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Knights Of The Round Table #1
Knights of the Round Table: Lancelot
Strong and powerful warriors of nobility and honor, the Knights of the Round Table fought for kings, rescued damsels, and undertook dangerous quests. But true love may be the most perilous quest of all…
Sir Lancelot, First Knight of King Arthur’s realm and the Queen’s champion, cannot be defeated by any earthly man—as long as he keeps his oaths to Arthur and Guinevere. Though arrogant and supremely confident, he will be brought to his knees by a mere maiden: Elaine of Corbenic. Together, they will have a son, Galahad—the knight destined to find the Holy Grail.
Lancelot du Lac is the greatest knight of a peerless age, blessed by the Lady of the Lake with extraordinary military prowess. His fighting ability has earned him a place at King Arthur's side, but the powers the Lady has given him come with a terrible price.
Elaine of Corbenic is struggling to hold her impoverished family together. The keep is a wreck and the peasants, starving, are on the brink of rebellion. Elaine's father is obsessed with finding the Holy Grail, and her older brother, maimed by Lancelot in a joust, is a bitter drunkard. Without a dowry, she has little hope for the future.
Incognito, Lancelot rides into Corbenic on his way to the king's tournament. He finds the practical Elaine irresistible. Thoroughly dismayed when she reveals her contempt for "Lancelot," he must face his own arrogance to win her hand. For only with Elaine at his side will Lancelot have the strength to free himself from the enchantments that bind him…
Sir Lancelot, First Knight of King Arthur’s realm and the Queen’s champion, cannot be defeated by any earthly man—as long as he keeps his oaths to Arthur and Guinevere. Though arrogant and supremely confident, he will be brought to his knees by a mere maiden: Elaine of Corbenic. Together, they will have a son, Galahad—the knight destined to find the Holy Grail.
Lancelot du Lac is the greatest knight of a peerless age, blessed by the Lady of the Lake with extraordinary military prowess. His fighting ability has earned him a place at King Arthur's side, but the powers the Lady has given him come with a terrible price.
Elaine of Corbenic is struggling to hold her impoverished family together. The keep is a wreck and the peasants, starving, are on the brink of rebellion. Elaine's father is obsessed with finding the Holy Grail, and her older brother, maimed by Lancelot in a joust, is a bitter drunkard. Without a dowry, she has little hope for the future.
Incognito, Lancelot rides into Corbenic on his way to the king's tournament. He finds the practical Elaine irresistible. Thoroughly dismayed when she reveals her contempt for "Lancelot," he must face his own arrogance to win her hand. For only with Elaine at his side will Lancelot have the strength to free himself from the enchantments that bind him…
362 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 5, 2006
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477 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 29, 2025
Lancelot is aware of the rumors circling his relationship with the queen is sexual in nature and though he knows them to be false – his love for Genevieve is based in friendship only – the rumors have managed to damage his reputation a bit. Especially when it comes to Arthur, his King. When the Queen lies and bids him to remain behind while others go to the tournament, Lancelot knows that her actions may well have cost him favour with Arthur forever. So, he plans to attend the tournament in disguise, to claim it was all a harmless game only done in jest. However, plans go array when he finds himself lost in the woods and happens upon an estate with a fair maiden who very well may be his destiny.
Elaine has taken on the responsibility of managing her fathers’ lands when the death of her mother brought on madness in her beloved father. Her one brother is far to young, her other brother lost in drink and women after a damaged leg ruins his future as a Knight. When the handsome and nameless Knight bids shelter, her family and herself welcome him. As time passes, they become closer and closer and though he hasn’t revealed his name, Elaine knows him to be a kind and oddly sad soul who has obvious regrets in life.
When he is injured, his true name comes to light and with it – his needed presence in court by order of his King. It will be over a year before she sees him again – this time with a baby on her hip. Elaine must battle the dangerous world of court life if she is to save Lancelot from his personal demons and his encroaching madness.
This book was truly an odd one. The first half which was Lancelot and Elaine living a quite farm life, away from his duties as a Knight and it was a tad bit boring I must say. Then the middle part was a year spent apart, Elaine learning to live with the fact that Lancelot may not be coming back to her and their son while at the same time intensely longer for her to be wrong. Then she travels to Camelot and is united with him but despite the love between them, Lancelot’s torment threatens to tear them apart. This part was exciting to me and by far the best part of the book. The final part was bizarre. Lancelot loses his mind and spends 2 years as a vagrant while Elaine essentially moves on with her life. Then there’s an attempt on her life, Lancelot comes to his senses and they much battle the Fae which has captured both of them in another world basically. I sort of lost interest when the book entered it’s third phase.
Side note. This book made me hate Genevieve and whether the author hoped to redeem her character by the end or explain her behavior, neither changed my opinion that the Queen was a selfish cow who uses Lancelot for her own gain. She is whinny and horrid.
Elaine has taken on the responsibility of managing her fathers’ lands when the death of her mother brought on madness in her beloved father. Her one brother is far to young, her other brother lost in drink and women after a damaged leg ruins his future as a Knight. When the handsome and nameless Knight bids shelter, her family and herself welcome him. As time passes, they become closer and closer and though he hasn’t revealed his name, Elaine knows him to be a kind and oddly sad soul who has obvious regrets in life.
When he is injured, his true name comes to light and with it – his needed presence in court by order of his King. It will be over a year before she sees him again – this time with a baby on her hip. Elaine must battle the dangerous world of court life if she is to save Lancelot from his personal demons and his encroaching madness.
This book was truly an odd one. The first half which was Lancelot and Elaine living a quite farm life, away from his duties as a Knight and it was a tad bit boring I must say. Then the middle part was a year spent apart, Elaine learning to live with the fact that Lancelot may not be coming back to her and their son while at the same time intensely longer for her to be wrong. Then she travels to Camelot and is united with him but despite the love between them, Lancelot’s torment threatens to tear them apart. This part was exciting to me and by far the best part of the book. The final part was bizarre. Lancelot loses his mind and spends 2 years as a vagrant while Elaine essentially moves on with her life. Then there’s an attempt on her life, Lancelot comes to his senses and they much battle the Fae which has captured both of them in another world basically. I sort of lost interest when the book entered it’s third phase.
Side note. This book made me hate Genevieve and whether the author hoped to redeem her character by the end or explain her behavior, neither changed my opinion that the Queen was a selfish cow who uses Lancelot for her own gain. She is whinny and horrid.
January 10, 2014
I cannot be more surprised to say that I really liked this book because I am not a Lancelot lover, still I decided to take a risk and buy it anyway because I loved" Gawain" by the same writer. I am glad I took it! as "Gawain" this novel is full of arthurian themes reimagined and usually ignored in other adaptations: Elaine of Corbenic and her love for Lancelot, Lancelot' s madness, the quite creepy figure of the lady of the lake strealing baby! lancelot and what could have been a difficult relationship between lancelot and Gawain, the two champions of the king. The characters were also very well written and, without spoiling anything, I really loved how Rowley interpreted Lancelot' s madness and darkness. Some minor SPOILERS now: there were four major things that disappointed me, the first was the way the author avoided Guinevere/Lancelot because if from a side gave a bit more of mystery and drama to the first part I think it also missed some complexity that Rowley could have written in Lancelot, another thing was the absence of Galahad and Lancelot son/ father relation which has been completely ignored and the last complain I have is for the lady of the lake because I would have loved to know more about per plans and reasons. A part from this it has been a very good and enjoyable read and I really recommend this book to Lancelot fans!
February 26, 2018
3.5 stars. This is an odd story, but then it's based on kind of an odd story, the tale of Sir Lancelot and Elaine of Corbenic (mother of Sir Galahad).
I am never particularly fond of instaLove plots, and that kind of happens here between Lancelot and Elaine. Elaine is practical and down-to-earth, to the point of refusing to believe in magic for most of the story, but she and Lancelot seem drawn to each other upon clapping eyes on each other. The word Destiny is bandied around, but there doesn't seem to be anything actually magical about their relationship. Both of them just seem to act out of character whenever they're near the other. Lancelot is kind of a selfish ass--except when Elaine's around, when he somehow becomes sweet and tender. Elaine is always trying to do what is best for her people and her family--except when Lancelot's around and then all she can think about is banging him.
It's hard to tell if this is in the same universe as Rowley's Gawain. The characters who do cross over between the books are largely the same in appearance and personality, but when this might take place in the internal timeline I am not sure because Ragnell/Aislynn never appears or is mentioned in this book, but Lancelot is a complete asshole and spends a lot of time with Guinevere in that book (eventually he becomes less of an asshole and has a falling-out with Gwen here). So I am inclined to treat them as separate books and universes despite the similarities.
I am never particularly fond of instaLove plots, and that kind of happens here between Lancelot and Elaine. Elaine is practical and down-to-earth, to the point of refusing to believe in magic for most of the story, but she and Lancelot seem drawn to each other upon clapping eyes on each other. The word Destiny is bandied around, but there doesn't seem to be anything actually magical about their relationship. Both of them just seem to act out of character whenever they're near the other. Lancelot is kind of a selfish ass--except when Elaine's around, when he somehow becomes sweet and tender. Elaine is always trying to do what is best for her people and her family--except when Lancelot's around and then all she can think about is banging him.
It's hard to tell if this is in the same universe as Rowley's Gawain. The characters who do cross over between the books are largely the same in appearance and personality, but when this might take place in the internal timeline I am not sure because Ragnell/Aislynn never appears or is mentioned in this book, but Lancelot is a complete asshole and spends a lot of time with Guinevere in that book (eventually he becomes less of an asshole and has a falling-out with Gwen here). So I am inclined to treat them as separate books and universes despite the similarities.
December 13, 2024
5 stars
This was brilliant. A lovely romance and one with a little of all the things I'm always looking for when I read Arthuriana. I picked this up on a whim. I am not very much a Lancelot enjoyer yet I really was curious and intrigued with how anyone could possibly make a romance starring Lancelot work.
It worked beautifully. This was one of the most likeable interpretations of him I have ever read and he was a wonderful hero. Elaine as written here was such a sympathetic character and such a good match and I was rooting for both of them desperately. The challenges here come from both within and without and there were points I really wondered if it would manage a good ending. It did.
Overall a really lovely Arthurian romance with a little of everything I expected. Adventures, quests, tournaments, courtly language, magic, oaths. At some point I will have to hunt up the others. Gawain is one of my favorites and he was very enjoyable in his appearances here.
This was brilliant. A lovely romance and one with a little of all the things I'm always looking for when I read Arthuriana. I picked this up on a whim. I am not very much a Lancelot enjoyer yet I really was curious and intrigued with how anyone could possibly make a romance starring Lancelot work.
It worked beautifully. This was one of the most likeable interpretations of him I have ever read and he was a wonderful hero. Elaine as written here was such a sympathetic character and such a good match and I was rooting for both of them desperately. The challenges here come from both within and without and there were points I really wondered if it would manage a good ending. It did.
Overall a really lovely Arthurian romance with a little of everything I expected. Adventures, quests, tournaments, courtly language, magic, oaths. At some point I will have to hunt up the others. Gawain is one of my favorites and he was very enjoyable in his appearances here.
February 9, 2019
One of the best books I've ever read at honestly portraying female sexuality, not just romance novels.
January 31, 2025
shame these glorious and massively under appreciated CANON ACCURATE lore specific genuinely perfect to a T works of arthuriana are ruined by the fuck ass covers
January 23, 2015
"strange women lying in ponds, distributing swords, is no basis for government"- Monty Python
But I suppose our current system isn't much of an improvement...
So Lancelot was grabbed as a baby/child/something by the Lady of the Lake and...
Well, color me confused. The monk/friar/priest/whatever he was, was convinced that Avalon was a real place, closely hidden, and the people were human. And yet... well, SOMEthing weird was going on.
Mordred is Gawain's brother? Eh? Well, there are two others in the series so maybe some clarification will occur, particularly since one of the other two is about Gawain.
Guinevere was ah...not romantically attached to Lancelot - at least in this work. Rather, her attachment was a bit more... Ok, apparently her mother decided to remain with Lancelot's father as his mistress rather than return to her husband. Yeah.
Now to the meat of the story. Lancelot is having issues - caught between Guinevere and Arthur (who didn't know the truth about their relationship), falling for the h, his whole entanglement with the Lady... The book spans several years, though there is some skipping due to circumstances. At least, unlike most medievals I've read, she and her keep weren't handed over to him as an award for him to whip into shape (gag, puke) Rather, they were kept apart by things largely beyond their control, and he treated her as a knight should - in my view anyway. So, the book was a bit confusing but the lack of triggers plus an interesting premise made up for any shortcomings.
But I suppose our current system isn't much of an improvement...
So Lancelot was grabbed as a baby/child/something by the Lady of the Lake and...
Well, color me confused. The monk/friar/priest/whatever he was, was convinced that Avalon was a real place, closely hidden, and the people were human. And yet... well, SOMEthing weird was going on.
Mordred is Gawain's brother? Eh? Well, there are two others in the series so maybe some clarification will occur, particularly since one of the other two is about Gawain.
Guinevere was ah...not romantically attached to Lancelot - at least in this work. Rather, her attachment was a bit more... Ok, apparently her mother decided to remain with Lancelot's father as his mistress rather than return to her husband. Yeah.
Now to the meat of the story. Lancelot is having issues - caught between Guinevere and Arthur (who didn't know the truth about their relationship), falling for the h, his whole entanglement with the Lady... The book spans several years, though there is some skipping due to circumstances. At least, unlike most medievals I've read, she and her keep weren't handed over to him as an award for him to whip into shape (gag, puke) Rather, they were kept apart by things largely beyond their control, and he treated her as a knight should - in my view anyway. So, the book was a bit confusing but the lack of triggers plus an interesting premise made up for any shortcomings.
November 6, 2016
i enjoyed this book. there was one part where it got really lame really fast because, of course, they had to throw sex into the book, but aside from that, this was a good read.
September 8, 2013
Actually could not make myself read this book, too smutty for me
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews