Customer Reviews

Knight of Pleasure (All the King's Men)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Knight of Pleasure surely exceeded my already high standards. I read Margaret Mallory's previous novel, Knight of Desire (All the King's Men) and quickly fell in love with William and rooted for Catherine. This book was no different. We met Stephen in William and Catherine's story, where he was a young man and utterly in love with Catherine. In this novel, he's outgrown that love, but he has never stopped looking for his own bride that has a will just as strong as his sister-in-law's. In comes Isobel Hume, who is fiery, passionate, and just can't help but make you root for her. She fits in well and it is so fun to see Stephen fall head-over-heels for her. The tale is full of twists and tales that I could not have possibly predicted. I greatly look forward to Linnet and Jamie's story, as both of them have become favorite characters of mine. Margaret Mallory has become an automatic-buy author for me and I will buy anything else this exquisite author writes.

Lady Isobel Hume had gone from a rambunctious child to a married woman at the tender age of 13. After suffering through a miserable relationship to Lord Hume she finds herself a widow by the age of 22. Assuming that her late husband had left his lands and wealth to her she finally breaths of sigh of relief only to be slammed with the reality that her dead husband left it to a man who convinced him that he was his son. Another man has deceived her and led her down the road of betrayal.

Now Isobel is requested by King Henry to make a political marriage to Lord Phillippe de Roche to ensure Phillippe's acceptance of the King's takeover. Isobel does not want this match but knows that as a woman in this time and place she has no choice or say in the matter. How she hoped to be free of another husband that would dominate her and not let her spirits soar. Yet just as she is prepared to wait out her fate of meeting deRoche in walks Sir Stephen Carleton one the dashing fighters in King Henry's army. He is a known womanizer and true scoundrel but none of that stops her heart from reaching out for the man she should not want. Stephen feels the same and he knows as well that the last person he should be pursing is Isobel - she is too good and kind for the likes of him. But that does not stop him and when his heart becomes tangled with hers the swords are clashing and the emotions are running unchecked.

But when deRoche arrives to take his intended and secure the marriage contract it is an unwilling Isobel that goes even though the passion and lust she feels is for Stephen not Phillippe. Isobel quickly learns of the deceitful nature of her future husband and knows that she can beat him at his own game and once she learns of his true intentions toward King Henry nothing will stop her from saving everyone's lives even at the risk of her own.

When I think of this book the word that comes to mind is lovely. The character of Isobel is written with a fiery personality but yet she has a passionate heart and a kind and gentle nature. Isobel has known pain and suffering and resents her father for giving her up in marriage at the age of 13 but all this is nothing in comparison to her love for Stephen and the loyalty she feels for her King and country. Lovely is the relationship between Stephen and Isobel and your own heart weeps with all the issues that are keeping them apart.

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[close] Knight of Pleasure by Margaret Mallory is a savory delight that is sure to please. This is book two of the series of three and even more delectable than it's previous installment in book one. Most assuredly Margaret Mallory is an author with much promise and passion to keep us satisfied for quite some time.

Lady Isobel Hume is a sight to behold. Married off to an old man in her early teens, she has been through hell and back with a marriage made of profits to both sides instead of one of love. Now that her husband is dead, all she can hope for is a match made by the King to a man of respect, courage, honesty and all the things that we have come to think of in a knight of the realm. Aah, but will that indeed be her fate?

Sir Stephen Carleton is a ladies man to the T. A rogue to be sure but a man of honor with a strong set or morale's that will make him appealing in one respect and appalling in the other. Sir Stephen is a classic case of never judge a book by its cover. He is a King's man and his loyalty to the crown is never questioned. Unfortunately for him and his roving eyes, can he stay away from the fair Lady Isobel?

Our author has done a superb job with this installment of "All The King's Men". Non stop action, romping steamy scenes that are sure to fog your glasses and enough court intrigue to have you drooling from beginning to end. A book that you will not want to miss if you are a lover of Historical Romance

I started this book with the intention of reading a few pages of something light before bed--I ended up staying awake for the several hours it took me to finish it.

What a well told tale.

We meet Isobel first as a firey thirteen year old, who is convinced she will find a way to become a knight. She goes in one moment from being a girl play fighting to being a woman engaged to an old man. Her father has promised her to Lord Hume in order to save their family lands. She is widowed by 22, but the damage is done, she has refused to see her father in the intervening years (she had been the apple of his eye before he bartered her away.)

We meet up with her again at the side of her dead husband. She is making plans for improvement to her lands now that he will no longer be controlling the purse. However, she is wrong in her assumption. The lands, that as Lady Hume, that should be hers have been willed away to someone else.

When given the choice between being dependent on her father again or allowing the king to marry her off to a French lord in order to cement England's dominance over France, she choose the unknown French lord. Isobel, however comes to a place where there are no women, and is dependent on the protection of Sir Stephen Carleton in the absence of her brother. Stephen is well know for being a ladies man, he has been particularly bad lately in an attempt to forget the horrors of the war. Stephen has a wonderful Errol Flynn quality to him, he's witty and humorous.

There is a problem of course in that Isobel is promised to a Frenchman, who is obviously not Sir Stephen. They however, do fall into an easy friendship at first (with him teaching her the sword fighting she loved as a little girl). As Isobel realises she loves him (but assumes he doesn't love her because of his womanizing past) she chooses to pursue him before her intended arrives, wanting to know what it is like to be with a man she wants to be with.

This creates complications and misunderstandings. Their relationship confusion piled in with historical court intrigue works really well. Clearly this is part of a series, but having not read the others in it, I can say that isn't necessary. All of the characters that Mallory introduces to us in this book are very fully realised even if they were main characters in previous installments or in installments yet to come.

I would recommend this book for someone looking for some really great escapism. I'm not super familiar with the history of this time, but none of it struck me as particularly anachronistic (which is always annoying in historical romances).

Really great romance novel!

Wonderful story. Loved the characters and the plot. Take the time to read this one, it wont take long its that good.

I really enjoy this new author, her books are funny, visual, charming and hard to put down. I recommend this book to anyone who feels they are out of good authors and books to read, this one got me out of my slump.

Out of the three series books, I found this book the most interesting. I really enjoyed the book. Can't wait for the next book.

Isobel has not had luck in love. Her father forced her to marry a very old man to gain enough money to buy back his lands from King Henry after losing them from siding against the King. Luckily for Isobel, her first husband dies after a short time and she is free of that misery - but more awaits her. Her late husband leaves all of his property to a very conniving man - one that Isobel wants nothing to do with. In desperation, she is given an option - marry a man that will help the King of England secure an allegiance to Normandy or marry the leech that stole the lands from her. Seeing as she has no real choice, she submits to the King.

Once in the castle, she must wait for her new betrothed to arrive. Robert, an advisor of the King is kind of given the role as chaperon, until her betrothed can arrive. He becomes her friend and ally at her time at the castle. She also meets William and his younger brother Stephen. Stephen is quite the ladies man but when he sees Isobel, something changes in him. He wants her like no other woman - but he can't go against the King's decree. Isobel is also smitten and gives into temptation. She has been tied down to a dirty old man, and feels like she deserves this small opportunity to have some fun before she is handed over to the next man. The more they flirt and seduce, the more they realize they want this to be more than a fling.

Knight of Pleasure is kind of a middle of the road read for me. Stephen is very much care-free and lighthearted character, but he is also deadly with a sword and extremely protective of Isobel. He is so good natured and funny, quite a contrast to his older brother William who was the hero in Margaret Mallory's Knight of Desire. He is very exuberant and full of life life and a fun character to read.

Isobel has a very mature attitude, but also has that "what the hell" vibe when it comes to Stephen. She was truly in misery during her first marriage and betrothed to another "winner," so why not have some fun with Stephen.

To her astonishment, Stephen threw his head back and laughed. He had a wonderful, infectious laugh. It filled the small garden and lightened her heart.
He dropped down beside her. Smiling his most wicked smile, he leaned too close and asked, "You will pretend you do not know why I keep my distance?"
She swallowed and shook her head. "I do not know."
"You lie, Isobel, but I will tell you all the same."
She could not breathe with him this near.
"I stay away because whenever I see you"--he kept his eyes fixed on hers as he ran his finger slowly up her forearm--"all I want to do is drag you off to bed, and keep you there for a week."


While the characters themselves were enjoyable, their actions didn't always sit well with me. Isobel is in love with Stephen, and it is not a secret. They have clandestine meetings and Stephen always acts noble in her presence, even if he gets a bit carried away with his lust. Isobel is not a stupid woman, so when Stephen steers her in the direction of marriage, she refuses him because she thinks he is still a playboy and she is jealous of a woman that she has no idea what he is really doing with her. Then minutes after her refusal, she is in his arms again. I understand if she refuses him because of her commitment to the man the King has chosen, which I don't think is the case here. But to refuse Stephen because you don't trust him with other women, and then fall in arms a short time later does not rest well with me.

Later on in the story, Stephen rescues two children, around eleven years in age and employs the boy as his page and the girl as Isobel's maid. The kids in my opinion were a bit too smart and devious. They were spying on noblemen who report to the king like it was nothing acting a bit too mature for their age.

Overall this book is good - Stephen had a very playful attitude which I enjoyed, and I really liked Robert in this book and thought his character really added to the story.

Knight of Pleasure is a fun read and one I think many will find enjoyable.

Knight of Pleasure is the second of Mallory's "knight" books set in the early 15th century, the first being Knight of Desire. I rated the first one 3 stars (mostly for story and character issues). I'm rating this one higher because I believe it's a better story and it held my attention. However, I really do wish she'd start her romances with heroines who haven't had abusive marriages. The first one (Knight of Desire) featured a physically abusive marriage; this one features a 15 year old girl being "sold" by her father into a marriage with a fat, old lecherous man--resulting essentially in a 7 year prison sentence she hated and for which she refuses to forgive her father. Then when the old fart dies, Lady Isobel Hume finds the old guy, Lord Hume, has given the lands he should have left her to another man she can't stomach. So, she allows the king (King Henry) to promise her to a French nobleman with whom he is trying to make a political alliance since things are so unstable in Normandy. Before the betrothal, however, she meets Sir Stephen Carleton (we met him in the first book) who is now grown into a powerful and handsome knight who is spying for the king, sleeping his way through the king's court in Normandy to do so. Naturally, Isobel is reluctant to fall for Stephen fearing he'll break her heart. And then there's her handsome fiance but he's a man with major issues. Stephen, while living like a rogue, is supposed to be an all around good guy who we're to believe will be faithful to Isobel if ever they wed. The story features lots of political intrigue and treachery in the Normandy court as King Henry attempts to subdue the French. I enjoyed the book for almost all of the story but in the end, I was so sick of Isobel's back and forth with Stephen that I just wanted to slap her. I think Mallory's writing is good but as with the first one I had some story issues that kept me from a higher review. I just don't see 5 stars here, sorry. Mallory is not Marsha Canham (her medieval trilogy) nor Heather Graham/Shannon Drake (many historicals, including Princess of Fire and Knight of Fire) nor Kresley Cole (the MacCarrick series).

Ms. Mallory has outdone herself with this book. Fell in love with the characters and plot. Absolutely a great historical romance read. A must!