Master of Craving

Master Of Craving by Karin Tabke Historical Romance -May 26th, 2009 4 ½ Stars Master of Craving by Karin Tabke is the third installment in her Blood Sword Legacy Series. The main hero is Stefan de Valrey, one of the most fearsome knights in medieval England. After a terrible battle where he is left unconscious on the battlefield and his sworn brothers are captured he acquires a stroke of luck, and manages to rescue the beautiful princess, Arianrhod. Stefan plans to exchange Arianrhod for his brothers who are now in the hands of the Welsh. The only catch is that she must remain a virgin or he will not be able to liberate his brother which becomes increasingly difficult for him to honor with each passing day that he spends with the enchanting princess. Even though I don't really read medieval England due to my fuzzy knowledge on English history, I thought this book was really well written. There were no modern slangs and Karin stayed true to the time period. That said, I was a bit confused whenever it focuses on the Norman, Saxon, Viking, and Welsh! Still, I thought the book was well paced with enough 'hot' scenes interspersed. The sexual tension between the two leads was very well developed and exciting. My only complaint is that I thought princess, Arianrhod could have been a bit tougher. I understand her need to escape Stefan, but sometimes her character struck me as unreasonable and too much of a softie. Personally, I like a tougher female protagonist. All in all, if you are a big fan of medieval romance, Tabke's 3rd installment is MUST a read. Reviewed by Pauline from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

The bloodsword Legacy are some of the best medieval novels I have read and Master Of Craving did not disappoint. Stefan is loyal, hard, scorned, and a totally delicious warrior. Arian is feisty, bold, brave and she is being used as a pawn to free the captured bloodsword brothers. The sexual tension between these two is so strong I could feel the heat coursing through my soul. On several occasions I found myself trying to persuade Stefan that he didn't REALLY need to free his brothers. They can take care of themselves so take her, take her now! *sigh* Karin fully delivers on the period details that make her books such an amazing read. The battle scenes are perfectly executed and so rich with detail I can picture it clearly in my minds eye. As always, I cant wait for the next one!

Every once in awhile you come across good solid writers and Karin Tabke is one of them. From her first book in this series through the third book, "Master of Craving" all three are intelligently written with strong complex characters, believable dialog, and a depth of understanding lacking in many books these days. I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Stefan and Arian and couldn't put it down. The good news is there are five more books to come as there are eight Blood Swords! Five worthy stars!

The Blood Sword Legacy Series: Master of Surrender *****(great action and romance) Master of Torment *****(very emotional, excellent action and characters) Master of Craving*****(emotional & triumphant, romantic, great lead up to next book) Once again, all eight of the Blood Sword Knights have returned to face their Norman King William's enemies. This time, we see them defeated in a battle that separates them for the first time since the day they swore allegiance to one another. Stefan de Valrey has managed to escape, while one of his "brothers" has disappeared amongst the sea of fallen bodies on the battlefield and the other six have been taken hostage by the Welsh. Despite his grave injury, he will not rest until all of his brothers are saved. While traveling through the forest, Stefan comes upon a woman bathing in the lake. Before he can approach her, she is attacked by a man bent on raping her. Stefan fights for the lady's virtue and life. When he learns that she is a Welsh princess, he knows he has found the perfect to key to the release of his imprisoned brothers. Arian has no idea that her champion from the forest is really one of the Norman king's favorite warriors. She believes he is only a mercenary planning to ransom her for gold. Both Arian and Stefan are suffering from serious injuries. Their only choice is to stop and rest for several days in an abandoned hunting lodge. Their attraction to each other is a living flame that neither dares to touch. She is betrothed to a Viking Jarl. He must use her to free his brothers. As part of the agreement to release the Blood Sword Knights, Stefan is forced to deliver Arian to her betrothed and wait for proof that she went to her marriage bed as a virgin. Handing her to another man proves more torturous than he can bare. Excellent story. Although the themes are not unique, the telling of the story was engaging and the pace made the book hard to put down. What is definitely unique is the fact that the author writes her heroes to be so human. They face injury, defeat, and fear for their loved ones and brothers. The only thing that bothered me a bit was the fact that the heroine tended to defend people who tried to harm her whenever Stefan came to her defense. She would nag about his being violent towards men who tried to rape her or use her. She also got angry at him for killing a man that she had asked him to promise he would not harm...Stefan had little choice when the man attacked him with a sword. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Adventure, battles, romance, and plenty of characters to keep the story moving. The book ends with a terrific opening for the next in series, while still giving us a triumphant HEA for the leading couple. Definitely read this series in order. Here are the links to books 1 and 2: Master of Surrender (Blood Sword Legacy, Book 1) Master of Torment (Blood Sword Legacy, Book 2)

The third book in the Blood Sword Legacy series starts with a captivatingly gripping scene, and each new compelling scenario contains additional attention-grabbing circumstances. Karin Tabke has created a rewarding masterpiece, one to be savored again and again. MASTER OF CRAVING is a rousing adventure where innermost desires intensely conflict with clear-cut priorities. During a violent battle in 1067 on English soil against the Welsh, most of the Blood Sword knights are taken prisoner by this enemy of King William. Although seriously injured, Stefan de Valrey manages to hide and begins planning retribution against those who have caused him so much pain, both physically and emotionally. He also knows he must find some way to free the men who are like brothers to him. While resting to regain some strength, he unexpectedly ends up in a confrontation where he rescues a Welsh princess from a brutal attack. Stefan now knows he has the means to liberate the captured Blood Swords, so he takes the woman as his hostage in order to swap her for the men. When Arianrhod left Dinefwr Castle to travel across England to reach her betrothed, she could never have imagined how her life would quickly change. She goes from being a pampered princess to a woman held as a pawn by a mercenary knight, and Arian knows she must protect her virtue or her future husband may reject her. However, every moment spent with Stefan only confuses her more, as her feelings for the man become more desirous with each new understanding. When their awareness of each other wants to overrule their main objectives, Stefan and Arian find themselves facing decisions which will have a lasting impact on not only them. Each scene of a story by Karin Tabke will leave readers spellbound. This gifted author will have you experiencing all the enthralling moments of her books, regardless of the setting or time period. The medieval novels by Ms. Tabke are some of the best I have read, as I am transported to a romanticized historical location where she lets my imagination visualize such realistic scenes. Add in plenty of strikingly attractive knights and the story is even more enchanting. From the start of MASTER OF CRAVING, one gets a sense of just how determined the hero and heroine will be in this story and they certainly do not disappoint. Stefan is trustworthy and his loyalty to those in whom he believes is admirable. The feisty nature of Arian had me cheering her on more than once, as she stood her ground plus spoke her mind. Ms. Tabke creates some clever dialogue between Stefan and Arian, and their convincing reactions to any arising situations seemed completely believable. When it comes to romantic couples, these two are one of the best I have read about lately. The sexual tension is absolutely palpable whenever they are together, and I could feel their restraint wavering on numerous occasions as the combustible heat between them only needed one tiny spark to make their control go up in f