Customer Reviews

A Knight's Vengeance (Knight's series)

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King Henry ordered Lord Arthur Brackendale to besiege the keep at Wode and kill Lord Edouard. Arthur obeyed his king. Therefore; at the tender age of ten, young Geoffrey de Lanceau held his father, Edouard, as he died, tainted with the title of "traitor". Geoffrey never believed his father betrayed their king. Geoffrey vowed that one day he would have his vengeance upon Lord Brackendale and reclaim Wode. Eighteen years passed.

Due to his valor in the King's Crusades, Geoffrey de Lanceau has been granted the new position as lord of Branton Keep. With his faithful friend, Dominic de Terre, Geoffrey has decided to begin his quest to fulfill his vow. To do so, he kidnaps Lord Brackendale's lovely daughter, Lady Elizabeth, and Mildred, a gray-haired lady-in-waiting. Geoffrey will let Arthur suffer fear for his daughter before sending the ransom demand. To save Elizabeth, Arthur must give up Wode or fight. But Geoffrey never expects to fall in love with his feisty and brave captive.

Lady Elizabeth has always dreamed of marrying for love, but she is promised to an old baron which rumors claim his cruel bed games is what killed his previous three wives. Then she is abducted by a scarred, tormented rogue who attracts her even though she despises him. Elizabeth wants nothing more than to escape with Mildred and return to her father. But Elizabeth and Geoffrey must join forces to find out the truth of what happened in the past, before it tears apart the present.

***** Fabulous! Author Catherine Kean gives readers everything they could possibly want in this tale of heroism and betrayal. There is a handsome and tormented hero, a brave and loyal heroine, a jealous and vindictive courtesan, as well as a romance that overcomes all obstacles. This will be one of the best historical romances of the year! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Kean brings to life the medieval world with her detailed and engrossing writing. The story is gripping and sweet at the same time.

When Geoffrey de Lanceau was a young boy, his father was killed in a siege upon their castle. Lord Arthur Brackendale was the man responsible. Geoffrey has sworn to avenge his father's death by striking back at Lord Brackendale one day. That day arrives many years later when he sets eyes on Brackendale's daughter Elizabeth.

Lady Elizabeth Brackendale has been kidnapped by Geoffrey de Lanceau. Geoffrey is her father's sworn enemy and the monster her father has warned her about all of her life. Elizabeth is confused by the feelings Geoffrey stirs in her, but her need to keep her people and her father safe are uppermost in her mind.

At first Elizabeth is kept a prisoner, but the arrangements slowly change as she and Geoffrey get to know each other. They are enemies who struggle to maintain their distance even though their growing attraction wages a war on their hearts.

When the time to fight is upon them, Will Elizabeth have to chose between her father and her new found love?

A Knight's Vengeance is a wonderfully told story about a tender love born from the hate of revenge. Elizabeth and Geoffrey's transition from enemies to lovers is entertaining and passionate. The end has a thrilling battle and heart-warming closure. A Knight's Vengeance captivated me with a beautiful and strong heroine, a brave and fearless hero and an exciting, romantic tale!

Nannette
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

If you read romance regularly, you have read this story a hundred times over...

The opening scene has the hero character, Geoffrey, as a young boy who is watching his father bleed to death. He swears to avenge his father's murder.

18 years later, all of his father's lands are in the hands of the murderer. Geoffrey, who was his father's heir, is determined to get his rightful inheritance back. He kidnaps the murderer's beautiful daughter, Elizabeth. He holds her for ransom, refusing to give her back until his lands are returned. Over a short number of days, to two battle each other. Despite it all, they fall in love.

Geoffrey refuses to let his feelings for Elizabeth sway his plans. He wants his lands, but realizes he will not give her up either. He must find a way to keep both. His good intentions are foiled when jealous rivals plan his murder.

Elizabeth is determined to save her father from Geoffrey's sword, but still keep his love. When the truth comes out, she will fight to save Geoffrey from an attempted murder.

The story, while not unique in plot, does have some unique twists to keep it interesting. Both main characters are good- hearted people, as are many of their friends. I enjoy a story much more when I can really like the main couple.

The villain characters are also very predictable, but they are not given a large part in the story until the end. Unfortunately, the ending is very rushed. After several chapters of a slowly unfolding plot, everything is solved all too tidily in the last chapter. It was as if the author had to meet a rapidly approaching deadline. In chapter 19, there is strife and tension between many characters, which has lasted for 18 years. The hero is near death. In chapter 20, the hero has a miraculous recovery and gives up everything he fought for, everyone is friends, and the author even throws in a plan for annual donations to the local orphanage. (Huh???) It cheapened the story a bit.
Still, overall, this was a good book when you consider that the author is very new. Hopefully she'll keep some of her own likable style, and branch out to more unique plots in the future.

Geoffrey de Lanceau has spent eighteen long years nurturing his need for vengeance against the man who ended his father's life and confiscated his heritage. He's never gotten over the fact that when his honorable father died he was branded a traitor by king and country.

Betrothed to the lecherous Baron Sedgewick of Avenley, Lady Elizabeth Brackendale is desperate to find a way to escape her impending marriage. She dreams of marrying a man she could love. Just being in the baron's presence makes her nauseous, how could she possibly stand him touching her?

Geoffrey and Elizabeth meet in the market for the first time when she's almost run down by a wagon while attempting to evade her guards. It isn't until she tries intimidating him with knowledge about her father that he realizes that she is the daughter of the man he's sworn vengeance against - Lord Arthur Brackendale. Once he leaves her to the inept care of her guards, Geoffrey meets up with his friend and fellow knight Dominic who had heard of Elizabeth's upcoming nuptials. Geoffrey sees the marriage for what it is - an attempt at protecting Elizabeth from him and joining Sedgewick and Brackendale lands which border each other. To draw Brackendale out, Geoffrey intends to do the one thing sure to enrage the Lord - kidnap his daughter and hold her for ransom. It's a good solid plan but can he keep himself from falling in love with the daughter of the enemy? What if he discovers that the man he thought was the enemy isn't at the root of the deception that resulted in his father's death?

Catherine Kean will have readers riveted to the pages of her newest novel A KNIGHT'S VENGEANCE. I adore Elizabeth's stubbornly determined nature. Geoffrey is just as contrary. Imagining these two characters going head to head on every little issue from the quality of the meals to whether or not he'd allow Elizabeth to take a bath kept me reading to see who would be victorious in their continuing battle of wills. I was quickly drawn into this storyline and could easily sympathize with both characters' plights and could hardly wait to see how it would all work out.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesty of Romance Junkies)

Goeffrey de Lanceau is a knight through and through, toughened by battle and betrayal at a young age. After witnessing his father's death when he was a lad, Goeffrey swore he'd avenge the unspeakable act and clear his sire's sullied name in the process. His father had been labeled a traitor, his lands and his life taken from him prematurely - but Geoffrey knows that the charges against him could not possibly have been true. He's determined to gain back the properties at Wode and clear the de Lanceau name once and for all.

Lady Elizabeth Brackendale's father has had her betrothed to Baron Sedgewick of Avenley. The marriage will bring more land and power to the Brackendale name and more protection from de Lanceau, a man who's sworn vengeance against her father. However, Elizabeth dreams of freedom and a marriage of love - not life with the lecherous Baron.

When Elizabeth and Goeffrey meet quite by accident at the market, attraction is immediate. And, after realizing that the lovely maiden that he'd saved from being run down by a wagon was actually the daughter of his nemesis, Goeffrey sets plans in motion to abduct Elizabeth.

What follows is a rollicking romp as Geoffrey kidnaps the stubborn Elizabeth, and they begin their battle of wits. Along the way, passions flare, hidden secrets are revealed, and the two realized that things are not always what they appear to be.

Catherine Kean has created yet another medieval masterpiece in A KNIGHT'S VENGEANCE. After reading her debut novel, DANCE OF DESIRE, I was sure that Kean would quickly become an author of note in the medieval romance genre, and she's proven herself yet again with A KNIGHT'S VENGEANCE. With characters that pop, a plot that holds hidden twists and turns, and an authentic medieval setting, Kean's newest novel is sure to delight readers of historical romance.

By 1192, Geoffrey de Lanceau has become a dedicated diligent knight, working extremely hard to overcome the legacy passed down by his late father, Edourd, the former lord of Wode. Eighteen years ago the liege accused Edourd of treason; his keep Wode seized by order of the monarch, and Edourd executed by Lord Arthur Brackendale, and his land stripped from his family and given to Brackendale. Geoffrey believes his father was framed by the man currently occupying Wode. One day the lad vows to prove his father died loyally to his monarch and avenge his death.

Lady Elizabeth Brackendale dreams of an eternal love match, but her dad has plans to marry her off to a man older than him. She begs her sire not to sell her to a dirty old man, but he ignores his daughter's plea. However, Geoffrey begins his quest for vengeance by kidnapping Elizabeth of Wode. His plan is to use her as an expendable pawn to get at her father. However, instead Geoffrey finds he is attracted to his prisoner; she reciprocates as she feels deep emotions for the anguished knight as her love begins to heal his battered heart. However, there remains her father, who will never acquiesce to a relationship between his valuable property and the son of his late enemy.

A KNIGHT'S VENGEANCE is a well written medieval romance starring an obsessed hero living for vengeance until he captures the daughter of the man he loathes and blames for what happened to his father and his family. The key to the tale is that Arthur is not an odious stereotypic totally evil villain, but instead a complex full blooded character. With a delightful seemingly star-crossed lead duet and a solid support cast, this novel is a keen historical tale.

Harriet Klausner

"A Knight's Vengeance" tells a wonderfully romantic tale set against a thrilling medieval background. As in her previous novel Dance of Desire, Catherine Kean presents interesting, well-developed characters who are thrown into extraordinary circumstances that test their courage, strength, and loyalty.

In this case, Lady Elizabeth Brackendale, the daughter of a wealthy lord, is kidnapped by Geoffrey de Lanceau, a roguish knight sworn to kill Elizabeth's father to avenge his father's death. Sworn enemies to each other, the worst thing Elizabeth and Geoffrey can do is fall in love.

Kean has a marvelous ability to draw the reader into the story through her use of the senses. We can almost smell the exotic flowers in Elizabeth's bath water, taste the figs covered in honey and cinnamon, and hear the belches of the disgusting suitor that her father selected for Elizabeth. The playful teasing and growing sensuality produce the perfect level of moderate intimacy that will satisfy most romance readers. I highly recommend it.

Leslie Halpern, author of Reel Romance: The Lovers' Guide to the 100 Best Date Movies and Dreams on Film: The Cinematic Struggle Between Art and Science.

Catherine Kean has created a beautiful, well-written medieval romance that will entrance you from beginning to end. The handsome, emotionally tortured Knight Geoffrey de Lanceau lives to clear his father's name as traitor to the king. He finds a way to take his vengenance on Lord Brackendale, whom he believes is responsible for his family's downfall - his beautiful daughter, Elizabeth. Geoffrey captures her for ransom. He soon finds that Elizabeth is as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. It is not only her silkly black hair, blue eyes, and sensual figure that puts him in a spell, but her kindness that captures him, and he finds himself thinking of her, more than his quest to clear his father's name. A sensual dance between them begins which entrances the reader. Their love grows and becomes the strength and answer to finding the truth. I found the book hard to put down. Ms. Kean's writing style is flawless. The characters are so believable and the story so descriptive, that you feel you are there. As you become enthralled with the sensual relationship and love building between Geoffrey and Elizabeth you ask - Who is the real evil? Who is the betrayer? And this is another enjoyable surprise about this story, as it will surprise you at the end. The reader doesn't have it all figured out before you finish the book. This is a book Medieval Romance fans need to put on their next read list. I look forward to many more wonderful stories by Catherine Kean.