Lady Leona Ransley wants only to trade the pendant for the reward and vanish. When she arranges a meeting in a seedy tavern, she never expected to face Aldwin, a childhood playmate who almost caused her death. Not recognizing Leona, and believing her to be a courtesan with information on his lord’s enemies, Aldwin takes Leona hostage and spirits her away, meaning to deliver her and the pendant to de Lanceau.
She, however, fights him at every chance. Aldwin desires his warrior captive more than any noble lady he’s ever met; when he discovers who she really is, he knows he has one last chance to protect her life. Only by resolving the past and fighting side by side can Aldwin and Leona defeat the conspirators and surrender to their greatest temptation: love.
Reviews for A Knight's Temptation
5 Stars! Detra Fitch , Huntress Reviews
"I am not a big fan of stories with knights in them, but there are a handful of authors that are an exception simply because they write the stories so well that I cannot resist! Author Catherine Kean is one of those few . . . I could not bring myself to stop reading long enough to fix dinner (I ordered pizza and kept on reading). Catherine Kean writes dazzling and unforgettable stories."
4 Stars! Keitha Hart, Romantic Times Book Reviews Magazine
"Kean presents plenty of romance, adventure and action in the third book of her Knights series. The coming together of an ambitious alpha male and a heroine who needs little help defending herself is fascinating."
5 Cups! Danielle, Coffee Time Romance & More
"A Knight's Temptation, Book 3 of Knight's series is a powerful story of how far one man will go to get his dream of knighthood fulfilled . . . Filled with stunning descriptions, hilarious events, remarkable emotions, and unforgettable characters, this novel will have you pleading for more outstanding books from this sensational author!"
5 Stars! Donna, SingleTitles.com
"Award winning Catherine Kean once again transports her readers to another time filled with knights, ladies, treachery and pleasure in her compelling novel, A Knight’s Temptation. Her characters, Aldwin and Leona, demand attention as they joust with their witty dialogue and passionate embraces. A Knight’s Temptation by romance-writing star, Catherine Kean, is the perfect historical romance."
"A tale of nonstop action, suspense and blossoming love" - Niki Lee, Joyfully Reviewed "In the third of the Knight’s series, Catherine Kean brings to life a story of chivalry and romance . . . Aldwin is a wonderful character and Leona is a strong woman. She doesn’t ever give up on trying to escape and is clever and resourceful. A Knight’s Temptation is a tale of nonstop action, suspense and blossoming love."
Read an excerpt from A Knight's Temptation
Visit Catherine Kean's web site
About Catherine Kean
Catherine Kean has always loved tales of heroic knights and stubborn damsels. Her debut medieval romance, Dance of Desire, was the launch title of Medallion Press's Sapphire Jewel Imprint. Dance of Desire won two Reviewer’s Choice Awards, Best Medieval in industry review magazine Affaire de Coeur’s 2006 Reader-Writers’ Poll, and finaled in four contests for published romance novelists.
Her other books have also garnered accolades. Most recently, My Lady's Treasure won the historical category of the 2008 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence Contest and was a finalist in the 2008 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Catherine is currently working on the next novel in her Knight’s Series while mulling over new story ideas. She lives in Florida with her husband, daughter, and two spoiled cats. For the latest news on her books, please visit her website at www.catherinekean.com.
Backlist
Knight’s Series:
A Knight’s Vengeance, Knight’s Series Book 1, Medallion Press, September 2006, ISBN# 9781932815481
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A Knight’s Reward, Knight’s Series Book 2, Medallion Press, published April 2008, ISBN# 9781932815993
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Other Medieval Romances:
My Lady’s Treasure, Medallion Press, April 2007, ISBN# 9781932815788
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Dance of Desire, Medallion Press, March 2005, ISBN# 9781932815351
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An Interview with Catherine Kean
By Holly Hewson for The Romance Studio
HH: Catherine, thank you for talking with us at TRS. CK: My pleasure! I’m thrilled to chat with you.
HH: Please tell us about your featured book, A Knight's Temptation. CK: This medieval romance, set in Moydenshire, England, in the year 1195, is Book 3 of my award-winning Knight’s Series. The series began with A Knight’s Vengeance (Book 1) and A Knight’s Reward (Book 2). While it’s not crucial to have read the first two series books, I highly recommend it; A Knight’s Temptation will be a much richer story if you have.
Aldwin Treynarde, my story’s alpha-male hero, is determined to succeed in the quest his lord Geoffrey de Lanceau (hero of A Knight’s Vengeance) has ordered of him—to retrieve a stolen ruby pendant. If de Lanceau’s enemies got hold of the valuable jewel, they’d sell it and use the funds to hire mercenaries to overthrow him. Aldwin vows to bring the pendant safely back, not just to fulfill his duty for his lord, but to eliminate the dishonor he brought upon himself and his respected family for shooting de Lanceau with a crossbow bolt years ago (a climactic scene in A Knight’s Vengeance). If Aldwin’s hailed as a hero, he hopes he’ll finally be awarded his greatest desire: knighthood.
What he doesn’t anticipate is my strong-willed heroine, Lady Leona Ransley, who took the pendant from her drunken father’s safekeeping at Pryerston Keep and arranged a meeting in a tavern to exchange the jewel for the reward. While she’s stubbornly loyal to her father, she’s suspicious of his guests who gave him the pendant and seem to be taking control of the castle: Baron Sedgewick and his evil lover, Veronique (from A Knight’s Vengeance). Veronique is now the mother of a little boy named Tye. Not any child, mind you, but de Lanceau’s illegitimate son he doesn’t know he fathered until a crucial scene in this book.
When Aldwin meets up with Leona in a tavern, he doesn’t recognize the slender, throaty-voiced woman—although she certainly recalls him. Years ago, when they were children, he ordered her tied to a tree in a game of “rescue the damsel,” not realizing she was standing over a bees’ nest. Leona almost died from the stings. But she survived, and now, realizing her father and the good folk of Pryerston need her help to oust Veronique and the baron, she’ll do all she can to ensure that happens, while being careful not to implicate her sire as a traitor.
Aldwin, however, senses during their meeting that she knows more about the pendant than she tells him. Thus, he takes her captive, planning to deliver her to de Lanceau for questioning. Leona refuses to cooperate. What follows is a sparks-flying clash of wills between Aldwin and Leona, underscored by the danger of Veronique and the baron trying to get back the pendant. I’ve been told my book is an exciting, sensual, and romantic read and I am glad, because that’s what I wanted for my readers.
HH: A precious ruby pendant brings together two people with so much at stake. Where did you get the idea for this wonderful story? CK: I’ve always loved jewelry. At one time, I even thought of pursuing a career in antique jewelry. Jewelry is such a personal item and in A Knight’s Temptation, the ruby pendant is a gift from de Lanceau to his lady wife after the difficult birth of their daughter. Being blood red, it symbolizes the importance of blood ties in my story and my series as a whole.
HH: What did you like best about Leona and why is she perfect for Aldwin? CK: Leona was so much fun to write! I imagined her to be very much like Angelina Jolie in the Tomb Raider movies: beautiful, strong, resourceful, and smart. Since Aldwin is a man who likes to be in control of all situations all of the time, she drove him crazy! =) Which made for some amusing and sizzling scenes.
HH: Did the story come from the setting or did the setting come after you had the story idea? CK: The story came first. Some time ago, I’d drafted synopses of all five books in the Knight’s Series for my publisher, Medallion Press, so I had a story “skeleton” to work from when writing A Knight’s Temptation. Some authors write great novels without preparing outlines; I need that initial structure. It saves me lots of rewriting.
HH: What sort of research was required for this work? CK: The first chapter of A Knight’s Temptation involves my eight-year-old heroine having a severe allergic reaction to bee stings. Since I have allergies myself, I consulted with the two nurses—fabulous ladies—who administer my weekly allergy shots. They were happy to help and gave me lots of excellent information. In all honesty, a child who was badly stung in this time period probably died. But part of the fun of writing fiction is that we authors can delve into the realm of “what if” and explore other scenarios.
In terms of creating an authentic setting, I’m lucky to have traveled to England many times and to have visited ruined and still-standing castles as well as medieval churches. I’ve also explored the fabulous London museums, which include collections of weapons, coins, silver, textiles, jewelry, tomb sculptures, armor, and other artifacts from the Middle Ages. I also have several books of medieval recipes; some day, just for fun, I’m going to cook my family a medieval-style dinner! =) I do try to include as much period detail in my novels as possible, to really pull my readers into the time period.
HH: This is the third story in your Knights series. What can you tell us about the first two books? CK: A Knight’s Temptation is directly related to the first two novels through the cast of characters, including Aldwin. In A Knight’s Vengeance (Book 1, which sets the groundwork for the rest of the series), Aldwin is the idealistic and impulsive young squire who is manipulated by the villains into firing the crossbow bolt that nearly kills de Lanceau. De Lanceau lives, but as punishment for Aldwin’s actions, he swears loyalty to de Lanceau for the rest of his life.
Aldwin also is well known to Dominic de Terre, the hero of A Knight’s Reward (Book 2). Dominic is de Lanceau’s closest friend and confidante; they met while fighting on crusade. A Knight’s Reward features Dominic’s reunion with the only woman he ever loved, who is running from her former husband. Aldwin appears in this story as one of Geoffrey’s leading warriors. This book recently finaled in the National Readers’ Choice Awards, which is very exciting!
In A Knight’s Temptation, we get to see that Aldwin is hero material and worthy of the honor of knighthood, despite the mistakes of his past. With his appearance in the two previous books, I had lots of great conflicts and back story to use to define his character.
HH: What's your favorite type of story to write and why? CK: All of my books involve an adventure. That’s what I personally enjoy reading, because it’s wonderful escapism. I also like writing alpha heroes and feisty heroines.
HH: What else do you have in store for lucky readers? CK: A Knight’s Persuasion, my fourth Knight’s Series book, will be released in May 2010. The hero of this novel is Edouard de Lanceau, the first born son of Geoffrey and his lady wife. I’m hoping to write at least one more Knight’s Series book, with Tye, Geoffrey’s illegitimate bad boy son as the hero. What fun! My literary agent is also shopping several other projects for me.
HH: What are you reading now? CK: I’m not reading right now. =( My schedule’s too hectic. But, when I do get around to reading again, I have an enormous TBR pile of romance novels waiting for me.
HH: What goals have you set for yourself at this point in your career? CK: I’d like to learn to write faster, but my creative muse seems to resist that idea. =) I’d also like to branch out into other romance genres. Above all, I guess I’d like to expand my reader base and get to know more booksellers. I love connecting with people who’ve never read my work—or who’ve read one of my novels and loved it! Those “wow, what a great book” emails are such a thrill and make every day plugging away at my stories worth it! =) For more information on my books, please visit my website at http://www.catherinekean.com.
HH: Thank you!
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