A Knight's Vow

She was the Black Angel, a woman who sought revenge against James Markaha, Earl of Bolton. But soon Lady Isabel, aka The Black Angel, finds herself married to the man she hates. Is their married life to be reduced to the endless pursuit of revenge, or could there be something more to it . . . could it be love? 1486, a time of knights, a ladies . . . and love. Gayle Callen wove a beautiful tapestry of all three.

The story of Isabel, the lady warrior, and James Markham, Earl of Bolton, was so riveting that I couldn't put it down until I found out how these two people would solve their problems and fall in love. I didn't want this story to end. The sexual tension sizzled in this very sensual book. The author is incredibly skilled and talented as a story-teller. I just loved it and you will, too.

Gayle Callen's "A Knight's Vow" is truly a fabulous read that you will not want to put down or end. Ms. Callen takes the classic battle of the sexes to new heights of humor, excitement and tenderness. This book is brilliantly written with characters so memorable they quite jump off the page and grab your heart. It's a must read for fans of famous boy vs. girl pairings like Hepburn & Tracy or Bruce Willis & Cybil Shepard in Moonlighting. Ms. Callen draws the reader into James and Isabel's world easily. The sparkling dialogue that was full of double entendre's and all out fun kept me entranced. The journey that James and Isabel take from being physically attracted enemies to deeply in love soul mates is very satisfying and will no doubt be considered a classic! What is most captivating is how Ms. Callen lets the reader truly "get into" her characters' heads. Behind the humorous humiliations, the serious competitions between boy and girl, are real emotions of heartache, failure and inadequacy. Isabel and James' triumph over their very human failings; they come to respect and cherish each other for who they truly are, not who they appear to be. This is a must read for any romance fan, not just medievals. I absolutely recommend it as a top-notch novel!

Isabel Atherstone is the Black Angel, a woman whose life has been shaped by traumatic events in which she had no part - a horrible tournament injury inflicted upon her father by the father of the book's hero, James Markham. Because of what happened to her father, Isabel is raised with one goal, one driving motivation that forces her to drown out all of her natural needs and desires in order to attain it: gaining revenge on the hero's family. And to achieve this end, she is raised as a man. Raised to fight like a man, dress like a man, think like a man. Raised to be a warrior in the truest sense of the word... But she is a warrior with a woman's wounded heart. With this, her second book, Ms. Callen has risen to new levels by giving us a multi-faceted heroine who breaks the bounds. Isabel is hard as nails on the outside, yet vulnerable on the inside, unsure of herself and her ability to be a woman that any man - but particularly the handsome James Markham - could desire for his own. With superb writing style and excellently drawn, unique and exciting characters, Ms. Callen has written another winner in A Knight's Vow. Well worth every penny and then some!

Anyone who is threatened by seeing a strong, capable, feisty heroine should probably stick to reading Snow White. For the rest of us--strong women who aren't afraid of our own innate feminine power, this book is a gem that will be treasured down through the ages. Not only is it stunningly well written, brilliantly plotted, and thrilling all the way through, it is also a bonafide work of feminist literature. This book is a prime example of why and how romance fiction can be empowering to women everywhere. The genre has changed. It's by women, for women, about women. Strong, smart, independent women who tolerate no nonsense and demand not only love, but respect and honor from their men. Brava Ms. Callen! Well done!