ABOUT THE BOOK

An innocent maiden

And a legendary warrior

When captured and held prisoner in an enemy castle, Margery of Lyon is guarded by brooding mercenary Evrart, who’s been commanded to watch her—day and night. Margery’s determination to escape brings her closer to Evrart and the kind heart hidden beneath his granite-hard body. Now Margery is torn… Fleeing under the portcullis will mean leaving behind the man she’s falling for…

MY REVIEW

Once again, Ms. Locke draws me into the curious intrigue and secrets of the Warstone legacy that keeps getting more and more bizarre. Her complex characters, enigmatic plots, and steamy love scenes are a pleasure to read.

Margery felt like a useless burden to her family so at a young age she sold herself for coin to one man as he gambled her away to another. Her looks have always been a detriment with her petite frame, beautiful hair, and lavender eyes. Now she has been abducted by the threatening and unpredictable Ian Warstone after seeing something she shouldn’t have. Escape is her first priority, but Ian’s quiet, reluctant, and very large guard, Evrart, has been commanded to watch over her. Will the urgent messages for help she sent before leaving reach her family? 

Evrart was taken from his home as a lad under threat to his family and has been Ian Warstone’s formidable personal guard and top warrior ever since.  He loathed his job and would prefer to live in his village taking care of his mother and sister and plowing the land, but he swore to keep his family safe by working for a mad man.  He will never get used to the intrigue and horrors he has seen and been a part of at the Warstone Fortress, so when he meets the beautiful and brave Margery, he vows to keep her safe. But will he be safe from her? She is forbidden. He hads to keep his head, because “in Warstone games, those who kept their heads stayed alive.”

Margery and Evrart have been always used for their looks, Margery for her beauty and Evrart for his menacing size. Evrart sees her attractiveness differently than others because she trusts him and she isn’t afraid of his intimidating size and gruff demeanor. Margery’s playful nature is a wonderful compliment to Evrart’s quiet and stoic presence. The scene where they are picking quince from the trees is funny and heartwarming as Evrart reveals his “oddity”.  As their love grows, their insecurities and fear get worse as they both think of themselves as undeserving of each other and start to hide their feelings to keep each other safe. Secrets are prevalent between them, but they slowly reveal their heartbreaking stories and figure out the bittersweet reason Ian brought her there. Needless to say, love prevails and there is a happy and satisfying ending.

We finally get to read about the mad Ian Warstone and it didn’t disappoint. It is very sad that a man who had a loving family sent them away to possibly protect them from himself. We also eventually meet Margery’s very protective and brave sister Biedeluue and Louve, a mysterious usher who shows up with her. I’m guessing these two will be showing up in a later book in the series. And we meet Evrart’s feisty sister Peronelle and his quiet unassuming mother.

This is my third book in the series and I have loved every one. They can be read as standalones, but I recommend giving the series a try. The Warstones are an extremely dysfunctional family as we are introduced to them one by one. See my other reviews for this series, Her Dark Knight’s Redemption & The Knight’s Runaway Maiden.

I recommend this stirring historical romance full of secrets, threats, and a love story between two unlikely people.

Thank you to Ms. Locke for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nicole is the author of Harlequin/Mills and Boon Lovers and Legends Historical series. If she isn’t working on the next book, she can be reached on her website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

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