Ryder of Moreland, street rat-turned king’s ward, has been given a strange collect Johanna of Seacliff and deliver her to her betrothed. Johanna, a young but fiery innocent, refuses to marry the vile and disgusting Basil of Blackhawk. Lord Blackhawk is after Johanna for more than just her body. He wants her estate, and the treasure that is fabled to be located there. When Ryder steals her from her home in the dead of night, Johanna vows to hate her tall, muscled captor, and escape him at any cost. Her plan goes awry, and she ends up falling for the very man she has sworn to oppose. Will Ryder deliver her to her fate, or will Ryder, the feared Mercenary of Moreland, take Johanna for his own? Excerpt “Get out of my chamber immediately you…you…whoreson!” Facing the third man, Johanna spat out the most insulting term she could muster, as adrenaline coursed through her veins. She tossed her long, auburn hair out of her face. Now the third man broke into a wide grin. In fact, he seemed downright entertained by her display. Johanna felt hot anger bubbling up in her blood. The whip sang through the air like a striking snake, flaying a small wound into his cheek. The man blinked, and then his grin slowly disappeared. He put his hand to his cheek and his blue eyes narrowed. “You will most certainly regret that.” The man reached for her and she snapped the whip again. Still, he advanced. In but a few strides, he had her backed against the wall. She pulled back to strike him with her fists, but he grabbed her wrists, and pinned them to her sides. Then, he tossed her over his broad shoulder. Johanna shrieked incredulously as the man strode unchallenged out of the castle, the two other louts following closely behind him. Where were her father’s men? Had this brute killed them all? Johanna pummeled the man’s back with blows, but she soon found that her struggling was futile. She remembered her lessons well. Resistance would do nothing but sap her energy. She must remain strong and alert until the opportunity for escape arose. Johanna could hear Lisel’s traumatized screams echoing behind her as the man carried her off into the night. At least Lisel had not been hurt, Johanna thought miserably. But what of Rolf? Only death would have stopped her devoted overseer from coming to her aid. Fighting the bile that rose in her throat, and the tears that pricked her eyes, Johanna forced herself to go limp. She would play possum until she was able to escape. *** From Amazon Best Seller, Jayna Vixen, this work features strong sexual themes such as reluctance and force. Recommended for readers ages 18 and up.
Jayna Vixen is a popular indie author who writes romantic suspense, contemporary romance, and young adult fiction. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, young son (Jax, of course!) and a geriatric chihuahua. Follow Jayna on Facebook and Twitter for frequent updates regarding new releases.
I didn't like this book much at all. The hero was not likeable and I agree with the other person that the hero was stupid to leave the heroine in danger which was SO obvious. I also was put right off with the way the hero kept using swear words in fact this was through out the book I lost count how many times that word came up and for me it completely takes out the romance!
This book didn't earn four stars from me because of the hero leaving the heroine in harm's way and for a stupid reason. This leads to a violent consummation of their marriage to avoid the villains getting their hands on her. Also, I felt that she gave up too easily to have fought so hard in the beginning of her kidnapping. The author tried to cover that with their mutual feelings but it just never clicked for me. It did having interesting side story about treasure to add in.
I was captivated by this story from the beginning. It has all the necessary requirements for a great book. Love, adventure, mystery, a knight in mercenary armor with a hidden heart and a gutsy, strong female who holds it all in her small but extremely capable hands. They stole my heart as well. Great work. Please follow up with a story on our handsome King Devon won't you??
Set in the medieval times of the European Kings and Queens, the aristocratic fathers had marriage contracts for their daughters and it would be their sons-in-law who took over their lands and holdings, as women were not allowed to own property.
Johanna of Seacliff’s father died and she would never believe that her father would marry her off without letting her know and without finding an honorable, suitable man. But after her father’s death, there is a family who has a contract to marry the terrible, son of Lord Blackhawk, Basil of Blackhawk. And Lord Blackhawk wants her for her body, her lands and the fabled treasure that resides in her castle. When all plans are thwarted to try to get & take her by force to fulfill this contract, which is also fully supported by the King, the King sends his longtime friend & confidant, Ryder of Moreland.
Ryder of Moreland is also known as the Mercenary of Moreland and he has a wicked, scary reputation. He is a fearsome warrior who has a reputation of always getting his mark, no matter what. He also owes a debt to the King and the King has promised that when he is done with this mission of delivering the virgin, Johanna to the Blackhawks, intact, the debt will be forgiven and erased, forever. And there is nothing more than Ryder wants, than to be free of the debt. All Ryder has is his reputation, so he knows he has to complete his task.
But Ryder doesn’t expect for himself to start having feelings for the young maiden. As their journey continues, they start to have feelings for each other, and Johanna is shocked that she can feel anything for a man who has kidnapped her from her home and is taking her to where her hand will be forced in marriage. There are ups and downs during this journey, and plans go awry. But it becomes even more difficult when Ryder wants to keep her for himself, which would mean, defying the King, gambling his reputation and continuing in his debt to the King.
There was another plot twist that I was quite expecting. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Well written and well edited. I liked both of the main characters. The sexual tension was definitely there for me, and I enjoyed the actual sex scenes...they were not overly descriptive, but had enough to "satisfy"! What, to me, keeps this from being a 5 star book is how formulaic the plot is. From start to finish, nothing surprised me. All through the book, I had the thought, "this story is as old as romance novels themselves". Don't get me wrong, it was well done, and I definitely enjoyed reading it.
This was a very addicting book! I loved this book from the beginning I was a. captive. Jayna Vixen takes us ( the reader) on quite a journey. Makes us hope to be as courageous as Johanna . Glad that her captor is actually on a the right side and with a good heart. Her story weaves a tale and has a Happy romantic ending. It is not a tame read. I hope you Enjoy the adventure. I found it to be emotion grabbing, I hope to read more by this author.
This book kept me reading until the last page. Ryder and Johanna's story has become one of my favorites. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a wonderfully written romance.