She must marry the knightBy order of the king!Widow Eleanor of Tallany Castle knows her people are broken by the taxes demanded by King John. So when she’s ordered to marry Hugh de Villiers, a knight loyal to the king, she’s furious—even if he is handsome! As gallant Hugh begins to heal the scars of Eleanor’s abusive first marriage, she’s even more determined to keep her secret: she is the outlaw … determined to keep her secret: she is the outlaw the king wants to send to the gallows!
“Melissa Oliver’s debut blew us away.” — Alison May, Romantic Novelists’ Association Chair
“A brilliant, engrossing debut.” — The Blossom Twins
“Melissa Oliver sets the scene perfectly. A wonderful debut and I can’t wait to read what the author will write next!” — RaeReads
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4.5 stars rounded up.
Lady Eleanor of Tallany has already suffered through a miserable marriage and has no desire to do so again, but when King John orders her to wed his faithful knight, Sir Hugh de Villiers, she has no choice but to comply. She is not happy and determined to keep her new husband at arm’s length and ignorant of her secrets. Since the king is taxing his people into poverty, Eleanor has gone outlaw to provide for them.
Sir Hugh is loyal to King John and at his command he has arrived at Tallany Castle to deliver the king’s message and capture the outlaw as Le Renard. But Eleanor refuses to see him, testing the usually tempered Hugh to his limits. He demands she receive him or he will force the issue. Knowing her time has run out, she agrees to meet with him and he is stunned by the immediate attraction he feels to her and by the hostility radiating from her. They open the king’s missive and are both shocked to learn they are being commanded to marry! How can love grow amid such discord? How can trust thrive when they harbor so many secrets??
I really enjoyed this well written, intriguing story which uses the tried and true enemies to lovers trope with a dash of deception and treason thrown in. Eleanor is a strong character and not always easy to empathize with, but the reader knows her heart is in the right place and Hugh – sigh – he is just a wonderful hero. I did feel like Eleanor’s deception dragged on a little too long and agree with another reviewer who pointed out that the lies do make it hard to believe they were able to fall deeply in love. The book has lies, secrets, treason, warmish love scenes, compromise and finally a heartwarming HEA. I have not read this author before, but I will certainly be on the lookout for her future work! I liked the book and am happy to recommend it!
I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.
In the year King John was forced by the Rebel Barons to sign the Magna Carta, much of England was suffering. Eleanor of Tallany must give lip service to loyalty – but secretly, she is Le Renard, The Fox, a female Robin Hood defying the king to take care of her people. When she’s forced to marry Hugh de Villiers, a knight loyal to John, she knows things are about to go terribly wrong.
Hugh isn’t blind to his sovereign’s faults, but he also doesn’t have a whole lot of choice in the matter. He’s surprised to find he likes Eleanor, despite her defiant attitude and determination to remain aloof from him, but she’s obviously hiding something, and it’s something that could jeopardise everything they both hold dear.
There’s a built-in conflict here which basically means at least one of the parties has to either compromise their principles or change their position, and I very much liked the fact that it wasn’t Eleanor who was forced to give ground. However, I struggle to buy into a romance between two people when one of them is hiding so much from the other. I’m not sure how you can love a person when you haven’t got a clue who they really are until so late in the story.
Historically, this is very sound, and I liked both of the two main characters, but I think the conflict between them dragged on too long when there was plenty of external conflict they could have been facing together, and as a consequence I didn’t quite buy into their romance. I’ll give it four stars, but it’s a very solid debut and I look forward to reading more by this author.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via Rachel’s Random Resources.
Will their union be doomed from the beginning as they each stands from one side of the law …
Difficult to believe this Mrs Melissa Oliver’s debut novel, so good a read it is.
It has everything to hold the reader’s attention, lovable but flawed characters, historical plot, some scheming villains, secrets, past hurts ….
Eleanor is a wounded woman, her first marriage left her scarred but not broken. She rose from the ashes of her union, stronger and more determined than ever that her mission is to rescue her people, even if it means becoming an outlaw. Better one than bending to a vile abuser of the weaker.
Hugh is honor bond to his king, he knows his assignment is to stop and catch the head outlaw defying his sovereign. He never expected a wife and lands to accompany his mission. But a king’s decree is law. And his wife while at first impression looks like a shrew, she is also hiding her real self and past hurts behind her cold demeanor. An attitude he wants to pass by, if she will left him.
Both do not come to this marriage as clean slate, they faced betrayal in the past, and when Hugh closed his heart, Eleanor is wary of men with good reasons. Plus, both stand on each side of the law as one was sent to catch the other. So when masks will drop, what hope will be left to mend their way to one another.
Mrs Oliver with this tale of courtly love and honor displays her talent as knitting a beautiful story of resilience, healing and faith. What a great storyteller Harlequin offers us.
5 stars
I was granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.