Cavalerul de aur

The Three Graces #3

by Jennifer Blake

Un barbat legat printr-o promisiune solemna... si o iubire mai puternica decat orice legamant.

Din considerente politice, regele Henric al VII-lea ii porunceste fermecatoarei Lady Marguerite Milton sa se marite cu Lord Halliwell, un barbat care este departe de ceea ce si-ar putea dori o tanara cu visuri romantice. Asa ca rapirea ei de catre enigmaticul Cavaler de Aur pare o intamplare rupta dintr-un basm. Sau ar fi, daca Marguerite n-ar tanji dupa David, cel care i-a facut un juramant de credinta cu zece ani in urma... si apoi a disparut.

Curand se dovedeste ca David este de fapt Cavalerul de Aur, venit sa o scape de o casatorie nedorita, inca nebun de dragoste... insa o dragoste platonica, asa cum a jurat in urma cu un deceniu. Marguerite descopera ca a fost doar momeala care sa-l atraga pe David in cea mai noua intriga a regelui. Caci, pentru a obtine libertatea ei, David este nevoit sa pretinda ca este fiul pierdut al fostului rege, transformandu-se astfel intr-un rival al celui mai recent pretendent la tronul lui Henric.

Marguerite este disperata. Daca David esueaza, rebelii il vor ucide; daca triumfa, Henric nu va avea nici un scrupul sa-l execute pe pretendentul la tron pe care el insusi l-a creat. Si, dintr-odata, blestemul care planeaza asupra vietii lor pare sa fie cea mai mica dintre probleme

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Medieval, Regency Romance, Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

A pseudonym used by Patricia Maxwell.

Jennifer Blake has been called a “pioneer of the romance genre”, and an “icon of the romance industry.” A New York Times and international best selling author since 1977, she is a charter member of Romance Writers of America, member of the RWA Hall of Fame, and recipient of the RWA Lifetime Achievement Rita. She holds numerous other honors, including two “Maggies”, two Holt Medallions, multiple Reviewer’s Choice Awards, the Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times BookReviews Magazine, and the Frank Waters Award for literary excellence. She has written over 60 books with translations in 20 languages and more than 30 million copies in print worldwide.

Jennifer and her husband reside in a lakeside Caribbean-style retreat in North Louisiana where they often entertain family and friends. Always a gardener, she spends much of her time encouraging her garden to bloom with her favorite daylilies and antique roses. She also enjoys walking her two dogs, Buffy and Lucky, and indulging in needlework, painting, and travel.

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one had great potential but didn't quite live up to the promise.

What I liked:

- The historical stuff - there aren't enough HRs written about this early-Tudor/Wars of the Roses era, and not only is this one set right then, but it uses a huge amount of historical fact and rumor to weave a really strong background. The historical stuff really came out after about 60% of the way through, but even the of caricature of Henry VII feels real to me - human, but essentially ruthless and an eminently practical politician as well as a great tactician.

- The hero - he's all hero. I also like his sense of honor, even though he took it a bit far for conventional tastes.

What I didn't like as much:

- The hero and heroine spent far too long trying to figure each other out, when they knew each other incredibly well already, and there was nothing to hide. I felt like they were giving each other, and me, the run-around, for no reason, and I found that incredibly frustrating.

- The whole vow thing dominated far too much. It was a useful plot tool, but it was too much to hang a whole book on.

- The romance started out well, even humorous, and I wish it had stayed that way. In the end, it just became really quite silly.

So, I did like it, and wished the author had made more of the history than the Vow thing. 3 stars. I liked it, and not up to the same standard as the other two books in the series, By His Majesty's Grace and By Grace Possessed.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only reason for the 3 stars is the Uber fantastical turn of the story. Other than that, it was riveting from the first page onwards. I adore David and Marguerite. They are one of my favourite romance book couples.

[Iana Braila · Rating 4 out of 5]

O poveste de dragoste cu intrigi regale si multe situatii in care nu m-as fi asteptat sa ajunga personajele. Mi-a atras atentia inca de la primele pagini si am citit-o pe nerasuflate destul de repede. Desi scenariile difera, dragostea dintre personaje e cam la fel in toate cartile din aceasta colectie. Un final fericit si toate bune, dar avand in vedere ca face parte dintr-o trilogie, nu cred ca ma voi apuca de celelalte carti. Nu am nimic impotriva unor asemenea romane. Dragostea e la inaltime, dar lucrul care nu mi-a placut a fost ca aceasta iubire s-a intins pe tot parcursul cartii, lipsind-o de sinceritate dintre parteneri si negarea sentimentelor acestora. Autoarea, poate, asa a si intentionat sa faca, sa ne tina cu sufletul la gura in asteptarea recunoasterii sentimentelor unuia fata de altul si cuiva s-ar putea sa ii placa aceasta...intindere, dar eu prefer sa se treaca direct la subiect. Nu regret timpul petrecut alaturi de aceasta carte, insa consider ca putea fi putin mai buna, desi apreciez efortul lui Jennifer Blake.

[Alicia Aringdale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Romances with unrequited longing are my jam but I just felt that the vow that kept these two apart wasn't enough for all the trouble they went through. Then again I am pretty far removed from a time when something like this could have been a problem. Still I just couldn't get invested in the main couple, in fact I found myself much more interested, and wishing more time was spent on the side couple, Oliver and Astrid. Also there was a strong whiff of the Madonna/ Whore complex going on between Margaurite and Celestine and I hate that.

Still the book was fun and I love the War of the Roses time period and I liked that the author included actual historical characters. I would definitely be willing to read another of her books to see if it was just this pairing that didn't grab me super hard.

[Stef · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this series. I'm trying to read all of Jennifer Blakes books right now. And I have really enjoyed reading all of them so far. I read this series books 1-3 in a week.

And wow - just awesome kept me right there wanting more. Suspense, love, romance, horse and buggy days and castles oh my. Is there a curse??? read and find out

[Cindy Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot

This was the best of the three books of this series. What an interesting time in England's history!!!!!! Great plot.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 22%

[Saba · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book to end the "Curse of the Three Graces" series. At least the author didn't focus high and low on this ridiculous curse as she mentioned it so ad nausea in the first book (By His Majesty's Grace). The hero was so noble and I loved how truly convicted he was to his word. Integrity and honor were his major strengths. His heroine truly matched him in every way. She has been madly in love with her hero since they were young adults and how their romance and passion unfolded was truly exciting to read along the way; it felt really pure, undying and unending.

Now, for the unrealistic portions to the story; it's inconceivable to think that the author would have us believe that our gallant and honorable knight dismissed returning to his beloved country by strict and command orders issued by King Henry VII. The tale goes a bit into the farfetched at the initiation of the story's plot when our gallant and noble night returns home simply because it comes to his attention that the woman he pledged his chaste love to, has been ordered to marry an elderly noble in order for him to respond to the king's summons? -uh, not quite realistic in my book. Furthermore, when our knight returns to kidnap our noble lady and king's ward en route to her marriage ceremony the king himself doesn't even bother to reprimand said knight and simply graciously welcomes him and dismisses his ward's betrothal by paying off with a hefty sum to the intended noble? - uh? What gives? Truly Henry VII would not take kindly to an unanswered summons and simply brush off our knight's unwillingness to answer to said summons with such minor consequences. Indeed our king seems to have been weaving his own political strategy for addressing the issue of rising contenders to the throne with his actions, but the weight and importance of such strategy didn't seem to hold its strength throughout the book; especially when we learn the true identity of this valiant "Golden Knight." Finally, the way the king deals with the identity of our "Golden Knight" is also farfetched. I do appreciate the twist the author handed us here with the Golden Knight's true identity (especially since it coincided with the origination, birth and whereabouts of the character in the first book), but the King's way of dealing with the information came out across as unrealistically wimpy in my opinion because he went all out iron fisted and tough when he imprisoned King Edward's son's in the Tower in order to ensure no future claims on the throne can be made.

Surely, if our author held to reality, then this book would have been a bit more romantically depressing, but at least it would have been a bit more realistic. I guess the King felt he really was in a great debt to the "Golden Knight" after all, or he simply grew some kind of a heart? Yeah right! This is a King that pushed and fought his way to the crown with no holds barred people. Authors, please give your reader audience a bit more credit as we do enjoy happy endings, but don't bring it along so farfetched and so pulled out of the sky.

I did enjoy how our hero did turn out to be a "somebody" after all, and no matter what, he loved his woman far beyond and above everything!

[Hana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might be the trickiest Henry VII of the series yet. So he arranges for Marguerite to be married in order to draw the boy who was in love with her, David, out of the tournies of Europe so that David will kidnap/rescue her with his men-at-arms, which will let Henry clandestinely contact David about claiming to be Edward V in order for Percy Warbeck (claiming to be Edward's younger brother) to lose supporters to the "rightful" Yorkist heir. Whew.

David and Marguerite are in love from the jump, unlike the other books, but David swore a chivalrous oath as a youth that basically precludes him from having sex with her. Marguerite, of course, has no clue about this for the entire story, and so is often in despair that David doesn't love her like that.

The other conflict for the couple is that David accepts Henry's offer in exchange for Marguerite (Henry's ward) never having to marry. Marguerite is grateful to be allowed to control her future, but more frustrated and afraid for David's life, as she can't see a way for him to get out of being executed for extremely public treason.

There is a smattering of a B-plot romance with Marguerite's lady-in-waiting, Astrid, a little person who was formerly a fool in the employ of the queen, and David's right-hand man, the roguish Oliver.

David actually turns out to be Edward V--not the prince who died in the Tower, but an earlier son of Edward IV who was born to a noblelady who Edward secretly married, knocked up, and abandoned. This both leaves David as the rightful king and Henry's queen a bastard. David, relieved to know his parents but having no heart for ruling, turns over all the evidence to Henry and asks only to be able to marry Marguerite. Henry agrees, gives him an estate in the north near Marguerite's sisters, and says "don't call us, we'll call you" to come to court.

I struggled to finished this book, but I'm not sure why. Perhaps it was because the threat to the lovers was rather abstract (even with the assassination attempt) where the other books had solid villains. (Yes, I am aware that I complained about the last book's villain. I believe there could have been a middle ground here.) Ultimately, I'm glad I finished it and read the trilogy in the first place. It was fun to get a glimpse of life in this tumultuous time.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nous retrouvons la dernière Grâce de Graydon, Marguerite Milton et les complots de la cour d'Henri VII. Alors qu'elle est en route pour rejoindre son promis, son escorte et elle-même sont arrêtés par un groupe de chevaliers parmi lesquels se trouve le Chevalier d'Or à la légende fabuleuse. Ce dernier la réclame et l'enlève pour la sauver de ce mariage. Il n'est autre que David, le jeune écuyer de Sir Rand qu'on a rencontré dans le premier tome de la série. David avait fait la promesse à Marguerite de la secourir et de l'aimer platoniquement comme au temps de l'amour courtois. Tous les deux étaient alors des enfants et quand ils se retrouvent, cette promesse pèse lourd entre eux. Quand en plus le roi d'Angleterre demande une faveur à David, leur relation devient quasi impossible.

Ce dernier livre est presque aussi bon que le deuxième (il n'y a pas de Highlander malheureusement) mais bien meilleur que le premier. Encore une fois, le règne d'Henri VII prend une place importante dans le récit et on en apprend un peu plus sur ce roi anglais. Si dans le tome 1 l'Histoire était trop en avant par rapport à la romance, ici il n'en est rien. Marguerite et David sont très attirés l'un par l'autre et tentent tant bien que mal de le faire comprendre malgré cette promesse. Elle est d'ailleurs le point embêtant du récit et on regrette que les personnages perdent autant de temps avec ce détail. Cela traîne un peu en longueur mais permet aussi de mettre en place la trame de l'histoire et nous offre quelques scènes d'actions qui dynamisent le récit. Les scènes sensuelles entre les deux héros sont quand même très belles et on se réjouit de les voir ensemble. La résolution de l'intrigue est bien pensée (et peut-être pas loin de l'Histoire) et nos héros sont aussi passionnants que ceux des tomes précédents.

Pour conclure, un couple qui termine en beauté une série intéressante et très centrée sur le règne d'Henri VII. Pour ceux qui aiment l'Histoire dans l'histoire, vous ne devez pas rater cette saga.

[Mar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed the interactions between David and Margurite. The aspect of a what if and David learning he was of noble birth was intriguing. The premise of the book fascinated me; David being asked to be an interloper in order to distract from another.... well done! I was disappointed that although the other sisters and their husbands were mentioned we didn't get to have them actually particiapte in teh story. I felt it would have been most interesting to have Dunbar and Braesford as part of the 'action'.

I give the story 3 of 5 stars in that it was a good story and I felt we got to learn more of David and Margurite who were footnotes in the previous books. Grown David sounds like a greek god. And how charming if frustrating from a romantic sense to have a man to be tied by supposed honor to a vow made when he was a child. The unbelievability of the story for me came with Margurite being so advanced in age (27) and not having been betrothed sooner. Her sister were several years younger when the King found matches for them... Also, to hear that King Henry had requested David return to the realm and those requests had gone ignored seem unbelievable. who would refuse their King? And what King would allow it w/ out sending someone to drag the man back...

I'm still a diehard fan of Mrs. Blake. This book though good had a few holes in it for me that weren't quite filled or answered by books end.

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Je suis assez mitigée… J’ai beaucoup aimé le style d’écriture de Jennifer Blake, notamment la manière dont parle le roi.
Bien que l’histoire soit bien écrite, des dialogues et des répliques bien tournées, je trouve que tout cela est un peu plat, il manque un peu d’action. Je n’ai pas ressenti la tension décrite.
Le héros est assez atypique, et j’ai apprécié, ça changeait des personnages masculins habituels. Il lui est dévoué, amour chaste, platonique… et près à tout pour respecter son serment et répondra à l’appel de la dame de son cœur.
Elle, héroïne habituelle, va se marier à un homme qu’elle n’aime pas, mais a envoyé un message au héros aux quatre coins du monde, pour qu’il l’a sauve.
Je n’ai pas lu les premiers tomes, alors c’est peut-être pour ça que j’ai trouvé l’histoire de la malédiction un peu stupide, je n’y ai pas du tout adhéré. Et ce tome ne m’a pas donné envie de lire les précédents.
J’ai apprécié les personnages secondaires que sont Astrid (la servante) et Oliver (l’écuyer), l’humour est présent grâce à eux. J’ai même envie de savoir ce qu’ils adviennent après.
J’ai trouvé intéressante l’idée de base de l’auteur « et si » ce roi avait eu un fils resté caché… Après cette lecture, j’étais plus intéressée, intriguée par l’histoire des rois d’Angleterre que par l’histoire du couple que j’avais déjà plus ou moins oublié…

[Stephanie Kline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I really can't decide if I liked this one or the first one the best in this trilogy. This was a great Tudor romance! Once again, taking place at the court of Henry VII, this is a tale of Tudor chivalry and courtly love at its finest. David, the "Golden Knight" has vowed to keep Lady Marguerite Milton safe and protected until the end of his days - in a chaste way. While King Henry plans a scheme involving David, in an effort to break up those fighting for the Tudor throne, Marguerite and David are thrown together in a battle for survival - and they are naturally brought closer together in their feelings as well. This was a very cute and romantic love story, and seemed very highly researched and detailed. I really enjoyed this one, and now I can say for sure that I highly recommend Tudor romance lovers to read Jennifer Blake's "Three Graces of Graydon" trilogy!

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was my least favorite out of the three, which means I stilled liked it as I really enjoyed this series. David's vow of honor just got to be too much for me to tolerate. Part of me tried to be kind and realize that it was the time period for knightly love. But then the other characters would remind me that this was probably something we have blown out of proportion as everyone around David expected him to act differently. I just get a little tired of characters who won't admit their feelings to the other (at least heros who won't admit their feelings to their heroine). It's one thing if they won't admit it to themselves - I love that character development ploy. But once they know how they feel about the other, they should let them know. There can always be other obstacles in their way. This just didn't seem like the strong finish the series deserved.

[Gaile · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel had a somewhat slow start and I was nearly to the middle before I began turning pages like mad. This is about Marguerite, the youngest of the three grace sisters and her love, David who has been gone earning prowess as the Golden Knight for ten years. When Marguerite is ordered to marry by Henry VII she sends messages to David. He shows up just in time but so does the pretender Perkin Warbeck. The Wily Henry now dreams up other plans while David tries to keep his vow to Marguerite that he would always protect but never touch her. Marguerite of course has other plans. A brand on David's shoulder sends Marguerite on a quest to discover who would have branded a tiny baby and comes up with a astonishing answer.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Nowhere near as good as the first two books in the series, but that could be because I didn't connect with either of the characters all that much, mainly due to the fact that the conflict between them felt contrived to my 21st Century mind. David's insistence that he can't marry Marguerite because of a "chivalrous vow" he made to her as a young man---before he was knighted---felt silly. Sure, it's great to see a hero who's a man of his word; however, it seems rather stupid when that word is all that's keeping the hero and heroine apart, especially when it was a vow he made before he was in the position (knighthood) for it to mean anything.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think this is the best bok of the three book series. the characters were better written and how they came together was completely different from her other two books.
i love how marguriet knew who david was when they were younger. it adds to the tension between them.

i cpmpleteluy loved how the king just threw them together at any moment he could with them not being wise to it.

they say that the heart grows fonder with time and i believe that is what hapened to david and marguerite

[~Leslie~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars This is the last book in the trilogy and while I enjoyed it tremendously at times, it was my least favorite. The plot about Edward IV's illegitimate son and the convoluted politics of the War of the Roses (my least favorite historical period) made for some slow goings occasionally. But I loved the two main characters and that redeemed it. Overall, this has been a wonderful group of stories.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I don't think I've ever read a romance novel such as this that went so far back. Usually, I've read books based in the 1800s. But this jump
from the 1800s to 1400s was a good change. I also enjoyed the characters. Some parts I got lost and had to Reread but eventually you get used to the way they talk.

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the way Blake wove her history into this story. The "what if?" idea that sparked the plot was inspired. OK, there was a time or two when I wondered whether these two had anything (intellectually speaking) to contribute to the gene pool (his vow to love her chastely might not have been such a bad idea). But in general I liked the characters and enjoyed the story immensely.

[Shani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great finale to the Three Graces! Ms. Blake's attention to historical detail, along with brilliant storytelling had me captivated with a feeling of being transported into 1400's England! What a phenomenal series!

[Brenna Call · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would actually have given this book 2.5 stars if possible. I liked that the story seemed well researched but I felt that it drug on and on....just do it already! I lost interest, which is unfortunate because I liked that premise of the story and the main characters.

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un peu déçue par ce dernier tome que je trouve en dessous des deux premiers
La première moitié ne m'a pas du tout accrochée et la seconde la rattrape un peu mais pas suffisamment
C'est dommage quand on pense que les deux premier tome m'ont vraiment passionnées !

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: The Three Graces
Category: Historical Romance

[Jamie Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series. but I really wish there would have been a epilogue to say what happened in several years.

[Luci · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. Not as much fun as the second one.

[Ke'love · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book alot it was very interesting and to find out who the man father really was jus made the book even better.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last book in the series and my favorite. Blake's writing just gets better in my opinion. Lots of historical facts woven throughout the story. Lots of action. Great storyline.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took a real suspension of disbelief and all three sisters were essentially the same character but was still a fun read.

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the others