Series: Order of the Broken Blade, #3
Tropes & Traits: titled hero, widowed heroine
Genre/Setting: Historical (Medieval), Scottish/English border, 1214
Publication Date: 10.30.19
Heat Level: 3.5/5
Rating: 5 stars
Lady Roysa is relieved to find herself widowed after only a year of disastrous marriage. Given the foul play she suspects, however, she decides to flee rather than remove herself to her downer lands and seeks safety with her sister, Idalia, at Dromsley Castle. She receives a rude awakening when she arrives and learns that her sister has also been keeping secrets and that she and her husband, along with the lord of Dromsley Castle, are key players in a treasonous rebellion against the King of England.Lord Terric Kennaugh, both the English Earl of Dromsley and Scottish Chief of Clan Kennaugh, has enough responsibilities to worry about without adding a new guest to the mix. Especially one so beautiful and apparently more concerned with her appearance than the precarious position of the rebellion. While Terric considers himself a Scot more so than an Englishman, the English royal family has wronged his family many times over the years and he longs for revenge above all else. He refuses to be distracted by the beautiful, spoiled newcomer, though he cannot refuse her stay since she considers her sister, Idalia, to be family.
Terric is shocked to find himself thawing toward the noble Lady Roysa but berates himself for his distraction as Dromsley prepares for the first battle in what promises to soon be a full-scale war between the rebels of the Order of the Broken Blade and those loyal to the king. In the midst of such strife it seems impossible for love to have a chance to grow, especially if Terric can't see past his lifelong quest for revenge.
I really did not care for Roysa at first (and neither did Terric), but she grow on me, especially when she was willing to admit her faults and assumptions and reevaluate her thinking. Terric was a well-drawn dark and broody hero with some surprisingly charming insecurities. Until this point his adult life has been consumed by his need to have revenge on the English royal family and it was nice to see him grow and learn that some things are more important. Roysa was a great match for Terric once she opened herself up to the possibility of happiness.
This book was very fast-paced and the constant threat of danger kept my attention and was also just the wake up call Terric and Roysa needed to come together as they both knew they should be. This was another excellent installment in a series I've come to love. I hate to see it ending but now, especially after seeing more of Terric's sister, Cait, I can't wait for the next book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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