Challenge to Honor

Masters at Arms #1

by Jennifer Blake

The notorious swordsmen of New Orleans—charming by day, dangerous at night…

Horrified at the thought of her brother facing the notorious swordsman, Rio de Silva, on the dueling field, Celina Vallier pays a clandestine visit to the maître d'armes. Surely she can appeal to his honor and sense of fair play? What advantage can there be for him in killing such an inexperienced opponent, after all?

Rio had no intention of dispatching the young whelp; a scratch or two would suffice to mend his manners. That changes as he moves closer to Celina. Not only is she lovely and spirited, but she‘s the future bride of his sworn enemy, the Count de Lerida. What could be more satisfying than to deny him that prize? That’s if the lady can be persuaded to give up her innocence.

Agreeing to the infamous pact is the most daring thing Celina has ever done. It’s also the most dangerous as scandal and vengeance erupts around her. Caught in the tumult, she must decide who to trust: the man who offers wealth and security—or the one who sets her soul aflame?

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction

410 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 28, 2004

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

[Elis Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, my lord, is this heroine DUMB. Of course, the best examples of her dumbness occur late in the book and are serious spoilers. But there's one example that isn't a spoiler, since it starts the whole ball rolling.

Premise: Rio de Silva, a maître d'armes (that's Frenchy-fartsy for fencing instructor) has been challenged to a duel by a young French Creole aristocrat. Seems Rio made snarky comments about the lad's sister, who's about to be betrothed to Count Some Gawdawful Long Friggin Name.



Rio hates the count, and for some reason he thought making snarky comments about the bride-to-be would cause the old phart to call him out. Rio has plenty of reason to know the count is a pissy little coward who never fights his battles directly. So his plan… well…



Our pulchritudinous heroine shows up at Rio's digs and begs him not to kill her brother.



Cuz it never occurs to her, what with duels being fought left and right, that most duels don't end in death, and that a fencing instructor, tho he may get sucked into duels more than most, is hardly going to croak a potential client and ruin his business.



So anyway, he kinda half jokingly tells her that if she'll part her knees for him he'll let her brother walk with nothing more than a pretty scar to brag about. And our heroine—whose name is Celine Valliers—floors him by agreeing. Seems she's no more keen on her betrothed-to-be than Rio is, and she reckons that if she's a ho, the creepy count will decide that he doesn't want her ginormous dowry after all. Right?



Look out Steven Hawkings, we have a couple of geniuses on our hands.

OK, so later in the story (here comes the spoilers) let's just say the villain's enemies turn up en masse and he runs for it, heading for a hack occupied by Celina and her maid. It reads like it takes the old guy a century to get there, but does she, oh, I don't know, tell the driver to drive off, or maybe jump out of the hack? Nope. She just stays there and waits to be abducted. Then later, when the creep is trying to rape her, she feels his pistol in his pocket (no, he's not that glad to see her), and thinks about grabbing it. A second later, rescue is at hand, in the form of a sword at the creepy codger's back. Does she go ahead and snag the pistol while she has the chance? Of course not.

Oh, and the heroine's dad—the man insists that she's going to marry this old creep, even after she pleads with him, even after the bastard all but rapes her in her father's living room. And Celina keeps insisting that her father loves her and wants what's best for her.



Anyway, for all my b*tching, it's a pretty decent read. Not saying the H/h here will be doing anything to benefit the gene pool, but I'll give the story 3.9 stars.

[Misfit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just perfect for getting out of my reading slump - Blake always (well, almost always) delivers a good solid romance, evil doers always with a believable historical setting and appropriate mindsets. This is the first in a series centered around sword men plying their trade and skill in New Orleans, it looks like each of them gets their own story. Note: this series was written later in Blake's career, and if the first is any indication, not so much with a lot of the old skool tropes found in her earlier books. She still has to get the heroine into bed with the hero, but maybe not so much with the forced seduction bit.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jennifer Blake can put you in 19th (1800's) century Louisiana as thought she (and you) were there.

[Lynn Spencer]

I thought this historical set in 1840s New Orleans might work as an "old school" book for TBR Challenge. It certainly feels old school, but I just couldn't get into it. The idea of a romance with a Spanish fencing master hero appealed to me, but the characters felt a little flat. The heroine's aunt got on my nerves, and the leads themselves just didn't have compelling chemistry.

The revelation that the heroine has an enslaved maid was a big nope for me, too. Noting that she supposedly loved her maid like a sister didn't make that plot point any nicer. Back in the day, I definitely read some romances that glossed over the ugliness of slavery. But as we learn, hopefully we grow and change. And for me, part of that is that I can't just let slaveowners as heroes/heroines just glide right past me. I know many in this country would have considered slavery just a normal part of life in 1840. That doesn't mean it can't or shouldn't bother me as a reader.

So, back to the drawing board.

[☆.。.:*・°☆Love2Read♡HEAs☆.。.:*・°☆ {Anne} · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rated 4.5 "Always to the Rescue Brotherhood" Stars

I read this book, well the entire series, about 6 years ago.

Gosh, I loved them all but this one was the best of the bunch but not by much. It's a tie with the 3rd book actually. They were all so good though. I remember getting so sad during the last book cuz I knew the series was ending.

I got really close to all the characters...the men (gorgeous & dangerous), the women who stole their hearts & the orphans who stole ours.

The action had you gripping your seats.

Great love scenes & the sexual tension was high.

I learned a lot about swordsmanship. I found dueling to be quite interesting.

I don't read a lot of Historical Romances but I really enjoy this series by Jennifer Blake. I've read quite a few of her books. Some were fabulous and others, not so good.

[P C · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

“You are different. With you, I can be myself without pretense or artifice. With you, I can forget for a little while, set aside who and what I am—what we are—and simply…feel."


Aaaaaaahh!!!

Damn me, this story was beautifully romantic!
It definitely scratched an itch I didn't know was there, having the need to read a well written book with well-rounded characters and an accomplished plot is the dream as per usual and this book freaking DELIVERED! 🔔🔔🔔

I'm so jealous rn I could be showing green spots all over me lol but anyways Ms. Maxwell ate this up (Rest easy in heaven you genius angel)

About the historical setting: Louisiana/New Orleans in the mid 1800s which as I'm discovering from Maxwell's books was very "francophonized" and me being European and relatively young these historical facts are a treat to discover and very interesting.

About the Characters: Fascinating bunch, all very well adapted and well written. Would have liked to know more about Celina's father and his love affair but it's was mostly a plot device to justify his absence from home I guess so I'll ignore it.

The love story was timed to perfection and so well executed I'm shocked to say I have no complaints about anything regarding this couple, the angst, the drama, the miscommunication ughhhh I liked being in pain for these two fools!
Will continue the series as I have taken a strong liking to Patricia Maxwell's writing and I'm invested!

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I wanted to keep reading this book as it seemed very ordinary at first. It is a good job for the genre. Then it started me thinking about the situation in which the woman has no choice in a husband. It seemed so far in the past, but it isn't. There are many women alive today who have no say, arranged marriages, which may be only for financial advantage. So I went back to reading and realized it was more realistic than I had thought. It isn't Benjamin January and Barbara Hambry's books about New Orleans, but still a good portrait of the city.

Think I will try the second in the series.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Wow! WHAT A Book

This is an absolutely fantastic book with all the intrigue, romance and danger you could want. I will definitely reread this one many times.

[Iasmy Literatura pe tocuri · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://literaturapetocuri.ro/propuner...
New Orleans, Louisiana, 1840

Intram in lumea maestrilor armelor (spadasini,), a aristocratiei franceze si americane stabilite in aceasta zona, lumea creola si dialectul cajun. O poveste plina de intriga, pericole, dueluri, pasiune si onoare. Povestea unui maestru spadasin care cauta razbunare si a unei tinere inocente care din intamplare se afla in calea planurilor lui.

Propunere indecentaCelina Vallier, este fiica unuia dintre cei mai puternici aristocrati din oras, este o tanara frumoasa si foarte hotarata care isi iubeste extrem fratele. Tatal lor nu este un om care sa-si arate iubirea fata de copii, fiind autoritar si incercand sa-si vada doar interesele. Isi iubeste copii, dar are o iubire ciudata fata de ei, din aceasta cauza cei doi frati s-au apropiat foarte mult unul de altul. Intr-o vreme cand tinerele nu aveau multe de spus si nici prea multe optiuni, Celina trebuie acum sa intre intr-o casatorie aranjata de tatal ei, cu un om pe care il detesta. Ea este acum hotarata sa-si salveze fratele si este dispusa sa faca orice, chiar sa merga in barlogul ursului si sa-l implore. In pragul serii porneste catre zona nu prea respectabila unde isi are locuinta faimosul spadasin Rio de Silva numit si Silver Shadow.

“-A sosit o doamna sa va vada, domnule Rio.

Rio de Silva lenevea intr-un fotoliu cu un picior intins catre carbunii ce ardeau mocnit, tinand in mana un pahar cu un strop de coniac in mana, nu se misca si nici nu deschise ochii. Cand vorbi, o facu cu o incetineala care spunea multe celor ce aveau intelepciunea sa-l asculte.

-Instiinteaz-o ca nu sunt acasa.

De obicei, femeile nu veneau dupa el. Mai degraba se ducea el la ele, escaladand ziduri, sarind peste fortificatii si santuri ca sa ajunga la balcoane, mergand ca o fantoma prin pasajele ce putea fi trecute pe jos, intrand prin usile lasate descuiate pentru a fi la indemana lui. Vaduve si sotii neglijate, care participau cu nerabdare la diversunile din dormitoare, erau recunoscatoare pentru discretia lui. Si de ce nu ar fi fost? Sa fii vazuta in compania lui, la lumina zilei, ar fi provocat un vartej de speculatii: sa il vizitezi in propriilei incaperi, la aceasta ora din noapte, era o provocare sigura a scandalului. In plus, pasajul cunoscut de catre francezi drept Passage de la Bourse si de catre americani drept Exchange Alley, era interzis femeilor respectabile. Aceasta cale de trecere, cu birouri de brokeri si avocati, magazine de croitorie, saloane, sali pentu jocuri si multe sali de scrima, era o zona exclusiv a barbatilor. Numai cateva femei ar fi zabovit pe sub arcadele intunecate dupa lasarea noptii, dar acestea nu s-ar fi putut numi doamne.”

Din aceasta cauza Rio, era si mai intigat de doamna care il cauta.

Propunere indecenta (2)Este si mai uimit cand isi da seama cine este tanara. Femeia care este logodnica celui mai aprig dusman al sau. Pe contele de Lerida il vaneaza de mult si un plan se contureaza in mintea lui. De ce nu ar gusta din inocenta logodnicei acestuia. Stia ca ar fi fost cel mai mare afront adus contelui. Dar chiar daca este un ticalos nu prea isi doreste sa stirbeasca reputatia unei fiinte inocente. Maestri spadasini, erau respectati de societate, dar familiile nu si-i dorea in mijlocul lor. Acestea isi protejau fiicele de acest fel de oameni. Chiar daca majoritatea nobililor se antrenau la salile lor de scrima, si ii considerau oameni de onoare, nu ar fi fost de bun augur ca vreunul dintre spadasini sa le curteze sau sa le seduca fetele. Asa ca, atunci cand tanara il implora sa nu se dueleze cu fratele ei, Rio care are o reputatie si onoare chiar daca multi nu cred, incearca sa o sperie crezand ca se va izbi de un refuz. Il propune in schimbul vietii fratelui sau, sa-i dea onoarea ei inocenta. Este si mai surprins cand tanara accepta. Era cea mai mare oportunitate pentru el de-a se razbuna pe conte. Dar…

Fata aceasta cu chipul de portelan ii inspira mai mult decat o dorinta trecatoare, vrea mai mult.......

[Kristi Hudecek-Ashwill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celina is a reluctant bride and for a good reason. The guy she is supposed to marry is a Count and much older and not a man's man at all. He's overweight, wimpy, conniving, and much older than she is. When Rio speaks ill of her in a tavern, Celina's brother calls him out for a duel with swords instead of this disgusting excuse for a man, the Count.

Rio is surprised when Celina makes a deal with him to save her brother's life. Rio is a master swordsman and owns a salon where he teaches other men to handle a sword. He accepts her deal, but for the wrong reason. *No Spoilers*

This was a great story with fantastic characters and a tight plot. It kept me guessing until the end. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I wasn't sure I was going to get it. There were more than a few surprises and some intrigue that went along with the characters that kept me turning the pages.

I have to say that this was a challenging book to read. I read a lot of books and saw words that I'd never heard of. I did a lot of dictionary cruising that interrupted the flow of the story and slowed down the pace. I'd like to think I'm not stupid and I enjoy learning new words, but it seemed like I was firing up the dictionary too often. Context clues weren't working since a lot of the words were French. BUT, the author did an excellent job of working the definition of most words into the text most of the time.

This is book one of a series, but can be read as a stand-alone novel.

[Tabetha Waite · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the positive side of things, I felt that the dialogue was very accurate, from the Spanish inflection to Rio's heritage and the French style of Celina Vallier from New Orleans. Unfortunately, I didn't feel the deep down romance that I had been expecting from a novel written about one of the most romantic aspects of history; sword fighting. I felt there were times the writing was a bit choppy and while Rio was, at times, a very stimulating character, he never seemed very sincere in his feelings for Celina, and, in fact, didn't even say those three most important words that you would expect from a romance novel, though expected her to do so. Meh.

[Ana Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love and blades

I have learned so much by reading Ms. Blake's novel of Louisiana and the creole Cajun history. It's fascinating to be transported to the 1800's and read about all the perils wars and ownership of Louisiana. This particular story much like all her love collection novels has a happily ever after. The hero and heroine go through a great deal of adversity. Celina finds herself going to the hero's dwelling to ask to forfeit the duel. He of course does this but again the pair goes through a roller coaster of emotions. In the end true love conquers all. I of course always cheer for the good guys.

[Cindy Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it, love it, love it!!

What a great historical romance novel! Truly enjoyable read! I love the sword plays and the question of honor at the center of it all. I'm amazed at how little it took to cause insult and eventual dueling to satisfaction. And how very romantic! Rio is so genteel and macho!
Nothing is overdone here, and the rich history of New Orleans in early 1800's is fascinating. I cannot wait to read the next in this series.
Definite recommendation to historical romance fiction readers!

[Isabel. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it , finally a book where the characters don't wait until the end of the book to get it on and where the lady make the move .

[Adélie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow this story started off amazing. But then it really stagnated and became a massive disappointment.
It is packed with duels and yet as a reader you miss out on all of them due to the writer choosing to focus on the female lead who’s going shopping while the duels are happening. You don’t get to see the duels and just hear of them afterwards through gossip ect. Which is suuuuuch a huge disappointment.
So there is very little action and reading about the female lead was incredibly boring.
Speaking of I found Celina to also be very disappointing. There was nothing really awesome about her. She was just very bland. I could not connect with her. The romance wasn’t great either. Not much chemistry. Just very bland. They barely spent time together and when they finally have sex it was so poorly described omg. It definitely wasn’t one of the best HR sex scenes I’ve ever read.

It’s just such a shame because I actually liked Rio, Caid, and Titi.
And the location of the story is so unique compared to most HR novels. The male characters too were so different from the usual. This had the potential to be something so awesome, and I love fencing so I’m absolutely gutted that it just didn’t do it for me.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this story! The author’s understanding of the time and place is extraordinary. The descriptions are excellent and indicate a great deal of research. At times I felt like I was watching a play because of the details offered by the author. This story has romance, adventure, and even comedy. The high level of vocabulary was impressive. But the use of foreign language and the period writing style was cumbersome for understanding. Even so I truly am glad I read this story!

[Janet Wild · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dashing read

A real trip back in time to New Orleans. Lovely descriptive text of the housing. I love this city it is unique. The tale is delightfully written with its hints of past tragedy and the seeking of revenge. Strong characters all round. I have read one other in this series and enjoyed that as well. Look forward to reading another

[Stef · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great historical romance series by Jennifer Blake I read this month. Swords & hot men & mystery, suspense, romance, tied together in awesomeness.
Although I think I liked books 1-3 the best book 4 was very slow going. But the rest of the series was good. Read the series in 2 weeks.


I have enjoyed reading all of her books so far. She is a new author for me in 2018.

[CYNDY · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great read!!! Having lived in New Orleans for many years, I found the historical accuracy added much to the story. The characters felt real and the ROMANCE with all the intrigue were spectacular! Definitely a new Jennifer Blake fan and plan to read this entire series right away!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, enjoyable characters, lots of suspense and drama.
I like the historical aspect of this book. I actually wasn't aware of the history of duels in the US and while reading this book I researched and liked that it was well-researched.

[ABesse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the best way to sum up this book is with a quote from it. . . .
“It was endless, a panting eternity of pulling beguilement.”

The writing somehow manages to be both too much and too less at the same time! Lots of words but not sexy at all.

[Virginia Tican · Rating 4 out of 5]

In another Time... In another Place in history... and yet man's baser nature never changed; here it was swords and the art and honor (or not) of the 'duelo' which was used by an unscrupulous and dastardly count to get rid of his enemy as well as to protect the secrets of his past.

[Erin Andersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was slow to get into, and I stumbled over the writing a lot (kind of clunky with so much detail and use of words/phrases I didn’t know). That being said, the writing was so well done I couldn’t be mad and really ended up loving the story.

[R.L.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun historical romance that touches on the topic of domestic abuse with appropriate sensitivity.

[carol ann miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

This book was wonderful. Jennifer Blake's story kept my interest to the very end. Story is full of life, mystery and love.

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sword Masters

A tale of vengeance and romance which takes place in New Orleans in 1840. There is great character development in this story.

[Kl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. Some typos and editing errors but a fabulous story.

[Dinnl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 enjoyable even more than the later book I already read. If you enjoy regency novels you will probably enjoy these. More sex and less humour than Georgette Heyer but the sex is not overdone.

[Yancee9 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.86 stars, because I thought about giving it 3.

[Mary Stockwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but average

This was a good but average book. It seemed a bit too unrealistic or unbelievable for me. I got a little bored with it at times.