Customer Reviews

A Knight in Shining Armor

5 star:		(448)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

Okay, I'll say it. This is the first time I've read Jude Deveraux and I can't believe I haven't read her before! A Knight in Shining Armor is a wonderful, funny and touching book.

In 1988 Douglass Montgomery is on holiday with her live-in boyfriend in England. After a huge fight with him and his daughter Douglass is left behind with no money or passport. In grief she goes to the nearby church and cries out that she wishes she had a knight in shining armor. Low and behold Nicholas Stafford, the earl of Thornwyck appears out of sixteenth century England. At first Douglass doesn't believe him that he's from the sixteenth century. She finds his way of dress strange, his talk ridiculous and the fact that he doesn't know what a car is or how to use the bathroom is outrageous! Well, eventually Nicholas wins over Douglass and the two are set to finding out who tried to set Nicholas up for treason in Elizabethian times.

After finding no answers, Nicholas finally resigns himself that he will stay in the 20th century and that Douglass is the love of his life. As soon as the two fall in love, poof! Nicholas is gone back in time. Douglass is at a loss, especially since history has altered and Nicholas was beheaded for crimes he did not commit. She is determined to find the answers to clear his name. But as soon as she finds her answers she is wisked back in time to 1560 and finds herself at Nicholas's home, before he was an earl and everybody was happy, although Nicholas does not remember her.

Douglass must win over Nicholas's trust to change history again, knowing that once it is changed she will be dragged back to the twentieth century.

This story was wonderful! I highly recommend it to anyone, especially time travel lovers. I loved the way that Nicholas was so excited over little things we all take forgranted, such as can openers and vacuum machines. I also loved the interesting information that the readers learns of Elizabethian times. If you haven't read A Knight in Shining Armor, you must do so now!

I have read almost all of Jude Deveraux's books and I can honestly say this is my absolute favorite. (Sweet Liar is a close second) You cant help but fall into the storyline that catches your attention from page one.

The lovely Dougless Montgomery, on vacation with her annoyingly inconsiderate boyfriend and his brat of a daughter, ends up stranded at a church in the middle of nowhere, England.

She falls upon a tomb in the church, wracked with tears. Praying for her Knight in Shining Armor. And thus, her wish is granted in the form of Nicholas Stafford, an English Earl who died in 1564. And that is only the beginning of this wonderfully romantic tale. It is funny, heartwarming, passionate, and all around fabulous. I highly recommend this book.

The timeless love story portrayed in this novel is utterly profound. No other Jude Deveraux historical romance has ever affected me as much as this has. And I never would have read it if I haven't read the author's commentary at the end of her novel "The Taming." Ms. Deveraux has talked about the endless hours of research she has put into this masterpiece so I was definitely intrigued to try out "A Knight in Shining Armor." I usually stay away from this genre (time travel) and prefer more realistic story lines but I'm glad I didn't. It took me weeks to get over the "withdrawal symptoms." I now want to go to England and visit the remote village of Ashburton, Devonshire, look into St. Andrew's church and maybe find my own knight. I also want to see the house that Sir H. Stafford built in the Elizabethan era (was Thornwyck based on this?). The author is definitely a genius. She has reflected the lifestyle of the 16th century in authentic detail that I totally got immersed in it. Thanks, Ms. Deveraux for writing this one. I'll treasure this book for always.

Although this book has been out for 5 years I just learned about it and picked it up in my local book store. It is one of the best books I've read in a long time.

Dougless Montgomery comes from the famous Montgomery family. She met a successful doctor, Robert, who doesn't want a commitment, however, Dougless and Robert decide to plan a trip to England a year from the day the move in together. Then, they will decide if they want to marry.

On their way to the airport for their long awaited trip to England, Robert says he has a surprise for Dougless. At the airport, her dreams are squashed when Robert's daughter Gloria shows up and she turns out to be a most obnoxious child that Robert indulges sinfully.

While the three of them are visiting a church, Dougless and Gloria get into an argument. Robert, of course, sides with his daughter and they leave Dougless stranded at the church in the country without her money or passport. Douglass goes into the church and cries on the tomb of Nicholas Stafford, the Earl of Thornwyck. Suddenly he appears out of sixteenth century England. At first Douglass doesn't believe that he's from the sixteenth century. She finds his way of dress strange, his talk ridiculous and the fact that he doesn't know what a car is or how to use the bathroom is strange as well. Eventually Nicholas convinces Douglass and the two set to finding out who set Nicholas up for treason in Elizabethan times.

Finding no answers, Nicholas resigns himself to stay in the 20th century and acknowledges that Douglass is the love of his life. Suddenly Nicholas is taken back in time. Douglass is at a loss, but she is determined to find the answers to clear his name. Then Douglass is taken back in time to 1560 and finds herself at Nicholas's home, although Nicholas does not remember her.

Douglass must win over Nicholas's trust to change history again, knowing that once it is changed she will be dragged back to the twentieth century.

Yes I'm a man and I read the book.... (brief pause), now if the teasing has ceased I must tell you I really liked it. Now the real reason I'm admitting my disgrace. Quite frankly, your men might like this one too, and it might just spice up your relationship. I really enjoyed putting myself in the man's shoes, learning about a more manly time, and enjoying the story in general. I didn't even realize the new appreciation of women I was getting. After I read it I kept my enthusiasm to myself (of course), but began feeling more intense about the girl who made me read it. I'm an Airborne Infantryman in the 82nd by the way, not a weakling by any stretch. So if you want to share a book with your man and have something new to discuss over dinner, tell him to do a soldier a favor. Oh yea, ladies you might like it too. As you were

Knight in Shining Armor is without any doubt the best romance I have ever read, time travel not whithstanding. I could totally relate to this modern day heroine's difficulty in dealing with dating a man with a spoiled child (my husband had three). She smolders while he puts said child's wishes first (hmmmmm, so true and familiar lol). Then the book really takes off as she is basically abandoned by her boyfriend and is weeping in an ancient church. Here comes the knight, Nicholas. From that page on the book is often side-clutchingly laugh-out-loud as Dougless the heroine tries to help her bewildered time traveler make his way through the modern world to try to return to his own and redress some family wrongs that were part of history. The ending is very surprising, and I was more than satisfied with it. So laugh, cry, (well, Dougless does that rather a lot and it IS said to rid the body of toxins) and just don't plan anything for a while if you are a slow reader. :)

I think the producers of that screenplay had read this book a few times before scripting. The storyline is oddly familiar.

This is by far the best "time travel" romance novel I have read. Jude does a wonderful job developing the romance between these two - pure love, surrendering all they know in order to muddle through the differences in time. It is a wonderful story.

I read the book when it was first out (1995?) and haven't forgotten it in detail yet! I loved the evoluation of the Knight's transference from a knight of his own time to a modern day man (picked up by looking at his daily habits; how those habits slowly changed to a more modern sensitive man). I adored the character portrayed in the heroine. The two were a perfect match. I laughed THROUGHOUT the first half of the book. About midway I began to sniffle. When I finished, I sobbed so hard I was afraid of waking my husband (3 a.m.). Any book that can make me laugh AND cry certainly is worth reading and remembering. It is absolutely one of the most memorable books I have ever read. Give Ms. Deveraux a hand for such realistic, loveable characters. Wish she would write more about the ones she used in this particular book. I look forward to rereading the book in later years (I still remember it too well to reread it right now). You don't forget this book!

This one really blew me away. I have read so many romances that most, although they might be entertaining at the time, get lost in the shuffle of my memory once over with. This story, however, will stay with me for a long time to come.

The time travel element was done very convincingly. It made me feel like although time travel isn't possible, (yet!) this is how it would be if it could happen. Although some other reviewers have called Dougless "pathetic", I don't agree at all. She does let men walk over her a bit, but it is understandable, in my opinion. She is in desperate search of love and wants to settle down. she is probably overly accepting of men's flaws because she just wants to get along with them.

Nicholas is just what the doctor ordered! He thinks she's great, and he lets her know it! Yes, he is a bit stuffy and high-handed, but come on! He's from the 1500's for god's sake! Of course he's going to act a little different than your average 20th century guy!

What I loved about this book was that I could really feel the love between Dougless and Nicholas. Sometimes romance authors will tell you that there is chemistry between characters, yet it is hard to see it for yourself. Not this one! I really enjoyed watching these two overcome a huge time barrier, get to know each other and fall in love.

Another thing I loved about this book was the history intertwined with the romance. I find the reformation time period fascinating and I thought that a good amount of historical detail was incorporated into this story. it wasn't so much that it became a history book, but it convincingly portrayed the time period. I liked how some of the novel took place in the present day, and some in the 16th century. That was a nice touch. What was also nice is that the book actually had a plot. Investigating nicholas's past brought the main characters together, and gave them opportunities to really get to know each other.

Oh and Nicholas's facsination with all things modern is very entertaining and endearing.

This book succeeded where countless other romances have failed. I truly believed that the hero and heroine were in love, and that they belonged together. This romance feels real. That is why it is so memorable.

The end is very touching. I won't give too much away, but I will just tell you that I cried. Like full-blown sobbing. This is really saying something, because I have read so many romances that it takes a very unique one to get any kind of strong emotion out of me. But this one had me up all night long, crying in the dark after I turned out the light. But it wasn't depressing. It was just so tragic and wonderful at the same time that I had to cry :)

READ IT! I loved it, and if you are a fan of romance, I'm almost sure you will too.

I have read this book years ago when I was going through a romance book period ~~ and this book has never left my bookshelf. I have found that every time I give this book away, I end up buying a new copy because I want to read it again. And I have noticed that this book has 155 reviews ~~ this book can't go wrong!

Douglass Montgomery is abandoned by her boyfriend and his spoiled brat of a daughter ~~ and is rescued by a knight from the middle ages, Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyck. And their story spans over hundreds of years ~~ when Nicholas returns to his own time, Douglass followed in turn. And together they right the wrong that has been done to Nicholas' family.

It's such a wonderfully romantic story ~~ a fable to be sure ~~ but so wonderfully written and not so sappy like a lot of romance novels are! You find yourself reading the first paragraph and you can't put the book down till you find out what happens. Deveraux has a talent matched by very few in her field. It's a book to be cherished over time.

1-17-02