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de Reyne Domination #1
Guardian of Darkness
1200 A.D.
After decades of warring between the Lairds of Kerr and Prudhoe Castles in Northumbria, a tentative peace is reached. The Lady Carington Kerr is sent to Prudhoe as a hostage to ensure her father’s good behavior, and a more reluctant hostage there never was.
Small and dark, with emerald eyes and a luscious figure, she is as gorgeous as she is fiery. Enter Sir Creed de Reyne. A gentle giant of a man, he is, by nature, calm and wise. He is the ice to Carington’s fire. As Carington resists the attempts to keep her in her English prison, Creed is placed in charge of the captive as both jailer and protector.
But Creed is also as reluctant a protector as she is a hostage; six months prior, he had been given the important assignment of escorting Isabella of Angoulệme from France to England as the bride of King John. Isabella, a woman-child of twelve years, was smitten with Creed from the start. When he spurned her advances, she fabricated a story of Creed’s indiscretions against her and brought the king’s wrath upon him. Creed fled to Prudhoe and straight into another assignment guarding a firebrand of a young woman.
Creed soon discovers that Carington is far different from the petty child who would become queen and against both his judgment and his wishes, he falls for the Scots lass. Suffering through tragedy and triumph, Creed and Carington have a love that only strengthens with each passing moment. Even when Creed is forced to flee for his life and leave Carington behind, their only thoughts are of being together again.
With Isabella and King John closing in, Creed and Carington must fight for their very survival as two countries and a kingdom seek to separate them.
After decades of warring between the Lairds of Kerr and Prudhoe Castles in Northumbria, a tentative peace is reached. The Lady Carington Kerr is sent to Prudhoe as a hostage to ensure her father’s good behavior, and a more reluctant hostage there never was.
Small and dark, with emerald eyes and a luscious figure, she is as gorgeous as she is fiery. Enter Sir Creed de Reyne. A gentle giant of a man, he is, by nature, calm and wise. He is the ice to Carington’s fire. As Carington resists the attempts to keep her in her English prison, Creed is placed in charge of the captive as both jailer and protector.
But Creed is also as reluctant a protector as she is a hostage; six months prior, he had been given the important assignment of escorting Isabella of Angoulệme from France to England as the bride of King John. Isabella, a woman-child of twelve years, was smitten with Creed from the start. When he spurned her advances, she fabricated a story of Creed’s indiscretions against her and brought the king’s wrath upon him. Creed fled to Prudhoe and straight into another assignment guarding a firebrand of a young woman.
Creed soon discovers that Carington is far different from the petty child who would become queen and against both his judgment and his wishes, he falls for the Scots lass. Suffering through tragedy and triumph, Creed and Carington have a love that only strengthens with each passing moment. Even when Creed is forced to flee for his life and leave Carington behind, their only thoughts are of being together again.
With Isabella and King John closing in, Creed and Carington must fight for their very survival as two countries and a kingdom seek to separate them.
375 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
695 people are currently reading
883 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Le Veque
324 books2,086 followersJuggernaut Indie author Kathryn Le Veque is a 'tour de force' in publishing.
Kathryn is a critically acclaimed 21-time USA TODAY Bestselling author, a charter Amazon All-Star author, an Indie Reader top seller, and a #1 bestselling, award-winning, multi-published author in Medieval Historical Romance with over 100 published novels.
Among her many accomplishments, she is the CEO of Dragonblade Publishing, the #1 Historical Romance e-book publisher on Amazon. In 2020, Kathryn collaborated with Sourcebooks publishing for a Medieval Fight Club series set in Scotland.
Kathryn is a critically acclaimed 21-time USA TODAY Bestselling author, a charter Amazon All-Star author, an Indie Reader top seller, and a #1 bestselling, award-winning, multi-published author in Medieval Historical Romance with over 100 published novels.
Among her many accomplishments, she is the CEO of Dragonblade Publishing, the #1 Historical Romance e-book publisher on Amazon. In 2020, Kathryn collaborated with Sourcebooks publishing for a Medieval Fight Club series set in Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
December 9, 2021
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS, SO FAIR WARNING, UPON READING THE REVIEW.
Guardian of Darkness is the first book in the de Reyne Domination series. Every time that I pick up this author I am reminded of how much I dearly adore this author. Whether it’s in physical format or audio, her books always seem to work for me. I found this one as a freebie on Amazon just last week, but within reading the first page, I was completely hooked on this one. It was one of those random readings that you never expect to enjoy as much as you do. I know that her covers can really cringe at times, but her writing is spectacular and I especially adore that she is willing to write this time era’s in historical romance which has become rare within the genre (for me it gets more brownie points for being non-regency) I truly think that this book will work for readers who are open-minded, like historical authenticity in their historical’s and adore all heart being packed into a story.
GUARDIAN OF DARKNESS IS A SEXY, VIBRANTLY EMOTION-FILLED STORY THAT CAPTURES THE ATTENTION:
Sir Creed de Reyne-a warrior, a knight for the King, defender and protector, a man of honor and integrity
Lady Carington Kerr-a Scottish lady, daughter of a powerful clan chief, sassy and independent,
Guardian of Darkness begins with the heroine, Cari, who has been offered to be a hostage in complex negotiations for peace between England and Scotland especially to calm down the border skirmishes. Cari is not happy with her situation at all and doesn’t understand why it was so needed but she is willing to go through the hassle for her father. But Cari is also at her wits end in the process and fights against her captors one of which happens to be our hero, Sir Creed de Reyne. Creed is a man of honor and has a kind heart despite his strong warrior instincts. He has had a rough time of it. He has just returned from a mission gone wrong with the King’s new wife who attempted to destroy his good reputation, but his brother and Lord stood by him in support knowing of his character. But now Creed is starting to have feelings for Cari, the intimacy is slowly building between them, but as tensions rise with the King of England, their relationship could bring more opposition with her father and what marrying her would mean for them. But Creed and Cari are willing to fight for their love and forge their way into their own HEA…
Guardian of Darkness was such an interesting story and while I have read captor/captive situations I don’t think I have read a circumstance upon which this is built here. I do know that these scenarios were actually done in the historical past to aid in conflicts being resolved, but I love seeing the take upon which Le Veque wrote this story here. It’s very interesting though that the heroine is so against this as her father agreed to this arrangement. I mean the first chapter she attempts to run away and I give brownie points to the men guarding her because she definitely doesn’t make it easy and they are really gracious about it and are careful to not hurt her at all. Cari is a heroine that acts upon rash decisions at times and is very unpredictable so she did take some getting used to because I really felt for the hero, his brother, and their band of men. Creed is such a gentle giant, and you can tell how careful he is with Cari but is also strong about setting firm boundaries of behavior. Cari reacts to Creed in a certain way though, that differs from the other men, but she still reacts very crazily at times, although I found it entertaining and fun at times, at others it became a bit aggravating me. I mean Cari knew WHY she was in this situation, but kept attempting to run away and I am like where you going to go girl?? haha, And it’s not like she is being harmed by the others in the group. Now there is one soldier in the group that is NOT a hero, he becomes the villain, so he does add some tension within the plotline that proved to be interesting. I just felt for CREED so much in this book, because he has such a kind heart, and is just doing his duty with Cari, but is very gracious about her run-away attempts. I did enjoy seeing him being firm but sweet with Cari. There is also such a strong brotherly bond that is introduced and I truly adored this depth in the story as well.
Now the romance that builds between Creed and Cari is such a wonderful one, and I was on board with it pretty quickly. It is a slow-building romance though but these small sweet intimate moments that build between Creed and Cari just worked for the story so well. I mean their relationship is forbidden. Creed’s honor is in question due to what happened with the King’s now-wife (although that wasn’t his fault) and then we have the fact that Cari is a political hostage to bring good behavior from her father, and shouldn’t be compromised in any such way. But while their chemistry is off the charts, there is also something deeper building between them. We see how Creed and Cari really come together and are willing to risk everything to pave their own path together. I truly love these types of forbidden relationships and seeing how the hero/heroine finds their way to a HEA. The way that Kathryn Le Veque built this story was so beautiful and I was cheering for these two all the way.
Overall I found Guardian of Darkness to be a stimulating read that captures the reader’s attention from the get-go, it’s a tale of sacrifice, love, and fighting for what matters….
THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS, SO FAIR WARNING, UPON READING THE REVIEW.
Guardian of Darkness is the first book in the de Reyne Domination series. Every time that I pick up this author I am reminded of how much I dearly adore this author. Whether it’s in physical format or audio, her books always seem to work for me. I found this one as a freebie on Amazon just last week, but within reading the first page, I was completely hooked on this one. It was one of those random readings that you never expect to enjoy as much as you do. I know that her covers can really cringe at times, but her writing is spectacular and I especially adore that she is willing to write this time era’s in historical romance which has become rare within the genre (for me it gets more brownie points for being non-regency) I truly think that this book will work for readers who are open-minded, like historical authenticity in their historical’s and adore all heart being packed into a story.
GUARDIAN OF DARKNESS IS A SEXY, VIBRANTLY EMOTION-FILLED STORY THAT CAPTURES THE ATTENTION:
Sir Creed de Reyne-a warrior, a knight for the King, defender and protector, a man of honor and integrity
Lady Carington Kerr-a Scottish lady, daughter of a powerful clan chief, sassy and independent,
Guardian of Darkness begins with the heroine, Cari, who has been offered to be a hostage in complex negotiations for peace between England and Scotland especially to calm down the border skirmishes. Cari is not happy with her situation at all and doesn’t understand why it was so needed but she is willing to go through the hassle for her father. But Cari is also at her wits end in the process and fights against her captors one of which happens to be our hero, Sir Creed de Reyne. Creed is a man of honor and has a kind heart despite his strong warrior instincts. He has had a rough time of it. He has just returned from a mission gone wrong with the King’s new wife who attempted to destroy his good reputation, but his brother and Lord stood by him in support knowing of his character. But now Creed is starting to have feelings for Cari, the intimacy is slowly building between them, but as tensions rise with the King of England, their relationship could bring more opposition with her father and what marrying her would mean for them. But Creed and Cari are willing to fight for their love and forge their way into their own HEA…
Guardian of Darkness was such an interesting story and while I have read captor/captive situations I don’t think I have read a circumstance upon which this is built here. I do know that these scenarios were actually done in the historical past to aid in conflicts being resolved, but I love seeing the take upon which Le Veque wrote this story here. It’s very interesting though that the heroine is so against this as her father agreed to this arrangement. I mean the first chapter she attempts to run away and I give brownie points to the men guarding her because she definitely doesn’t make it easy and they are really gracious about it and are careful to not hurt her at all. Cari is a heroine that acts upon rash decisions at times and is very unpredictable so she did take some getting used to because I really felt for the hero, his brother, and their band of men. Creed is such a gentle giant, and you can tell how careful he is with Cari but is also strong about setting firm boundaries of behavior. Cari reacts to Creed in a certain way though, that differs from the other men, but she still reacts very crazily at times, although I found it entertaining and fun at times, at others it became a bit aggravating me. I mean Cari knew WHY she was in this situation, but kept attempting to run away and I am like where you going to go girl?? haha, And it’s not like she is being harmed by the others in the group. Now there is one soldier in the group that is NOT a hero, he becomes the villain, so he does add some tension within the plotline that proved to be interesting. I just felt for CREED so much in this book, because he has such a kind heart, and is just doing his duty with Cari, but is very gracious about her run-away attempts. I did enjoy seeing him being firm but sweet with Cari. There is also such a strong brotherly bond that is introduced and I truly adored this depth in the story as well.
Now the romance that builds between Creed and Cari is such a wonderful one, and I was on board with it pretty quickly. It is a slow-building romance though but these small sweet intimate moments that build between Creed and Cari just worked for the story so well. I mean their relationship is forbidden. Creed’s honor is in question due to what happened with the King’s now-wife (although that wasn’t his fault) and then we have the fact that Cari is a political hostage to bring good behavior from her father, and shouldn’t be compromised in any such way. But while their chemistry is off the charts, there is also something deeper building between them. We see how Creed and Cari really come together and are willing to risk everything to pave their own path together. I truly love these types of forbidden relationships and seeing how the hero/heroine finds their way to a HEA. The way that Kathryn Le Veque built this story was so beautiful and I was cheering for these two all the way.
Overall I found Guardian of Darkness to be a stimulating read that captures the reader’s attention from the get-go, it’s a tale of sacrifice, love, and fighting for what matters….
July 21, 2014
5***** A marvellous historical romance. Cari the heroine is sent to England as a hostage to ensure her father a Highland Laird doesn't cause trouble. Creed the hero is her escort but last time he escorted a lady he got in trouble with the King and is being hidden from him. The story gets off to a flying start and doesn't let you go. Cari has to learn the hard way to curb her temper. They have to bear devastating losses.as always with this author we really feel the story. I was crying in the first part of it. Poor Bress I wanted to kill Jory myself. I wonder if the knights of that age really had so little control over their lives. I'm struggling a bit with the ending and how it would be possible. How could John not find out ?
I always love Kathryn's books MORE PLEASE
I always love Kathryn's books MORE PLEASE
August 21, 2016
Except for a few things, the era was portrayed as I think of it and the characters were appealing. So it was quite easy to get involved in their story. To root for them when their problems seemed too much. To feel for them when tragedy stroke, because, no, nothing could be taken for sure, except that there would be a HEA, given this was a romance.
January 13, 2016
Entertaining Story and Good Narration by Brad Wills (audible whispersync review)
I really enjoyed this story quite a bit. I really liked the hero Creed, he was strong, tall, handsome and sweet with a don't mess with me attitude. He was a knight after all. I liked Carington too. She was also a strong character, I like strong female characters so much more than whiny simpering ones.
They had some good chemistry together. The sex scene was very very mild. There were a couple of cuss words so if you looking for a rated G book and get offended easily this is not for you. But if you are okay with a little bit of cuss words then give it a try.
The story line and plot were good. Romance, battles, villains and a HEA. There is tons and tons of dialogue throughout the entire book. You know me I love lots of dialogue. Also, this story was not full of angst, another plus.
The narration was great. The women sound like women, the hero sounds sexy, and all the characters get their own distinct voice. He reads with emotion and has a very nice reading voice. I do like Brad Wills as a narrator.
And I got this book free read with my Amazon KU subscription and the audible whispersync companion was 1.99 so totally worth it!
I really enjoyed this story quite a bit. I really liked the hero Creed, he was strong, tall, handsome and sweet with a don't mess with me attitude. He was a knight after all. I liked Carington too. She was also a strong character, I like strong female characters so much more than whiny simpering ones.
They had some good chemistry together. The sex scene was very very mild. There were a couple of cuss words so if you looking for a rated G book and get offended easily this is not for you. But if you are okay with a little bit of cuss words then give it a try.
The story line and plot were good. Romance, battles, villains and a HEA. There is tons and tons of dialogue throughout the entire book. You know me I love lots of dialogue. Also, this story was not full of angst, another plus.
The narration was great. The women sound like women, the hero sounds sexy, and all the characters get their own distinct voice. He reads with emotion and has a very nice reading voice. I do like Brad Wills as a narrator.
And I got this book free read with my Amazon KU subscription and the audible whispersync companion was 1.99 so totally worth it!
June 24, 2015
Oh the whining! Cari is a brat. I almost quit this book a third of the way in. All the tantrums and sneaking away and she even believes the lies of her known enemies, I couldn't stand Cari. Her escape attempts were foolish and childish. I like Creed but why would someone like that want that brat. Aside from the braty girl, the story telling was ok until the end. The ending was unbelievable and the epilouge made it ridiculous.
October 28, 2017
Re-reading as part of the boxed set "Brides of the Border" by Kathryn Le Veque.
March 23, 2019
Good strong storyline with beautiful writing to back it up. This story takes you on plenty of adventure and an emotional roller coaster. It was very easy to get into the story and I was completely captivated. I really loved how not everything was happy and perfect in this story, there was lots of tragedy. The characters for the most part were great, I loved the hero.. a lot! I liked the heroine most of the time, she did seem a bit childish, woe is me at times but she was oddly endearing to read about. Their kids on the other hand... omg. Materialistic, boy hungry, brats if you ask me. All in all though a great book.
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February 28, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (2/28/2020)! 🎁
July 16, 2019
Ohhhhh I’m so in love with this story!! I fell so hard for these two wonderful characters! My heart broke so hard for them and what they went through. There was also many moments of laughter (kid checking out the kilt 🤣🤣), and many swooning moments, be still my heart. I’m so glad I clicked on this author!
October 28, 2015
Lady Carington of Clan Kerr was a young, green-eyes girl who wouldn’t abide being a hostage for the sake of a truce between clans, and with little else of material wealth in her life, she was only able to fight with her obstinate demeanor and fiery temper. On her way to Castle Prudhoe, Scottish in the midst of Sassenach, a woman whose heart was caught by one huge Sassenach (her guardian) with a heart as large, changed what was wrong to what became right.
I loved the way the relationship between the Scottish woman and captor grew. Even though she didn’t want to be where she was, her will did not matter. She found herself in an enemy's castle, and surprisingly enough she found friendship and harmony. This story exemplifies how much we are the same.
Whether English or Scottish in 1200 A. D. or I could pull us into the 21st century, how much the people of our worst enemy and ourselves have much the same yearnings of the heart, humanity is much the same. Isn’t the bottom line of our lives, love of family and peace in our daily lives?
Sir Creed De Reyne is a wonderful character of patience and truly the heart that matches that of Lady Carington. I adored how the passion grew between Sir Creed De Reyne and Lady Carington. In this instance, neither nation nor what Sir Creed believed what he should do, came between this burgeoning romance when finally Sir Creed De Reyne took what was his. Sigh! A beautiful ending, indeed.
Sir Creed De Reyne and his brother, Sir Ryton, were wonderful men and brothers, full of honor and knightly skills, but, unfortunately, evil lurked and good did not follow a simple path.
Lady Christina and Lady Julia were Lady Carington’s peers within the castle. Christina became her friend, but Julia, coerced by evil full of hostility and revenge (not worth mentioning his name!), loved Sir Creed in silence, and eventually played a pivotal role in Sir Creed’s discovery of his brother’s death.
Sir Creed could not believe his good fortune in the relationship that ensued between Lady Carington and himself. He had never been drawn to a woman such as this before. Could anything come of his feelings? He was also dealing with accusations from the king which complicated his life and further dealings with the Pope. Why couldn’t he just fall in love with a woman and live happily ever after?
I loved the voice narrator Brad Wills used for Sir Richard, lisp and all. Also his voice for Julia and her emotional state and near-edge insanity, made me a believer and was just phenomenal. I never think of Mr. Wills as a male when he depicts female voices and his voice is well, dare I say sexy, when he portrays the hero? His eye to detail in the reading and portrayal of the characters, pulls you within the scene, experiencing the turmoil, emotion and pain. I know of no other narrator in the medieval romance genre who carries me into that period of time as succinctly as this narrator. Reader, he will mesmerize you with his reading. I’m so happy that author Kathryn Le Veque has him narrating for her. The combination will entice you to listen to the read more than once.
Never dissatisfied with a book from Kathryn Le Veque, and when paired with narrator Brad Wills, I have no doubt – YOU. WILL. ENJOY!
I loved the way the relationship between the Scottish woman and captor grew. Even though she didn’t want to be where she was, her will did not matter. She found herself in an enemy's castle, and surprisingly enough she found friendship and harmony. This story exemplifies how much we are the same.
Whether English or Scottish in 1200 A. D. or I could pull us into the 21st century, how much the people of our worst enemy and ourselves have much the same yearnings of the heart, humanity is much the same. Isn’t the bottom line of our lives, love of family and peace in our daily lives?
Sir Creed De Reyne is a wonderful character of patience and truly the heart that matches that of Lady Carington. I adored how the passion grew between Sir Creed De Reyne and Lady Carington. In this instance, neither nation nor what Sir Creed believed what he should do, came between this burgeoning romance when finally Sir Creed De Reyne took what was his. Sigh! A beautiful ending, indeed.
Sir Creed De Reyne and his brother, Sir Ryton, were wonderful men and brothers, full of honor and knightly skills, but, unfortunately, evil lurked and good did not follow a simple path.
Lady Christina and Lady Julia were Lady Carington’s peers within the castle. Christina became her friend, but Julia, coerced by evil full of hostility and revenge (not worth mentioning his name!), loved Sir Creed in silence, and eventually played a pivotal role in Sir Creed’s discovery of his brother’s death.
Sir Creed could not believe his good fortune in the relationship that ensued between Lady Carington and himself. He had never been drawn to a woman such as this before. Could anything come of his feelings? He was also dealing with accusations from the king which complicated his life and further dealings with the Pope. Why couldn’t he just fall in love with a woman and live happily ever after?
I loved the voice narrator Brad Wills used for Sir Richard, lisp and all. Also his voice for Julia and her emotional state and near-edge insanity, made me a believer and was just phenomenal. I never think of Mr. Wills as a male when he depicts female voices and his voice is well, dare I say sexy, when he portrays the hero? His eye to detail in the reading and portrayal of the characters, pulls you within the scene, experiencing the turmoil, emotion and pain. I know of no other narrator in the medieval romance genre who carries me into that period of time as succinctly as this narrator. Reader, he will mesmerize you with his reading. I’m so happy that author Kathryn Le Veque has him narrating for her. The combination will entice you to listen to the read more than once.
Never dissatisfied with a book from Kathryn Le Veque, and when paired with narrator Brad Wills, I have no doubt – YOU. WILL. ENJOY!
June 16, 2015
(Fans Face Rapidly) THIS MAN IS HOT!!
I love a well-built story, especially one about a well-built man. Kathryn Le Veque delivers both in this standalone novel that also contains characters from other "Medieval Knight" stories she has given us.
Not only is it nicely plotted out, but it also has sweet touches of humor sprinkled throughout. To me, humor is worth at least one star, and if it just seems to happen, like in this author's stories, WOW!
The characters get off to a rip-roaring start, with instant acknowledgement that this is no story of a wilting violet. The hero, of course, HAS to be almost literally larger than life, just to handle her hijinks! And the trials and tribulations they go through are perfectly chosen to maximize their relationship as it blossoms.
I actually wanted six stars...
I love a well-built story, especially one about a well-built man. Kathryn Le Veque delivers both in this standalone novel that also contains characters from other "Medieval Knight" stories she has given us.
Not only is it nicely plotted out, but it also has sweet touches of humor sprinkled throughout. To me, humor is worth at least one star, and if it just seems to happen, like in this author's stories, WOW!
The characters get off to a rip-roaring start, with instant acknowledgement that this is no story of a wilting violet. The hero, of course, HAS to be almost literally larger than life, just to handle her hijinks! And the trials and tribulations they go through are perfectly chosen to maximize their relationship as it blossoms.
I actually wanted six stars...
February 28, 2022
Great book
October 18, 2021
Vizier with coals, I think should have been brazier and distain should be disdain. These errors take me out of the magic of being lost in the book,besides that a wonderful book.
July 15, 2025
Scottish Historical Romance
Genre: Historical Romance
Tropes: slow burn, medieval era early 1200's Scotland/England, knights in shining armor, Scots vs Brits, bodyguard, maiden/knight
Spice: 2/5
Content Warning: attempted sexual assault, miscarriage, suicide, death of a pet
POV: 3rd person POV, rotating between many characters
Audiobook: narrated by a man
As part of a peace agreement, Scottish Lady Carington Kerr (19 years old) is sent to her father's English former enemy for keeping. Lady Carington is fiery and beligerant, despite the kindness of her hosts. She is guarded by a patient, handsome knight, Creed. They fall in love.
Cari grows to appreciate her "new family," and the relationship between her and Creed is beautiful. I do wonder about the customs in 13th century England regarding men and women. They certainly had a lot of unchaperoned time together. I know Creed is Cari's protector, but it seems quite forward how he keeps getting her alone.
Overall, I loved this book. It had great pacing, a fair amount of action, and wonderful development between the characters.
I struggled with the first third of the book because of the FMC. She was rude and petulant and hostile to her hosts/captors. She had to be guarded because she was such a live wire, not necessarily for her own protection. Perhaps more could have been done to demonstrate that her life was in peril. I mean, she is in "enemy" territory. She has the one creepy knight who ended up being one of the villains. But more could have been done with the enemy dynamic. There were some cruel children, and that storyline went no where.
There were way too many references to the FMC being child-like and the size of a child, and then, in the next paragraph, she was the fairest maiden in all the land with every man looking at her. A bit cringy there.
Anyway, the story takes a heartbreaking turn, leaving me in tears and wondering if we would have a Happily Ever After for our characters. This was my first Kathryn Le Veque book, and I'll be reading more of her.
Genre: Historical Romance
Tropes: slow burn, medieval era early 1200's Scotland/England, knights in shining armor, Scots vs Brits, bodyguard, maiden/knight
Spice: 2/5
Content Warning: attempted sexual assault, miscarriage, suicide, death of a pet
POV: 3rd person POV, rotating between many characters
Audiobook: narrated by a man
As part of a peace agreement, Scottish Lady Carington Kerr (19 years old) is sent to her father's English former enemy for keeping. Lady Carington is fiery and beligerant, despite the kindness of her hosts. She is guarded by a patient, handsome knight, Creed. They fall in love.
Cari grows to appreciate her "new family," and the relationship between her and Creed is beautiful. I do wonder about the customs in 13th century England regarding men and women. They certainly had a lot of unchaperoned time together. I know Creed is Cari's protector, but it seems quite forward how he keeps getting her alone.
Overall, I loved this book. It had great pacing, a fair amount of action, and wonderful development between the characters.
I struggled with the first third of the book because of the FMC. She was rude and petulant and hostile to her hosts/captors. She had to be guarded because she was such a live wire, not necessarily for her own protection. Perhaps more could have been done to demonstrate that her life was in peril. I mean, she is in "enemy" territory. She has the one creepy knight who ended up being one of the villains. But more could have been done with the enemy dynamic. There were some cruel children, and that storyline went no where.
There were way too many references to the FMC being child-like and the size of a child, and then, in the next paragraph, she was the fairest maiden in all the land with every man looking at her. A bit cringy there.
Anyway, the story takes a heartbreaking turn, leaving me in tears and wondering if we would have a Happily Ever After for our characters. This was my first Kathryn Le Veque book, and I'll be reading more of her.
January 7, 2023
I have to give her only three stars.
I like her books and would have given her books a higher rating except for two major reasons. She uses 20th Century words that did not exist in the time periods she writes about. And she adds items to her books for people to use that did not exist in that time period. Underpants for women did not exist till the very early 1800's, they were invented by the French. Carriages did not exist after the fall of the Roman Empire till between the very late 1400's and the very early 1500's. Till then all land transportation was by horse or wagon. The wagons could be enclosed with walls and a roof but it would still be a wagon. Except for those problems she writes good books. But it throws me when I see a word that did not exist in that time period or have an item described that did not exist in that time period. And yes, I have looked up the history of what I am talking about. It was not even hard to do, it only took me minutes to double check the information. I am seventy-four, and have read thousands of books, I an a very, very fast reader. I am also a history and trivial buff and have been since the fifth grade of school. The reason I know about the lack if underpants is I worked in the historical area of Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia for over four years. They send employees that work in the historical area to history classes and pay them to attend the history classes. Anyone can look up this information about items used in different time periods.
I like her books and would have given her books a higher rating except for two major reasons. She uses 20th Century words that did not exist in the time periods she writes about. And she adds items to her books for people to use that did not exist in that time period. Underpants for women did not exist till the very early 1800's, they were invented by the French. Carriages did not exist after the fall of the Roman Empire till between the very late 1400's and the very early 1500's. Till then all land transportation was by horse or wagon. The wagons could be enclosed with walls and a roof but it would still be a wagon. Except for those problems she writes good books. But it throws me when I see a word that did not exist in that time period or have an item described that did not exist in that time period. And yes, I have looked up the history of what I am talking about. It was not even hard to do, it only took me minutes to double check the information. I am seventy-four, and have read thousands of books, I an a very, very fast reader. I am also a history and trivial buff and have been since the fifth grade of school. The reason I know about the lack if underpants is I worked in the historical area of Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia for over four years. They send employees that work in the historical area to history classes and pay them to attend the history classes. Anyone can look up this information about items used in different time periods.
August 5, 2020
Sir Creed is a well respected and a formidable knight. Creed is assigned as protector to Carington, Laird Kerr’s daughter, who is given as a hostage for peace between the Scots and Prudhoe Castle in Northumbria. Carington is a firebrand who causes all kinds of trouble and attempts multiple escapes on the trip from Scotland to England. Sir Creed is the calm to Carington’s fire. Needless to say, she becomes attached to him feeling safe and protected in the enemy environment. Creed has a past of escorting Isabella, King John’s bride, from France to England. The twelve year old bride has quite of reputation with men and sets her sights on Creed. Creed spurns her advances and Isabella seeks to ruin his reputation as revenge. King John seeks retribution for Creed’s supposed indiscretions with Isabella. Creed, against his better judgement, becomes attached and falls madly in love with Carington. Of course, there is all kinds of turmoil, tragedy, and heartache for Creed and Carington, but love conquers all in the end. Wonderful story.
April 6, 2023
The Guardian of Darkness, the first book in Kathryn Le Veque’s De Reyne Domination series is phenomenal. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Paul Woodson, whose voice acting while reading the characters, especially Creed, melted my heart and made me weak in the knees. And the lyrical poetry that is written by Kathryn Le Veque, “he seemed to take up all of the air around him, sucking it dry as he reined his fire-breathing charger to a halt and dismounted. When he flipped up his three-point visor, focusing on the group of knights and one small lady, she swore she saw lightning bolts shooting from his eyes. That was her first impression of the man.” The comparison to a storm, is used several times and is apropos to Creed’s character the “calm before the storm”, and to his relationship with Cari, a fiery passion. This was truly a heartfelt, heart wrenching and heartwarming story that is a phenomenal read!
September 27, 2018
This book has everything you could wish for - Romance, intrigue, betrayal, love, humour, and especially Sir Creed de Reyne, who I think is one of my favourites! This mountain of a man is heroic, chivalrous, gentle, handsome with a warm calm nature who falls in love with his Scottish hostage the beautiful, feisty, intelligent and honest, the Lady Carington Kerr. From the moment this tale starts, you are off on a rip roaring adventure that twists and turns on every page. But what Kathryn does best, is she makes all the secondary characters three dimensional, their personalities, feelings, conversation, the friendship between all of the knights, especially Creed and his brother Ryford, it is wonderful and poignant. All these elements bring this book to life. It is a moving and joyful book and yet there is sadness too. I loved it!
September 30, 2019
So needful story!
Creed de Reyne was a knight's knight. Huge, powerful and very very honorable - also a trusted knight in service to the king. He got into trouble when he rode escort in bringing a very spoiled and vengeful young woman to marry the king. She had set her sights on Creed for a lover & he rebuffed her. She decided to get even with him by claiming he raped her - even though everybody on the escort trip knew she was lying and had had many lovers. When she turned up pregnant & claimed the child was Creed's, it was plain Creed needed to be away from London so he went to Prudhoe Castle to be with his brother. In service at Prudhoe, he was charged with transporting a female Scottish hostage, Carington Kerr. They fell in love and trouble just seemed to follow them. The solution to their problems came about in a very unusual way. This was a really good book!
Creed de Reyne was a knight's knight. Huge, powerful and very very honorable - also a trusted knight in service to the king. He got into trouble when he rode escort in bringing a very spoiled and vengeful young woman to marry the king. She had set her sights on Creed for a lover & he rebuffed her. She decided to get even with him by claiming he raped her - even though everybody on the escort trip knew she was lying and had had many lovers. When she turned up pregnant & claimed the child was Creed's, it was plain Creed needed to be away from London so he went to Prudhoe Castle to be with his brother. In service at Prudhoe, he was charged with transporting a female Scottish hostage, Carington Kerr. They fell in love and trouble just seemed to follow them. The solution to their problems came about in a very unusual way. This was a really good book!
October 23, 2021
A total winner
If its written by Kathryn Le Veque you know, first of all, its a winner and Guardian of Darkness falls straight into that category.
Her description of the characters and surroundings brings them to life on the pages which, incidentally, is extremely difficult to put down.
Be warned...if you read this you won't be able to stop. Settle somewhere comfy with a glass (or bottle) of wine and go for it. I swear you won't regret it.
If this is your first Kathryn Le Veque book I just know you are going to adore her style. If not you already know how amazing she is.
Have fun.
If its written by Kathryn Le Veque you know, first of all, its a winner and Guardian of Darkness falls straight into that category.
Her description of the characters and surroundings brings them to life on the pages which, incidentally, is extremely difficult to put down.
Be warned...if you read this you won't be able to stop. Settle somewhere comfy with a glass (or bottle) of wine and go for it. I swear you won't regret it.
If this is your first Kathryn Le Veque book I just know you are going to adore her style. If not you already know how amazing she is.
Have fun.
September 2, 2022
I started off loving this book. It had the perfect chemistry between Cari and Creed set against the backdrop of the medieval frontier between the English and Scottish boarders. I’m not a fan of instant love so I did feel they fell for each other too quickly - yet then the story takes pace of longer jumps of time.
Things towards the end tailed off for me and I lost the passion for the story. I did read through to the end and everything was nicely tied up in a Happy Ending, but I did wonder if the book was too waited down with antagonist forces that ended up subtracting than benefiting.
Still its a historical romance that delivers a chivalrous knight falling for a passionate lady.
Things towards the end tailed off for me and I lost the passion for the story. I did read through to the end and everything was nicely tied up in a Happy Ending, but I did wonder if the book was too waited down with antagonist forces that ended up subtracting than benefiting.
Still its a historical romance that delivers a chivalrous knight falling for a passionate lady.
October 6, 2024
Loved it
Lady Carrington Kerr was being held hostage in a sassenach camp to be taken to an English castle. She tries to escape but was chased by the soldiers. She did not want to be held as hostage to make her father be peaceful. She could hear them thundering behind her and knew she could not escape. A warrior (Sir Ryton de Reyne) came upon her and grabbed her arm swinging her onto his horse, she fought but was no match for the warrior. After reaching the camp she told him she would escape again, he told her that her father had offered her to Lord Richard d’Umfraville of Prudhoe Castle in exchange for peace between Prudhoe and clan Kerr.
Lady Carrington Kerr was being held hostage in a sassenach camp to be taken to an English castle. She tries to escape but was chased by the soldiers. She did not want to be held as hostage to make her father be peaceful. She could hear them thundering behind her and knew she could not escape. A warrior (Sir Ryton de Reyne) came upon her and grabbed her arm swinging her onto his horse, she fought but was no match for the warrior. After reaching the camp she told him she would escape again, he told her that her father had offered her to Lord Richard d’Umfraville of Prudhoe Castle in exchange for peace between Prudhoe and clan Kerr.
March 13, 2023
Creed and Carington
Tropes/keywords: knight, hostage, death of pet (horse), miscarriage
Carington, a Scot, is being sent to the castle of an English Lord to stay as a guest (hostage) to calm hostilities between the two countries. Creed is one of the knight's sent as her escort. She doesn't go quietly. But along the way she sees his honor and he understands her. Sweet romance with a fair amount of angst.
Tropes/keywords: knight, hostage, death of pet (horse), miscarriage
Carington, a Scot, is being sent to the castle of an English Lord to stay as a guest (hostage) to calm hostilities between the two countries. Creed is one of the knight's sent as her escort. She doesn't go quietly. But along the way she sees his honor and he understands her. Sweet romance with a fair amount of angst.
April 5, 2024
Great story
The Guardian of Darkness is a wonderful story of love and loss. The characters, Carington and Creed, have so much chaos and disaster that follow them! The only thing that really put a kink in my enjoyment was the need for better editing. There were a lot of great scenes so I overlooked the mistakes to finish the story. I can’t wait to see what happens to the other characters in the future!
The Guardian of Darkness is a wonderful story of love and loss. The characters, Carington and Creed, have so much chaos and disaster that follow them! The only thing that really put a kink in my enjoyment was the need for better editing. There were a lot of great scenes so I overlooked the mistakes to finish the story. I can’t wait to see what happens to the other characters in the future!
March 7, 2019
The daughter of a Scottish Laird is to be held by an English Lord in exchange to keep the peace. On the journey to England Lady Carington Kerr is guarded by the English knight Sir Creed de Reyne. But Sir Creed is in big trouble with King John. A passionate love story with moments of pain and death. Engrossing to the end.
July 20, 2020
Good story
Creed and Cari are a bit of a odd couple. Cari needed to grow up and I guess Creed would be the person to make that happen. It was a bit selfish of him to marry her with all of the suspicion hanging over his head. The end was a little disappointing as they would have had to live the rest of their lives hidden from the King’s wrath.
Creed and Cari are a bit of a odd couple. Cari needed to grow up and I guess Creed would be the person to make that happen. It was a bit selfish of him to marry her with all of the suspicion hanging over his head. The end was a little disappointing as they would have had to live the rest of their lives hidden from the King’s wrath.
November 6, 2021
Enjoyable
I've had a lot of women friends withwonderfully and tempers. But I've never known one to be as disagreeable and as angry as Cari about everything.
She, of course, was in a situation she didn't want to be in, but she didn't try to make her trials better.
Glad she matured with finding love.
The hero was wonderfull.
I've had a lot of women friends withwonderfully and tempers. But I've never known one to be as disagreeable and as angry as Cari about everything.
She, of course, was in a situation she didn't want to be in, but she didn't try to make her trials better.
Glad she matured with finding love.
The hero was wonderfull.
January 27, 2022
Nope
DNF. I stopped reading at 22% because not only did the writer kill off the h's beloved horse (never kill Dogs or horses dear) but she then had the a particularly evil character secretly serve it to her for dinner. Can't come back from that Kathryn, no matter how good the writing.
DNF. I stopped reading at 22% because not only did the writer kill off the h's beloved horse (never kill Dogs or horses dear) but she then had the a particularly evil character secretly serve it to her for dinner. Can't come back from that Kathryn, no matter how good the writing.
April 12, 2022
Great romance.
I love the men in KLV’s books and Creed is no exception. He is a fearsome knight assigned to shadow a hostage against his better judgment. Carrington is the Scot hostage and she is not a compliant one. Nevertheless they bond and fall in love. The story has a couple of villains, some betrayal, and lots of love. I really loved it.
I love the men in KLV’s books and Creed is no exception. He is a fearsome knight assigned to shadow a hostage against his better judgment. Carrington is the Scot hostage and she is not a compliant one. Nevertheless they bond and fall in love. The story has a couple of villains, some betrayal, and lots of love. I really loved it.
October 23, 2023
Good book
This book was good. I enjoyed watching Creed and Carrington’s relationship grow. They are such a good couple. He so sweet to her even though he was a bit gruff in the beginning. She has quite the temper that flares up quick but also does down just as quickly. He likes that about her and has a way of calming her down. Plenty of activities with bad guys and false accusations. The best part of this book is the sweet and fun banter between them. The plot had me a little anxious and worried at times.
This book was good. I enjoyed watching Creed and Carrington’s relationship grow. They are such a good couple. He so sweet to her even though he was a bit gruff in the beginning. She has quite the temper that flares up quick but also does down just as quickly. He likes that about her and has a way of calming her down. Plenty of activities with bad guys and false accusations. The best part of this book is the sweet and fun banter between them. The plot had me a little anxious and worried at times.
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