THE WULFRITHS. FIRST. IN BETWEEN. IN THE END. The late middle ages. England’s king seeks to recover the French lands of his ancestor William the Conqueror and claim the continental throne. France’s king aspires to seize the remainder of his royal vassal’s lands and retain his throne. So begins the Hundred Years’ War, the backdrop against which the formidable Wulfriths of the AGE OF CONQUEST and AGE OF FAITH series continue their tale.
THE SWAN OF LEXETER Lady Adelaide Soames of scandalous repute counts the days, months, and years until justice is served. At last, King Edward’s masked ball not only brings her face to face with the nobleman who ruined her sister but the sheriff she deems his accomplice. When she exposes the culprit, the resulting spectacle finds her teetering on the edge of the king’s mercy. And stunned when the sheriff who could have saved her sister offers a solution to the problem of a lady no longer welcome at court. Certain he expects her to reject what can only be a show of penance, she accepts. Then just like that, the scandalous Swan of Lexeter finds herself hopelessly ensnared and justice deferred. Yet there could be good in it. If she can put growing feelings for this man ahead of her desire for revenge.
THE SHERIFF OF WULFENSHIRE Sheriff Percival D’Arci is diligent in enforcing the law upon Wulfenshire—though not always. Years ago, vexed at being awarded an office requiring more time than he could spare, with undue haste he investigated a lady’s assault on her sister’s guardian. And mistakenly gave greater weight to the testimony of a respected nobleman than a woman known for stirring trouble. Now, burdened by a tragedy he might have prevented, he is prepared to give Lady Adelaide her due—and even more when guilt collides with impulse and the penance he offers is not rejected. Might his resolve to bring to justice the nobleman who destroyed her sister ease her bitter heart? Or have they consigned each other to a life of discord? And how is he to keep the lady to whom he is increasingly drawn from taking matters into her own hands?
From USA Today Bestselling author Tamara Leigh, the third book in a new medieval romance series set in the 14th century during The Hundred Years’ War. Watch for DANGEROUS, the tale of Lady Dangereuse Wulfrith and Sir Rhys de Arell in spring 2023.
Tamara Leigh signed a 4-book contract with Bantam Books in 1993, her debut medieval romance was nominated for a RITA award, and successive books with Bantam, HarperCollins, and Dorchester earned awards and appeared on national bestseller lists.
In 2006, the first of Tamara’s inspirational contemporary romances was published, followed by six more with Multnomah and RandomHouse. Perfecting Kate was optioned for a movie, Splitting Harriet won an ACFW Book of the Year award, and Faking Grace was nominated for a RITA award.
In 2012, Tamara returned to writing historical romance with the release of Dreamspell and the bestselling Age of Faith and The Feud series. Among her #1 bestsellers are her general market romances rewritten as clean and inspirational reads, including Lady at Arms and Lady of Conquest. In late 2018, she released Merciless, the first book in the new AGE OF CONQUEST series, followed by Fearless and Nameless, unveiling the origins of the Wulfrith family. Psst!—It all began with a woman. Watch for Heartless in Spring 2020.
Tamara lives near Nashville with her husband, a German Shepherd who has never met a squeaky toy she can’t destroy, and a feisty Morkie who keeps her company during long writing stints.
Connect with Tamara at her website www.tamaraleigh.com, Facebook, Twitter and tamaraleightenn@gmail.com.
When I first started reading books written by Tamara Leigh I was captivated and amazed at how she writes. As I’ve continued to read her books this feeling has never left me.
Tamara Leigh writes with so much flair and colorful word pictures. Each of her books is an invitation to travel back in time to an era we can only imagine. An era where the king and queen determine who you can marry, where you can go, and what your life status will be. This story is full of drama and intrigue, with a fun bit of romance. From the pageantry of the customs to the action of the fighting, as well as the language of the time, there is nothing left amiss.
This story has an underlining theme of loss, wrongs made to the innocent, finding justice, and forgiveness. It’s a story that shows the struggles that go with tragedy and the ripple effect it can have on others, as well as finding healing from those events. This author knows how to write books that will stay with you long after you’ve closed the pages and put the book down.
I highly recommend this and ALL of Tamara Leigh’s books. Her storytelling will captivate you so much, you will not want to miss one of her books!
I’m enjoying this series. It’s not completely predictable like so many of the genre. The sentences can be overlong and unwieldy but the Audible narrator, Paul Draper makes it flow anyway. I’ll keep reading.
Read it for the: -enemies to lovers -Marriage of necessity -themes of forgiveness and justice -Rich historical details -References to past characters from previous series
Romantic content: closed door with a crack (multiple fade to black scenes with vague descriptions, kissing) Trigger warnings: mention of past rape and past suicide (not graphically descriped), teenage pregnancy, mild violence, villain is a sexual predator and abuser *this book can be read as a stand-alone but will be best enjoyed read in order.
The review: In true Tamara Leigh fashion the story itself is a page turner, although the plot is darker than previous books in the series. The characters are well written and the world of medieval England came to life in vivid detail and language. The journey of acceptance and forgiveness for both Percival and Adelaide is beautifully done, with emotional conversations of faith and a relationship changed from one of hate and guilt to love. While I would have liked to see a little more of Percival and Adelaide’s relationship growth apart from their intimate moments, their romance was beautiful. I was invested in every character and wanted to know more about them. All characters are flawed, some greyer than others, but all (expect of course the villains) honorable. The subtle nods to previous characters from other series were fun to spot. I hated the villain and felt the same anger for him as the main characters did. The plot was darker than previous books, but well balanced out with the romance and themes of hope and justice. And the last few chapters really solidified why Tamara Leigh remains one of my go authors.
My only gripe is that villain got a lot of screen time. I understand it was needed for build up, cement the overall theme of justice and stir emotion, all successfully done, but he was the worst. Which ironically made him the best villain.
The Wulfrith stories will continue, and I cannot wait to see what else will be in store for them!
Adelaide is a very strong heroine, filled with thoughts of vengeance for the man who caused her stepsister to kill herself. And Perceval Carrie’s the guilt of not doing enough to help her stepsister and not believing Adelaide. Their marriage seemed doomed at the start but love grew. I liked both characters and think their falling in love progressed at a natural pace. This book had a lot of drama in it, and may be triggering for some readers as it includes suicide and a pedophile, although not details of his deeds.
My review today is on the Medieval Romance , Scandalous. This is book three in the series Age of Honor. I am a big fan of Tamara's work and I'm thrilled when a new book comes out. This one is well worth the wait. It's well-written, full of drama, and full of faith. I know you are going to love it.
Lady Adelaide Soames, The Swan of Lexeter visits her fourteen year old sister only to find her sister is in love with her guardian's husband, an active predator. She tries to talk her into returning to Lexeter with her only to have the man tell the sheriff that she has stolen jewels from his very ill wife. She tries to tell the sheriff what is really going on but he doesn't believe her. Six months after her return home she receives notice of the death of her sister. She has taken her own life. She blames the sheriff and confronts him at a ball given by the king. She is called into the king's chamber.
Sheriff Percival D'Arce is diligent in enforcing his work in Wulfershire but is plagued with guilt over the death of the young girl. He soon realized that sister was right, the girl was pregant. He is ready to admit his guilt to the beautiful Lady Adelaide but she confront him in front of the whole court. They are called into the king's chamber. The Lady is given the choice of marrying him or living her life in a convent. He says he is willing to marry her (only as an act of penance) but he is sure she will turn him down out of her need for vengeance
A journey of a troubled marriage from that moment on. The Lord of Romany Castle is determined to destroy these two. Can they find happiness? God has a plan for these two a plan for a hope and a future. God has a plan for you too, a good plan peace and not for evil. Give Him your heart and watch Him move in your life even in this time of political turmoil.
I've been struggling with a lot of the books I'm currently reading so what I wanted was a book that was engaging enough to stick with and this definitely delivered.
Full spoilers.
All of Leigh's books intersect in some way but I don't read them in order and I don't aim for complete series. I just read the plots that might have some interest to me. All this to say that some of the deeper plots in this book (if they were there) go over my head, but it's not something that affects my enjoyment of her books.
In this entry, Adelaide initially met Percival when in her attempts to keep her sister from a predator is wrongfully accused of theft and assault. Percival follows the evidence he is presented with and does not take Adelaide at her word. Tragedy strikes not too soon after with Adelaide's sister dead and Adelaide full of fury and bitterness at the world, and definitely at Percival. She holds him at least partially responsible for her sister's death and he feels the burden of that guilt also. To yada yada, Adelaide gets in some trouble with the King and her options are marriage or convent and Percival falls on the sword and offers for her.
What follows is a story of growth centred on Adelaide's need to let go of her bitterness and move on with her life and Percival's need to also forgive himself.
I do think this book was well done. From the outset the themes that the book is trying to accomplish is clear but it never felt overwrought or too much. The growth of the characters, while the central plot device also felt entirely organic. For example, it would have been easy to feel frustrated with Adelaide but she is entirely sympathetic. She knows how much her angers affects her life, but she can't quite let it go, and the reader is helped to understand why all the way along.
There was of course other plot movements, like the resolution to the whole predator who caused the death of Adelaide's sister.
This is 3 stars because although the book was engaging and I liked the characters there was bit of a missing spark all through. I felt engaged, but not engrossed if you will. It was overall fine.
In terms of content, there were a few scenes that I entirely skipped so I think it's mostly clean but right up against the edge.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
J’adore!!! If you’re looking for a romantic enemies-to-lovers book, one of my fav tropes, you’ve found it. I got some taming-of-the-shrew vibes from this, and I liked it all the more for it. Just beware Tamara’s writing can get a little confusing at times, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to reread certain paragraphs to understand what the heck she’s saying, LIKE WHAT? hahaha but I digress
As far as sexual content, there’s nothing explicit in it, but if you want clean with only chaste kisses and hand holding THIS IS NOT IT lol. LIKE AT ALL. I’m not new to Tamara’s books, but it does strike that hers are not as clean as other authors. Like you can tell this is definitely geared towards an adult audience, just a little heads up.
Would love a little novella for Remy and Murielle. NOT A WHOLE 400 PAGE BOOK PLEASE GOD, but a little novella. I’m not really keen on Murielle’s character tbh, but I am very very curious about the tongue-tied reserved Remy who is a total badass with a bow. And since Dangerous’s book is next, and she’s headed for Castle Lillia, I’m hoping we’ll get bits about Remy and Murielle. CAN’T WAIT! Especially because Murielle is such a handfull lol, she will test his patience to thee max, poor guy hahahaha.
To be honest I was so wrapped up in the previous books story that I barely paid any attention to the set up for this one. Oh boy, was it another amazing story! I shouldn't have been surprised, because she always delivers, but I was surprised at the twists and direction this story took you! Tamara Leigh's books have that powerful way of drawing you into the characters struggles and journey. I really was surprised by how much I think I needed this story about giving vengeance over to God. Like Adelaide, I get deeply angered but the actions of vile people against children. So I sympathized with her motives. I loved how she paired her with The hero who was such a supportive leader in their relationship. This book is on the steamy side and does discuss the couple in their married relationship. I feel it is done with both honesty and respect for the union. I love how real her characters feel and this one was no different. A fantastic climax to the story and I feel both so satisfied with the romance and the faith message, and really eager for the next book!
The setting maybe medieval times, but I put the action, attraction, dialogue and love story up against any contemporary book and it still comes out on top. But with the upside of taking you away to king's court, castles, steeds and men of honor. Would strongly suggest reading books in order to be fully immersed in backstory and secondary characters.
When I found out who the characters would be in this novel, I wasn't sure how I felt as neither of them are Wulfriths, the subjects of the first two books in this series and many of the authors other books and series. (Although their last names - Soames and D'Arci - are familiar from some of those other books.) However, the story of the "scandalous" Lady Adelaide and the Sheriff of Wulfenshire was another excellent tale from Tamara Leigh. I loved the character development and relationship building, and enjoyed the great pacing of those elements. It came with a wonderful ending! Though I'm saddened by a certain aspect of it, I believe it sets up what I hope is another tale in the series. But first, Lady Dangereuse! (And likely will learn more of that other aspect in her tale!🤞🏻)
I love the forced marriage trope and the personal struggles of vengeance and guilt, and I love this series as a whole. However, I prefer to read books with closed door scenes, so this one bordered on uncomfortable for me. The door only closed at the very act, but you got most of the preceding and following details.
Perfection in the Middle Ages, as usual. I love how while these books are best read in sequence, can be stand alone. That being said books in a series that can be stand alone are typically so clogged with backstory it makes for a tedious read at times. No such problem here as the author masterfully weaves it throughout the book. I love Tamara Leigh’s books and her writing style!
Phenomenal book with a deeply emotional story. Experiences that were talked openly about as well as those alluded to, all made for a gripping read from start to finish. I really enjoyed some of the characters from previous books and series joining in this story as it made it that much more rich. And I sense that a new story line is beginning to form with two characters that I wasn't expecting. Fantastic read that I HIGHLY recommend!
I’m so happy to be reading about this generation of Wulrith. Tamara spins a great tale and I’m happy to be along for the ride. I love the way the characters overlap and we see each of them through the stories. Can’t wait for Dangerous!
This story is one of forgiveness and trust. Sadly, it is also brutal as it deals with pedophilia, rape and suicide. It is handled without great detail but I would still Read with caution.
I love how this author takes a character from a growly, vengeful, bitter person through the levels of healing beginning with humility, followed by forgiveness inward and outward, to full healthy repentance. It brings hope and healing to all troubles.
Great read in amazing style that is known of Lady Leigh!
Disclaimer- ravishing of young girls (not in details), bedroom scenes (some sensuality, no sex on page), gore, suicide, enemies to lovers, battle, great storytelling!
This book has some very fiery characters in it including the main Lady. She has much to e vengeful over and a forced marriage but God works in her life to allow her to let go of the he bitterness that can destroy you. Good read. Big D
I love Tamara’s books and Scandalous did not disappoint. It was full of suspense and very much worth reading especially if you love books set in the Medieval era. Wholly recommended.
This was a beautiful tale of learning to love and trust but it also covered deeper truths that every Christian needs to remember.
A great story of learning to forgive and trust God to handle judgement. Forgiveness often needs to be given to one’s self as well as others. Vengeance can eat away at you and cause you to miss out on what you do have and can enjoy. God knows all the circumstances involved and will take care of it all in His time and for His reasons.
There are scandals of bad behaviour and then there are scandals of depraved/ deviant behaviour. This book exposes quite the gamut of scandals and humanity’s need for God.