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All the King's Men #1
Knight of Desire
FEARLESS IN BATTLE
His surcoat still bloody from battle, William FitzAlan comes to claim the strategic borderlands granted to him by the king. One last prize awaits him at the castle gates: the lovely Lady Catherine Rayburn.
TENDER IN BED
Catherine risked everything to spy for the crown. Her reward? Her lands are declared forfeit and she is given this choice: marry FitzAlan or be taken to the Tower. Catherine agrees to give her handsome new husband her body, but she's keeping secrets, and dare not give him her heart. As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.
His surcoat still bloody from battle, William FitzAlan comes to claim the strategic borderlands granted to him by the king. One last prize awaits him at the castle gates: the lovely Lady Catherine Rayburn.
TENDER IN BED
Catherine risked everything to spy for the crown. Her reward? Her lands are declared forfeit and she is given this choice: marry FitzAlan or be taken to the Tower. Catherine agrees to give her handsome new husband her body, but she's keeping secrets, and dare not give him her heart. As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.
354 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 2009
90 people are currently reading
1695 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Mallory
24 books1,071 followersMargaret Mallory, a recovering lawyer, is thrilled to be writing exciting tales with sword-wielding heroes rather than briefs and memos. Since abandoning the law for romance, she's become a USA Today bestselling author, and her Scottish and medieval romances have won numerous honors, including National Readers' Choice Awards, RT Book Reviews' Best Scotland-Set Historical Romance, and a RITA© nomination.
Margaret lives with her husband in the beautiful (and rainy) Pacific Northwest. Now that her children are off on their own adventures, she spends most of her time with her handsome Highlanders, but she also likes to hike and travel. You can find information about Margaret’s books, photos of Scotland, historical tidbits, and links to Margaret on Facebook and Twitter on her website, www.MargaretMallory.com. She loves to hear from readers!
Margaret lives with her husband in the beautiful (and rainy) Pacific Northwest. Now that her children are off on their own adventures, she spends most of her time with her handsome Highlanders, but she also likes to hike and travel. You can find information about Margaret’s books, photos of Scotland, historical tidbits, and links to Margaret on Facebook and Twitter on her website, www.MargaretMallory.com. She loves to hear from readers!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
March 2, 2010
This review contains NO spoilers
A little "how I came to buy this book" background:
A few months ago I was browsing through a bookstore one day, looking for something to scratch my medieval romance itch and I happened upon Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory. I read the blurb on the back and it sounded good to me, but it was the hunky man on the cover that sold me. Yes, I am ashamed (but only a little bit) to say that I am one of those women who do in fact allow the cover design to sway my pocketbook. I mean, let’s be honest ladies. If you’re reading a book and the story is horrible but the cover is beautiful and sexy and gives you something to drool over, it doesn’t feel like a total waste of money. Am I right? I can see you all nodding your heads in agreement. But I digress…So I made my purchase, came home and put the book right up there on my bookshelf and forgot about it.
Then just a few weeks ago, I signed up for a Goodreads reading challenge that required the title of the novel to contain a word, any word, that had to do with royalty, so I went right to my bookshelf and started pulling out books that would qualify and what did my wondering eyes behold? Yep, you guessed it! Knight of Desire. I grabbed it off the shelf, added it to my book challenge list and am now sitting here, laptop at hand, hoping that I can find the words to describe this book in a way that will do it justice.
Now that that's out of the way -
My Review:
I had no idea while reading this book that it was Margaret Mallory’s debut novel. That says a lot about the writing, the storyline and the characters. This type of storyline was fairly new to me and instantly caught my interest, holding it from the first page to the last. Things start moving very quickly in the story which was nice. Often times a novel with a complex plot ends up reading like a history book with dates and place names tossed at you. This is not the case with Mallory’s writing. She brings the story to life, artfully weaving a tale that sweeps you away to another time. You can imagine yourself being there through it all – the battles, the intrigue and the passion.
All of the relationships in Knight of Desire were beautifully written which is why I came to care about the characters, not as characters, but as people. I enjoyed the deep, longtime friendship between Catherine and Prince Harry, the mother/child bond of Catherine and Jamie and then the love/hate marriage between Catherine and William. Their emotions were honest in that they felt the kinds of things that real people in their situations would feel; hurt, betrayal, mistrust, doubt, fear – but there is also hope, faith, desire, passion and most importantly, love.
I regret having waited so long to take this one off the shelf! I’m definitely looking forward to reading Knight of Pleasure and Knight of Passion, as well as her upcoming Highlander series.
Note - my original rating for this was 4 stars, but as I sit here reading book 2 in the series, I see what an excellent job Ms. Mallory did 'pre-developing' the characters, Stephen and Jamie so I'm changing this rating to 5 stars.
A little "how I came to buy this book" background:
A few months ago I was browsing through a bookstore one day, looking for something to scratch my medieval romance itch and I happened upon Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory. I read the blurb on the back and it sounded good to me, but it was the hunky man on the cover that sold me. Yes, I am ashamed (but only a little bit) to say that I am one of those women who do in fact allow the cover design to sway my pocketbook. I mean, let’s be honest ladies. If you’re reading a book and the story is horrible but the cover is beautiful and sexy and gives you something to drool over, it doesn’t feel like a total waste of money. Am I right? I can see you all nodding your heads in agreement. But I digress…So I made my purchase, came home and put the book right up there on my bookshelf and forgot about it.
Then just a few weeks ago, I signed up for a Goodreads reading challenge that required the title of the novel to contain a word, any word, that had to do with royalty, so I went right to my bookshelf and started pulling out books that would qualify and what did my wondering eyes behold? Yep, you guessed it! Knight of Desire. I grabbed it off the shelf, added it to my book challenge list and am now sitting here, laptop at hand, hoping that I can find the words to describe this book in a way that will do it justice.
Now that that's out of the way -
My Review:
I had no idea while reading this book that it was Margaret Mallory’s debut novel. That says a lot about the writing, the storyline and the characters. This type of storyline was fairly new to me and instantly caught my interest, holding it from the first page to the last. Things start moving very quickly in the story which was nice. Often times a novel with a complex plot ends up reading like a history book with dates and place names tossed at you. This is not the case with Mallory’s writing. She brings the story to life, artfully weaving a tale that sweeps you away to another time. You can imagine yourself being there through it all – the battles, the intrigue and the passion.
All of the relationships in Knight of Desire were beautifully written which is why I came to care about the characters, not as characters, but as people. I enjoyed the deep, longtime friendship between Catherine and Prince Harry, the mother/child bond of Catherine and Jamie and then the love/hate marriage between Catherine and William. Their emotions were honest in that they felt the kinds of things that real people in their situations would feel; hurt, betrayal, mistrust, doubt, fear – but there is also hope, faith, desire, passion and most importantly, love.
I regret having waited so long to take this one off the shelf! I’m definitely looking forward to reading Knight of Pleasure and Knight of Passion, as well as her upcoming Highlander series.
Note - my original rating for this was 4 stars, but as I sit here reading book 2 in the series, I see what an excellent job Ms. Mallory did 'pre-developing' the characters, Stephen and Jamie so I'm changing this rating to 5 stars.
October 17, 2010
This was an interesting book.
It was a fun, fast read, but it was largely sort of... *shrug* Let's start with the good stuff:
Catherine was a badass.
I really liked the heroine, Catherine. She was in a shitty situation, but she was clever, resourceful, determined, and never gave up. She made the best of her difficult, dangerous life, and managed to take good care of the people who were important to her. It was nice to read about a heroine I actually admired. She didn't need to wait around for anyone to save her; Catherine saved herself. On multiple occasions.
Real historical detail
It was fun reading a bit about the young life of Henry V, and the actual historical figures from the Welsh and Northern rebellions. Obviously, creative license was taken, but still, I enjoyed the setting and the research that went into it.
Great secondary characters
Everyone from the housekeeper (Alys) to the hero's brother (Stephen) to the heroine's son (Jamie) to the estranged mother (Elanor) was fun to read about. They all brought dimension to the story, and I enjoyed reading about them.
Now for the stuff that I think could have been better...
Men suck and should all die horrible, flaming deaths.
I felt that the above message got to be a little tedious... at times, I felt the message repeated over and over with all the forcefulness of an anvil to the noggin. The one (and really, the only) thing you could count on in this story is that the men would be a constant disappointment to Catherine. Okay, not the children (Stephen, Jamie... and maybe you can include Harry too, as the book mentions multiple times that he is just 18 and is not yet wise in the ways of the world / women). Apparently, males are born intelligent and sweet, but somewhere along the way, morph into douchecanoes. This is true for nearly everyone in this book, from Catherine's father to the king to the hero (William). They certainly didn't all mean to be condescending douchebags, but hey, they can't help being born men, right? *wink wink*
It got tiresome.
Expounding on that last one a little William stressed me out.
I really wanted to like him. And in truth, I did like him. But he was hypocritical. His family were traitors to the crown, but he worked hard to distinguish himself and prove his loyalty, so he expected to not be judged by his family and their actions. But he refused to trust Catherine, because the man she was forced by the King to marry ended up being a traitor to the king (that's not really a spoiler, btw... it happens in ch 1). This, despite the fact that the king and prince learned of her husband's treachery from Catherine herself, so they were able to catch him in the act and that was that (also not a spoiler, you can read it on the back of the book). She has done as much as he has to prove her loyalty. But because she's a woman, and all the men seem to think that she should somehow managed to not betray her husband AND (paradoxically) not betray the king, she is to be viewed with contempt.
William is also dumb. Sorry, but he is. It really is his superpower - he can say amazingly dumb things that leave my jaw on the floor.
And then, at the end of the book, he gets emo. At that point, I was just rolling my eyes. All the "wah-wah, I have failed you" was a little over-the-top.
Despite all that, I honestly liked William. He was a good man. When he thought LOGICALLY about things, he loved Catherine. But he was prone to passionate anger, and every time, that passionate action / reaction led him in a stupid direction. See above (William is dumb).
Seeing women treated like cattle is rough.
I know it is historically accurate, but still. The way Catherine was treated in the opening couple of chapters... and then the way the abbess told her she should be grateful for it all... it set my teeth on edge. I could never have lived in that time. I would have set someone on fire. Probably a lot of people, frankly.
It got a little melodramatic.
We had barely recovered from one threat to Catherine's life, and the next would occur. I like the drama of danger as much as the next person, but at some point, even I have trouble suspending disbelief. I don't blame William for wanting to lock her in the castle, preferably in a room filled with pillows.
But lest you think that the negatives above really dragged it down, let me reassure you: it really was a fun read. I will be snagging the next book in the series, featuring Stephen, some point very soon.
It was a fun, fast read, but it was largely sort of... *shrug* Let's start with the good stuff:
Catherine was a badass.
I really liked the heroine, Catherine. She was in a shitty situation, but she was clever, resourceful, determined, and never gave up. She made the best of her difficult, dangerous life, and managed to take good care of the people who were important to her. It was nice to read about a heroine I actually admired. She didn't need to wait around for anyone to save her; Catherine saved herself. On multiple occasions.
Real historical detail
It was fun reading a bit about the young life of Henry V, and the actual historical figures from the Welsh and Northern rebellions. Obviously, creative license was taken, but still, I enjoyed the setting and the research that went into it.
Great secondary characters
Everyone from the housekeeper (Alys) to the hero's brother (Stephen) to the heroine's son (Jamie) to the estranged mother (Elanor) was fun to read about. They all brought dimension to the story, and I enjoyed reading about them.
Now for the stuff that I think could have been better...
Men suck and should all die horrible, flaming deaths.
I felt that the above message got to be a little tedious... at times, I felt the message repeated over and over with all the forcefulness of an anvil to the noggin. The one (and really, the only) thing you could count on in this story is that the men would be a constant disappointment to Catherine. Okay, not the children (Stephen, Jamie... and maybe you can include Harry too, as the book mentions multiple times that he is just 18 and is not yet wise in the ways of the world / women). Apparently, males are born intelligent and sweet, but somewhere along the way, morph into douchecanoes. This is true for nearly everyone in this book, from Catherine's father to the king to the hero (William). They certainly didn't all mean to be condescending douchebags, but hey, they can't help being born men, right? *wink wink*
It got tiresome.
Expounding on that last one a little William stressed me out.
I really wanted to like him. And in truth, I did like him. But he was hypocritical. His family were traitors to the crown, but he worked hard to distinguish himself and prove his loyalty, so he expected to not be judged by his family and their actions. But he refused to trust Catherine, because the man she was forced by the King to marry ended up being a traitor to the king (that's not really a spoiler, btw... it happens in ch 1). This, despite the fact that the king and prince learned of her husband's treachery from Catherine herself, so they were able to catch him in the act and that was that (also not a spoiler, you can read it on the back of the book). She has done as much as he has to prove her loyalty. But because she's a woman, and all the men seem to think that she should somehow managed to not betray her husband AND (paradoxically) not betray the king, she is to be viewed with contempt.
William is also dumb. Sorry, but he is. It really is his superpower - he can say amazingly dumb things that leave my jaw on the floor.
And then, at the end of the book, he gets emo. At that point, I was just rolling my eyes. All the "wah-wah, I have failed you" was a little over-the-top.
Despite all that, I honestly liked William. He was a good man. When he thought LOGICALLY about things, he loved Catherine. But he was prone to passionate anger, and every time, that passionate action / reaction led him in a stupid direction. See above (William is dumb).
Seeing women treated like cattle is rough.
I know it is historically accurate, but still. The way Catherine was treated in the opening couple of chapters... and then the way the abbess told her she should be grateful for it all... it set my teeth on edge. I could never have lived in that time. I would have set someone on fire. Probably a lot of people, frankly.
It got a little melodramatic.
We had barely recovered from one threat to Catherine's life, and the next would occur. I like the drama of danger as much as the next person, but at some point, even I have trouble suspending disbelief. I don't blame William for wanting to lock her in the castle, preferably in a room filled with pillows.
But lest you think that the negatives above really dragged it down, let me reassure you: it really was a fun read. I will be snagging the next book in the series, featuring Stephen, some point very soon.
October 12, 2018
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
Knight of Desire is the first book in the medieval series "All The King's Men" which is set around the same time that her "Return of The Highlanders" series. This book and this series is set around the time when King Henry IV took the throne and which deals with the Wales rebellion. I don't get a chance to read too many books around this time era and I had such a wonderful time with this book, it swept me back into this majestic period of history in England. Margaret Mallory has a almost magical touch when it comes to writing medieval era romances and I really got a kick out of her "authors note" that she put at the end of the book that explains some historical figures that we see in this book. Including King Henry and his son Harry and some of the Wales rebellion leaders.
This book begins with a prologue where our hero and heroine meet for the very first time. Lady Katherine, is to be married at sixteen to a man who frightens her but this is what the King is asking of her, and she is loyal. But the night before the wedding she wants some freedom but a knight....Sir William. William knows the risk of escorting Katherine, but fears what could happen to her if she doesn't have protection. So he goes out with her so she can enjoy her last night of freedom. There is a strong bond that forms between William and Katherine, a frienship of laughter and understanding. But Sir William goes off to war to fight and gain his own lands and Katherine is to be married to Lord Rayburn.
Lady Katherine has had to bear years of her husband forcing himself upon her, beating her for the lack of a child but finds a way to get pregnant and now she has a small son she loves and adores. But now Rayburn wants a second child and she doesn't know if she will survive his beatings once again. So when she realizes that her husband is a traitor to his King, she reports him to the King knowing that he is working along side with the rebels. She received notice that her husband has been killed and one of the King's men, a loyal knight, will be taking over the lands and will be the one to decide her fate. Sir William doesn't know if he can trust Rayburn's wife, considering she betrayed him even if it was due to her loyalties to the King. But when he sees her, he recognizes her as the one whom he protected that one night and one he never forgot even after all these years. So he has two choice send her to the tower in London or...marry her.
At first, Katherine is apalled that she will have to marry again especially to a man that is a stranger to her. But she soon realizes that Sir William is very different from her late husband...he is kind and gracious to her son. Soon a slow trust begins to form between them, but there is still a level of miscommunication between them. And when they both make mistakes, they soon realize that they need to embrace their marriage and come to an understanding and acceptance. But the battles with the King's enemies will prove to push the love they have found to the brink and they may lose each other just as they have found each other again...
What a tremendous and beautifully written story that I devoured. I honestly didn't want to put this book down and breezed through this audio book. I have had this trilogy on my TBR for the LONGEST time, in reality...years. I will admit, that the covers that Forever designed for these books are stunning and just makes you want to buy them so they can look pretty on your shelf. But I adore medieval romances and Margaret Mallory is so talented at writing these books and the time era that she has chosen for this trilogy is one of my favorites. There are so many unique dynamics that bring this book together.
One of my favorite aspects was seeing all the secondary characters and where as some of them are actual historical figures. Such as King Henry IV and his son Harry. Prince Harry we see quite a bit of in this book, he and Katherine were childhood friends, and we see how he plays a pivotal role in the story and the development of the plot and some of the Wale rebels machinations. I was fascinated by Prince Harry to be honest. I so don't like his father since he was very cruel. But his son, was the opposite. Of course, he was a warrior and at the young age of eighteen, he already was in charge of England's armies and despite how youthful he could be...he was cunning and so intelligent yet charming and kind too. I was really intrigued with how Mallory developed the plot because...seriously...it didn't turn in the way I expected it and she always does this to me. She turns my world upside down with twists and plot developments that take those unexpected turns. The historical aspects of the story are one of my favorite elements of this story. Its so rich with history and details and I was really intrigued with how she handled the rebellion of Wales. This is such a fundamental part of England's history and she wrote it so well. I found myself really intrigued with the leaders of Wales who are in charge of this rebellion and now I want to pour through historical books to find out more about them. This is the true talent of Margaret Mallory, when she wants me to pour over history books....you just know how well she pens a story.
The romance between William and Katherine isn't a easy road for either of them. The first half of the book, the focus is them learning each other and boy the misunderstanding and miscommunciations are ridiculous at times. If they were to just sit down for five minutes, it would be resolved. But then its a romance novel...so its not going to be that easy. But they do find some common ground and boy does the hero let Jealousy get the better of him. We see him face up to why he is feeling jealous of the Prince....so much that he almost wants to attack him even though its obvious they are just good friends. Katherine has her own issues of course too....she hasn't emotionally recovered from the abuse she was dealt by her first husband and at times she does take it out on William, even if she doesn't realize what she is doing at first. They both have to learn about trust and honesty and being open with each other if they want their relationship to work. But they do make it work and find some common ground although....the learning aspect of their relationship was so dramatic at times that it could be a bit frustrating. This aspect of the story is the reason this book isn't a five star read. Lack of honesty and communication can drive me up the wall.
Overall I fell in love with Knight of Desire....its a tale rich in history, vibrant in sensuality, stunning in detail and endearing in emotion, simply a romance to remember!!!UNFORGETTABLE!
[foogallery id="60305"]
Knight of Desire is the first book in the medieval series "All The King's Men" which is set around the same time that her "Return of The Highlanders" series. This book and this series is set around the time when King Henry IV took the throne and which deals with the Wales rebellion. I don't get a chance to read too many books around this time era and I had such a wonderful time with this book, it swept me back into this majestic period of history in England. Margaret Mallory has a almost magical touch when it comes to writing medieval era romances and I really got a kick out of her "authors note" that she put at the end of the book that explains some historical figures that we see in this book. Including King Henry and his son Harry and some of the Wales rebellion leaders.
This book begins with a prologue where our hero and heroine meet for the very first time. Lady Katherine, is to be married at sixteen to a man who frightens her but this is what the King is asking of her, and she is loyal. But the night before the wedding she wants some freedom but a knight....Sir William. William knows the risk of escorting Katherine, but fears what could happen to her if she doesn't have protection. So he goes out with her so she can enjoy her last night of freedom. There is a strong bond that forms between William and Katherine, a frienship of laughter and understanding. But Sir William goes off to war to fight and gain his own lands and Katherine is to be married to Lord Rayburn.
Lady Katherine has had to bear years of her husband forcing himself upon her, beating her for the lack of a child but finds a way to get pregnant and now she has a small son she loves and adores. But now Rayburn wants a second child and she doesn't know if she will survive his beatings once again. So when she realizes that her husband is a traitor to his King, she reports him to the King knowing that he is working along side with the rebels. She received notice that her husband has been killed and one of the King's men, a loyal knight, will be taking over the lands and will be the one to decide her fate. Sir William doesn't know if he can trust Rayburn's wife, considering she betrayed him even if it was due to her loyalties to the King. But when he sees her, he recognizes her as the one whom he protected that one night and one he never forgot even after all these years. So he has two choice send her to the tower in London or...marry her.
At first, Katherine is apalled that she will have to marry again especially to a man that is a stranger to her. But she soon realizes that Sir William is very different from her late husband...he is kind and gracious to her son. Soon a slow trust begins to form between them, but there is still a level of miscommunication between them. And when they both make mistakes, they soon realize that they need to embrace their marriage and come to an understanding and acceptance. But the battles with the King's enemies will prove to push the love they have found to the brink and they may lose each other just as they have found each other again...
What a tremendous and beautifully written story that I devoured. I honestly didn't want to put this book down and breezed through this audio book. I have had this trilogy on my TBR for the LONGEST time, in reality...years. I will admit, that the covers that Forever designed for these books are stunning and just makes you want to buy them so they can look pretty on your shelf. But I adore medieval romances and Margaret Mallory is so talented at writing these books and the time era that she has chosen for this trilogy is one of my favorites. There are so many unique dynamics that bring this book together.
One of my favorite aspects was seeing all the secondary characters and where as some of them are actual historical figures. Such as King Henry IV and his son Harry. Prince Harry we see quite a bit of in this book, he and Katherine were childhood friends, and we see how he plays a pivotal role in the story and the development of the plot and some of the Wale rebels machinations. I was fascinated by Prince Harry to be honest. I so don't like his father since he was very cruel. But his son, was the opposite. Of course, he was a warrior and at the young age of eighteen, he already was in charge of England's armies and despite how youthful he could be...he was cunning and so intelligent yet charming and kind too. I was really intrigued with how Mallory developed the plot because...seriously...it didn't turn in the way I expected it and she always does this to me. She turns my world upside down with twists and plot developments that take those unexpected turns. The historical aspects of the story are one of my favorite elements of this story. Its so rich with history and details and I was really intrigued with how she handled the rebellion of Wales. This is such a fundamental part of England's history and she wrote it so well. I found myself really intrigued with the leaders of Wales who are in charge of this rebellion and now I want to pour through historical books to find out more about them. This is the true talent of Margaret Mallory, when she wants me to pour over history books....you just know how well she pens a story.
The romance between William and Katherine isn't a easy road for either of them. The first half of the book, the focus is them learning each other and boy the misunderstanding and miscommunciations are ridiculous at times. If they were to just sit down for five minutes, it would be resolved. But then its a romance novel...so its not going to be that easy. But they do find some common ground and boy does the hero let Jealousy get the better of him. We see him face up to why he is feeling jealous of the Prince....so much that he almost wants to attack him even though its obvious they are just good friends. Katherine has her own issues of course too....she hasn't emotionally recovered from the abuse she was dealt by her first husband and at times she does take it out on William, even if she doesn't realize what she is doing at first. They both have to learn about trust and honesty and being open with each other if they want their relationship to work. But they do make it work and find some common ground although....the learning aspect of their relationship was so dramatic at times that it could be a bit frustrating. This aspect of the story is the reason this book isn't a five star read. Lack of honesty and communication can drive me up the wall.
Overall I fell in love with Knight of Desire....its a tale rich in history, vibrant in sensuality, stunning in detail and endearing in emotion, simply a romance to remember!!!UNFORGETTABLE!
[foogallery id="60305"]
August 11, 2025
Story:3.5 stars!
Audio: 4 stars!
Good story, but very frustrating to read another story where the hero is all brawn and no brain.. I mean!! 🙄😡 William was the biggest idiot, I cannot imagine why Catherine fell in love with him. She was actually the big star in this book… still the story was like a page out of history.. and had real historical legends as some of the characters.. I enjoyed it overall, but if the hero wasn’t such a dumba$$ I would have enjoyed it more.
Audio: 4 stars!
Good story, but very frustrating to read another story where the hero is all brawn and no brain.. I mean!! 🙄😡 William was the biggest idiot, I cannot imagine why Catherine fell in love with him. She was actually the big star in this book… still the story was like a page out of history.. and had real historical legends as some of the characters.. I enjoyed it overall, but if the hero wasn’t such a dumba$$ I would have enjoyed it more.
April 8, 2021
Successful in battle, William FitzAlan has been rewarded for his service to the king with a strategically located fortress and lands on the Welsh border. Along with the land comes the lady of the keep, the beautiful and newly widowed, Lady Catherine Rayburn.
Catherine risked everything to reveal her late husband’s treachery to the king only to be rewarded with the loss of her lands and forced to either marry Lord FitzAlan or be imprisoned in the Tower. Catherine agrees to submit to her new husband but keeps her heart apart. William doesn’t wish to settle for half measures and works to woo his wife. The passion between them heats as danger encroaches on their budding relationship and they’ll have to learn to be open and trust each other if they hope to preserve their lands and lives.
This was a more traditional Medieval/Middle Ages romance along the lines of those that first got me into historical romance. There was plenty of steam, which I not only enjoyed but which was also key to the development of the story and the relationship between the MCs. William was rather clueless, but he tried so hard and his sweet tendencies and tenderness with Catherine were charming enough to make up for the times he was blindly jealous and territorial. His continued mistrust of her did get old, but he made up for it in the end and Catherine’s resilience and resourcefulness were admirable. I was also quite charmed by the family dynamic that developed between Catherine, William, Jamie, and Stephen. There was a lot of action to keep me interested in this one, though I must say my sentiments fell more in line with the ultimately unsuccessful Welsh rebels. I would’ve liked a bit more communication between the MCs, but I enjoyed the story overall. I appreciated the strong morals of both Catherine and William and their ability to apologize when needed. This was an enjoyable read and I’ll be moving on to Stephen’s story now.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
Catherine risked everything to reveal her late husband’s treachery to the king only to be rewarded with the loss of her lands and forced to either marry Lord FitzAlan or be imprisoned in the Tower. Catherine agrees to submit to her new husband but keeps her heart apart. William doesn’t wish to settle for half measures and works to woo his wife. The passion between them heats as danger encroaches on their budding relationship and they’ll have to learn to be open and trust each other if they hope to preserve their lands and lives.
This was a more traditional Medieval/Middle Ages romance along the lines of those that first got me into historical romance. There was plenty of steam, which I not only enjoyed but which was also key to the development of the story and the relationship between the MCs. William was rather clueless, but he tried so hard and his sweet tendencies and tenderness with Catherine were charming enough to make up for the times he was blindly jealous and territorial. His continued mistrust of her did get old, but he made up for it in the end and Catherine’s resilience and resourcefulness were admirable. I was also quite charmed by the family dynamic that developed between Catherine, William, Jamie, and Stephen. There was a lot of action to keep me interested in this one, though I must say my sentiments fell more in line with the ultimately unsuccessful Welsh rebels. I would’ve liked a bit more communication between the MCs, but I enjoyed the story overall. I appreciated the strong morals of both Catherine and William and their ability to apologize when needed. This was an enjoyable read and I’ll be moving on to Stephen’s story now.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
July 18, 2020
I seem to be in the minority here, but I had some serious problems with this book.
It's the author's first novel (which she states in the preface), so I tried my best to give her some leeway here. But the character of William rubbed the wrong way SO BADLY that I could barely stand it by the end. I've seen several reviews state that they didn't like the character of Catherine, which kind of surprised me. I empathized with her a great deal, and I was rooting for her the entire time.
The pair of them meet when William is a landless knight and Catherine is sixteen and about to be married. They share a stolen kiss, but William can offer her nothing at the time and Catherine is determined to do her duty to her father and king and marry whom they chose for her. They don't forget one another over the years, even though they don't know the other's name or really anything about them.
Catherine spends years in an unhappy marriage,
Quite honestly, William is unkind to her numerous times, and it seems like the reader is supposed to excuse his bad behaviour.
William is exceptionally jealous and angry about Catherine having ANY male friends whatsoever. He snaps at her numerous times and accuses her of infidelity ALL OF THE TIME. Quite frankly, all of the infidelity accusations got old FAST and were insulting to both Catherine and women in general.
Some people might argue that William had ~*pain*~ because of his mother, but that doesn't give you a pass in life.
The pacing was also kind of weird - it was good, then the book lagged, and then everything happened all at once and I felt like I had whiplash over it.
Also, the epilogue. Ugh.
The book had some good moments and had a lot of interesting history to it, which is why I ended up giving it two stars instead of just one, but it was a struggle to hit that second star, let me tell you. It's more like a 1.5 for me.
If you enjoy stories where the "hero" accuses the heroine of infidelity constantly, boy, is this book for you!
It's the author's first novel (which she states in the preface), so I tried my best to give her some leeway here. But the character of William rubbed the wrong way SO BADLY that I could barely stand it by the end. I've seen several reviews state that they didn't like the character of Catherine, which kind of surprised me. I empathized with her a great deal, and I was rooting for her the entire time.
The pair of them meet when William is a landless knight and Catherine is sixteen and about to be married. They share a stolen kiss, but William can offer her nothing at the time and Catherine is determined to do her duty to her father and king and marry whom they chose for her. They don't forget one another over the years, even though they don't know the other's name or really anything about them.
Catherine spends years in an unhappy marriage,
Quite honestly, William is unkind to her numerous times, and it seems like the reader is supposed to excuse his bad behaviour.
William is exceptionally jealous and angry about Catherine having ANY male friends whatsoever. He snaps at her numerous times and accuses her of infidelity ALL OF THE TIME. Quite frankly, all of the infidelity accusations got old FAST and were insulting to both Catherine and women in general.
Some people might argue that William had ~*pain*~ because of his mother, but that doesn't give you a pass in life.
The pacing was also kind of weird - it was good, then the book lagged, and then everything happened all at once and I felt like I had whiplash over it.
Also, the epilogue. Ugh.
The book had some good moments and had a lot of interesting history to it, which is why I ended up giving it two stars instead of just one, but it was a struggle to hit that second star, let me tell you. It's more like a 1.5 for me.
If you enjoy stories where the "hero" accuses the heroine of infidelity constantly, boy, is this book for you!
November 2, 2016
Me revientan las historias del macho celoso que tiene esa necesidad de orinar alrededor de la chica para marcar su territorio. William es tan inseguro de sí que vuelca todos sus problemas en Catherine y es ella la que paga el pato.
Él no puede venir y acusarla de adúltera, de infiel, de deshonesta y luego rogar una y mil veces por su perdón que no lo quiso hacer que la ama que todo va a ser mejor. Porque si Catherine de verdad quisiera dejarlo no podría, no tiene una posibilidad real de salir de ese matrimonio maldito de celos eternos. Así que él puede pasarse la vida acusándola de lo que se le antoje, siendo el marido celoso y desconfiado que demostró ser que ella no va a poder hacer gran cosa. El único "plus" es que ella lo ama, LA DIOSA SABRÁ PORQUÉ, pero de eso solo resulta una existencia miserable, porque William tiene más herramientas para hacerla sufrir. Porque sus acusaciones dolerán más porque ella de verdad confía en él y él no puede confiar en ella aún cuando se han conocido durante el mismo tiempo y ella le ha contado todo hasta lo que sabía que no tendría que haberle dicho porque William no ha dado evidencia de ser la clase de persona donde pueda una relegar sus problemas.
Me apena que Catherine esté encadenada a ese matrimonio, con las promesas de William de que todo va a ser mejor, que va a cambiar, que solo la ama a ella y quiere que solo lo ame a él, y esto y aquello, pensar que porque Catherine es bella, demasiado bella para su propio bien, siempre va a estar sujeta al prejuicio ya innato de William de que está intimando demasiado, de que no se da cuenta, de que esa sonrisa que le dio al otro hombre no será una promesa en realidad de encontrarse más tarde y esto y aquello.
Lo peor de todo es que la novela ni siquiera es buena. Ni Catherine es la gran cosa ni William el gran héroe o lo que sea, están tan pobremente esbozados que me enojo por los dos únicos pensamientos que William tiene en la cabeza, los dos únicos bocadillos que consiguió decirle a Catherine porque al parecer en su cabeza no tiene espacio para nada más. El contexto histórico es un eco lejano que intenta hacer su gran aparición pero solo confunde y terminás con ganas de que el libro fuera más corto y tratara de otra cosa. Como de William muriendo, por decir algo.
Él no puede venir y acusarla de adúltera, de infiel, de deshonesta y luego rogar una y mil veces por su perdón que no lo quiso hacer que la ama que todo va a ser mejor. Porque si Catherine de verdad quisiera dejarlo no podría, no tiene una posibilidad real de salir de ese matrimonio maldito de celos eternos. Así que él puede pasarse la vida acusándola de lo que se le antoje, siendo el marido celoso y desconfiado que demostró ser que ella no va a poder hacer gran cosa. El único "plus" es que ella lo ama, LA DIOSA SABRÁ PORQUÉ, pero de eso solo resulta una existencia miserable, porque William tiene más herramientas para hacerla sufrir. Porque sus acusaciones dolerán más porque ella de verdad confía en él y él no puede confiar en ella aún cuando se han conocido durante el mismo tiempo y ella le ha contado todo hasta lo que sabía que no tendría que haberle dicho porque William no ha dado evidencia de ser la clase de persona donde pueda una relegar sus problemas.
Me apena que Catherine esté encadenada a ese matrimonio, con las promesas de William de que todo va a ser mejor, que va a cambiar, que solo la ama a ella y quiere que solo lo ame a él, y esto y aquello, pensar que porque Catherine es bella, demasiado bella para su propio bien, siempre va a estar sujeta al prejuicio ya innato de William de que está intimando demasiado, de que no se da cuenta, de que esa sonrisa que le dio al otro hombre no será una promesa en realidad de encontrarse más tarde y esto y aquello.
Lo peor de todo es que la novela ni siquiera es buena. Ni Catherine es la gran cosa ni William el gran héroe o lo que sea, están tan pobremente esbozados que me enojo por los dos únicos pensamientos que William tiene en la cabeza, los dos únicos bocadillos que consiguió decirle a Catherine porque al parecer en su cabeza no tiene espacio para nada más. El contexto histórico es un eco lejano que intenta hacer su gran aparición pero solo confunde y terminás con ganas de que el libro fuera más corto y tratara de otra cosa. Como de William muriendo, por decir algo.
October 21, 2009
Overall I enjoyed Knight of Desire. It definitely passed the put-down pick-up test. Most of the story is told from William, our hero’s point of view. I enjoyed watching his feelings and understanding of Katherine evolve. While there is a lot of action, William and Katherine’s relationship changes very slowly. The main conflict in their relationship is their lack of trust, so the book is rife with misunderstandings. They weren’t the wall-banger, TSTL types of misunderstandings but I did start to find them tiresome. William spent most of the book either confused or oblivious, but is never an overbearing ass-hat hero. I found Kate’s character more off-putting. She is clearly a strong woman able to endure a lot of hardship, but she didn’t seem active in making her and William’s relationship work until way into the book.
I was a bit hesitant about this book since it’s my first medieval romance, but I’m glad I got it. I think my decision may have been influenced by its gorgeous cover and the rave reviews it received a few months ago. There wasn’t too much detail and realism about the time period, but this worked for me since I find too much realism distracts me from the story. It was a fun read and I’m really excited for the next book in the series, Knight of Pleasure. The hero, Stephan, is introduced in this book and became my favorite character, so I’m thrilled he gets his own story.
I was a bit hesitant about this book since it’s my first medieval romance, but I’m glad I got it. I think my decision may have been influenced by its gorgeous cover and the rave reviews it received a few months ago. There wasn’t too much detail and realism about the time period, but this worked for me since I find too much realism distracts me from the story. It was a fun read and I’m really excited for the next book in the series, Knight of Pleasure. The hero, Stephan, is introduced in this book and became my favorite character, so I’m thrilled he gets his own story.
January 16, 2010
Ms. Mallory did an exceptional job on her first book. This was a very well written story with believable characters and interesting plot turns. Both Catherine and William enter their forced marriage with baggage that needs to be worked through. They are both strong, good, sympathetic characters but I couldn't help feeling for Catherine. In spite of her brutal experiences, through determination to make a good marriage, she overcomes her fears and puts her trust in William. To bad William cannot bring himself to do the same. His inability to trust her in return greatly weakens his character and causes untold heartache. There are a few sex scenes but they are easily skipped if need be without hurting the storyline.
October 5, 2013
Medieval isn't my go-to time period for romance novels, but I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It was an engaging book full of well-drawn characters and a decent plot. It's a "typical" romance book, yet there were non-typical events and actions, which I appreciated. There is a strong female lead that nonetheless feels at home in the time period and not a modern transplant. I read through it quickly and was happy to pick it up whenever I had the chance to read. That's the measure of a successful book these days! ;-)
April 19, 2024
Review from 2013
B for content/C for narration
Knight of Desire is a medieval romance set in a period that I haven’t come across very often in historical romance – the time immediately following the usurpation of the English throne by Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV). This story of a young woman who is forced into marriage not once, but twice, is played out against the backdrop of great political unrest in England, and most specifically, along the Western Marches, the borders between England and Wales. The historical detail has clearly been well researched and I especially enjoyed the author’s portrait of the future King Henry V, who, at the time this story takes place, is a youth of eighteen and already a seasoned soldier.
Lady Catherine is married at sixteen for her money and lands. Her much older husband, Lord Rayburn, takes out his frustration over his bedroom inadequacies on her and beats her with increasing violence to the extent that she fears for her life. Unable to stand up to him physically, she works secretly to ensure his downfall by spying on him and passing on information of his treasonous activities to the king. Given Rayburn’s treatment of her, it’s no wonder that her reaction to the news of his death in battle is one of overwhelming relief.
Unfortunately for Catherine, she is not destined to remain a widow for long. Even though she had been instrumental in exposing Rayburn as a traitor to the crown, King Henry is mistrustful of a woman who would betray her husband so easily and is of a mind to have her imprisoned in the Tower of London to await execution as an accessory. Fortunately for Catherine, Prince Henry (Harry) intercedes on her behalf. They grew up together and have remained friends over the years and Harry, knowing Catherine to be loyal, persuades his father to clemency. The king decrees that Catherine’s fate shall be decided by Sir William FitzAlan, the man responsible for the defeat of the rebel forces and the man to whom Henry has gifted Rayburn’s lands and castle. FitzAlan can marry the lady or send her to the Tower as he sees fit.
Fortunately for Catherine, FitzAlan is a chivalric and honourable knight and he determines he will marry her, sight unseen. Given that her last husband had been chosen for her by the previous king (Richard II), Catherine is naturally not especially sanguine about marrying the choice of the current monarch. She is surprised when William turns out to be young, handsome, and kind. Given she has no alternative but to agree, they are married before the day is out.
Having suffered greatly at the hands of her first husband, Catherine is naturally reluctant to give herself to William, in either body or heart. But as time progresses, she begins to see that he is nothing like Rayburn and finds herself becoming attracted to him. The romance between the couple proceeds by fits and starts; just as it seems they are coming to a greater understanding of each other, something happens to set them back – something – it has to be said, that usually has to do with William’s inability to trust his new wife.
This is the cause of almost all the conflict between the couple. Although external circumstances come into play later in the book (when the threats to Catherine’s life come thick and fast, giving us barely time to recover in between), for the vast majority of it, the spoke in the wheel of Catherine and William’s marital happiness is due to internal conflicts and is frequently down to William’s amazing ability to misinterpret his wife’s speech and actions. It’s true that in the early stages of their marriage, Catherine is as reluctant to trust him as he is her but, while she does start to open up and to trust him, he is still plagued by the nagging doubt put there by the king and fostered by one of his most trusted men – she was capable of betraying her first husband, so why not him also?
William is clearly a man of honour and intelligence. He’s strong, courageous, attractive and considerate of his wife when he sees that she’s terrified at the thought of sleeping with him. He’s good with her young son and treats him as if he were his own but is almost crippled by jealousy and mistrust which make it impossible for him to see clearly where Catherine is concerned. For the most part, he’s a likeable character – but after the third or fourth time he accused his wife of not being truthful, I wanted to throttle him.
There is, however, an explanation for William’s propensity to mistrust in his backstory as his own family betrayed their king while William alone remained loyal. I can see that he might have trust issues as a result, but given the similarities between his situation and Catherine’s (both of them closely related to traitors, yet refusing to join them), he should surely have been able to understand her predicament rather than continue to expect her to betray him at the first opportunity.
But it’s not all bad. As the story progresses, the couple find themselves coming to a better understanding of each other and Catherine is finally able to let go of her fears to discover that there is pleasure to be found in her husband’s bed. For a while, it seems as though things are looking up in their relationship, and the pair are certainly not reticent about giving way to their new-found passion – but William just can’t help sticking his foot into his mouth and breaking Catherine’s heart a little more each time he does so.
There is a lot to enjoy in Knight of Desire, not least of which is the excellent period feel and the writing, which is engaging and stylish. While the love story seems to be constantly taking one two steps forward and one step back, there is an emotional connection between the couple that worked well, and the love scenes were sensual and well-written. There are also a number of well-developed secondary characters, not least of which is Stephen, William’s younger brother (and hero of the next book, Knight of Pleasure ), and Harry, the future King Henry V.
Derek Perkins is a new-to-me narrator, and for the most part, I enjoyed his performance and would certainly listen to him again. His reading is well-paced and – with one exception – his characters were all appropriate and clearly delineated. His female characters are portrayed using a slightly higher pitch and softer tone, and he makes good use of and successfully sustains various regional accents when voicing the servants and soldiers who populate the story. Even though he does not adopt a specifically Welsh accent for Owain Glyndwr and Maredudd Tudor, he broadened his tone and added a depth and power to the quality of his voice that skilfully evoked the musicality so often associated with the Welsh.
But.
And I’m afraid it’s a very big “but”. Such a big “but” that it caused me to substantially downgrade my rating for the narration.
The hero’s voice is completely wrong.
William FitzAlan is described as being a large man – tall, broad-shouldered and well-muscled. The story is set principally in the north of England, so it makes sense that William would have a northern accent and I have no problem with that.
I do, however, have a problem with the fact that William sounds more like Alan Bennett than a big, brawny northern warrior, which, incidentally, made some of the love scenes very difficult to listen to without giggling or wanting to stuff my fingers in my ears! Not only does Mr. Perkins’ interpretation not fit the character as he is described, he doesn’t sound at all heroic or, well, manly. And we romance listeners like our heroes to sound heroic and manly.
I admit, the last big, brawny northern hero I listened to was Ruck in For My Lady’s Heart , as performed by Nicholas Boulton, which is, of course, an incredibly tough act to follow. But it’s very difficult not to make such a comparison when the characters themselves are similar in a very basic way – courageous medieval knights from the English/Welsh borders – and when one interpretation is so very wide of the mark.
This is a glaring error in a performance I otherwise enjoyed and thought was very good, especially for a narrator who is new to the genre. I know that many voice-artists now work under their own auspices, without benefit of directors or producers on hand, but I find it really hard to believe that there wasn’t someone involved in the process who could have picked up and identified this problem in the early stages of production. I freely admit to knowing little about the ins and outs of audiobook production (although I worked in the music industry for a number of years, the production of recorded music works very differently) but there has to be someone, somewhere, who is responsible for such a thing as “quality control”. And if there isn’t – there ought to be.
I struggled to grade this audio for narration, because Mr. Perkins’ performance of everything else was very good and easily deserving of a B grade. But in a romance, the vocal characterisation of the hero is of such vital importance that it’s impossible for me to rate it that highly. I think this narrator has potential, and I may listen to the next book in the series to see if he has made any adjustments to the way he presents the hero of that story, but his portrayal of this one fell sadly far short of expectations.
B for content/C for narration
Knight of Desire is a medieval romance set in a period that I haven’t come across very often in historical romance – the time immediately following the usurpation of the English throne by Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV). This story of a young woman who is forced into marriage not once, but twice, is played out against the backdrop of great political unrest in England, and most specifically, along the Western Marches, the borders between England and Wales. The historical detail has clearly been well researched and I especially enjoyed the author’s portrait of the future King Henry V, who, at the time this story takes place, is a youth of eighteen and already a seasoned soldier.
Lady Catherine is married at sixteen for her money and lands. Her much older husband, Lord Rayburn, takes out his frustration over his bedroom inadequacies on her and beats her with increasing violence to the extent that she fears for her life. Unable to stand up to him physically, she works secretly to ensure his downfall by spying on him and passing on information of his treasonous activities to the king. Given Rayburn’s treatment of her, it’s no wonder that her reaction to the news of his death in battle is one of overwhelming relief.
Unfortunately for Catherine, she is not destined to remain a widow for long. Even though she had been instrumental in exposing Rayburn as a traitor to the crown, King Henry is mistrustful of a woman who would betray her husband so easily and is of a mind to have her imprisoned in the Tower of London to await execution as an accessory. Fortunately for Catherine, Prince Henry (Harry) intercedes on her behalf. They grew up together and have remained friends over the years and Harry, knowing Catherine to be loyal, persuades his father to clemency. The king decrees that Catherine’s fate shall be decided by Sir William FitzAlan, the man responsible for the defeat of the rebel forces and the man to whom Henry has gifted Rayburn’s lands and castle. FitzAlan can marry the lady or send her to the Tower as he sees fit.
Fortunately for Catherine, FitzAlan is a chivalric and honourable knight and he determines he will marry her, sight unseen. Given that her last husband had been chosen for her by the previous king (Richard II), Catherine is naturally not especially sanguine about marrying the choice of the current monarch. She is surprised when William turns out to be young, handsome, and kind. Given she has no alternative but to agree, they are married before the day is out.
Having suffered greatly at the hands of her first husband, Catherine is naturally reluctant to give herself to William, in either body or heart. But as time progresses, she begins to see that he is nothing like Rayburn and finds herself becoming attracted to him. The romance between the couple proceeds by fits and starts; just as it seems they are coming to a greater understanding of each other, something happens to set them back – something – it has to be said, that usually has to do with William’s inability to trust his new wife.
This is the cause of almost all the conflict between the couple. Although external circumstances come into play later in the book (when the threats to Catherine’s life come thick and fast, giving us barely time to recover in between), for the vast majority of it, the spoke in the wheel of Catherine and William’s marital happiness is due to internal conflicts and is frequently down to William’s amazing ability to misinterpret his wife’s speech and actions. It’s true that in the early stages of their marriage, Catherine is as reluctant to trust him as he is her but, while she does start to open up and to trust him, he is still plagued by the nagging doubt put there by the king and fostered by one of his most trusted men – she was capable of betraying her first husband, so why not him also?
William is clearly a man of honour and intelligence. He’s strong, courageous, attractive and considerate of his wife when he sees that she’s terrified at the thought of sleeping with him. He’s good with her young son and treats him as if he were his own but is almost crippled by jealousy and mistrust which make it impossible for him to see clearly where Catherine is concerned. For the most part, he’s a likeable character – but after the third or fourth time he accused his wife of not being truthful, I wanted to throttle him.
There is, however, an explanation for William’s propensity to mistrust in his backstory as his own family betrayed their king while William alone remained loyal. I can see that he might have trust issues as a result, but given the similarities between his situation and Catherine’s (both of them closely related to traitors, yet refusing to join them), he should surely have been able to understand her predicament rather than continue to expect her to betray him at the first opportunity.
But it’s not all bad. As the story progresses, the couple find themselves coming to a better understanding of each other and Catherine is finally able to let go of her fears to discover that there is pleasure to be found in her husband’s bed. For a while, it seems as though things are looking up in their relationship, and the pair are certainly not reticent about giving way to their new-found passion – but William just can’t help sticking his foot into his mouth and breaking Catherine’s heart a little more each time he does so.
There is a lot to enjoy in Knight of Desire, not least of which is the excellent period feel and the writing, which is engaging and stylish. While the love story seems to be constantly taking one two steps forward and one step back, there is an emotional connection between the couple that worked well, and the love scenes were sensual and well-written. There are also a number of well-developed secondary characters, not least of which is Stephen, William’s younger brother (and hero of the next book, Knight of Pleasure ), and Harry, the future King Henry V.
Derek Perkins is a new-to-me narrator, and for the most part, I enjoyed his performance and would certainly listen to him again. His reading is well-paced and – with one exception – his characters were all appropriate and clearly delineated. His female characters are portrayed using a slightly higher pitch and softer tone, and he makes good use of and successfully sustains various regional accents when voicing the servants and soldiers who populate the story. Even though he does not adopt a specifically Welsh accent for Owain Glyndwr and Maredudd Tudor, he broadened his tone and added a depth and power to the quality of his voice that skilfully evoked the musicality so often associated with the Welsh.
But.
And I’m afraid it’s a very big “but”. Such a big “but” that it caused me to substantially downgrade my rating for the narration.
The hero’s voice is completely wrong.
William FitzAlan is described as being a large man – tall, broad-shouldered and well-muscled. The story is set principally in the north of England, so it makes sense that William would have a northern accent and I have no problem with that.
I do, however, have a problem with the fact that William sounds more like Alan Bennett than a big, brawny northern warrior, which, incidentally, made some of the love scenes very difficult to listen to without giggling or wanting to stuff my fingers in my ears! Not only does Mr. Perkins’ interpretation not fit the character as he is described, he doesn’t sound at all heroic or, well, manly. And we romance listeners like our heroes to sound heroic and manly.
I admit, the last big, brawny northern hero I listened to was Ruck in For My Lady’s Heart , as performed by Nicholas Boulton, which is, of course, an incredibly tough act to follow. But it’s very difficult not to make such a comparison when the characters themselves are similar in a very basic way – courageous medieval knights from the English/Welsh borders – and when one interpretation is so very wide of the mark.
This is a glaring error in a performance I otherwise enjoyed and thought was very good, especially for a narrator who is new to the genre. I know that many voice-artists now work under their own auspices, without benefit of directors or producers on hand, but I find it really hard to believe that there wasn’t someone involved in the process who could have picked up and identified this problem in the early stages of production. I freely admit to knowing little about the ins and outs of audiobook production (although I worked in the music industry for a number of years, the production of recorded music works very differently) but there has to be someone, somewhere, who is responsible for such a thing as “quality control”. And if there isn’t – there ought to be.
I struggled to grade this audio for narration, because Mr. Perkins’ performance of everything else was very good and easily deserving of a B grade. But in a romance, the vocal characterisation of the hero is of such vital importance that it’s impossible for me to rate it that highly. I think this narrator has potential, and I may listen to the next book in the series to see if he has made any adjustments to the way he presents the hero of that story, but his portrayal of this one fell sadly far short of expectations.
April 6, 2019
Clayton'dan hallice buldum karakteri, çok da bayılamadım. Bu kitap da sanırım çıktığı zamandan beri kitaplıkta bekliyordu, devam kitabını da okuyup vicdanımı rahatlatacağım.
June 2, 2019
Rated 4.5 Stars
May 27, 2013
Arzu Şövalyesi
Margaret Mallory
Orta Çağ romanları okumayı gittikçe daha çok sever oldum..Nedense bu dönemdeki romanların konuları
bana daha etkileyici geliyor..O dönemlerde yaşam koşullarının daha çetin olmasından tutun da tarihin sihirli yapraklarında güzel bir yolculuk yapmış oluyoruz..Margaret Mallory bu romanı Gall İsyanı zamanlarında kurgulamış..Romanın kurgusunu oldukça beğendim..Aşk,Savaş,İsyan,İhanet,Sadakat temaları üzerine kurguluydu..Ayrıca araştırdığımda yazarın ilk romanı olduğunu görüyorum.. Arzu Şövalyesi All the King's Men serisinin de ilk kitabı üç kitaplık bir seri bu..İlk romanda William FitzAlan'ın hikayesi var ikinci romanda da Kardeşi Stephen'in hikayesi..
Kitabın çevirisi bence iyi idi.Hikaye çok akıcıydı çevirden rahatsız olmam için garip kelimelerin kullanılması,yazar ile arama girilmesi yeterlidir..Fakat Arzu Şövalyesi Başarılı bir kitap idi..Özellikle kapağı..Orjinal kapaktan daha iyi idi bence..
Hikaye de baskın bir kadın karakter vardı bu historical romanlarda sıradışıdır..Yani Alfa karakter...Erkek kahramanımız ise Beta karakter daha az baskın..Romanı okurken kadının gözü pek acar olması hoşuma gitse de bazı yerlerde beni sinir etti...Fakat fazla takmamaya çalışarak okurken zevk ile okudumsa da..Kocası ile olan ilişkilerinde kendince bulduğu çare pek hoşuma gitmedi...
Kısaca Konuya Gelirsek:
William FitzAlan gözü pek,cesur bir topraksız şövalyedir..Kral onu son hizmetin de ödüllendirerek Gal sınırında toprak verir..Ödülünü kontrol etmek için gittiğinde de onu başka bir ödül daha beklemektedir..Topraklarını aldığı soylunun güzel karısı Leydi Catherine Rayburn..Catherine'nin kaderei sadece ve sadece ona bağlıdır..William daha onu görmeden nikahına almaya karar vermiştir..Kaleye varıp da onu karşılayan güzeller güzeli kadını gördüğünde şok geçirir..Çünkü yıllar önce Catherine evlenmeden bir gece önce aralarında sıra dışı duygusal bir yakınlaşma olmuştur..O geceyi aradan yıllar geçse de unutamamış,karşılaştığı kadınlarda o geceki güzel kızı aramıştır..Fakat Catherine onu tanımamıştır..
Fakat Catherine kocası Lord Rayburn'un hainlik ve ihanetlerini Kral'a bildirmiş,kocasıda öldürülmüştür..Geçmişte kocasından inanılmaz şiddet ve zülum gören bu genç kadının hayatı cehenneme dönmüştür..William kocasına ihanet eden bu kadına güvenebilmesi kolay değildir..Bir yandan yıllarca bereber çalıştığı kader arkadaşı Edmund'da Catherine'ye cephe almış William'a onu kötülemektedir..
Catherine William ile evlendikten sonra yeni kocasının ilk Rayburn'e benzemediğini hatta sevgi dolu olduğunu fark etmesi uzun sürmedi..Fakat yaşadığı çok çetin evlilik şartları onu da güvensizleştirmişti...
Aralarındaki tutkunun alev alması da uzun sürmedi..Tutkuları her ne kadar onları yakınlaştırsa da en büyük problemleri güven idi..
Oldukça zevk alarak okuduğum bir roman oldu..Serinin devamını merakla bekliyorum...
Keyifli okumalar...
Margaret Mallory
Orta Çağ romanları okumayı gittikçe daha çok sever oldum..Nedense bu dönemdeki romanların konuları
bana daha etkileyici geliyor..O dönemlerde yaşam koşullarının daha çetin olmasından tutun da tarihin sihirli yapraklarında güzel bir yolculuk yapmış oluyoruz..Margaret Mallory bu romanı Gall İsyanı zamanlarında kurgulamış..Romanın kurgusunu oldukça beğendim..Aşk,Savaş,İsyan,İhanet,Sadakat temaları üzerine kurguluydu..Ayrıca araştırdığımda yazarın ilk romanı olduğunu görüyorum.. Arzu Şövalyesi All the King's Men serisinin de ilk kitabı üç kitaplık bir seri bu..İlk romanda William FitzAlan'ın hikayesi var ikinci romanda da Kardeşi Stephen'in hikayesi..
Kitabın çevirisi bence iyi idi.Hikaye çok akıcıydı çevirden rahatsız olmam için garip kelimelerin kullanılması,yazar ile arama girilmesi yeterlidir..Fakat Arzu Şövalyesi Başarılı bir kitap idi..Özellikle kapağı..Orjinal kapaktan daha iyi idi bence..
Hikaye de baskın bir kadın karakter vardı bu historical romanlarda sıradışıdır..Yani Alfa karakter...Erkek kahramanımız ise Beta karakter daha az baskın..Romanı okurken kadının gözü pek acar olması hoşuma gitse de bazı yerlerde beni sinir etti...Fakat fazla takmamaya çalışarak okurken zevk ile okudumsa da..Kocası ile olan ilişkilerinde kendince bulduğu çare pek hoşuma gitmedi...
Kısaca Konuya Gelirsek:
William FitzAlan gözü pek,cesur bir topraksız şövalyedir..Kral onu son hizmetin de ödüllendirerek Gal sınırında toprak verir..Ödülünü kontrol etmek için gittiğinde de onu başka bir ödül daha beklemektedir..Topraklarını aldığı soylunun güzel karısı Leydi Catherine Rayburn..Catherine'nin kaderei sadece ve sadece ona bağlıdır..William daha onu görmeden nikahına almaya karar vermiştir..Kaleye varıp da onu karşılayan güzeller güzeli kadını gördüğünde şok geçirir..Çünkü yıllar önce Catherine evlenmeden bir gece önce aralarında sıra dışı duygusal bir yakınlaşma olmuştur..O geceyi aradan yıllar geçse de unutamamış,karşılaştığı kadınlarda o geceki güzel kızı aramıştır..Fakat Catherine onu tanımamıştır..
Fakat Catherine kocası Lord Rayburn'un hainlik ve ihanetlerini Kral'a bildirmiş,kocasıda öldürülmüştür..Geçmişte kocasından inanılmaz şiddet ve zülum gören bu genç kadının hayatı cehenneme dönmüştür..William kocasına ihanet eden bu kadına güvenebilmesi kolay değildir..Bir yandan yıllarca bereber çalıştığı kader arkadaşı Edmund'da Catherine'ye cephe almış William'a onu kötülemektedir..
Catherine William ile evlendikten sonra yeni kocasının ilk Rayburn'e benzemediğini hatta sevgi dolu olduğunu fark etmesi uzun sürmedi..Fakat yaşadığı çok çetin evlilik şartları onu da güvensizleştirmişti...
Aralarındaki tutkunun alev alması da uzun sürmedi..Tutkuları her ne kadar onları yakınlaştırsa da en büyük problemleri güven idi..
Oldukça zevk alarak okuduğum bir roman oldu..Serinin devamını merakla bekliyorum...
Keyifli okumalar...
July 29, 2023
ΠΡΟΣΩΠΙΚΉ ΆΠΟΨΗ
Δεν είχα ιδέα διαβάζοντας αυτό το βιβλίο ότι ήταν το πρώτο μυθιστόρημα της Μάργκαρετ Mallory. Αυτό λέει πολλά για το γράψιμο της, την εξέλιξη της ιστορία και τους χαρακτήρες. Αυτό το είδος ήταν αρκετά καινούργιο για μένα αλλά αμέσως τράβηξε το ενδιαφέρον μου, κρατώντας το από την πρώτη σελίδα έως την τελευταία..Το γράψιμο της Mallory δίνει ζωή στην ιστορία , με έντεχνη ύφανση, μια ιστορία που θα σας παρασύρει σε μια άλλη εποχή.Σε μια εποχή, που μπορείτε να φανταστείτε τον εαυτό σας, να είναι εκεί, μέσα σε όλα - τις μάχες, την ίντριγκα και το πάθος.
Στην ιστορία μας, όταν πρόκειται για δράση και περιπέτεια, η Catherine είναι ο πρωταγωνιστής αυτού του βιβλίου. Ακόμα κι αν η Mallory ρεαλιστικά ,απεικονίζει την Catherine ως μια κακοποιημένη γυναίκα, με ένα ανεξέλεγκτο φόβο για τα συζυγικά της καθήκοντα , είναι ο χαρακτήρας που κατασκοπεύει για τον πρίγκηπα Harry, σώζει ένα ανείπωτο αριθμό ανδρών από το θάνατο,και πάντα, έξυπνα και σχεδόν άφοβα υπερνικά τα εμπόδια που τίθενται στην πορεία της. Με εμπιστοσύνη (ή την έλλειψη αυτής), αυτό είναι και το κρίσιμο ζήτημα που αντιμετωπίζει αυτό το ζευγάρι,η Catherine βρίσκει τη δύναμη και είναι εκείνη που πρώτη θα εμπιστευτεί το William με το μεγαλύτερο μυστικό της. Ένα μυστικό που μπορεί να αλλαξει τα πάντα.
Είναι προφανές ότι η Mallory έκανε την έρευνά της, γιατί δίνει ενδιαφέροντα ιστορικά στοιχεία σχετικά με την αντιμετώπιση και τον τρόπο που εξετάζονται τα ζητήματα της τιμής, καθώς ο William και η Catherine κρίνουν τις ενέργειες του βασιλιά Henry, του πρίγκιπα Χάρι, του πρίγκιπα των ανταρτών της Ουαλίας ,Owain Glyndwr, καθώς και δευτερεύων χαρακτήρες.
Έτσι καταλήγουμε στο συμπέρασμα πως το πρώτο μυθιστόρημα της Μάργκαρετ Mallory, είναι ένα διαφορετικό μεσαιωνικό μυθιστόρημα που είναι μια ευχάριστη έκπληξη και αξίζει να το διαβάσετε. Διαθέτει ένα απίστευτα όμορφο στόρι και μια πρωταγωνιστρια με ισχυρή θέληση, που ξεπερνά τις αντιξοότητες,που έξυπνα παλεύει να ξεπεράσει τα εμπόδια στο δρόμο της,ένα κούκλο ισχυρογνώμονα, γεμάτο άγχος- ήρωα, ο οποίος δεν θέλει τίποτα περισσότερο από το να ανήκει.Μια ιστορία που επικεντρώνεται στα πλεονεκτήματα της ηρωίδας περισσότερο από εκείνα του ήρωα. Έχει ένα μεγάλο κομμάτι δράσης και περιπέτειας για να κρατήσει την ιστορία ενδιαφέρουσα αλλά και ένα ισχυρό νήμα ρομαντισμού συνυφασμένο με την πλοκή, που βοηθά τους ήρωες να μάθουν να εμπιστεύονται ο ένας τον άλλον και, τέλος,αρκετά ελκυστικούς, διασκεδαστικόυς και ενδιαφέροντες δευτερεύοντες χαρακτήρες.
Δεν είχα ιδέα διαβάζοντας αυτό το βιβλίο ότι ήταν το πρώτο μυθιστόρημα της Μάργκαρετ Mallory. Αυτό λέει πολλά για το γράψιμο της, την εξέλιξη της ιστορία και τους χαρακτήρες. Αυτό το είδος ήταν αρκετά καινούργιο για μένα αλλά αμέσως τράβηξε το ενδιαφέρον μου, κρατώντας το από την πρώτη σελίδα έως την τελευταία..Το γράψιμο της Mallory δίνει ζωή στην ιστορία , με έντεχνη ύφανση, μια ιστορία που θα σας παρασύρει σε μια άλλη εποχή.Σε μια εποχή, που μπορείτε να φανταστείτε τον εαυτό σας, να είναι εκεί, μέσα σε όλα - τις μάχες, την ίντριγκα και το πάθος.
Στην ιστορία μας, όταν πρόκειται για δράση και περιπέτεια, η Catherine είναι ο πρωταγωνιστής αυτού του βιβλίου. Ακόμα κι αν η Mallory ρεαλιστικά ,απεικονίζει την Catherine ως μια κακοποιημένη γυναίκα, με ένα ανεξέλεγκτο φόβο για τα συζυγικά της καθήκοντα , είναι ο χαρακτήρας που κατασκοπεύει για τον πρίγκηπα Harry, σώζει ένα ανείπωτο αριθμό ανδρών από το θάνατο,και πάντα, έξυπνα και σχεδόν άφοβα υπερνικά τα εμπόδια που τίθενται στην πορεία της. Με εμπιστοσύνη (ή την έλλειψη αυτής), αυτό είναι και το κρίσιμο ζήτημα που αντιμετωπίζει αυτό το ζευγάρι,η Catherine βρίσκει τη δύναμη και είναι εκείνη που πρώτη θα εμπιστευτεί το William με το μεγαλύτερο μυστικό της. Ένα μυστικό που μπορεί να αλλαξει τα πάντα.
Είναι προφανές ότι η Mallory έκανε την έρευνά της, γιατί δίνει ενδιαφέροντα ιστορικά στοιχεία σχετικά με την αντιμετώπιση και τον τρόπο που εξετάζονται τα ζητήματα της τιμής, καθώς ο William και η Catherine κρίνουν τις ενέργειες του βασιλιά Henry, του πρίγκιπα Χάρι, του πρίγκιπα των ανταρτών της Ουαλίας ,Owain Glyndwr, καθώς και δευτερεύων χαρακτήρες.
Έτσι καταλήγουμε στο συμπέρασμα πως το πρώτο μυθιστόρημα της Μάργκαρετ Mallory, είναι ένα διαφορετικό μεσαιωνικό μυθιστόρημα που είναι μια ευχάριστη έκπληξη και αξίζει να το διαβάσετε. Διαθέτει ένα απίστευτα όμορφο στόρι και μια πρωταγωνιστρια με ισχυρή θέληση, που ξεπερνά τις αντιξοότητες,που έξυπνα παλεύει να ξεπεράσει τα εμπόδια στο δρόμο της,ένα κούκλο ισχυρογνώμονα, γεμάτο άγχος- ήρωα, ο οποίος δεν θέλει τίποτα περισσότερο από το να ανήκει.Μια ιστορία που επικεντρώνεται στα πλεονεκτήματα της ηρωίδας περισσότερο από εκείνα του ήρωα. Έχει ένα μεγάλο κομμάτι δράσης και περιπέτειας για να κρατήσει την ιστορία ενδιαφέρουσα αλλά και ένα ισχυρό νήμα ρομαντισμού συνυφασμένο με την πλοκή, που βοηθά τους ήρωες να μάθουν να εμπιστεύονται ο ένας τον άλλον και, τέλος,αρκετά ελκυστικούς, διασκεδαστικόυς και ενδιαφέροντες δευτερεύοντες χαρακτήρες.
July 8, 2009
On the night before her wedding Lady Catherine secretly decides to go on one last ride before she is to marry the man her King has chosen to be her husband. There she meets a young knight (William FitzAlan) who accompanies her on this ride and returns her safely to the stables, but not before leaving them with memories that they think back upon over the years.
Five years later, Lady Catherine betrays her husband in order to protect her king. Her husband was violent and abusive and she has no remorse in betraying him for the traitor that he was. On the day of her husband's death, she learns that his/her lands and castle are forfeit to William FitzAlan. The King has left her with no choice but to either be taken to the Tower or to marry FitzAlan. Reluctantly she chooses to marry William - as for William, he recognizes Catherine as the young girl he still thinks of and immediately marries her despite his doubts as to what type of woman can betray her husband.
Although the main threat to Catherine is easily resolved with their marriage, there are still many other issues that they have to deal with. For one, Catherine has only been to the marriage bed with her late husband and it was not something pleasant for her. So she is none too thrilled about consummating her marriage. Secondly, William has issues trusting her - he is constantly questioning her actions not to mention his closest friend keeps reminding him of the outcome of her previous marriage. As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.
I love historical romances - and this one has just the right amount of romance, witty banter and likeable characters. Ms. Mallory definitely did her research when describing the Welsh rebellion of the 15th century as well as Medieval England. This is a well-written story and you will see that the pages fly by with ease. It is riddled with love, lust and betrayal... what more could you want out of a romance novel? I can definitely recommend this to fans of the romance genre and congratulate Ms. Mallory on a very enjoyable debut.
Five years later, Lady Catherine betrays her husband in order to protect her king. Her husband was violent and abusive and she has no remorse in betraying him for the traitor that he was. On the day of her husband's death, she learns that his/her lands and castle are forfeit to William FitzAlan. The King has left her with no choice but to either be taken to the Tower or to marry FitzAlan. Reluctantly she chooses to marry William - as for William, he recognizes Catherine as the young girl he still thinks of and immediately marries her despite his doubts as to what type of woman can betray her husband.
Although the main threat to Catherine is easily resolved with their marriage, there are still many other issues that they have to deal with. For one, Catherine has only been to the marriage bed with her late husband and it was not something pleasant for her. So she is none too thrilled about consummating her marriage. Secondly, William has issues trusting her - he is constantly questioning her actions not to mention his closest friend keeps reminding him of the outcome of her previous marriage. As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.
I love historical romances - and this one has just the right amount of romance, witty banter and likeable characters. Ms. Mallory definitely did her research when describing the Welsh rebellion of the 15th century as well as Medieval England. This is a well-written story and you will see that the pages fly by with ease. It is riddled with love, lust and betrayal... what more could you want out of a romance novel? I can definitely recommend this to fans of the romance genre and congratulate Ms. Mallory on a very enjoyable debut.
July 10, 2009
Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory is sizzling must have summer read. Delicious from page one to the very end, this is one love story you won't soon forget. A Debut book by this author that will leave you hungering for more.
William FitzAlan is a Knight of renown and high on the King's list of best of the best. A man with no title, lands nor wife, he is surprised when the King hands him all this on a platter for being who he is, a devoted Kings man to the death.
Catherine is Lady of Ross Castle and a close friend of the Prince. She is also the battered wife of a sniveling coward who rules this Castle and a man that has little to no scruples. When Catherine is trust into a plot to overthrow the King and Prince she knows where her allegiance falls and betrays her husband.
The story starts really quickly with the death of Catherine's husband and William's acquirement of lands, title and wife if he will have her. The king has given William two choices as to what he may do with the Lady of Ross Castle and he wonders if he will regret his choice for quite some time.
This is a delicious romance that flows smoothly from beginning to end, action packed throughout and sit on the edge of your seat fascinating that you won't be able to put it down. Even now with having finished this book I am craving more, ever so much more that I read the excerpt for the next book which is due out in December and wonder if I can indeed wait that long without going stark raving mad.
Our Author is new and this is a Debut book and one that surely make you come back for more. She has included all the best of deceit, love, pain, doubt, intrigue and so many more emotions that you will constantly be driven to go from one page to the next and wish you could read this in all one day. It will be very hard to put this one down even for the must have potty break.
William FitzAlan is a Knight of renown and high on the King's list of best of the best. A man with no title, lands nor wife, he is surprised when the King hands him all this on a platter for being who he is, a devoted Kings man to the death.
Catherine is Lady of Ross Castle and a close friend of the Prince. She is also the battered wife of a sniveling coward who rules this Castle and a man that has little to no scruples. When Catherine is trust into a plot to overthrow the King and Prince she knows where her allegiance falls and betrays her husband.
The story starts really quickly with the death of Catherine's husband and William's acquirement of lands, title and wife if he will have her. The king has given William two choices as to what he may do with the Lady of Ross Castle and he wonders if he will regret his choice for quite some time.
This is a delicious romance that flows smoothly from beginning to end, action packed throughout and sit on the edge of your seat fascinating that you won't be able to put it down. Even now with having finished this book I am craving more, ever so much more that I read the excerpt for the next book which is due out in December and wonder if I can indeed wait that long without going stark raving mad.
Our Author is new and this is a Debut book and one that surely make you come back for more. She has included all the best of deceit, love, pain, doubt, intrigue and so many more emotions that you will constantly be driven to go from one page to the next and wish you could read this in all one day. It will be very hard to put this one down even for the must have potty break.
March 20, 2010
Huzzah for enjoying a free book!
Mallory's debut medieval pairs the wily Lady Catherine with the honorable, but stubborn and insecure, William FitzAlan in a hasty marriage. Catherine's husband had betrayed the Crown, but Catherine had been sending the prince messages behind her husband's back. The day the king's forces catch up with and kill her traitorous husband, she's offered a choice: live in the Tower of London, or marry William, who the king gave her lands to. Reasonably, she agrees to marry.
The book shines on the virtues of its plot. There's angst, yes. Catherine was abused by her previous husband and is not terribly keen on the whole wife thing. William doesn't trust her or women in general. But the plot keeps twisting and turning, with running away to an abbey, royal visits, kidnapping, intrigues, and bad guys getting what's coming to them. She drops clues and builds foreshadowing subtly. Never did I think I had the next step all figured out, but neither was I ever totally surprised.
None of this book is groundbreaking. You know these guys. She's spirited. He's alpha. There's a ton of misunderstanding and groveling. But the plot moves so well, pulling us along a surprising journey, that the stock characters are acceptable. They're not cardboard cutouts, but this is not a character study by any means. I enjoyed Catherine's poise and spirit and William's drive to do the right thing and ability to apologize when he's done quite the wrong thing, but they're very familiar characters to me.
Regardless, I look forward to subsequent books of hers. She has a good voice for medieval romance, if maybe a touch too modern.
Mallory's debut medieval pairs the wily Lady Catherine with the honorable, but stubborn and insecure, William FitzAlan in a hasty marriage. Catherine's husband had betrayed the Crown, but Catherine had been sending the prince messages behind her husband's back. The day the king's forces catch up with and kill her traitorous husband, she's offered a choice: live in the Tower of London, or marry William, who the king gave her lands to. Reasonably, she agrees to marry.
The book shines on the virtues of its plot. There's angst, yes. Catherine was abused by her previous husband and is not terribly keen on the whole wife thing. William doesn't trust her or women in general. But the plot keeps twisting and turning, with running away to an abbey, royal visits, kidnapping, intrigues, and bad guys getting what's coming to them. She drops clues and builds foreshadowing subtly. Never did I think I had the next step all figured out, but neither was I ever totally surprised.
None of this book is groundbreaking. You know these guys. She's spirited. He's alpha. There's a ton of misunderstanding and groveling. But the plot moves so well, pulling us along a surprising journey, that the stock characters are acceptable. They're not cardboard cutouts, but this is not a character study by any means. I enjoyed Catherine's poise and spirit and William's drive to do the right thing and ability to apologize when he's done quite the wrong thing, but they're very familiar characters to me.
Regardless, I look forward to subsequent books of hers. She has a good voice for medieval romance, if maybe a touch too modern.
December 18, 2014
A very enjoyable medieval romance, with a hero who might be boorish and taciturn but was less alpha than your usual knight. The heroes were likable and believable and though the hero was a bit of an ass for some part, he made up for it in the end. Their main problem is the lack of trust between them, which -stupid as it made him feel at some times- was in tandem with what they knew of each other. It was a sweet, emotional story of two lonely people that found themselves in a forced marriage and tried to make the best of it.
Still, the part after the middle where the adventure overtook the romance let me down somewhat; too much focus on politics and too much time for the heroes spent apart, is not my idea of a romance. Just when I was getting frustrated though, the romance picked up again and everything turned out as it should be. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this one.
Still, the part after the middle where the adventure overtook the romance let me down somewhat; too much focus on politics and too much time for the heroes spent apart, is not my idea of a romance. Just when I was getting frustrated though, the romance picked up again and everything turned out as it should be. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this one.
May 15, 2013
Koridorda bi yazar vardı şimdi adını hatırlayamıyorum ona benzettim olay örgüsünü çok fazla olay insan takipte zorlanıyor. biri bitiyor biri başlıyordu. Kızı kaçırıyorlar sonra tekrar başına gelmeyen kalmıyordu falan aşırı olmuş biraz ama yine de okutuyor kendini. biraz daha sade olsa şahsen daha tercih ederdim
February 7, 2022
I hated all of the dominant man accusing his wife of sleeping with everybody in pants. Omg, it got tired.
July 12, 2021
3.5 stars. The first half was 4 stars then the book spent way too much time with the characters separated.
The hero reminded me of my husband in some ways.
The hero reminded me of my husband in some ways.
February 16, 2015
So I totally loved this book. I'd read the first book in Margaret Mallory's other series Return of the Highlanders and enjoyed it, but I definitely loved this book more. It kept me reading late into the night and all the next day until I finished it. And it left me sighing and psyched to read the next to books in the All the King's Men trilogy.
The book starts out with a highly romantic prologue. And then it's right down to business. Our hero, William FitzAlan, rides up to Ross Castle ready to claim the castle as his own, as well as the recently widowed lady of the keep. The king has given him both as spoils of war. William is not a warrior brute however; he wishes to marry the Lady Catherine Rayburn to save her from the Tower, and so that she and her young son will not be thrust out of their ancestral home.
After escaping a terrible marriage by sharing her husband's rebellious plans with the Crown-due to her spy intel, he was slain in battle-the last thing Catherine wants is to be married again. But to protect her young son, and possibly her life, she acquiesces to William FitzAlan's proposal. So bam! Our hero and heroine are married in the first few chapters. I like this storytelling device, as it lets the relationship get developed right off the bat and the romance can get underway. It's also just a romance novel trope I love; marriage of convenience or necessity, that has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with love. At first ;)
I loved the characters. From our leads to the supporting characters, Mallory has done a fantastic job developing them all. Catherine is a complex, much more interesting heroine than we sometimes get in historical romances. She is a spy, she has survived terrible ordeals, and she is a fiercely devoted mother. She knows how to rely on herself and also how to form important alliances. She even has male friends and associates how are not romantic interests! Imagine that! Catherine is fiercely loyal to England and knows how to run a household and manage an estate. Her beauty is far from her only asset, which is admirable, especially for a woman living in the early 1400s. William is very knightly and honorable (which I find oh so romantic). He definitely has his flaws, but he is always trying to redeem himself, and to become more understanding of others. William and Catherine's relationship is very dramatic and tempestuous, but also hot and realistic. Yes, there are a lot of arguments and misunderstandings, but there probably would be when you're forced to marry someone the very day that you meet them! The cast of characters includes Catherine's darling little boy, a smart and mischievous young man called Stephen, a host of loyal servants, and a villain who reminded me of Thomas from Downton Abbey.
Then there's a host of real historical figures, like Prince Harry (later Henry V), the Tudors of Wales, and Prince Owain Glyndwr.
I noticed some similarities between Knight of Desire and the other Mallory book I've read, The Guardian. They both have the rich family life, real history mixed with fiction, and both feature a similar climax, I like Mallory's style of romances. Every historical romance writer has their formula, and she does hers well. Extremely well in Knight of Desire. I recommend it not only to fans of historical romance, but to fans of historical fiction in general. Sharon Kay Penman's medieval historical fiction used to be my go-to; Mallory has a rich level of historical detail and knack for time and place that recalled those books for me. It was also totally refreshing to read a medieval romance novel NOT about highlanders! I don't think I had before! Medieval England, and Wales (where part of this book is set), are some of my favorite settings :)
The book starts out with a highly romantic prologue. And then it's right down to business. Our hero, William FitzAlan, rides up to Ross Castle ready to claim the castle as his own, as well as the recently widowed lady of the keep. The king has given him both as spoils of war. William is not a warrior brute however; he wishes to marry the Lady Catherine Rayburn to save her from the Tower, and so that she and her young son will not be thrust out of their ancestral home.
After escaping a terrible marriage by sharing her husband's rebellious plans with the Crown-due to her spy intel, he was slain in battle-the last thing Catherine wants is to be married again. But to protect her young son, and possibly her life, she acquiesces to William FitzAlan's proposal. So bam! Our hero and heroine are married in the first few chapters. I like this storytelling device, as it lets the relationship get developed right off the bat and the romance can get underway. It's also just a romance novel trope I love; marriage of convenience or necessity, that has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with love. At first ;)
I loved the characters. From our leads to the supporting characters, Mallory has done a fantastic job developing them all. Catherine is a complex, much more interesting heroine than we sometimes get in historical romances. She is a spy, she has survived terrible ordeals, and she is a fiercely devoted mother. She knows how to rely on herself and also how to form important alliances. She even has male friends and associates how are not romantic interests! Imagine that! Catherine is fiercely loyal to England and knows how to run a household and manage an estate. Her beauty is far from her only asset, which is admirable, especially for a woman living in the early 1400s. William is very knightly and honorable (which I find oh so romantic). He definitely has his flaws, but he is always trying to redeem himself, and to become more understanding of others. William and Catherine's relationship is very dramatic and tempestuous, but also hot and realistic. Yes, there are a lot of arguments and misunderstandings, but there probably would be when you're forced to marry someone the very day that you meet them! The cast of characters includes Catherine's darling little boy, a smart and mischievous young man called Stephen, a host of loyal servants, and a villain who reminded me of Thomas from Downton Abbey.
Then there's a host of real historical figures, like Prince Harry (later Henry V), the Tudors of Wales, and Prince Owain Glyndwr.I noticed some similarities between Knight of Desire and the other Mallory book I've read, The Guardian. They both have the rich family life, real history mixed with fiction, and both feature a similar climax, I like Mallory's style of romances. Every historical romance writer has their formula, and she does hers well. Extremely well in Knight of Desire. I recommend it not only to fans of historical romance, but to fans of historical fiction in general. Sharon Kay Penman's medieval historical fiction used to be my go-to; Mallory has a rich level of historical detail and knack for time and place that recalled those books for me. It was also totally refreshing to read a medieval romance novel NOT about highlanders! I don't think I had before! Medieval England, and Wales (where part of this book is set), are some of my favorite settings :)
April 13, 2010
I bought this trilogy based on the recommendation of a bookseller. She said for debut novel this was really well done so I decided to give it a try. I have to say I was very impressed.
I adore medievals as a rule and this one was lovely. Though there were several misunderstandings and a lack of trust between the couple, I felt they were justified on both sides.
Although Catherine is a strong, independent woman, I never felt she was too independent. Despite betraying her first husband she was very loyal and caring. She suffered quite a bit throughout the book, both mentally and physically, but she bore each new strain admirably. Though I understood why her husband mistrusted her, I still felt her pain.
At times I became just as frustrated with William as Catherine, but it was hard to remain angry. His strong sense of honor and self-doubt made him an extremely sympathetic character. Plus, the kindness he showed not only Catherine but her son and the inhabitants of her home was very endearing.
I found the setting and political backdrop fascinating. The Prince, King and their enemies were written in a way that was engaging on their own while advancing the main storyline. I also enjoyed the other secondary characters, especially Robert, Stephen and the Tudors (who were featured here before their reign).
I adore medievals as a rule and this one was lovely. Though there were several misunderstandings and a lack of trust between the couple, I felt they were justified on both sides.
Although Catherine is a strong, independent woman, I never felt she was too independent. Despite betraying her first husband she was very loyal and caring. She suffered quite a bit throughout the book, both mentally and physically, but she bore each new strain admirably. Though I understood why her husband mistrusted her, I still felt her pain.
At times I became just as frustrated with William as Catherine, but it was hard to remain angry. His strong sense of honor and self-doubt made him an extremely sympathetic character. Plus, the kindness he showed not only Catherine but her son and the inhabitants of her home was very endearing.
I found the setting and political backdrop fascinating. The Prince, King and their enemies were written in a way that was engaging on their own while advancing the main storyline. I also enjoyed the other secondary characters, especially Robert, Stephen and the Tudors (who were featured here before their reign).
March 31, 2011
In this genre, we usually only get the female's POV. I was really pleased to be reading the male's POV this time. In a war-torn era where alpha males were usually aggressive bordering on barbarism, I liked how Margaret Mallory paints the character of William in how he upholds his honor in being a knight true to form. She lets us take a peek into the male psyche, so one can actually empathize with the hero in this story as he struggles to understand his wife, & fight for those who he loves.
The characters are well developed & are believable. The historical aspect was well researched & it made me want to get to learn more about the medieval era. I got my dose of romance, tension, & sensuality. This was also a fast read & very unputdown-able. I would readily recommend this to fans of Lisa Kleypas.
The characters are well developed & are believable. The historical aspect was well researched & it made me want to get to learn more about the medieval era. I got my dose of romance, tension, & sensuality. This was also a fast read & very unputdown-able. I would readily recommend this to fans of Lisa Kleypas.
February 20, 2011
I enjoyed it overall, but at times it felt like I was reading a medieval soap opera. I skimmed the last half. I didn't really care much for hero or heroine, and the storyline had too many little misunderstandings and wrong assumptions.
May 1, 2018
Arzu Şövalyesi
All the King's Men Serisi 1
Margaret Mallory
Yeni bir seri yeni bir hikaye
Yoruma gelince bilemedim😬😬
Aslında güzeldi sıkılmadan okudum ama başlarda kıza acaip kızdım sonra acaip hak verdim oğlumuza da salak saçma arkadaşına inanmasını garipsedim bilmiyorum bazı yerlerde hadi ya bu ne böyle dedim ama sonunda tatmin etti beni bilmiyorum beğendim farklı bir hikayeydi. Gerçi ben diğer hikayenin kitaplarını bekliyordum ama buda güzeldi . Bazı yerlerini es geçersek...
All the King's Men Serisi 1
Margaret Mallory
Yeni bir seri yeni bir hikaye
Yoruma gelince bilemedim😬😬
Aslında güzeldi sıkılmadan okudum ama başlarda kıza acaip kızdım sonra acaip hak verdim oğlumuza da salak saçma arkadaşına inanmasını garipsedim bilmiyorum bazı yerlerde hadi ya bu ne böyle dedim ama sonunda tatmin etti beni bilmiyorum beğendim farklı bir hikayeydi. Gerçi ben diğer hikayenin kitaplarını bekliyordum ama buda güzeldi . Bazı yerlerini es geçersek...
March 30, 2021
Via audiobook.
Good medieval story! Evil husbands, traitors, soft hero, fantastic history.
Good medieval story! Evil husbands, traitors, soft hero, fantastic history.
May 5, 2020
My Review is on my blog
https://littlequirkychick.blogspot.co...
https://littlequirkychick.blogspot.co...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews