1326 A.D. – Tate Crewys de Lara is the son of kings. The illegitimate son of Edward Longshanks, Tate has the qualities of a magnificent king. But fate is cruel, leaving him a mere knight protecting young Edward III during the uncertain days following the horrific murder of Edward II. While gathering allies for the young heir in Northumberland, he meets the Lady Elizabetha “Toby” Cartingdon. … “Toby” Cartingdon. Daughter of the Lord Mayor of Cartingdon Parrish, Toby is a gorgeous woman with a mind for business. It is she who runs the parrish, not her father. Taken aback by the strong, bitter female, Tate is nonetheless intrigued with her. He soon discovers why Toby seems so hard; her father is a drunkard and her mother is an invalid, leaving Toby responsible to not only provide for the family, but also for the welfare of her small sister.
Feeling something more than curiosity, Tate begins to break through the hard surface to discover the warm and compassionate woman beneath. Yet factions who would see the young heir dead make a sudden appearance, drawing Toby into their malevolent plan. Soon she finds herself linked to both Tate and the quest to take the throne from Roger Mortimer. It becomes Tate’s destiny to not only win a throne for young Edward, but to win Toby’s heart as well.
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Love this time era
This is one AWESOME read. DRAGONBLADE will make you laugh, cry and turn pages for more. Strong knights and a most unusual heroine. A HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READ! FIVE PLUS, PLUS STARS!!!
I haven’t found a LeVeque book yet that I haven’t loved. They can all stand on their own but I enjoy how the characters weave in and out of each one. I don’t have to give up old friends for new. Even though these are fiction, I know the research behind it gives it a solid historical base. I can learn some history while being thoroughly entertained.
“I will always return to you.”
The bastard son of a king, Sir Tate Crewys de Lara is tasked with the responsibility to keep his young nephew and future king of England safe from the clutches of Roger Mortimer, who looks to overthrow the young heir to the throne. Fleeing the court, Sir Tate hides his nephew amongst his trusted knights under the guise of being his squire. But time is ticking away, and Sir Mortimer is gaining on them. While seeking refuge and funds to fight, Sir Tate finds himself captivated by the Lady Elizabetha Cartingdon, the Mayor of Cartingdon’s daughter. Sir Tate finds her to be a woman as strong and smart as she is beautiful.
Lady Elizabetha is known as “Toby” to most everyone in the village. With an invalid mother and a drunkard for a father, Toby has led the small parish into prosperity. When Sir Tate approaches her family seeking funds and support for the king, Toby sees this as an act that will bring death and destruction to them all. As if she could predict the future, her simple life is snuffed out and in its wake is a tale of death and heartache that almost breaks her.
Sir Tate and Lady Elizabetha are two characters that go through so much, but their hearts always find a way to mend the broken soul within. Dragonblade had me running through the gauntlet of emotions…I laughed, I cried, and I cheered for the happily ever after they so richly deserved.
Kathryn LeVeque is an amazing author, and I can’t recommend her stories enough!
This tale will keep you riveted to the events. As in all Kathryn Le Veque’s Medieval romances, they include so much more. They are set in a historical setting where factions are divided, gritty with battles, sometimes gore, and completely saturated with emotion–not to mention they have very satisfying and passionate love scenes.
Edward III has two problems. He’s 14, which is just about the time a boy wants to be a man. However, being the King makes it a precarious existence—not yet having the skill set to govern or make wise decisions. It’s hard to be a King in hiding, fearing your enemies will find you and destroy you before you attain your rightful place on the throne. Luckily, he has his uncle to protect him, Tate Crewys de Lara, who has the best of qualities within himself. As the illegitimate son of King Edward II, he steps up to the challenge.
When Tate does his duty by the King, hoping to raise an army and possibly find a way to finance it, he comes upon a parrish and a town meeting of sorts. Toby, Lady Elizabetha, has spoken contradicting the head of the parrish, who happens to be her father. Unbeknownst to the village folk, Tate and several large knights are at the back of the crowd. Tate dislikes the beautiful, but disrespectful, assertive approach Toby has. But this dislike slowly changes as he discovers and understands what Toby endures. This part of the story shows what Tate and Toby are made of—hero and heroine material!
Toby is an intelligent woman and through several events and the terrible destruction of her home she discovers all that Tate has not told her. This is where Le Veque puts the reader on edge, as it were.
Where Tate is all good intention, he falls flat on his face with Toby. Toby, not only surprises Tate, she will surprise the reader with the powerful, determined will she possesses. She’s a gutsy woman I came to respect and admire.
I look forward to the rest of the Dragonblade series.
A note about the narrator – Tim Campbell. I have listened to many of his narrations and he has become one of my favorites. He takes a talented writer’s story and makes it all the more pleasurable. I hear the emotion of the characters within dialogue—even in their thoughts. His deep bass voice is melodious, at times dramatic, with a pace capturing the mood of the scene. He’s also very flexible with character personification, using tone, dialect, and various accents when called to do so. Check out the sample of his narration on Audible.com.