"This delightful medieval romance will make you want to join the hunt!"
From the time Durand de Marle had been banished by the late
King John, his son Adrain had been determined to win back
his birthright. Adrian had spent the past decade as a
mercenary. As Adam Quintin, he had served the new king
well. At long last his opportunity had come to reclaim
Ravenswood Castle. He would ask it as his boon once he
ferreted out the suspected plot against the new British
sovereign. His mission would take him home to Ravenswood where Bishop
Gravant had ordered a tournament for the hand of Lady
Matilda. The lord usurper had died leaving no male heir,
for Matilda's
brother, Richard, had fancied himself in love with the Hunt
Master's adopted daughter, Joan Swan. His father's refusal
to endorse his chosen had sent Richard from the castle in a
fury. He had died shortly thereafter. Grief had softened
the lord's heart and he had willed that his only remaining
child, Matilda, be allowed to choose her own husband should
he die before she was safely wed. The Bishop had come to manage Ravenswood, and advise
Matilda until she choose a suitor. The tournament would
allow her to assess those possible suitors. However Gravant
had declared that should Matilda not be able to choose on
her own, the choice would be made for her in spite of her
father's wish. Adam fully intended to reclaim his rights by uncovering a
treasonous plot, however he was a most handsome and able
knight. He knew that should he fail at his mission, he
stood an excellent chance of winning the lady. He would
recover his birthright one way or another. In spite of his well earned confidence, Adam's mission
nearly ends before it begins. Unseated by a wild boar and
with no way to defend himself, he finds himself in the debt
of Joan Swan. With a mere signal of her hand, her hounds
surrounded the boar, giving Adam time to collect his sword
and finish it off. One look at the huntress, and Adam
realizes that plan B will never do. His heart has been
stolen away by the huntress. Though others might think
Matilda the prize, Adam would have his Castle and his
Diana, this living embodiment of the Goddess of the Hunt
he'd admired since boyhood. Joan is taken with Adam at first sight as well. In spite of
the fact that he is meant for Matilda, and her deep seated
fear of mercenaries, she is fascinated by him. Though
highly successful at the suitor's games, Adam does not hide
his interest well either. Even Matilda notices, but when
Joan and her elderly, inconsistent, father become pawns in
the jockeying for position, she has can think of no one
but Adam to turn to for assistance. He in turn cannot
refuse her. Love blossoms, but trust does not come easy. When Adam
discovers the source of the treason, he realizes he must
act fast or all will be lost, and he would keep Joan safe,
even if it meant sending her away. There was a single
solution to both problems, but could he summon the trust to
ask her to carry important evidence to the king's man in
his stead? Could she trust him enough to do so, when his
oath prevented an explanation? Would she turn him away when
at last he could tell her who he really was? I think what I liked most about this tale is that while
Adam initially believes that he would do anything to
recover what matters most to him, he soon realizes that a
castle is just a collection of cold stone walls unless you
have someone to share it with. As Joan becomes what matters
most, he becomes truly conflicted. When at last he decides
where to place his trust, the outcome is one he never could
have orchestrated on his own. Adam and Joan are a beautiful
illustration of a partnership in the truest sense of the
word. Joan was a surprise up to the very end, for though
Adam is willing to compromise his dream for a life
together, Joan will not allow him to be any other than the
man he was born to be. Once again Ms. Lawrence has swept
the reader up into the world of her characters, pulling at
our emotions as we waited with baited breath for a happy
conclusion. A delightful read, this book will have you
hunting for Ann's backlist. Copyright © 2003
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted February 10, 2003
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The Thrill of the Hunt...
Hunter and hunted, lover and beloved, they would come
together in a moment as impossible to escape as it was full
of ecstasy. THE THRILL OF THE HUNT?
What man does not savor it? Whether the chase was for
savage boar, political prize or beautiful heiress, a knight
worth his spurs threw himself into it once his blood was
up. And if Adam Quintin was to succeed at the secret task
given him by the king, he must pursue all three. But never
did he imagine he might become the quarry himself--unhorsed
by a wild boar, betrayed by political enemies, seduced by a
simple maid with no claim to power or position.
As daughter to the keeper of the hounds, Joan Swan was no
stranger to the hunt. Like the legendary Diana, she slipped
through the moonlit woods with her dogs, her loveliness as
irresistible to Adam as the goddess herself.
Hunter and hunted, lover and beloved, they would come
together in a moment as impossible to escape as it was full
of ecstasy.
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