Stirling Castle, 1498
Visiting court for the first time since her father's death, Lady Avelina Gordon finds herself drawn to the handsome warrior, Sir Lachlan MacNair. But as a woman who has seen too many of her friends lose everything for 'love', she keeps her heart guarded.
Castle Berradane, 1502
Lady Avelina is unceremoniously told to expect her new husband within the month. The man in question: Sir Lachlan.
Lachlan arrives in Berradane carrying his own secret, and a determination to control his heart. As attraction builds between the couple, they find themselves under attack and fearful of a traitor in their midst.
Can the teamwork they've shown in adversity so far pull them through one final test, and will they find the strength to risk their hearts, as well as their lives?
Historical romance is a reasonably new genre to me and I really enjoyed The Warriors' Prize. The two main characters are wonderful and it was an absolute pleasure to see their relationship grow and blossom, although there are the inevitable misunderstandings and insecurities of a new relationship.
Lady Avelina is a feisty character who stands up for what she believes in. Her staff are more like friends than employees and as Mistress of Berradane she is loved by all who work and live on her lands. Avelina isn't best pleased when the king selects a husband for her, although Sir Lachlan MacNair is an acceptable choice.
Living on the border between England and Scotland puts Berradane at risk of being attacked by border reivers. After one such attack, Avelina and Lachlan hatch a plan to take back what was stolen but it doesn't exactly go to plan as there's some skulduggery afoot. It's almost a book of two halves as we get to know the characters and the location in the first part of the book but then the pacing really ramps up as the danger increases.
Enthralling and entertaining, The Warriors' Prize is beautifully written and perfectly balanced between romance and adventure. The romance is subtle and heartwarming and it was the action and adventure that increased my heartrate. A recommended read.
I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
Purchase link: https://mybook.to/TheWarriorsPrize
About the author:
Jennifer has been stalking dead monarchs since she was a child. It started with Mary, Queen of Scots, then moved onto Richard III. At least now it results in a story!
She won North Tyneside Libraries' Story Tyne short story competition in 2014 (no dead monarchs, but still not a cheerful read), and has been filling notebooks and hard-drives ever since. Her Kindred Spirits series, following the 'lives' of some very interesting ghostly communities, is published by Darkstroke, and her historical romances by Ocelot Press.
Jennifer is currently exploring some new ideas for historical romance, and hoping to visit Kindred Spirit friends old and new, north of the border...
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