What comes to mind when you think of historical romance? For me, the regency period is front and foremost. I adore the Lords and Ladies, the balls, the marriage marts with the ambitious mamas, love triumphing over practical arrangements. There are so many ways a regency romance can unfold, and I love them all. Yet, the regency period is not the be all and end all of historical romance. For instance, there is also the medieval period, which is the genre A Knight’s Vengeance falls under.

Ordinarily, were I to buy an historical romance I doubt I’d look at anything that wasn’t of the regency period. Yet that is simply a reflection of my main preferences. With so little money to be spread amongst ebooks and print, limiting myself to buying my favorites is a course I must take. I must spend wisely, if not frugally, since that’s simply impossible. While A Knight’s Vengeance didn’t change my preference for the regency period over all other historical romances, it did demonstrate that I can enjoy books of other genres as much as I do books from my favorite genre.

As a boy, Geoffrey de Lanceau had not the strength or the skill to save his father’s life. Accused of treason, Geoffrey’s father was slain during the siege of their keep right before Geoffrey’s eyes. He managed to move his father away from the scene of the battle, but his father died in a rat infested stable, his wounds too grave too survive. Geoffrey swore vengeance to the heavens, certain that his father was no traitor but instead had been betrayed.

Revenge has been a long time coming, but at last is at hand. His service to the king during the crusades lost him his brother in battle and gave him severe wounds he barely survived. But in thanks from the king, he has been given Branton keep and he is now in the position to claim his rightful birthright. He will take Wode from the man who murdered his father, and justice will have at last been done. His plan is solid – except for just one thing. He never foresaw falling in love with his hostage, Lady Elizabeth Brackendale, daughter of Arthur Brackendale, the scum responsible for his father’s death. But will this stealth love alter his course, or will he forge ahead – and lose Elizabeth in the process?

Lady Elizabeth Brackendale’s love for her father knows no bounds. She will do anything to protect him, to stop his worry. Rumors abound that a knight is to seek vengeance against her father for a past deed, though Arthur had acted at the King’s command and done nothing wrong. Though she had long dreamt of a strong, loving husband to ease her father’s fears for her future she has been betrothed to Baron Sedgewick, a lecherous and disgusting old man she has no intention of marrying. Somehow she must change her father’s mind, yet before she can do so she is kidnapped, a pawn in a game de Lanceau is playing with her father. She is determined to hold out against him, to find a way to stop him and save her father, if not herself. Her feelings toward him change so subtly, so slowly, she hardly notices at first. Yet, she comes to realize throughout her captivity and her attempts to escape that she is in love. She has come to know Geoffrey: his character, his history, and his motivations. She is now torn between two men, loving both. What can she do to save them both? Together, can Elizabeth and Geoffrey uncover the truth of the past and forge a new, happier future?

A Knight’s Vengeance is an excellent medieval romance that drew me in and made me enjoy the plot. My attention was held throughout, and even now the tale lingers in my mind. Geoffrey is a tormented man, his father’s senseless murder having haunted him for most of his life. His need for vengeance has dogged him every step of the way, and has made him who he has become. His thirst for revenge is such a large part of him that without it he would be lost. Elizabeth is a maiden, one who likes to please and protect her beloved and loving father as best she can. She, too, is haunted and grieves for a parent’s death. Her mother died in childbirth; her new sister lasted not many hours more. These two characters both have heavy burdens to bear and paths they thought they needed to follow. But love has a way of changing things. Following them on their journey is truly joyful.

The plot is well thought out and entirely believable, bringing to mind long ago times. Fanciful, maybe, but what is reading if not an escape? There is violence but the violence that fits the period. There is also sex, but again this isn’t described in modern, stark language but in a tone befitting the genre of the novel. A Knight’s Vengeance has a marvelous storyline and is surely a must read for medieval fans – and it’s bound to whet your appetite if you’re looking for a taste of this genre.

Reviewed By Elizabeth
© December 2006