The Maiden and Her Knight

Connor of Llanstephan is an impoverished knight who comes to Montclair Castle to take part in a tournament.While their he falls in love with Allis the daughter of the Earl of Montclair.Alas the fair lady is already betrothed to a neighbor whom she loathes but is duty bound to marry to rotect her family.She falls in love with Connor but both believe that their love is doomed to be unfulfilled.For a while it is only courtly love between but eventually they give in to their hearts desires.This a beautiful love story with a hero and heroine that I could admire and love.They were both very unselfish putting the welfare of both their families above their own desire to be together.Connor was a very honorable knight and Allis was truly a lady.

Allis of Montclair is a young woman struggling to run her family's castle and lands ever since her mother died and her father fell into the depths of despair. Overburdened with responsibility, she must be the lady of the manor and a mother to her younger brother and sister. To help her family, she is willing to enter into a loveless marriage to Rennick DeFrouchette, a man Allis does not care for at all -- until she meets Connor, a Welsh knight returning disgraced from the Crusades. Allis and Connor and instantly attracted to one another, and their feelings grow into love. When treachery threatens their happiness, Allis and Connor must fight to find a way to be together. This was one of the first adult historical romances I read, and I simply loved it. I'll definitely be reading more books by Margaret Moore, and more Medieval-set romances.

Noblemen are seldom virtuous when the balance of power is not to their liking. Rennick DeFrouchette, a Norman baron, is but one of many who crave greater power and the influence it brings with it. Lady Allis de Montclair is aware of every loathsome and despicable act the baron has been party to, and yet she maintains her own council (thinking to spare her grieving father, the earl of Montclair, further grief). Steeped in melancholy these past six years, the earl is but a pale shadow of his former self. DeFrouchette has magnanimously stepped into the gap left by the current earl. None have thought to question his presumption, as the baron is neighbor to Montclair Castle. Indeed, the people of Montclair view the baron in a favorable light. A handsome man of noble countenance, they think; Lady Allis is lucky to curry the favor of such a man. That dear lady feels naught but revulsion for the baron, however. Although they are nearly betrothed, Allis is sickened by the oily glint of lust in DeFrouchette's gaze, by his blatant abuse of power and his sly manipulation of her father. To keep her family safe (and her brother and sister ignorant of how utterly un-noble a man can be), Allis has reluctantly held her fears silent and her observations equally mute. After all, as chatelaine of Montclair Castle, it is her heart-sworn duty to keep all within its walls hale and hearty. DeFrouchette has made threats in the past, and she dare not risk giving the baron cause to follow through on them.A precipitous twist of fate, however, will bring Allis face to face with a knight of genuine virtue. Sir Connor of Llanstephan, a Welshman by birth, is a guest at her father's tourney (an event dreamed up by Allis in hopes of revitalizing that wretchedly unhappy man). With his barbarously long hair, Sir Connor is an enigmatic temptation to the fair Allis. Having spent time in King Richard's retinue and the Holy Lands, he is a knight of experience and surprisingly dark shadows. 'Twould seem Sir Connor was cast out by the King for voicing an impertinent and unpopular thought: that there was naught holy in the supposedly holy war they were waging. He's also landless, penniless and far beyond Allis's reach with DeFrouchette claiming her as his intended bride.The attraction is nonetheless mutual. Connor is deeply intrigued by the Lady Allis; his heated admiration for her loyalty, quick wittedness, and passionate nature is hard to tame and cage away. He has naught to offer her, however; naught but his heart, that is, and a steady sword arm. Even that is put into question after the unfortunate splintering of his lance on the tournament field. Connor's injury lengthens his stay at Montclair Castle (a happy incident, that), but also increases his awareness of Allis and his burning desire for a future that 'twould seem impossible. Treachery is also afoot, and deepens the peril Allis and Connor face with their burgeoning love. DeFrouchette is a man not to be th

The Earl of Montclair never recovered from the death of his beloved wife six years ago. He depends on his oldest daughter Allis to run the castle and his friend Baron Rennick DeFrouchette to oversee the estate. Although not up to it, Montclair hosts a tournament. On the eve of the event, Allis sees Connor of Llanstephan, a poor wandering knight whom King Richard sent home from the Holy Land in disgrace. Connor told His Highness that the slaughter of unarmed prisoners, even infidels, was wrong. Allis and Connor are instantly attracted to each other. Although she detests Rennick as a bully, Allis accepts his proposal because she fears for her siblings and her people. Lord Oswald arrives and meets with Rennick to discuss the plot to assassinate King Richard. Oswald believes that Connor is the perfect pawn to kill the king while bringing the Welsh conspirators support to their cause if Rennick can keep Allis out of the way. THE MAIDEN AND HER KNIGHT portrays a different picture of King Richard the Lionhearted through the eyes of a once believing but now skeptical Connor. The story line is exciting as readers wonder if Oswald is right that Connor is the perfect dupe to kill His Highness because of the horrifying Crusade. Allis is a brave sacrificing soul while Connor suffers from what he observed in the Holy Land. Margaret Moore, already known for strong tales like HIS FORBIDDEN KISS, A SCOUNDREL'S KISS, and ROGUE'S EMBRACE, paints another winning historical tale.Harriet Klausner