Customer Reviews

Knight of Passion (All the King's Men)

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Knight of Passion by Margaret Mallory is a story full of revenge, love, hope and pain. Our main characters, Jamie and Linnet, have to face England's crude underground- witchcraft, necromancy and blood rituals, to name a few. And Linnet will not let any obstacle destroy her opportunity to seek vengeance on those who desecrated her family.

Jamie Rayburn, our knight in shining armor. He's charming, beautiful and has a colossal desire to get married and build a family with a virtuous, stable wife. Jamie has the willpower and discipline to do what it takes to achieve all his career and personal goals. Now all that's left to do is find a woman that wants the same thing, someone who won't mind waiting for him to come home from battle and listen to his victory stories. Easier said than done. He's never been able to let go of his first love, his only true weakness- Linnet. She ripped his heart out and stomped on it five years prior to the start of this story. Jamie was set on marrying her when she told him she had no plans to become betrothed. He is determined to find another, for Linnet's dangerous, vindictive plans are too much for a man full of integrity and honor. Linnet has pushed Jamie away once again with her outrageous need to find justice for her grandfather- and this time it just may be for good.

There are some captivating secondary characters that you will also find yourself delighted with. Following the relationship of Queen Katherine and Owen Tudor was incredibly fun and Linnet's twin Francois was fabulously charming. Mallory is extremely talented and I'm so glad I was introduced to her work!

Mallory has obviously done a great deal of research for this trilogy- it certainly paid off! And if you're addicted to historical romance, you're going to want to get your hands on this book. Beautifully written, this novel can be read as a stand alone, but is apart of a trilogy. I haven't had the pleasure of reading the other two stories yet, but I most definitely will.

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I enjoyed Margaret Mallory's other two books - Knight of Pleasure and Knight of Desire - but I have to say that with Knight of Passion, she has taken it to a whole new level. I won't go in to the plot of the book, other reviewers have already done so, but this is the one, in my opinion, that is going to separate her from the pack, which she was already edging out of to begin with. As a reader, I've always been interested to watch the progression of a writer's talent from book to book, it's exciting to see. It's hard to quantify it when the first two books were so good on their own, but this one is several leaps beyond, in every way - characterization, motivation, dialogue, narrative, pace, transitions, plot, setting, the depth of the novel as a whole, the intensity of the love scenes, everything. If you're looking for a completely enjoyable historical romance with fresh characters and a steamy love relationship to sweep you away, you will not be disappointed with Knight of Passion.

Regret. Pain. Hope. Passion. Love.

Those are the themes of KNIGHT OF PASSION by Margaret Mallory, although not necessarily in that order. Fans of Mallory will recognize our hero, Jamie Rayburn as the little boy from Knight of Desire. In the first book of the series, Jamie was a cute and precocious boy. Now, in KNIGHT OF PASSION, Jamie has grown up and become quite the looker. He's returned to England, searching for a wife to build a home. Although his heart is drawn to Lady Linnet, his mind steers him away. He wants a nice stable wife - can Linnet play that role?

The Lady Linnet's heart is torn in two different directions. One side of her wants to reek vengeance on the people who left who her poor and homeless after the death of her grandfather. She marries and quickly becomes a widow, all in according to her plan of generating wealth in order to track her prey across England. The other side of her, the side filled with love and hope, cried at having left Jamie to fulfill her dark mission. When she befriends Queen Katherine and finds herself once more in the presence of Jamie, the spark is quickly rekindled. Will her love for him be enough to convince him that she can change or will her mistakes destine her to a life without him?

This book was a bit more intense for me than Knight of Desire. The first in the series with Lady Catherine Rayburn and William FitzAlan is still by far my favorite, but KNIGHT OF PASSION turned out to be pretty good competition. The relationship between Jamie and Linnet was one that kept you on the edge of your seat throughout most of the story. The passion was there, surely, but was the trust? Ms. Mallory teased us and then pushed us away, leaving us with the knowledge that both parties truly loved one another but wondering if a Happily Ever After was possible for these two. Unfortunately, I won't be able to answer this question for you. You'll just have to read and find out.

One thing that makes Ms. Mallory's books so fantastic is the attention to detail she puts into them. Her writing is just as beautiful and colorful as the covers on the books and it is easy to get lost in the story through her words. Sometimes we see good stories, good plots, but the writing bogs the book down. Ms. Mallory presents us with a work that flows easily and reads quite well despite the complexity of the story and relationships therein.

By far my favorite aspect of KNIGHT OF PASSION was Lady Linnet. Her backstory was painful and really tugged on the heartstrings. It was difficult reading about her at times because we knew what she was going through and what she needed, but the world always seemed to work against her and there wasn't a thing we could do about it. There were times that I wanted to shout at Jamie and tell him all about Linnet; tell him just to love her. Fortunately, I couldn't and watching the two learn about each other and themselves made for a fantastic story.

I would highly recommend this to any fans of historical romance. The book is well researched, paced quite well, full of passion, and beautifully written. Ms. Mallory is an expert and one that romance junkies just have to experience.

Though Margaret Mallory is a relatively new writer of historical romance, she crafts her stories with a deft hand. Her "All the King's Men" series is consistently entertaining -- with the just right amount of romance, banter, and subplots so that each book offers the escape and lighthearted romance that mark a "keeper."

But in Knight of Passion, Mallory adds certain historical details and suspense that give the novel a little something extra and turn it into one of my favorites. Mallory includes Owen Tudor as a character in the novel and weaves in his romance with King Henry V's widow, Katherine de Valois. The start of the Tudor dynasty can be traced to Katherine de Valois, Owen Tudor and their children.

But as interesting as the subplots may be, Knight of Passion is first and foremost a fun, satisfying romance novel. As I read the book, I knew it was one of those rare romances that I'd want to reread every so often. Knight of Passion is a book to share and to keep!

ISBN-10: 0446559865 - Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Forever (June 1, 2010), 416 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

What can I say? This book is a gem! The characters jump off the page, there is intrigue, paranormal elements, witty dialogue, do I need to continue? Of course! I am really getting back into romance novels and I wish there was a better term to describe them since I don't think the term really suffices. Knight of Passion is my first book by Margaret Mallory and I am incredibly impressed. I am going to go have to get the other two books in this series. I can only imagine that the debut of this series is equally as wonderful as this one.
This book works on so many levels: excellent plot that keeps you guessing until the end with several twists and turns and believable characters that make the plot come alive. You can just feel the fabric that Linnet markets and feel every emotion that she has. Jamie is the perfect foil for Linnet and I now wish that I had started at the beginning of this series, but there was no problem in getting involved and caring for these characters. YAY!!

I am so thrilled that I just happened to stumble upon this amazing author this year. Her first novel was an impulse buy and the second and third books were preordered the moment I'd finished it. This book, the third in the series, did not let me down. It did take a bit of a different turn. Jamie and Linnet had a past and this novel was all about them FINALLY having their Happily Even After. It was a struggle, but it was well-deserved. They are great characters and I loved them both to pieces. It was great seeing previous heroes and heroines back in the story and I love knowing that they're still happy.

This book also had a bit of an almost paranormal theme to it, just ever-so-slightly. Devil-worshippers and witches were featured heavily, particularly in the second half of the book. To be honest, it felt a little forced, but I suppose it is probably somewhat historically accurate.

Margaret Mallory continues to stay on my Automatic Buy list. She is fabulous and everything she writes is fabulously entertaining.

KNIGHT OF PASSION by Margaret Mallory is a wonderful, delightful medieval historical romance set in 1420 Paris and 1425 London.This is the third in the All the King' s Men series but can be read as a stand alone. It is well written with detail and detail. It has wit, suspense, romance, sensuality, devil worshipers,knights, a queen and her ladies waiting, sorcery,true love, revenge and forgiveness. The heroine in this story is determined to have her revenge against the people who wronged her family(her grandfather) and stolen everything from them. She in independent, strong, full of life, beautiful, smart and gets into trouble at every turn.She has been in love with the hero for years but let vengeance get in her way until... well you will have to read their story. The hero is handsome, strong, a knight, has been in love with the heroine for years, wants to have a wife, one who is obedient and calm unlike the heroine, but love has it's own plans. I would highly recommend this story. If you have not read the first in this series I would recommend you read them (#1 Knight of Desire and #2 Knight of Pleasure) this have been a delightful series. If you enjoy Knights, suspense, fast paced, page turning, romance and a great read you will so enjoy this one.
This book was received for review and details can be found at My Book Addiction and More and Forever Hachette Book Group.

Lady Linnet and Sir James "Jamie" Rayburn have been lovers and friends for so long at times it had been hard to not envision them together forever. But Jamie felt the choices Linnet had made in her life ruined their chances of ever being together and they parted ways not on the best of terms. But time does heal wounds and mend hearts and once they are reunited the fire of passion and love burn bright again. But has Linnet changed into the type of woman Jamie wants to marry or is she fooling him once again to gain another goal that he wants no part of.

Linnet and her twin brother were left homeless and starving after their grandfather's death and the father that had disowned them returned to take what little was left of the estate. Their grandfather had been swindled of his fortune and the adult Linnet was determined to bring these men to justice and make them account for what they had done one at a time. While chasing them across England she befriends and becomes the confident of the widowed queen Katherine, which opens new and exciting doors. While her position was to keep the queen out of harms' way trouble their friendship was the core of the relationship. While with the queen she again encounters Jamie the love of her life and the man she still longs for. Linnet had left his arms and flown into another's but that was a short-term relationship that left her widowed and wealthy the combination she needed to seek out and enact upon her revenge toward the men that stole from her grandfather. Jamie is overjoyed to again have Linnet in his life but this time he seeks marriage and wants a woman to understand that it is time to build a future and start a family.

Yet Linnet does want Jamie and does swear that she will behave in the most wife like fashion she knows how. But before the oath has left her mouth Jamie catches her in a compromising position with another man and he has said enough and looks to marry another. But can he really do that and never look back without regret when he leaves. No one believes this and Jamie is trying to convince himself of it but before too much time passes rumors begin about Linnet and witchcraft which Jamie knows are lies and whatever it takes to stop this nonsense he will make happen.

Love abounds in this book but it takes some fighting and name calling to make these two wonderful characters figure out that compromise is not a bad word. This latest addition in the series updates you on the other books, which is always a reader plus because the reader is always curious about who is doing what now. Good story and great addition to the series.

Mary Gramlich is The Reading Reviewer located at [...]

Knight of Passion (All the King's Men)

I really enjoyed this book. I had a difficult time getting into it but after a couple chapters I was not disappointed at all. I found the book was well written and after getting into the story found it very interesting and really liked the historical and paranormal mix. I liked the romance between Linnet and Jamie and how they began and how they met again later. I thought that the detail of the characters and the way their feelings were brought to life with the great descriptions was very good and I got a real good feel for this story and really was able to get lost in it and that is one thing I look for in a good book. I have never read anything by Margaret Mallory before and would have to say I am looking forward to reading more. This is the third book in the series *All the King's Men* but I don't think it mattered at all that I hadn't read the first two yet but after reading this one I feel the need to read the others just because this one was so good. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to get lost in a great historical romance.

Well first off, this was an entertaining book. I didn't get sick of reading it, yet it wasn't one of those books that I couldn't put down. I liked the story enough, and the characters were well developed but there was a bit of a disconnect for me.

I think my biggest hurdle in this one was Linnet. I know she was looking for revenge, but she came off as being deceptive, and a bit of a brat. I just wasn't that thrilled with her as a main character. I liked Jamie quite a bit more. He was a scorned lover who was still in love, and that made me feel sympathy for him. I also liked him because he knew Linnet's game, and could (to an extent) beat her at it. He also was a great "Knight in Shinning Armor" so to speak.

The story was pretty good. The undertones of magic, sorcery, and such made it more appealing to me, as I tend to be drawn to stories with mystical or spiritual undertones. The love between Linnet and Jamie was a good catalyst for the story. I wanted Jamie to get what he wanted, but my disdain for Linnet made it seem bittersweet. I kept wishing she were a better person...

But despite Linnet I still think this was a decent read. I was able to escape into the story with little effort. The historical side of the story may not have been absolutely accurate, but I think it was accurate enough to make it believable.