In 1156, Henry II has just become King of England; one of his followers was the Earl of Liskard from Cornwall; Maurice was ill and unable to wage battle against his son-in-law, Sir Hugh Noirville, who was married to the Earl’s second daughter, Lady Maeve. Sir Hugh was an aggressive man who was greedy for Liskard’s holdings so he kidnapped the oldest daughter, Lady Keira, and hid her in the convent where his sister was the Reverend Mother (Nell). It would be very hard to decide which of the siblings was the meanest!

King Henry II had solicited the most aggressive soldier he knew, Sir Philip d’Apremont, also known as Saracen. He was requested to find Lady Keira, marry her immediately, and then secure the lands for the Earl of Liskard, as well as for the King’s holdings. For this action, he would be awarded the earldom when Maurice died. He would have the oldest daughter and all of Maurice’s properties.

As you can imagine, this story is very detailed and intricate; there was no dull, mundane parts anywhere in the book! The ability to find the location of Keira and marry her, then return to her home, was the easy part. The ups and downs encountered with this couple—he a strong, alpha male, and she, equally as tenacious, assured that many conflicts, some within, would be waged during this saga. The characters were well balanced and interesting.

I am positive this book will be an award winner! Ms. Fullerton has given us another magnificent story with an unbelievable plot. This is another one for the keeper shelf! I could not put it down; it kept me up all night and was worth the loss of sleep! Much Kudos, Ms. Fullerton!

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Explicit

Reviewer: Brenda Talley
May 1, 2007