Desert Leopard

by Doris Sutcliffe Adams

Milo, Count of Morneville, returned from Crusade with a crippled shoulder, a sinister reputation and the nickname of Desert Leopard, has had his fill of warfare and desires only peace, which in the England of 1138 had to be fought for.

When he chose to show mercy to his enemy Roald de Lennoy,  found wounded on Morneville land, he could not guess that his act would embroil him in the most perilous conflict of his life.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Medieval

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Doris Sutcliffe Adams (1920–2015)
aka Grace Ingram.

Reviews

[Anneceleste]

This is the first book from this author, written on 1958. The hero is a widower, older than the author’s usual heroes. He returned from the crusades after being a prisoner of the Saracens for a great period of time. He was treated with respect and he learned the science of healing.
The heroine is completely unlikable. She treats him badly and the romance that follows isn’t convincing at all. The second half is battles and battles.
If it was written by any other author, I would have abandoned it but I am very charmed by her way of writing, and it is a pity that there are just 6 of her books out there.

[Meggie]

I'm ultimately counting this one as "did-not-finish," because I read the first third (interesting protagonist) then quickly skimmed through the rest (deeply unpleasant love interest, the treacherous character was obvious from their first appearance, way too much fighting).