Rescuing the Lady of Sedgeworth - C.H. Admirand (Dragonblade - Nov 2024)

Series: Ladies of the Keep (Book 3)
 
Norman beauty Lady Genvieve is on her way to her cousin’s new holding Merewood Keep to take charge of his young daughter…
 
Her escort is attacked. Struggling to break free from her captors she is brutally beaten, suffers a blow to the throat, and knocked unconscious.
 
Returning to Merewood Keep, MacInness, vassal to Garrick of Merewood, sees a midnight-haired angel being brutally attacked. He rushes to rescue her, but an enemy arrow shoots his warhorse out from beneath him. Nothing will stop him from saving her; he continues on foot. She is unconscious, but he encourages her to hang on until they reach safety.
 
MacInness has no desire to marry…
 
They arrive at Merewood Keep, unaware of the changes that have taken place while he was away. When she wakens, she cannot speak. Waiting for her to recover he discovers a woman he can love, instead of the one he can never have—his overlord’s wife.
 
Genvieve de Chauret is drawn to the handsome Highlander who risked his life to save hers, and falls in love with him. Someone wants her dead, and when MacInness marries Genvieve, his life is now in danger. When MacInness is attacked, rumors abound that it is his wife who wants him dead. When Genvieve’s life is threatened, they will have to look into their hearts, and that of their keep’s people to find the traitor threatening their newfound happiness.
 
Good second chance love story. Winslow McInniss is Garrick's vassal, and thanks to his service to the king, he was awarded the estate of Sedgeworth. He has been too busy to do anything with it, but now that he's returned from Scotland, he must do so. On his way back to Merewood, he stumbles across a young woman under attack. He rescues her, but she is badly injured. He takes her to Merewood to be cared for. There is something about her that arouses his protective instincts.
 
Genvieve is Augustin's cousin and is on the way to Merewood to help care for his daughter when she is attacked. She fights as best she can but is badly injured before a stranger appears and saves her. She wakes up surrounded by strangers and unable to speak because of an injury to her throat. She is wary of those around her but trusts McInniss.  I ached for Genvieve. Her fear of her unknown circumstance and frustration at being unable to communicate was palpable. (Though she can read and write, why didn't she just write notes to people?)
 
McInniss and Genvieve initially resist the attraction between them. McInniss loves a woman who is married to someone else and has given up on love because of it. Genvieve had loved and lost and had no desire to risk further pain. Nonetheless, McInniss is determined to discover who is behind the attack on Genvieve and doesn't recognize that the need stems from his growing feelings for her. Being forced into marriage isn't what either wants.
 
Suspense builds as McInniss delves deeper into the attack on Genvieve. Matters become complicated when he, too, is attacked. The truth he uncovers shocks and appalls him. The resolution was heartbreaking in what it exposed. I liked seeing Genvieve and McInniss finally let go of their pasts and embrace the future. The epilogue was well done.
 
Another thing I enjoyed about this series was the presence of McInniss's "Irish Contingent." These men are O'Malleys and the ancestors of those in the Duke's Guard series. I'd like to know more about them. 

 
 

Bargaining with the Lady of Merewood - C.H. Admirand (Dragonblade - Oct 2024)

Series: Ladies of the Keep (Book 2)
 
Widowed Viking beauty Lady Eyreka learns that the king plans to gift Merewood Keep to one of his Norman warriors…
Merewood Keep is just beginning to earn revenues with Garrick as its overlord. When the king decides to gift the keep to one of his favored knights, Garrick's mother is devastated until she hears rumors that the Norman is widowed.
 
Lady Eyreka seeks an audience with the king without her sons' knowledge. She offers marriage, and the continued stewardship of the profitable keep if Garrick remains on as seneschal. She never intends to fall in love again.
 
Norman Warrior Augustin de Chauret cannot refuse the king…
De Chauret has no desire to marry or live in England. But cannot refuse his liege lord. They marry and Lady Eyreka retains her family's holding, but she must convince her sons and the keeps' people to accept de Chauret.
 
De Chauret knew he would battle to win his wife's loyalty and that of her keeps' people. He never expected to have to battle to convince his men or his young daughter to accept his wife.
 
Though the Saxons were defeated in the Uprisings, small militant groups remain, striking out at the new Norman lord by capturing his daughter and wife.
 
Norman and Saxon must work together to rescue them. De Chauret will move Heaven and earth to save his daughter and the woman he has fallen in love with.
 
This book picks up where the previous book (Liberating the Lady of Loughmoe) left off. The keep does well under Garrick and Dunstan's management, and life is somewhat more settled. Then word arrives that King William intends to give the keep to one of his warriors. Widowed Lady Eyreka fears for the safety of her family and her people, so when she learns that the Norman is a widower, she develops a plan. She sneaks away to see the king and offers marriage to the Norman in exchange for her family's cooperation in running the keep.
 
Augustin loved his late wife and had no desire to remarry or stay in England. However, no one says no to the king, and Augustin quickly finds himself married and on the way to Merewood. He is an honorable man though also a bit arrogant and does not realize how unprepared he is to take over Merewood.
 
I loved watching the relationship between Eyreka and Augustin develop. They get off to a rough start, as Augustin is accustomed to having his orders obeyed, and Eyreka is used to a full partnership with her late husband. Their clashes of will are fun to watch as each strives to come out on top. Unexpected attraction complicates their interactions.
 
Melding Saxon and Norman into a cohesive unit doesn't come easy. The antagonism, both overt and subtle, keeps everyone on edge. Eyreka and Augustin realize that their resistance to the sparks between them adds to the tension. I liked seeing them get to know and respect each other before giving in to their attraction. The bigger question is whether they can let go of the past and make a future together.
 
I loved watching the Normans and Saxons learn how to work together. The initial distrust between them is evident and understandable. There are stronger undercurrents with some of Augustin's men, and I ached for Eyreka, who found herself the target of some of those resentments. There are some terrific scenes of Augustin as he settles into life at Merewood and begins to make progress.
 
But there is trouble looming. When Eyreka and his daughter become the targets of revenge, Augustin must bring together both sides if he will save them. The confrontation was intense, and I was on the edge of my seat until it was over. I loved the depth of emotion displayed at the end and what it meant for their future.

Liberating the Lady of Loughmoe - C.H. Admirand (Dragonblade - Aug 2024)

Series: Ladies of the Keep (Book 1)
 
A marriage arranged for freedom…
Saxon beauty Lady Jillian and her mother lost everything when her father fell at Hastings beneath a Norman blade. Forced into a life of servitude, she accepts her life until her mother dies. Without the worry of protecting her mother, she looks for a way to change her circumstances and no longer live as a slave to the lady of the keep. When renowned warrior Garrick of Merewood's brother is imprisoned at the keep, Jillian hatches a bold plan to offer marriage in exchange for helping to free his brother. Marriage to him will set her free while his strength and prowess will help her reclaim her birthright—Loughmoe Keep. She never expects to fall in love.
 
A dowry not of gold, but honor…
Garrick needs no help freeing his brother, and he refuses the bold beauty's plan. But treachery abounds, and to save his brother's life, he must swallow his pride and seek Jillian's assistance. After they wed he learns that Loughmoe Keep is no longer hers. Rumors of her duplicity threaten to tear them apart, while sinister forces are at work threatening to destroy them. Jillian and Garrick's mother are captured, and a ransom is demanded.
 
Garrick of Merewood's people need the coin to survive another winter; he cannot pay the ransom. He must devise a plan to rout the baron responsible for the kidnapping and ransom. He needs to rescue them to free his mother and the woman he fell in love with, before the greedy baron steals Loughmoe and Merewood Keep.
 
Good beginning to the new series. The story drew me in from the start and kept me hooked to the end. Jillian and her mother lost their home when her father was killed at Hastings. They took refuge with a neighbor who treated them as servants instead of the ladies they were. After her mother's death, Jillian looks for a way to escape the servitude and abuse she experiences. That chance comes when the baron captures the younger brother of a local warrior. Gillian offers to help Garrick rescue his brother in exchange for marriage and possibly reclaiming her heritage.
 
Garrick inherited his family's keep but doesn't have the funds to care for it and his people. He believes he doesn't need help to rescue his brother, but circumstances prove him wrong. Garrick accepts Jillian's bargain. It isn't until after they are married that he discovers her family's keep has been given to another.
 
I liked Jillian and her strength of will. She doesn't give in to despair and works to improve her circumstances. She is clever, determined, and has a loving heart.
 
I had a harder time liking Garrick. He carries a lot of guilt over the death of his father and the condition of their property. He has tunnel vision when it comes to restoring his property and is so focused on it that he has become something of an arse. His honor compels him to carry through with his marriage to Jillian, but he doesn't react well to discovering she doesn't actually possess the Loughmoe property.
 
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Jillian and Garrick. The sparks between them are there from the beginning, though Garrick does his best to ignore them. He is torn when his attraction to her runs up against his distrust. I liked how Jillian used her skills in running the household to get past his walls and try to win his care. I became frustrated with his plans and wanted to shake him for his short-sightedness. It is only when he nearly loses her that he realizes his mistake. Garrick must regain her trust before he can have the future he wants with her.
 
There was a lot of action in this story. It took place a few years after Hastings, and there is still a lot of unrest in the country. The maneuvering over the balance of power in the neighborhood was intriguing and kept a feeling of uncertainty throughout the book. There is treachery afoot, and when Jillian and Garrick's mother are kidnapped, he must find a way to rescue them. This was a complicated endeavor, politically and physically, and it kept me on the edge of my seat until it was over. The resolution was well done and made sense.
 
I liked seeing the familiar O'Malley name and the glimpse of the ancestors of the Duke's Guard. I look forward to seeing more of them in the following books.