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Duke of Gloucester
later, Richard III,
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Medieval
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Her One
Desire
by
Kimberly Killion
Can a
spy love the daughter of the Lord High Executioner?
Kimberly Killion's debut medieval
romance combines
political and sensual passion in a riveting read from start to finish.
With an English heroine, the daughter of the Lord High Executioner and
a Scottish spy for a hero, Her
One Desire brings to life all
the intrigues and danger of late fifteenth century England.
With the Lord High
Executioner as her father, Lady Lizbeth Ives knows
people look at her with disgust as they keep their distance. Planning
to escape the clutches of Lord Hollister, the king's chief warder,
Lizzie intends to expose this man's treason and rid herself once and
for all of this man's evil. As she takes her leave, she comes across an
all too familiar scene of her father at work --- a man with a whip
raised, meting out punishment on two men accused of crimes. Knowing
Broderick Maxwell is a prisoner in the Tower, Lizzie Ives knows she
must do something. In helping him to escape, she also escapes herself
from her dark tortured past and an arranged marriage which will kill
her soul. But, in doing so, she has just put herself at risk. Will this
Scottish spy protect her? Who is a danger to whom? She works to protect
the crown from a treasonous plot. He seeks a means of getting France to
side with Scotland as a means of protecting the borderlands. How
can these two enemies at such cross purposes, ever come to love one
another --- yet love is exactly what they do, a love that awakens each
to their fullest, a love that breaks the darkness in their hearts
and souls.
Having seen suffering
first hand, Lizzie Ives is a woman determined to
alleviate the suffering of others. Not only does she render assistance
to prisoners, but her determination to actively stop from being a
victim herself to Lord Hollister adds a richness to her character.
Broderick Maxwell, heir to the Warden of the West Marches, feels a
responsibility to his family and the people of the Scottish border
lands. As determined as Lizzie is to expose the treason against King
Edward IV to the Duke of Gloucester and seek refuge, as a spy, Broc
knows more about the political alliances beneath the surface. Torn
between protecting her and his need for the information she possesses,
Broc is a man true to his vow. Handsome and strong, Broc is also a man
troubled in spirit. Lizzie is English, not at all the type of wife
for a Scottish laird. As the two work together despite their different
political loyalties, somehow can these two wounded spirits find joy
deeper and more rewarding through love than all the forces, internal
and external, that would separate them?
Her One Desire combines rich characterization, a sexy
romance,
and a suspenseful plot into a riveting read from start to finish.
Although darker than many of the medieval romances I have been reading,
Her One Desire hits just the right chord for me.
Choosing the
Lord High Executioner as a character, Kimberly Killion allows the
reader to see a darker side of the period, but a darker side that
renders the romance between Lizzie and Broc all the more moving.
Kimberly Killion does a magnificent job in her creation of a mean,
horrible villain, one who is simply wicked on multiple levels. Don't
pick this one up expecting a light read but rather a romance with a
wide range of emotion from humor, to sensuous tension, to something
more soulful. In Her One Desire, Kimberly Killion creates a
portrait of transforming love, one that reaches into the very darkness
and brings a very special happy ending to the hero and the heroine ---
two people whose troubles and triumphs make them feel destined for one
another on the deepest levels. Amid the tension-filled political
dangers, Kimberly Killion creates moments of delightful, humorous
twists that lighten the heart. The language here is full of
colloquialisms, giving a nice texture to the book. On a medieval
level, this book has a certain tone that encapsulates the medieval
world. Without resorting to the sometimes coarse levels of such genres
as the earlier medieval fabliaux and later fabliaux-influenced
English/Scottish
tales recently being printed right before the start of this book, the
colorful slang in Her One Desire gives a certain
realistic feel for the
everyday language used among people. What a bold and wonderful move to
choose the Lord High Executioner as a character to give a certain
window into the Medieval world not often seen! Dramatic, dangerous and
full of passion, Her One Desire makes the reader feel the
tensions of love amidst this precarious time in English history, a time
rife with intrigue, while also giving the reader a glimpse at the
tensions between England and the Scottish border lands. Kimberly
Killion's debut medieval romance is fresh in vision and a very welcome
addition to the genre.
Note:
In romance, Scottish
romance is a genre to itself. Much of the
political intrigue here takes place in England, although the Scottish
borderland spy as a hero gives a nice look into an auxiliary
intrigue behind the scenes at the time of Edward IV and Richard III.
While there might be a lot of debate between what is a Scottish
romance, linguistically, the
English spoken in Scotland is usually studied together with the English spoken in
England as late Middle
English. Although there are quite a lot of differences, in literary
circles, influence was not so rigidly defined, as Chaucer later
influenced a school of poetry called the "Scottish Chaucerians", hence
my reference to fabliaux influenced English tales being printed in this
time period. The colorful slang is often spoken by the Scottish
characters in this romance. I am clarifying my usage just because
lovers of Scottish romance might take offense. Although England and
Scotland have unique histories, (and unique subclasses of romance based
on the two), the literature of the time and the literary/linguistic
influence between England and Scotland was not so clearly delineated as
to remain within the borders.
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Book Description:
FOR
HIS LOVE.
Astride a stolen
horse, encircled by the
shackled arms of Broderick
Maxwell, a Scottish spy escaping
certain
death in the Tower of London, Lizbeth Ives rides to the north, hidden
by the darkness. By stealth and cunning, the daughter of the Lord High
Executioner has undone her father's cruel work, compelled to save the
innocent man with her. There is no turning back-for they are bound as
one in his iron chains. Consumed by mortal fear, driven by passion,
they disappear into the night.
A single
raven follows them. Is it
an omen? Or only the first of those who would capture them? They
must
ride on. If captured, they will face death together. But if they reach
the Highlands, he will claim her for his own.forever.
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