Knight of Pleasure

By Margaret Mallory

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Noblewomen of the early 1400s are accustomed to being political pawns in dynastic struggles. Isobel’s father wed her as a child to the elderly Lord Hume in order to get money to buy back his confiscated lands after he backed the wrong side. Now King Henry wants the widowed Isobel to marry a Rouen nobleman in order to help strengthen England’s post-Agincourt ties with France. She is resigned to another arranged union until she meets and falls for the handsome Sir Stephen Carleton, one of Henry’s knights. How can Isobel serve the king and still follow her heart?

Isobel is a feisty heroine who can wield a sword along with her would-be rescuers in the climactic fight scene. Except for one info-dump explanation of Henry’s background, the historical bits of the story are well-woven into the plot. Isobel and Stephen’s relationship and the genre’s requisite bedroom scenes are satisfying, neither overwrought nor understated. An enjoyable historical romance.