land, among the lords and ladies, she is a strange, foreign princess. But in the privacy of her tent with the other survivors of her village, she is but a smith's widow with a silver tongue. They are well-fed, but if discovered, the punishment is death. And one knight—fierce, arrogant, and perilously appealing—is becoming far too attentive.
Sir Ranulf of Fredenwyke cares little for tourneys: playing for ladies' favors, when his own lady is dead; feasting, while commoners starve; "friendly" combat, when he has seen real war. Still, one lady captivates him—mysterious in her veils and silks, intoxicating with her exotic scents and bold glances. Yet something in her eyes reminds him of home...and draws him irresistibly to learn her secrets
great read, loved the setting and characters love how it turn out.
November 18, 2011
To Touch the Knight starts out as your average story, picks up pace along the middle, only to loose some of the magic along the way. While the historical accuracy is there, the characters in this novel just don't stand out.
Widow Edith of Warren Hamlet was left for dead along with others from her village. Their master Sir Giles de Rothencey has locked them all away and left them to die, for fear they would spread the deadly pestilence on to him and others. But Edith and the others escape and she realizes in order to survive she must take a bold risk. She will now travel to knights tourneys disguised as the mysterious ‘Lady of the Lilies’ in order to ensure her survival and the survival of other villagers.
Whom she does not expect to encounter is Sir Ranulf of Fredenwyke...the handsome black knight. He is known for his trivial interest in the tourneys and the constant grief of his late wife that still clings to him. Yet after a few brief encounters with the ‘Lady of the Lilies’ he realizes he may have found a stunning mysterious woman who captivates him like no other. While their relationship blooms, the dangers of secrets and old foes begins to emerge and Edith and Ranulf must see if their love can survive the fight.
For me, To Touch the Knight was an interesting book, but not necessarily in a good way. At the conclusion of one chapter, I would be eager to go on to the next. Yet somewhere along the middle I put the book down and found my interest in picking it back up again was lost. Mainly because I just couldn’t fall in love with the characters. They came across as very cold and uninteresting.
While I try not to nit pick a book somethings in the book TO TOUCH THE KNIGHT had me shaking my head in disbelief. One major obstacle was the hero and the heroine’s beliefs in God and their views on religion. Their views were the complete opposite of one another and really were just ignored while their relationship developed. No matter what the time period, this was just an issue that I felt couldn’t be ignored. Also, their were situations and circumstances surrounding the secondary characters that I just found hard to accept as believable.
The characters were lacking in personality and I had such difficulty overlooking this problem. I kept trying to become engrossed in their romance, but just could not do it. These two had such deep trust issues with each other that I saw no possible way for them to build a healthy relationship with one another. Ranulf came into this story still grieving over his loving wife and as the book progressed I was amazed that it was Edith who claimed his heart. It seemed the most unlikely match. Their attraction towards one another was awkward, distracted and I felt severely misguided.
I truly tried to love this book and at some points I did enjoy reading it, but overall I just couldn’t follow through. I did enjoy some of the more passionate scenes as they were written beautifully. Townsend has promising narrative skills and as some of her strengths are shown in this novel, it is easy to see her writing could conjure a wonderful story. Unfortunately, this story just wasn’t strong enough to completely capture my interest. To Touch the Knight may have a strong historical setting and plenty of passion, but lack of convincing characters makes it a problematic read.
Overall Rating: 2/5
Heat Level: 4/5
Lisa Jo @ Once Upon A Chapter
Widow Edith of Warren Hamlet was left for dead along with others from her village. Their master Sir Giles de Rothencey has locked them all away and left them to die, for fear they would spread the deadly pestilence on to him and others. But Edith and the others escape and she realizes in order to survive she must take a bold risk. She will now travel to knights tourneys disguised as the mysterious ‘Lady of the Lilies’ in order to ensure her survival and the survival of other villagers.
Whom she does not expect to encounter is Sir Ranulf of Fredenwyke...the handsome black knight. He is known for his trivial interest in the tourneys and the constant grief of his late wife that still clings to him. Yet after a few brief encounters with the ‘Lady of the Lilies’ he realizes he may have found a stunning mysterious woman who captivates him like no other. While their relationship blooms, the dangers of secrets and old foes begins to emerge and Edith and Ranulf must see if their love can survive the fight.
For me, To Touch the Knight was an interesting book, but not necessarily in a good way. At the conclusion of one chapter, I would be eager to go on to the next. Yet somewhere along the middle I put the book down and found my interest in picking it back up again was lost. Mainly because I just couldn’t fall in love with the characters. They came across as very cold and uninteresting.
While I try not to nit pick a book somethings in the book TO TOUCH THE KNIGHT had me shaking my head in disbelief. One major obstacle was the hero and the heroine’s beliefs in God and their views on religion. Their views were the complete opposite of one another and really were just ignored while their relationship developed. No matter what the time period, this was just an issue that I felt couldn’t be ignored. Also, their were situations and circumstances surrounding the secondary characters that I just found hard to accept as believable.
The characters were lacking in personality and I had such difficulty overlooking this problem. I kept trying to become engrossed in their romance, but just could not do it. These two had such deep trust issues with each other that I saw no possible way for them to build a healthy relationship with one another. Ranulf came into this story still grieving over his loving wife and as the book progressed I was amazed that it was Edith who claimed his heart. It seemed the most unlikely match. Their attraction towards one another was awkward, distracted and I felt severely misguided.
I truly tried to love this book and at some points I did enjoy reading it, but overall I just couldn’t follow through. I did enjoy some of the more passionate scenes as they were written beautifully. Townsend has promising narrative skills and as some of her strengths are shown in this novel, it is easy to see her writing could conjure a wonderful story. Unfortunately, this story just wasn’t strong enough to completely capture my interest. To Touch the Knight may have a strong historical setting and plenty of passion, but lack of convincing characters makes it a problematic read.
Overall Rating: 2/5
Heat Level: 4/5
Lisa Jo @ Once Upon A Chapter
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