The Jewel and the Sword
Marjorie JonesHistorical romance
Available from Medallion Press
ISBN: 1932815066
July 2004
| The hero of our story, Lord Devlin Ravenstone, was fostered with King Henry, along with Will and the three of them remained friends ever since. Now there is an evil plot afoot to kill the King and Devlin takes on the suicide mission. All the men with him end up being killed, but Devlin isn’t so lucky. He ends up being held and tortured until his rescue. Never finding out who was behind the plot, Devlin will always remember the man’s voice. Sadly, he was forced to leave his pregnant wife at home, only to discover she was one of the villains behind the plot and had been for some time. Devlin truly loved his beautiful wife and couldn’t believe her betrayal. Since he was betrayed by a woman he truly loved, he will trust a woman again.
Now, our story jumps forward ten years in time. Devlin’s father has since died and Devlin is now Lord of all the Ravenstone holdings. His evil stepbrother, different mother, Morven, Laird of Clan Douglas, has never forgiven their father for leaving the Jeweled Sword to Devlin, the younger son. So, he has decided to attack the castle and take the Sword. Just as he’s escaping with his prize, his second-in-command, Ian, wounds Morven, takes the Sword and escapes, leaving Morven behind to be captured, which is exactly what happens. When Devlin’s mother discovers Morven was wounded, she immediately has him moved into a chamber and treats him herself. When Devlin learns this, he is enraged and it is now his mother is forced to tell him the truth of Morven’s parentage. It turns out Morven is an orphan his father took in and raised as one of his own. Devlin is determined to reclaim his Sword and so mounts a raid on Clan Douglas. Naturally, Ian is prepared for this and Devlin ends up wounded. Now our heroine, Meghan, daughter of Morven, makes her first appearance in our story. You see, she has known all about Ian’s wickedness for some time now. The man has made no bones about the fact he wants her and will have her. So far, she has managed to elude him and orders Devlin be brought to a chamber, where she cares for him herself. Naturally, she finds herself as attracted to Devlin as he is to her. Of course, Meghan plans on holding the handsome knight to effect the release of her father, even though he won’t give her his name. When it becomes clear Ian is planning on making himself the new Laird of Clan Douglas, Meghan plans on escaping with her maid. She has decided to ask the knight to take her to Ravenstone so she can see about releasing her father. And so the three of them leave. What will happen with the attraction between Meghan and Devlin? Devlin has already decided never to fall in love again. Will Meghan be able to overcome this obstacle? What of Ian? Will he just allow Meghan to escape his grasp? Don’t forget about Morven. Will he realize the error of his ways? What of the Sword? Will Devlin ever get it back? THE JEWEL AND THE SWORD is a wonderfully enchanting story of love in medieval England. We have a wounded hero, vowing never to love again, and a sweet innocent heroine, trying to effect the release of her father. We have a truly evil character in the person of Ian, a man planning on taking the crown on England by any means possible. Marjorie Jones has done a wonderful job of telling this tale of honor and betrayal. I highly recommend this story to all lovers of medieval romance!
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Chere |
