Middle Ages / Medieval (476-1454) – Page 18 – Flippin' Pages Book Reviews

Category: Middle Ages / Medieval (476-1454)

In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or Medieval Period lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history: classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period. The medieval period is itself subdivided into the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages.

A Defiant Maiden’s Knight

A knight’s protection…That she doesn’t want…or need?

Joan Lovent may be losing her sight but she refuses to lose her independence too. So when Sir Warin de Talmont tells her it’s too perilous to be out alone in the city, she doesn’t pay him any heed. But with threats surrounding them, she begins to value his protection and helps with his dangerous work in return. If only the powerful connection between them wasn’t so impossible to ignore!

Purchase Links:

UK Harper Collins ~ Harlequin US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US

The Knight - Melissa Oliver pic

Author Bio:

Melissa Oliver is from south-west London where she writes historical romance novels. She lives with her lovely husband and daughters, who share her passion for decrepit, old castles, palaces and all things historical.

Melissa is the WINNER of The Romantic Novelist Association’s Joan Hessayon Award for new writers 2020 for her debut, The Rebel Heiress and the Knight.

When she’s not writing she loves to travel for inspiration, paint, and visit museums & art galleries.

Social Media Links:

Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

Tracy’s Review:

A Defiant Maiden's Knight (Protectors of the Crown Book 1)

A Defiant Maiden’s Knight by Melissa Oliver

Tracy’s rating: 4/4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Protectors of the Crown, #1

Release Date: June 28, 2022

Sir Warin de Talmont along with his brother knights have formed a new league of knights known as the Knights Fortitude of the Order of the Sword and have made it their mission to protect Hubert de Burgh, their liege lord, and the crown from all threats. Currently, Warin is investigating a group known as the Duo Dragcones, who seem bent on discrediting Hubert. But his investigation is hampered when his superior and good friend Sir Thomas Lovent asks him to watch over his sister Joan while he accompanies Hubert on a mission to clear his name. Warin agrees but regrets it almost immediately when Joan tries to insert herself into his investigation.

Joan Lovent is slowly losing her sight and is the only survivor of a fire that destroyed their family home and claimed the life of their mother and sister. For years she blamed herself, but has found peace and redemption in the church and spends a lot of time volunteering, knowing that someday her sight will be gone and she will no longer be able to help. Knowing that her sight is failing has made Joan fiercely independent – sometimes to the point of being reckless. It is that recklessness that puts her in Warin’s path.

Joan refuses to let Warin set her aside, and even he has to admit that she has given him valuable information about the man he is looking for. But Warin can’t bear to see Joan in harm’s way and though he is attracted to her, he vowed to never love again after the death of his wife and daughter, something that he blames himself for. Will Warin hold fast to the past or will Joan be able to break through the wall around his heart?

This was a nicely-paced, well-written story that picks up where the “Notorious Knights” series ended. In this spin-off series, the reader is reunited with several characters from the previous series, including the hero and heroine. The book is a lovely second-chance at love romance, filled with emotion and featuring a heroine with a disability and who is a bit too reckless for her own good. The story has a bit of intrigue, some warm love scenes, great secondary characters, and finally a nail-biting ending and a very heartwarming HEA. This is the first book in a new series and it is every bit as enjoyable as the previous series! I am happy to recommend this title and will be looking forward to the next book.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

His Wicked Whispers by Jen Bradlee

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Prince of Whispers, #1

Release Date: May 10, 2022

When Prince Crispin of Meradin is called by his father the King to his presence chamber, he was expecting the usual lecture on his hedonistic lifestyle and how he should be more like his late brother, Frances, but is shocked to learn that his father is casting him out! His father tells him that if he doesn’t shape up, he will be disowned and his cousin will inherit the throne, that said, his father tells him to leave with nothing but the clothes on his back until he has learned some humility and how to serve his people. Angry beyond belief, Crispin leaves and sets out to prove his father wrong, but instead is set upon by thieves, and if not for the quick-thinking action of a woman, he would be dead!

Crispin has been forbidden to tell anyone who he is, so he tells the woman he is a guard at the palace named Tristan and asks for her help. Ruby aka the Lady of the Forest, is a bit of Robin Hood and really wants nothing to do with him and after tending him, leaves him. But they reconnect and he helps her retrieve some items stolen from her friends. This leads to a steamy night of passion but in the morning, everything changes when soldiers from the palace come to find him and he learns that his father is dead. Upon learning who her lover really is and feeling betrayed, Ruby takes off and Crispin is forced to let her go – for now.

Crispin returns to the palace and brands Ruby as an outlaw, and sets a plan in motion to find her. He also sends for his best friend Henry who was banished to Wales by his father, to return and act as his right hand. When Ruby is brought in, he shocks her letting her choose her fate – marry him or be tried and convicted of being a thief!

This was a very well-written, intriguing read with lots of steamy love scenes and interesting characters. Ruby is a complex character, part innocent maiden and part badass, and she is perfect for Crispin. Crispin is not your typical hero, he is a bad boy and he unrepentantly wears that title with pride, so if you don’t like anti-heroes with strong sexual appetites, you might want to pass on this book – but if like me, you like a bad boy who doesn’t magically transform into Prince Charming once he falls in love, then you are going to love this story! This book is the first book in a trilogy and after reading this story, I can’t wait to see what happens next!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*