Customer Reviews

My Valiant Knight

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My Valiant Knight romance is a from an author who has the ability to break down her characters souls and feed their emotional struggles onto the pages. The reader will feel the despair, the heartbreak, passion and the joy of Gabel and Ainslee in this very excellent character driven romance. Ainslee is a trained as a warrior and she can take care of herself but I love that she is not macho. Gabel is kinda hearted and a little too trusting but not wimpy. Wonderful love story, great characters with an emotionally scarred hero and strong but vulnerable heroine, unique setting, intriguing plot, heart-tugging emotion, excellent writing, intense sensual love scenes, and a superb ending. Engaging characters, attention to historical detail, and humorous dialogue will keep you reading long into the night.

My Valiant Knight has intrigue, passion, revenge, and "wow" sensual tension.

Personally, I like a man who will put his life on the line for the sake of saving the woman he loves. However, in this story, it is the leading lady (Ainslee) who throws herself in the line of fire twice to save the leading man (Gabel.) Gabel actually hands her over to her abusive father because he wants to marry a woman who will bring land and money into the marriage. Not my idea of a "hero." He then sits and watches while her father beats her nearly to death. He never bothers to try and help her escape her father's keep. He leaves her there for weeks, during which she is beaten twice more, attacked by her father with his sword, and thrown into his dungeon for over a week without food. It seems to me that a man in love would risk trying to help her escape, especially after watching the first beating. Gabel does not fit my idea of "valiance." Ainslee, however, risked her own life several times to save both Gabel and the people of her clan.

The story:

Ainslee and her best friend Ronald are captured by Gabel and his knights. Gabel has been charged by the king to round up and clean out Ainslee's clan. He decides to use Ainslee as a ransom tool against her father, the laird of Kengarvey.

The laird doesn't think his daughter is worth ransoming, so Ainslee is left in Gabels care for a few months. During that time the two fall in love. (In usual Hannah Howell style, they each spend the whole book thinking the other doesn't love them back. This idea is getting redundant in Howell's books.) Gabel takes her virginity, all the while never planning to honor her. He wants a wife with a title, land and money.

Finally, Ainslee's father agrees to a treaty ransom. He will meet Gabel at a river to make the exchange. However, when they arrive Ainslee recognizes her father's plan to attack Gabel and his men. She knocks Gabel nearly out of his saddle, while throwing herself into the aim of her father's archers. Gabel and his men escape back across the river, leaving Ainslee to attract the attention of the archers. Gabel then watches as Ainslee's father drags her from her horse and beats her unconscious. Gabel and his men ride away.

Once back at her father's keep, Ainslee tries to convince her father to honor the treaty which will save the lives of their clan. For this, her father beats her again. Ainslee decides there is nothing she can do but escape her father's keep. He finds her and tries to kill her with his sword. Ainslee's brothers step in and stop the murder. Her father still wants her dead, so he throws her in the dungeon without food. Ainslee's brother sneaks food to her every couple of days to keep her alive.

Under the king's orders, Gabel attacks Kengarvey. He tries to spare as many innocent lives as possible. However, one of the king's other men wants to slaughter them all. When Gabel stops him, the two men engage in a sword battle. Gabel wins but spares the man's life. Angry, the man commands one of his archers to kill Gabel. Ainslee runs to push Gabel out of the way, taking the arrow in her own shoulder. After two harsh beatings and starvation at the hands of her father, Ainslee is weak. Gabel fears she may not be strong enough to survive the fever that her wound causes. He takes her back to his own keep in hopes of giving her better care. He waits by her side for days, praying she will live. If she survives, he will ask her forgiveness and ask her marry him.

In the Scottish Highlands in the year of 1210, no clan is more hated than the MacNairns. The most abhorred laird in Scotland, Duggan MacNairn has finally earned the king's wrath, and now has one last chance to save his life and his people's. Enter the king's man, Sir Gabel del Amalville. Sent to put a stop to the rebellious clan, Gabel chances upon Duggan's youngest daughter and takes her hostage.

With her friend injured and unwilling to leave him on his own, Ainslee MacNairn has no choice but to rely on her fighting skills to avoid capture. But the moment she sees the fearsome and powerful knight, she knows that capture is inevitable. But what troubled her most was the feeling that the sight of Gabel stirred in her; a feeling so foreign that she fears what the outcome of it will be. As for Gabel, not only is he captivated by Ainslee's beauty, but by her courage and strength. But having suffered a woman's treachery long ago, he knows that he must keep his distance from the enchanting and intriguing woman who can easily get to his heart.

When picking up a Hannah Howell book, I always expect passion, intrigue and lots of adventure. MY VALIANT KNIGHT is certainly no exception. Right from the start, the witty dialogues and lively banter between the main characters entertained me. Ainslee is such a delight - strong-willed and courageous, but never stubborn, beautiful, kind-hearted and fiercely loyal. It was sad to see how she grew up hated by her own father, and this is what makes her so admirable, seeing the woman she grew up to be with only a crippled servant's guidance and love. With Gabel, learning of the emotional scars he still carries after being betrayed by a woman he once loved just had me wishing that he would quickly open his eyes and see the gift that fate has given him. And when he finally does, I knew that I was in for some exciting scenes when the knight in shining armor rescues the damsel in distress from the clutches of her evil father!

With likeable and fun characters and an exciting storyline, this is another fantastic book from the author who has written some of the most enjoyable Scottish romances I have read. This is almost as great as AMBER FLAME and a fast and entertaining read.

First of all, I like this author, I enjoy most of her books. But I seriously could not get into this story, mainly because I didn't like the hero.

This is one of those romance novels where you'll end up frowning most of the time while reading.

The hero's main desire is money, power, land. He seduces the heroine and had no wish to marry her, in fact he looked down on her. Knowing the heroine can be hurt being sent back to her father he does this anyways, because it would mean connection and more power for him. He then stands back and watches her father beat her almost dead.. and does nothing.... sounds like a GREAT romance novel, doesnt it.

The Heroine had great potenial, and yet I felt she lacked SELF RESPECT for putting up with the hero, knowing he didnt think she was good enough for him.... Just imagine, the hero keeps coming on to the heroine, shes aware he only wants her in bed and nothing more... while this is going on, he has another rich lady in this castle he's courting to marry.... and STILL willingly sleeps with him, what sane, self respecting woman would put up with this crap...

Totally ranting haha, just know what you're getting into.... I am writing this review because I do not want other people buying this "romance" novel expecting some great love story just because this book recieved 4 stars over all...

A Valiant Knight and a Brave and Courageous Lass! Who could ask for anything more. Oh, this was a story I can appreciate for a long, long time. Reading a lot of romance novels where the main characters continually misunderstand each other had me begging for an author to find characters who could understood one another. This story did it! I was so glad to read that circumstances beyond their control was what kept them apart. The sacrifices was such that no one could ever question the love and trust each had for the other. This was a story of emotions. Enjoy.

I just loved this book. It was enthralling and captivating. It is definetly a must read. One of my absolute favorite romance novels. The characters were so well written and it was unique in the sense that the obstacles the lovers had did not really come from the fact that they mistrusted each other, but obstacles by their circumstances. I've read and re-read this so often, I think I have it memorized!

This is the first book that I have read from this author and it won't be my last. It's been a while since I've read a book this good from begginning to end. I loved the secondary characters and hopefully there is a book about there story.

I enjoyed the story very much and liked that Ainslee was able to stand her ground when fighting with the enemy she was able to take on any man in the fight. I wished she was more able to walk away from her family, but I guess that was the times. Sir Gabel he was wonderful,but I was angry about his attitude in the beginning seems to me she went though too much, for him to see she was worthy of him and it was nevered questioned about his worthiness to her. I did enjoy the scenes and the love scenes.

I really enjoyed this book, though I am kinda biased because I love Hannah Howell's books.

The romance between Ainslee and Sir Gabel is among the best of the best. I highly recommend this book.