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.

His Scottish Bride by Shelly Thacker

On By TracyIn Christmas, Medieval (1066-1540), Middle Ages / Medieval (476-1454), Novella, Scottish/Highlander, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

His Scottish Bride (Stolen Brides, #5)His Scottish Bride by Shelly Thacker

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Stolen Brides, #5

Release Date: December 11, 2020

Widow Lady Aileen MacLennan MacFarland first met Sir Henri d’Ambosie years ago at the wedding of her cousin Darach of Glenshiel to Henri’s sister Laurien. The two shared a flirtation in which she dubbed him Sir Wicked, but Henri was leaving for war and no promises were made. Aileen was smitten with Henri, who treated her with kindness and made her feel beautiful despite the port-wine stain on her face, but she had no expectations, Henri was something of a flirt and Aileen was not the only lass he spent time with, but that didn’t stop her from wanting more. She wrote to him and though he barely replied, she continued to write for years before finally giving up and hasn’t heard from him since. So, she was understandably shocked to see him at Glenshiel, looking even more handsome than she remembered.

Henri is finally done with war and has been awarded at title and lands for his service, now all he needs is a wife and his heart is set on Aileen. He fell in love with her all those years ago, but knowing he was going to war and may not survive, he didn’t want to make promises he couldn’t keep. But he treasured her letters and the memory of their kisses and now he can’t wait to make her his bride. But things couldn’t be that simple; Aileen is betrothed to Lord Alsh and is set to marry in four days! Any chance of a HEA seems impossible, but Henri refuses to give up hope! Will this be the season of miracles?

This was such a great novella! It was well written and paced perfectly, it never felt rushed or improbable even though it is relatively short. Henri and Aileen are wonderful characters with an obvious chemistry and I loved his devotion to her. The book has a lot of emotion, cameos from Darach and Laurien (His Stolen Bride), steamy love scenes, a wonderful twist and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue! This book is part of a series, but it can easily be read as a standalone title. I really enjoyed this book and would happily recommend it to anyone!

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

The Maiden and THe Mercenary by Nicole Locke #BlogTour #Giveaway

On By TracyIn Blog Tour, Medieval (1066-1540), Middle Ages / Medieval (476-1454), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Maiden and the Mercenary

 

The Maiden Cover

The Maiden and the Mercenary

Keep your friends close…
But your enemies closer?
In order to find a legendary treasure map, mercenary Louve of Mei Solis must infiltrate his enemy’s fortress under the guise of a servant. There, Louve meets beautiful maiden Biedeluue, a fellow servant with her own hidden agenda…to save her sister from the malevolent Lord’s clutches! Their high-stakes missions may be at odds with one other, but their attraction cannot be denied even in this most dangerous of situations…

Purchase Links
UK – US 

 

The Maiden -Nicole Locke1a

Author Bio:

Nicole first discovered romance novels hidden in her grandmother’s closet. Convinced that hidden books must be better, Nicole greedily read them. It was only natural she should start writing them (but now not so secretly).

Social Media Links:

Website ~ Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

 

The Maiden and the Mercenary Full Tour Banner

 

Giveaway: 

Giveaway to Win a £20 / $20 Amazon Gift Card (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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Tracy’s Review:

 

The Maiden and the MercenaryThe Maiden and the Mercenary by Nicole Locke

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Lovers and Legends, #10

Release Date: December 1, 2020

When we last saw Louve of Mei Solis, he had resigned his position as Usher to Nicholas and had joined Reynold of Warstone as a mercenary. And now he has been sent on a new mission – invade the holding of Reynold’s brother, Ian and find the parchment pertaining to the fabled Jewell of Kings. In addition to his mission, he has been tasked with protecting Reynold’s youngest brother – Balthus – who has recently reconciled with Reynold. Louve knows that dealing with the Warstones is tricky – they are a complex, deadly group who play games with peoples lives and seemingly have no consciences. He convinces Balthus to stay in hiding, while he enters the fortress and hopefully secures work. As luck would have it, the steward hires him on the spot and then bolts – leaving Louve to deal with a drunken free for all in the kitchens.

Biedeluue “Bied” is at the fortress to rescue her sister Margery, who is Ian’s mistress. She is trying to find a way to see her and after two weeks, has had no luck. She first meets Louve when he comes upon her and another servant in the middle of a drinking game. She can’t believe how handsome he is and even in her drunken state, knows that he is not who or what he claims to be.

She is drawn to him and he to her, but neither trusts easily and when in the company of Warstones, one cannot afford to lose focus. Ian soon makes it clear that he is on to both Louve and Bied and pulls them into his game and to complicate things even more, Balthus “arrives” with his evil parents. Now, not only does Louve have to complete his mission, but he also has to protect Balthus from his family and the woman he loves from becoming a pawn in Ian’s games.

This was a very complex and at times mystifying story. It is well written, but it is really not a story you can skim or read quickly there is A LOT going on and it is not always easy to keep track of who is the bad guy – the Warstones are a truly evil family – think the Borgias – and the brothers have been set against each other since birth – but at times you can’t help but feel sorry for them. I did enjoy the inactions between Louve and Bied, their banter was fun and their love scenes bordered on spicy. In addition to that, this book has murder, secrets, lies, betrayal, poison, villains galore, warm love scenes and a well deserved HEA. This is the 10th book in the series and I would recommend reading the books in order.

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