She must marry the knight…

By order of the king!Widow Eleanor of Tallany Castle knows her people are broken by the taxes demanded by King John. So when she’s ordered to marry Hugh de Villiers, a knight loyal to the king, she’s furious—even if he is handsome! As gallant Hugh begins to heal the scars of Eleanor’s abusive first marriage, she’s even more determined to keep her secret: she is the outlaw the king wants to send to the gallows!

Purchase Links:

UK ~ US

Author Bio :

Growing up in Richmond- Upon-Thames, Melissa Oliver used to walk past the old Mills and Boon offices as a teen, and wistfully sigh that one day her dream of writing for them will come true. Amazingly, after all these years, it finally has…& now she can bring all those stories out onto the pages of her books. Melissa lives in south-west London with her gorgeous husband and equally gorgeous daughters, who share her passion for castles, palaces and all things historical.

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Tracy’s Review:

The Rebel Heiress And The Knight by Melissa Oliver

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


4.5 stars rounded up.

Lady Eleanor of Tallany has already suffered through a miserable marriage and has no desire to do so again, but when King John orders her to wed his faithful knight, Sir Hugh de Villiers, she has no choice but to comply. She is not happy and determined to keep her new husband at arm’s length and ignorant of her secrets. Since the king is taxing his people into poverty, Eleanor has gone outlaw to provide for them.

Sir Hugh is loyal to King John and at his command he has arrived at Tallany Castle to deliver the king’s message and capture the outlaw as Le Renard. But Eleanor refuses to see him, testing the usually tempered Hugh to his limits. He demands she receive him or he will force the issue. Knowing her time has run out, she agrees to meet with him and he is stunned by the immediate attraction he feels to her and by the hostility radiating from her. They open the king’s missive and are both shocked to learn they are being commanded to marry! How can love grow amid such discord? How can trust thrive when they harbor so many secrets??

I really enjoyed this well written, intriguing story which uses the tried and true enemies to lovers trope with a dash of deception and treason thrown in. Eleanor is a strong character and not always easy to empathize with, but the reader knows her heart is in the right place and Hugh – sigh – he is just a wonderful hero. I did feel like Eleanor’s deception dragged on a little too long and agree with another reviewer who pointed out that the lies do make it hard to believe they were able to fall deeply in love. The book has lies, secrets, treason, warmish love scenes, compromise and finally a heartwarming HEA. I have not read this author before, but I will certainly be on the lookout for her future work! I liked the book and am happy to recommend it!

I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.