The Last Champion (Harlequin Historical) [Mass Market Paperback]

Deborah Hale (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harlequin Historical | Publication Date: May 1, 2004

The Lady of Harwood was ruthless...

Ruthlessly practical, most certainly, for Dominie De Montford swore she'd bed the devil himself to safeguard her people. Now all she held dear stood endangered, and the one man who could rescue them was the one man she despised--Armand Flambard, first to hold her heart...and first to break it!

The warrior in Armand Flambard had died on the battlefield--felled by a terrible secret born of civil war. Should Lady Dominie glean even a hint of the truth, she would surely loathe him as much as she'd once loved him. But mayhap this new call to arms was a battle cry to rouse their longslumbering desire...!

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Dominie De Montford thought Armand Flambard was dead. Discovering that he hadn't perished in battle but is living at Breckland Abbey solves one of Dominie's problems but presents her with a new one. Dominie needs Armand's warrior skills to protect her people against the "Wolf of the Fens," whose band of renegades has been plundering nearby estates, but Armand has sworn to never again take up his sword. The enterprising Dominie doesn't let this stop her, and with a little help from the wise Abbott of Breckland, she soon has Armand committed to teaching her vassals how to fight. Now Armand must return home, where his new vow to renounce violence will be tested, and he'll be tormented by sinfully sensual thoughts of Dominie, the woman he was once to have wed. An ever-resourceful heroine clashes romantically with an idealistic hero in Hale's latest expertly written historical, which is sure to please readers with its captivating combination of engaging characters and richly detailed medieval English setting. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373293038
• ISBN-13: 978-0373293032
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,866,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After a decade spent tracing her ancestors to their roots in Georgian-era Britain, Deborah Hale learned a great deal about the period and uncovered enough fascinating true stories to inspire her fiction plots for years to come. In 1997, Deborah won Romance Writers of Amercia's Golden Heart award and several months later sold her winning manuscript to Harlequin Historical. Since then she has written many historical romance novels with a variety of settings, as well as two other-world fantasies for Luna Books. In the pilot episode of the hit television series "Hustle" one of Deborah's books was used in a key scene! Deborah lives in beautiful Nova Scotia, Canada, a place steeped in history and romance.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Champion is a Winner!, September 1, 2004

By 

Nancy Compton (Boise, Idaho) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Champion (Harlequin Historical) (Mass Market Paperback)

Norfolk, England 1143

Warrior Armand Flambard is alive and Lady Dominie De Montford of Wakeland must have him!

Lady Dominie is on a mission and her former betrothed Armand Flambard is the only one that can help her. She doesn't want to think about the hungry winter everyone at Harwood and Wakeland would suffer if they failed to keep the wolf from their door. Armand is her last and only hope to keep the wolf at bay. That wolf is Eudo St. Maur, former Earl of Anglia; Wolf of the Fens.

About five years ago, Dominie learned her beloved Armand, her father Baldwin and brother Denys were killed in battle at Lincoln. It was only recently she learned Armand may not have died, but actually joined an Abbey about 30 miles away and was now known as Brother Peter. One of the reasons for Armand's abandonment was because Baldwin had broken an oath after he pledged allegiance to old king Stephen thus ending Armand's birthright entitlement to Harwood. Wakeland and Harwood now solely belongs to the De Montfords. Armand's guilt for killing Baldwin and Denys and his desertion of the fair Dominie lead him to the cosseted life of a humble monk.

Upon persistent provocation from Dominie for Armand to leave the Abbey and lead the defense of Wakeland and Harwood in a standoff against the evil Eudo St. Maur, Armand promised only to train the occupants, not take up arms himself. Armand could not easily dismiss his vow of non violence or his desire to lead a cloistered life. What would Dominie do if she learned the real deep-seated reasons for Armand's guilt and the actions behind them? How can Armand ever again dismiss his craving for the bewitching Domonie? Is it truly possible for Armand to now completely reject the vows he made so long ago and once again live among the inhabitants of his youth and defend what should have rightfully been his? Would the people of the villages ever fully forgive his abandonment?

Dominie has reservations of her own. Can she allow herself to regain the lost love she had for Armand? If all could be overcome, could lasting harmony be had between them? Will everything be for naught if St. Maur is not repressed?

This well told medieval novel is a typical tale of a battle for peace, land and love. I found this story pleasing and Deborah Hale's telling of it makes it worth your time. It's a quick and easy read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, September 22, 2008

By 

A. Thompson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Last Champion (Harlequin Historical) (Kindle Edition)

I just got done reading this book. It is a well written medieval novel. I really felt like I was in medieval England while I read it. The romance between Dominie and Armand was rocky at first but at the end true love won out.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Just Too Boring...(Sorry), January 12, 2005

By 

Mel Andre (Odessa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Champion (Harlequin Historical) (Mass Market Paperback)

There's no other way to say it, I had to struggle to finish this book - and this was before I got even half way through it.