Winter’s Flame

Seasons of Fortitude #4

by Elizabeth Rose

The Lady Blacksmith When Lady Winter's blacksmith mentor starts to lose his sight, she stays at Ravenscar to help him and to secure his secret. But things get complicated when a visiting border lord demands that the blacksmith travel with him to his castle to finish a promised sword that was part of a deal. To protect the man who taught her to forge steel, Winter pretends to be his daughter and goes on the trip to make the sword for him in secret. The Border Lord Border Lord Martin de Grey has commissioned the best blacksmith in all England to forge him a sword from the coveted Damascus steel. With this sword he will take down his Scottish enemy and save his brother. But when the completion of the job takes too long, he travels to Ravenscar to discover the sword has not been forged. The blacksmith and his daughter are brought back to his castle where he can keep an eye on them. Little does he know the fetching girl is not who she pretends to be. A passion between Winter and Martin heats up hotter than the fires of the forge. But when truths are discovered, will lies and deception extinguish that flame forever?

Genres: Historical Romance, Historical, Romance, Amazon, Audiobook, Fiction, Medieval

ebook

First published October 28, 2017

About the author

Elizabeth Rose is the author of medieval, paranormal, fantasy and contemporary novels. While based on romance, her novels have complex plots, action and suspense. She loves writing bad boy tortured heroes and empowered feisty heroines.

Her books have won rave reviews, and been seen on The History Channel as well as Wild Chicago. Elizabeth's books have won and been finalists in many contests. Here is a partial list:

Highland Spirit - Highland Chronicles WINNER of the Raven Award.
Bedeviled - Portals of Destiny, WINNER Creme de la Cover Contest
Beguiled - Portals of Destiny, WINNER - Creme de la Cover Contest

RONE Award finalists include:
Doubting Thomas - Bad Boys of Sweetwater
Highland Steel - Highland Chronicles
Tristan - Pirate Lords
Igniting Andrew - Bad Boys of Sweetwater
Highland Secrets - Secrets of the Heart
Seductive Secrets - Secrets of the Heart
Forgotten Secrets - all Secrets of the Heart
Summer's Reign - Seasons of Fortitude

Kindle Book Review Awards finalist and semi-finalist:
Highland Secrets
Forgotten Secrets

International Digital Award finalist:
Highland Spring - Seasons of Fortitude

Golden Palm Finalist:
Mary, Mary - Once Upon a Rhyme

Raven Awards Best Cover finalist:
May Queen - Holiday Knights

Raven Awards Runner-Up:
Lady and the Wolf - Tangled Tales

Books and Benches Reviewer's Choice:
Restless Sea Lord - Legendary Bastards of the Crown

Sapphire Award Finalist:
Kyros' Secret - Greek Myth Fantasy Series

Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice:
Thief of Olympus - Greek Myth Fantasy Series

Seen on the History Channel:
The Oracle of Delphi - Greek Myth Fantasy Series

And More!

Elizabeth is known for her many series which include:

Below the Salt Series
Highland Outcasts
Portals of Destiny
Legacy of the Blade
Daughters of the Dagger
Elemental Magick Series
Bad Boys of Sweetwater: Tarnished Saints Series Greek Myth Fantasy Series
MadMan MacKeefe Series
Legendary Bastards of the Crown
Seasons of Fortitude
Secrets of the Heart
Second in Command
Pirate Lords
Highland Chronicles
Barons of the Cinque Ports
Tangled Tales Once Upon a Rhyme
Holiday Knights
Dark Encounters
Cowboys of the Old West
Working Man Series, and more!

Someday Elizabeth hopes to visit the castles of Scotland and England personally. However, she has been to the jungles of Peru and Machu Picchu which inspired her novels, Curse of the Condor and Bistro Bachelor.

Visit her website to view her latest books and to read excerpts of her work. http://elizabethrosenovels.com.

Reviews

[Lori D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another winner from Elizabeth Rose. Part of the Seasons of Fortitude Series, it is finally time for Winter's story. She is mentioned throughout the series, and although each story stands alone, read together they are a continuous saga! Lady Winter is a bit unusual in that she loves to blacksmith and work with her old mentor, who is losing his eyesight but has a special job to complete. He is to forge a sword of the finest steel for St Martin de Grey, who must go up against a strong enemy. Sir Martin takes the blacksmith and Winter to his castle so they can finish the sword. What he does not realize is that Winter is not the blacksmith's daughter but a noblewoman on her own. There is an attraction between the two but can the revelation of who Winter truly is forge a divide between the two? As usual the author brings the characters to life and there is some great history learned along the way. Do not miss this wonderful story!

[Barbara "Cookie" Serfaty Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winter's Flame (Seasons of Fortitude Series Book 4)

The love story of Lady Winter and Lord Martin De Grey. Winter is a Lady and a blacksmith. The man who taught her how to be a blacksmith, son was held capture until a sword was made but he is going blind. Winter must help him made the sword to save his son. She meet Martin and spock fly. Can she make the sword with out Martin finding out who she is? Great story of love .

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! This story was fresh and unique and had that distinctive Elizabeth Rose flair. I have yet to be disappointed by one of her novels, and this was no exception. Great character development, interesting plot, superb writing... it had everything.

*I received a complimentary ARC of this story in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

[Jody Allred · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome

Just another great book. It was a greAt romance all the family is together and happy. Winter still does awesome forging

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

By Elizabeth Rose

Winter is a noblewoman who knows how to forge steel and do anything that a blacksmith can do. She was taught by the best blacksmith in England Wallace, however he is quickly losing his sight and has nobody to help him as his son is imprisoned by Sir Martin de Grey in exchange for a deal that the late Lord Ravenscar made with him. You see, the blacksmith is suppose to forge a sword from the finest Damascus steel so that Sir Martin de Grey can go up against his enemy Clan Dunbar in an age old feud. Sir Martin's brother is imprisoned by them and he will do anything to save him. Then Sir Martin shows up at Ravenscar looking for his sword however it's not ready. He mistakenly takes Winter for a commoner and the daughter of the blacksmith, but Winter doesn't tell the truth and goes along with it pretending to be Winnie.
Sir Martin decides to bring the blacksmith and his daughter to Castle Heaton to finish forging the sword. While there Sir Martin finds himself very attracted to the commoners beautiful daughter. Winter now finds herself in a bit of a mess and doesn't know what to do because telling Sir Martin who she is now could possibly put her friend at risk of never seeing his son again. Sparks will fly when the truth is finally revealed and Sir Martin finds out who Winter really is. Will he let her finish forging the sword? Will Walter ever see his son again? Can Winter and Sir Martin see past their differences and overcome the odds to possibly find love and forgiveness?
Wow Elizabeth Rose just keeps getting better and better. She is a pro at writting. This book is absolutely exquisite. From the first page until the last, I was transported into Ms. Rose's wonderful world of writting. As I read each sentence another scene would play out in my head. This one got a little spicier then normal, but was incredibly written and had the Elizabeth Rose stamp all over it.

[Lauralee Wiltsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this Advanced readers copy in return for writing an honest review.I really liked Martin and Winter’s story. It brings back my belief that if love is there, one can overcome anything. About the only thing that I didn’t like about this book is that it ended too soon. Martin was a very arrogant and high-handed individual not only kidnapping Wallace, the blacksmith but assuming lady winter was a commoner. Wallace was supposed to construct Martin a sword made out of Damascus steel, the most highly prized material in the world. When the work was not completed as scheduled, Martin forced Wallace and who he thought Wallace’s daughter was, but in actuality, was Lady Winter. She is the daughter of Ross Douglas. Because Martin compromised Winter, they married. I felt she took an inordinately long time to decide whether she was going to marry him. I felt she really didn’t have a choice because a noblewoman was supposed to be a virgin on her wedding night and there were not many options during that time available to women. The fact that Winter was a very good blacksmith was unheard of for women. I like this about the book that she was a very strong independent woman. Although, many times her independent nature got her into a lot of trouble. Ms. Rose has he had another very good story and if you like a lot of action and adventure, you will definitely like this book. If I could give it more than five stars I would definitely do that and I highly recommend this book. Thank you Ms. Rose for yet another enjoyable read.

[SHERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Final in the series is just as awesome as the rest of the series! Winter is like her sisters in some ways, hard headed, stubborn, determine and beautiful. She is different in others because she isn’t your normal lady.

Lord Martin is a brash determine brute and only thinks of himself, can’t see further than the end of his nose.

When these two meet, lightning flashes and flames ignite.

A can’t miss final to the Seasons of Fortitude Series. I promise you won’t be sorry.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from Elizabeth Rose

A wonderful story with interesting characters, full of drama, intrigue, adventure and deception. Kept me interest from beginning to end. I enjoyed it very much. I did received an ARC for an honest review and I enjoyed the book so much that I also purchased a copy for my collection.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderfully written story with unexpected twists to keep you engaged. Throw in some enemies, warring English and Scottish Lords for an exciting story.

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars . This book was so cheesy but i liked it :) ... i just wish we’d get more of spring the warrior

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Publisher's Description:

Passion ignites and the sparks fly when a border lord and a noblewoman skilled at the forge are brought together under unusual circumstances.

Lady Winter has always been curious since childhood and even though she is a noblewoman, she has learned from the best blacksmith to be skilled at the forge. While at her sister's wedding in Ravenscar, she decides to stay and help the blacksmith who trained her. His eyesight is failing and although he was once the best blacksmith in all England, now he is doomed without Winter's help. The late lord Ravenscar made a deal with Sir Martin de Grey of Northumberland. The blacksmith is to forge a sword from the finest Damascus steel, but to insure that Lord de Grey gets it, he's taken the man's son in exchange.

Sir Martin de Grey arrives in Ravenscar to collect his sword. He needs it to go up against his enemy - Clan Dunbar in an age-old feud. Martin's brother is imprisoned and he will do anything to save him. But when he discovers his sword is not ready and the man he made the deal with is dead, he takes drastic measures. He brings the blacksmith and his daughter to Castle Heaton to finish forging the sword. While there, he finds himself immensely attracted to the beautiful commoner's daughter.

Winter finds herself in a predicament. Sir Martin de Grey has mistaken her for the blacksmith's daughter since she was working in the forge. Now, to tell him the truth would risk her friend never seeing his son again.

Sparks will fly when the truth is revealed and circumstances turn lovers against each other. But with passion hotter than the fires of the forge between Winter and Martin, can something that started as lust turn into an undying love between them?

My Thoughts:

This is the final book in this series.
It is not in this reader's opinion the best one, though it is good.

Winter enjoys helping out the blacksmith who is loosing his eyesight.
When she discovers his problem she decides she will craft the sword that is the price asked by Sir Martin de Grey for the return of the smithy's son.

Sir Martin de Grey wants this sword to vanquish his enemy and bring his brother back from captivity by the neighbouring Scot.

Mistaken for the daughter of the blacksmith because she is helping in the forge Winter finds herself traveling to Sir Martin's castle along with the blacksmith.

Due to the man's eyesight she must find a way to craft the sword herself without Martin's knowledge.

How will this convoluted story end? Will Winter continue to fool Martin with her deception?

I gave this book 3.75 of 5.0 stars for storyline and characterization and a sensual rating of 4 of 5 flames. The intimacy is very hot and equally well written although I found the characters somewhat lacking in this particular book.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the author to read for review. This in no way affected my opinion of this book or the series which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

[Eileen Dandashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook Review

I’ve enjoyed this series, although I didn’t read any of Legendary Bastards of the Crown Series which the author suggests. I didn’t find the series lacking because I hadn’t. Each sister is very different and with great entertainment I followed their difficulties in life while finding their true loves.

Winter is very stubborn and high-spirited. She is also very protective of people she loves, as we discover when she does something unthinkable for a noble lady—works in the forge to help the blacksmith. She also discovers she has a passionate streak when she meets Sir Martin de Grey.

The story is quite comical, even though the stakes are high. As Winter is helping the blacksmith who no longer has good enough eyesight to do his work, Sir Martin de Grey comes to the forge demanding his sword. Of course, the sword hadn’t been worked on because Sir Martin had taken his son as a hostage, who most recently did the blacksmith’s work.

Now Sir Martin enjoys women, pure and simple — but never touches a virgin. He sees Winter, thinking her the blacksmith’s daughter, and is immediately interested in the wench. Lady Winter has to pretend to be the daughter and eventually they must both go to Sir Martin’s own forge to work on the sword.

I liked Lady Winter’s curious manner and her desire to learn more about what happens between a man and woman. Her demeanor has Sir Martin thinking she has done this before–which she hasn’t! Her curiosity could just kill the cat! Her no-nonsense approach to life, even at nineteen gives her a maturity other girls don’t have at her age.

When Sir Martin de Grey approaches her, taking her to his chamber, she goes. That chamber has painted scenes on the ceiling which should make any maiden swoon. Not Lady Winter. Like I said it’s all very comical and you will get some laughs from it. Sir Martin almost forgets why he needs the sword to be forged and doesn’t learn of Lady Winter’s true identity until he has done the deed. All this just complicates the situation further.

Another character I find humorous is the nanny. In fact, the narrator does the personification of this woman to perfection. Nanny is a seer, but doesn’t see all. Just glimpses. She’s been Lady Winter’s nurse since she was a bairn and follows her to Sir Martin’s castle. She tries to talk reason into Lady Winter, but Winter is just too curious!

On the whole, his narration was good. It’s pacing and tone was one of levity. It is with some regret I felt the narrator portrayed little emotion from Lady Winter as she is in Sir Martin’s bed or close to. The tone of the dialogue rang false, feeling too dry and methodical, rather than playful.

Bottom Line: 5 for story , 4 for performance

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Final Book in Series
Lady Winter Douglas has been fascinated since she was a child with the art of the Blacksmith and inveigled the finest to teach her the art. Having known him since she was a child, Winter considers Wallace her friend and when she realises his eyesight is failing him, and that he is unable to complete even the simplest of pieces, she insists on forging a sword made of fine Damascus steel for Lord Martin de Grey, so that Wallace’s son will be returned to him. Winter knows that noblemen do not consider women can be skilled at anything; she must pretend that Wallace is making the weapon and she is merely assisting and she must keep her status as a noblewoman secret as Lord de Grey will never accept a Lady in his forge. However she doesn’t take into account that as a commoner she can be taken to a noble’s bed and be unable to object and Martin de Grey is very taken with the ‘Blacksmith’s daughter’. He is less objective when he discovers he has been deceived!
An interesting story, where we the reader, get to find out about the art of sword making and the lot of women in this time period. In the final chapter, we meet up with all of Winter’s siblings and their expanding families at a Christmas feast. Whilst the story mostly stands on it’s own, it would be of benefit to have read others in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

[Petula · Rating 5 out of 5]

The family have all been together for Lady Autumn's wedding, and now they are all off to their own homes. Even Autumn and her new husband are going on honeymoon.
Lady Winter however is restless and wants to stay at Ravenscar and work at the forge with her old blacksmith mentor. He has a special job to do.
Sir Martin de Grey is anxiously waiting for his new sword. It will help him kill his enemy and free his brother from captivity.
Our hero has a sad and complicated family life, but also a real appreciation for all forms of art. Unfortunately he is also very much a man of his era, arrogant and stubborn.
Our heroine has a very large, happy and complicated family. She has always been rebellious, and loves working with metal at a forge.
Secrets and lies can get people in a lot of trouble. A happy story with a few emotional moments, and lots of wonderful characters. This is the last of this series. You could enjoy it on it's own, but if you want to read the others it's best to read them in order. I have read all of them and loved them all.

[Linda J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

I didn't care for the 1/4 of the book. The h I liked until she hops in bed with the H too quickly. His ceiling has erotic images on the ceiling in his bedroom. She's curious and wants to try them. They both went down hill in the creditability department.

As the story progresses I started to feel a connection to them. There is descriptive lovemaking, many times, heat level at least 4 out of 5. Still I felt more lust than romance.

Even though I didn't care for the beginning, this was my favorite of the series. It is a stand alone, but as with most series, there are many crossover character's.

There are many twists in this story that raised my rating. Some things I certainly didn't see coming and I liked there was a kink in their road to HEA. One part I didn't care for was the ridiculous choice the H makes in taking someone to his room - what? In one of the twists, I liked how the h acted with the H.

No cheating, no cliffhanger, HEA, little on romance and steam. (ljb)

[Susan Harrowa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heroine with some sass!

A fitting final book for the Seasons of Fortitude series. All the sisters are strong in their own ways, but Winter also doesn't care if she behaves outside the norm- for both women and nobility of the time. She's a master at the craft of forging weapons, and will not be told she cannot. Not by her family. Not by her mentor. And not by the man she is starting to care for, more than she meant to. But their relationship is begun with deception on her part and and interrupted by his past later. Add to that his hatred of Scots, of which she is half. All of that is a lot to overcome as she fights to stay true to both who she is and what she wants.
Overall, its a wonderful story that stays in line with both series it is tied to directly, as well as appearances from some other Rose novels. If you like strong female leads and medieval times, then this is a book I highly recommend.

[AIDA A LORENZANA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twist Ending
Winter, Secrets of the Heart Series Book 4 and last. I love Elizabeth Rose. You sure did give me a surprise for this one. Lady Winter is definitely a unique twist from all the rest of er sisters. Lady Winter, a unique Noble Woman who was the best trained Blacksmith in town by a blinding man name Wallece. Wallece who took in Lady Winter when she was young to be trained as the best. Martin was very fierce and angry in the begining of the story because of his's brother's capture. He knew he needed Lady Winter for his brother's release. DeceptioN, secrets and same day meet steamy scenes. LOVED it. The best part I love about this author is how she adds humor the her stories and especially her squire's and I love Nairne the most magical woman in the story.

[Jeanne Johnston · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was just... weird. Nothing felt logical or likely, the dialogue was stilted and awkward, and Martin had more weird hobbies than were believable. He started as such a ruthless arsehole, pretty much raped Winter, and then he's encouraging peasants to channel their artistic tendencies, escaping to his hidey hole to make clocks when he's stressed, redecorating the dungeon so prisoners don't get depressed, and I'll never get why he put up with Victoria at all. Winter's ridiculous hobby and excessively unusual family just put it over the top. Why is it a thing where every heroine has to be so independent and outside what is believable for the era?

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I came very close to dnf'ing this book. About 30% in, I skipped over a huge chunk of it to try and get towards something a little more interesting and mostly because I didn't want to dnf out of pure stubbornness. Unfortunately, that did not help. The main character, Winter, proved to be a rebel without a cause, which, while a classic movie, is not an entertaining character to follow along on a journey. Winter does things not because she's making a point, not because she's making a stand, and not even because it's the right thing to do, but because she feels like it, or because someone told her not to so now she wants to. I found her insipid, annoying, and bratty in many respects. The romantic male lead whose name I have already forgotten was eye-rollingly broody and the romance was also cringy. There was no realistic lead up, no real reason behind these two falling in love, aside from the fact that no one else was going to fall in love with them, so I guess in that respect they deserve each other. Boring plot, poor characterization, no real character growth, and senseless romance. Not a fan.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lord Martin De Grey- A border Lord
Lady Winter- a blacksmith as well and stayed behind in Ravenscar to help her mentor on a special project that will get his son back.
I enjoyed reading/listening this sensual read that is well written with lovable characters. However I did not like how fast they were to "romp" together to me it broke down their chemistry a bit. Fortunately other parts of the story was intriguing enough to keep the plot and the story interesting even if the ending seemed rushed. Their story has a sweet HEA.
Narrated by brain. J Gill who did a wonderful job telling the story.

[🦉Maggie Whitworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book , although part of a series , I hadn’t read the previous ones, and it didn’t matter .
It’s a lively, action packed story with many great characters and settings, described in detail and all, so endearing .
I have read the previous series of Legendary Bastards of the Crown , so I had some background, but it wasn’t necessary in order to fully enjoy this book . It was a real joy .
I’m sorry to see the end of the series if that’s the case, and will now go back to read the others .

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to submit a review

[Anne Blyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winter is not your average Noble, she loves to work in a forge. Here she meets an angry Lord waiting for the Smithy to make him a special sword. Unfortunately the smithy is losing his eyesight so Winter poses as his daughter to help create the sword without the Lord knowing. What happens when the Lord falls for the woman he thinks is a commoner and takes her to his bed, only to discover she is a Lady and sister to the Bastard Triplets of the King. There’s the ex betrothed who claims to have his child and a feud with a Scottish Clan. Never a dull moment.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fast paced, entertaining story in this series. This is Winter’s story, an unusual lady who enjoys working in a forge. She meets up with Sir Martin de Grey and decides to forge his sword secretly to help her old friend, Wallace. There follows, deception, steamy encounters and adventure. A very good read that will keep you gripped to the end. I did receive an arc but I also purchased a copy. I have voluntarily reviewed it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back again

I started this series and quickly realized I had read another of this series previously. I was able to jump right in and remember some of the back story. Love is always something to be thankful for and I was immersed in it throughout this novel. I am falling in love with every series I read from Elizabeth rose.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story and amazing author. Loved the story, too bad it has to end but ready for more from this fantastic author. Received a free book and reviewing because I appreciated being introduced to the story. A must for everyone.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Be whisked away in this early English tale of being true to oneself!

Read full review in the 2018 June issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Barbara R. Cady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another adventure!

I have read several of the books about this crazy, wild family, and each has been thoroughly entertaining, as was this one. A good quick book with great characters and a good storyline.

[Rosemary Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final book in the series, we meet Winter, who loves to use the blacksmith's shop to forge tools and weapons.
On this occasion, she has agreed to help her mentor to forge a sword for a nobleman. However, there are a few complications, which leads to a fantastic story.

[Barbara Vasconcellos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

Keeps the reader interested in what Winter will do next. For a quiet young lady she sure exploded into a quickly desirable women that follows her heart at every turn. Excellent book.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hearts of flame

This is a wonderful story great characters, and I love the story line
This book is full of great adventures
And family ties that bind Lady Winter and her family together
Her husband De Grey is a war Lord
And its love at first flame for these two.
Thank you ❤