The Viper has his fangs pulled!

-
Winter of Solace (The Executioner Knight #5) 
by Kathryn Le Veque          
I love these Medieval Knight tropes. You know, where the dangerous and committed knight is dealt a double whammy when his eyes set upon the feisty, woman who's fighting to keep her loved ones from harm. The knight is Caius d'Avignon, aka the Britannia Viper, one of the powerful William Marshall's premier Knights who is sent by his powerful commander, to investigate and help as needed a relative by marriage, Covington de Wrenville, who is married to The Marshall's niece. (A woman given a dreadful name, Ugly Alice. A strong woman we discover, worthy of her uncle.) Covey is readying to attack a neighboring lord. Already the feeling that something is off has intuitively been filtered by Marshall. The cause of the dispute is Covington's accusation that Rupert de Thorington of Hawkstone Castle, is in league with the French over against King John. Marshall senses he is being played by the King and Covey. According to them, de Thorington "is aggressive and disloyal to the king. [Covey] has asked for [Marshall's] assistance in defeating this neighbor once and for all, for it has apparently been a long-running feud. John wants the neighbor arrested and brought to London to face his justice.”
Of course this is nothing but a power grab by an entitled lord, whose plotting has entangled Viper's master. Covey is a nasty piece of work without conscience or honor.
Caius journeys north to Hawkstone with a thousand troops only to find the situation is far more complex.
A complexity deepened by the beautiful and strong Lady Emelisse de Thorington being held prisoner by Covington. Covey is determined to marry his son to Emelisse, a son the Viper recently had a nasty confrontation with in an unsavoury inn. Surprise, surprise!
The Viper is in deep and only a shrewd and experienced head will be able to escape this situation with honor intact, including that of William Marshall, and in a manner that will satisfy the King. And then there's Emelisse!
A trusty read!

 A Dragonblade ARC via NetGalley

****

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Things aren’t as they seem!

-
Image
A Murderous Tryst  (Beatrice Hyde-Care Mystery #11) by Lynn Messina    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Oh my! Bea certainly has a lot to contend with. Bea’s rattled! The Duke has been missing from their bed for a night. When a distraught Bea come downstairs the next morning she finds her beloved husband Damien clasped in the arms of a glamorous female. A female who turns out to be Kesgrave’s first mistress, Mrs. Penelope Taylor! What?! Of course Bea’s heart sinks and she falls back on her painful memories of Aunt Vera’s responses to such a situation. Bea is both shaken and traumatised, but determined not to show it.  It seems Penny has been accused of murder. Actually  Penny’s desperately trying to avoid Newgate.    As a former mistress Penny does the unthinkable thing in society’s eyes. She asks for help from Bea. Bea’s response is just as shocking. She says yes. Kesgrave is as usual inscrutable. Of course this is the beginning of a harebrained chase, complications between...
Read more

Women in war—Internment by the Japanese 1942-45.

-
Image
Sisters Under the Rising Sun  by Heather Morris    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A fitting tribute to the women interred by the Japanese in Indonesia and Malaya during 1942 until liberation in 1945. Amongst the internees are a group of Australian Army nurses who were not given recognition by the Japanese as members of the armed forces and therefore not prisoners of war according to the Conventions of war.  Sister Vivian Bullwinkle is the only survivor of the massacre of a group of soldiers and nurses on Radji Beach, Bangka Island near Sumatra  in 1942, after the sinking of  HMS Vyner Brooke. There are a number of civilian prisoners in the camps like Norah Chambers and her sister Ena.  Combined, the story of these women interred under terrible conditions, their struggles and achievements are monumental.  Their gifts to their fellows beyond speech. Music plays an important part in uplifting the prisoners’ spirits. It’s truly a privilege to read about their plight, the...
Read more

A wonderful cat and mouse game!

-
Image
Lady Eleanor's Seventh Suitor (The Sutherlands #1)   by Anna Bradley If ever a woman was caught in the cross hairs of a deadly game, even as the reason for its very being is a deep mystery,  that is  Eleanor Sutherland. If ever a man stalked his prey so efficiently then that hunter is  Camden West. From the very beginning I was caught up in the manoeuvre that Cam had instigated against  Eleanor using her sister Charlotte. The lengths he is prepared to go to punish her are puzzling. What he punishing her for is even more so. Is it just because she appears cold and unfeeling? Lady Frost is the name Eleanor has been given. Bets are placed on her at White's. She has her own page! As the story develops we and Cam discover that he has badly underestimated and misjudged Ellie. As she turns the tables on him things look hopeful but always Ellie is taken by surprise by yet another layer that is added to the equation. It isn't until the end that we start to s...
Read more