My rating: 4/5 stars
Thea was found alone by a handsome warrior after she had survived a brutal caravan attack. Moody and powerful, Lord Ware felt no need to rescue a total stranger but his friend felt it was a good idea. Thea’s feisty character and striking beauty moved him and so he takes her to his desert fortress, Dundragon. Ware is being hunted and it won’t be long before they catch up to him. Will Thea be his saviour or the one weapon his enemies could use to destroy him?
My thoughts
If you follow me on twitter you will know that I have just discovered the Libby app for my local library. This has been a saviour for me and my bank account during lockdown. Although I much prefer a physical copy, the app has both audiobooks and ebooks and beggars can’t be choosers right?
As you can see from my reading time on the screen, it took me no time at all to read this 480 page novel. It is not often I read medieval historical fiction and enjoy it this much.
The characters in this novel were well crafted and I was pleasantly surprised that I liked them all. Thea as the protagonist in the story was a strong female lead and it made her instantly likeable. Ware was the stereotypical brooding lead male who believes that he is a danger to her. The two characters bounced off each other so well and had some amazing sexual chemistry!
As someone who knows little about the medieval time period so I really have to commend Iris Johansen for the way that she brought it to life. The historical elements and references to the Crusades and the Knights Templar were expertly weaved with the romance between the characters. The plot was never confusing and stayed focused; I was more than happy to be swept into story.
The novel, as you are reading it, feels fairly fast paced yet after finishing reading it I realised that all of these events had happened over a period of three years. This is my only issue with the book. At one point eighteen months were missing and although it was referenced that time had passed, it felt like there was a hole in the middle of the novel. This really slowed the plot down as the reader is trying to catch up with what happened during this time. Although, I can see why Iris Johansen made this decision I feel that the book would have worked as well being spread over a smaller time frame.
This was such a good novel, filled with adventure and stubborn, lovable characters. I usually find I have to really concentrate with historical fiction as there is usually an abundance of characters, however this was such an easy read. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to escape for a bit.
Do you have a suggestion for the next book to add to my bookshelf? Let me know in comments.
Alice and Her Bookshelf 
Great review – this sounds really good.
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