A Knight's Temptation

Hoping to right a great wrong perpetuated on Lord Geoffrey de Lanceau after shooting him in the chest with a crossbow bolt, Aldwin Treynarde plans to make amends and finally earn his knighthood spurs by retrieving a stolen ruby pendant stolen by the treacherous Baron Sedgewick and his ruthless mistress Veronique. The Baron had set Aldwin up into firing at de Lanceau so he had much to gain by accomplishing this task. At the same time, Lady Leona Ransley was trying to save her distraught father from destroying himself as he allowed the Baron & Veronique to lead him astray. Leona overheard their plans and stole the ruby pendant so she could return it to Lord de Lanceau before her father could be accused of treason. Making arrangements to collect the reward and return the pendant, Leona never expected that she would be dealing with Aldwin, a childhood tormentor who almost caused her death twelve years before. If Aldwin uncovered her true identity, all would be lost. Only the tormentor of her youth, was tormenting her still only now with stirring images of passion that she could not deny. *** As always when it comes to sensually stimulating romances combined with adventuresome medieval plotting, Ms. Catherine Kean is carving out her own special niche. In A Knight's Temptation she has excelled at creating two lively multi-faceted characters in Lady Leona and Aldwin. As a child, Aldwin was a privileged young son who was Leona's brother's best friend. Not wanting to lose the closeness with her brother, Leona would sneak away to join their games rather than follow young lady pursuits. The accident that occurred when Leona was tied to a tree housing a bee's nest and the subsequent attack that nearly killed her was only one of the accidents that perpetuated Aldwin's fall from grace and subsequent banishment from his own home. Aldwin had a lot riding on retrieving the stolen jewel and discovering who had stolen it. As much as he assumed that the young woman calling herself Lady L was not who she appeared to be, he had even more trouble, believing her to be the young girl he had caused to die after being attacked by a swarm of angry bees. Lady Leona had no reason to trust or like Aldwin, the "arrogant turd", who had caused such an upheaval in her life but the good looking young man, had indeed turned into a very handsome man and her mind was imagining all kinds of sensual feelings she really should not be feeling. Unfortunately, knowing of his allegiance to Lord de Lanceau, Leona could not risk Aldwin discovering her identity and having it lead back to her father who was not in his right mind and was being drugged by Baron Sedgewick and Veronique. Her only thoughts were to return the jewel; get the reward money; and hurry back to try and repair the damage before her home was completely overrun and destroyed by the Baron and his mistress. After Aldwin kidnapped Leona to bring both she and the jewel back to de Lanceau their lives kick

In 1183 Moydenshire, England, Aldwin Treynarde, son of an earl was playing with his friend Ward Ransley when they tied up the latter's younger sister Leona. Their game turns dangerous when a bee hive is shook and the bees attack Leona. Aldwin saves her life, but his irate father exiles him for un-chivalrous behavior though he is just eleven years old. Owing his liege Lord Geoffrey de Lanceau for a terrible wrong he committed, Aldwin volunteers to find a stolen family heirloom before it falls into the treacherous hands of Baron Sedgewick and his evil wife Lady Veronique as someone is offering it for sale to the highest bidder. Aldwin hates the deceitful glib Sedgewick so he agrees to go alone in case of a trap to meet the woman who claims she possesses the pendant. Lady L recognizes Aldwin though she has not seen him in twelve years, but he does realize his hostess is Leona. He believes she is toying with him so abducts her hoping to get her to give him the pendant. As they fall in love, danger mounts; but to survive they must protect each other's back. The third Lord de Lanceau romance (see KNIGHT REWARD and A KNIGHT'S VENGEANCE) is an exciting action-packed medieval romance. The story line is fast-paced once Aldwin begins his quest in 1195 and never slows down. Fans will enjoy the gender war between the immovable object and the irresistible force who when they team up battle the odds. Catherine Kean provides another knightly winner. Harriet Klausner

Set in Moydenshire, England. In Summer, 1183, an eight-year-old Leona Ransley was tied to a tree against her wishes by her brother and his new friend, Aldwin Treynarde. The boys were pretending to be knights and planned to bravely rescue Leona, their damsel in distress. But the boys' fun became dangerous when, as they vanquished their invisible foes out of sight from her, Leona became covered in a swarm of bees. For twelve years Aldwin heard nothing and believed his actions had killed an innocent maiden. In Summer, 1195, Aldwin Treynarde is a loyal servant of Geoffrey de Lanceau, lord of Branton Keep and all of Moydenshire. Aldwin is ordered by his lord to retrieve a stolen ruby pendant before it falls into the hands of the Baron and Veronique. Baron Sedgewick was sent to the king's dungeon for plotting to kill de Lanceau and Lady Elizabeth's sire, as well as his cruel deceptions that led to the death of de Lanceau's father eighteen years prior. The baron's conspirator, de Lanceau's former courtesan by the name of Veronique Desjardan, was also imprisoned for trying to poison and stab de Lanceau. Somehow, they escaped. They were never recaptured. De Lanceau once heard they had fled England for Normandy, but this was never proven. For years, there was no word of them. Now they have returned to Moydenshire and are once again plotting against de Lanceau. Lady Leona Ransley, trying to help her depressed father and the people of Pryerston depending on him, intercepts the ruby pendant before it reaches Veronique and wants only to hand it over for the reward. Upon meeting, Aldwin believes the hooded lady to be a courtesan with information on the whereabouts of the Baron and Veronique. Aldwin takes the mysterious woman hostage, meaning to deliver her and the pendant to Lord de Lanceau. Not only does Leona NOT want to go with Aldwin, but dangerous people pursue them. And when Aldwin realizes who the mysterious lady is, he knows that he has one last chance to protect her. ***** I am not a big fan of stories with knights in them, but there are a handful of authors that are an exception simply because they write the stories so well that I cannot resist! Author Catherine Kean is one of those few. The characters are so realistic because the author shows their flaws. They are not perfect. They are human. They are believable. Another thing I hate is when the main characters are just hard-headed or the wedge between the two is due to a series of miscommunications. I want to smack those upside their heads. I found none of that nonsense here. Everything in this story could have actually happened. The tale does not slow down in the middle either. I could not bring myself to stop reading long enough to fix dinner. (I ordered pizza and kept on reading.) Catherine Kean writes dazzling and unforgettable stories. ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

The first book, A Knight's Vengeance, is about Geoffrey de Lanceau and his Lady Elizabeth. Geoffrey kidnaps Elizabeth as part of his plot for revenge for the foul deeds against his name and his murdered father's name. Geoffrey believes Elizabeth's father is responsible. Now enter a love sick fool who is deceived into believing that Geoffrey has hurt his Lady Love, Elizabeth. Aldwin Treynarde, the hero of A Knight's Temptation, shoots de Lanceau in the chest, thinking he is protecting Elizabeth and her father, but boy, was he wrong! Three years later, after pledging himself to serve de Lanceau, he finds himself kidnapping his own lady, the Lady Leona in A Knight's Temptation. Twelve years earlier, a childhood game of Damsel in distress turns tragic when eight year old Leona is reluctantly tied to tree by her brother and a boy that he befriends that is visiting their household. Aldwin. Leona is not happy that they leave her there, alone, she wants to be part of the sword fighting also, not the trussed up lady needing rescue. But young Aldwin doesn't leave before he places an innocent kiss upon her lips, which just infuriates Leona even more. Then tragedy strikes when a swarm of bees sting her little body that nearly caused her death. Now twelve years later, Aldwin and Leona's paths cross again over a stolen ruby pendant that belongs to de Lanceau. Aldwin believes all these years later that Leona died from the bee stings she suffered. His shame and dishonor from that fateful day and then the shooting of de Lanceau three years earlier weigh heavy on him. Aldwin winds up taking Leona against her will to de Lanceau. And the journey begins as Aldwin and Leona discover an attraction that neither can resist. Between their battle of wills, Leona finds herself dreaming of the next kiss Aldwin might steal from her, wanting his heat and the feelings he provokes within her. There were some interesting twists that added to the plot from A Knight's Vengeance regarding de Lanceau and Veronique. I enjoyed revisiting the characters from the first book. The two antagonists were once again front and center in this one. However in A knight's Temptation one gets what is deserving of their foul deeds, and one gets away to live another day, Veronique. Oh, she's a cruel, disturbed woman. I can only hope she gets whats due her in a future book. And I'm curious to see how one of the events plays out in future books. If you like the kidnapped heroine who falls for her capture as they journey to their destination, a strong-willed heroine who isn't afraid to fight, a hero who wants honor and respect but doesn't quite go about it in the best of ways, a lot of action, and some stolen heated kisses, then check this book out. However, I would recommend reading A Knight's Vengeance first. There are a lot of references to that book in this one. I don't know if you would also benefit by reading A Knight's Reward (Book two in the Knight's series) before A Knight's Temptation. I d

Aldwin Treynarde was tasked to return a stolen ruby pendant to his lord. Lady Leona Ransley has it, and thought to ransom it, both for the money and to protect her father's potentially treasonous activity regarding the pendant. Aldwin kidnaps her, planning to deliver the necklace and her to his lord. He is shocked to discover she is the Leona of his childhood, whom he thought dead because of his wayward antics. In the meantime, Leona's home is under siege by two evil people bent on revenge against Aldwin and his lord. As they travel to the castle, battling each other every step of the way, love fights to triumph. In the third of the Knight's series, Catherine Kean brings to life a story of chivalry and romance. Aldwin is tormented by mistakes from his past and his knightly tendencies make his pain all the more acute. Leona represents one of those mistakes, and as he gets to know her, his heart opens to her. Aldwin is a wonderful character and Leona is a strong woman. She doesn't ever give up on trying to escape and is clever and resourceful. A Knight's Temptation is a tale of nonstop action, suspense and blossoming love. Niki Lee Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed