Warrior’s Surrender
by
Elizabeth Ellen Carter
Publisher: Etopia Press
Published: November 5, 2014
Genre: Historical Romance
Pages: 352
by
Elizabeth Ellen Carter
Publisher: Etopia Press
Published: November 5, 2014
Genre: Historical Romance
Pages: 352
A shared secret from their past could destroy their future…
Northumbria, 1077. In the years following William the Conqueror’s harrying of
the North, Lady Alfreya of Tyrswick returns to her family home after seven
years in exile. But instead of returning victorious as her dead father had
promised, she returns defeated by Baron Sebastian de la Croix, the Norman who
rules her lands.
To save her gravely ill brother’s life, Alfreya offers herself hostage to her
enemy. As Alfreya gets to know her new husband, she finds he’s not the monster
she feared, and their marriage of convenience soon becomes a bond of passion.
But Sebastian is a man with a secret—one that could destroy him.
As a series of brutal murders haunt their nights, the man who betrayed
Alfreya’s father returns claiming to be her betrothed. He has learned
Sebastian’s secret and will use it to further his own ambition—using
Sebastian’s own family—which will destroy Sebastian and mark him a traitor, and
plunge an unprepared England into war with the Scots…
OMG! To say this was a great read is quite the understatement. It was an awesome read. It’s been
awhile since I have read a well written medieval historical romance. Warrior’s Surrender is a story of honour and love that was set during the time that the Normans had conquered Saxon. What I liked about this book was that although it was set in a time when the English language was not as evolved as it now, the author used language that modern day readers could relate to.
The characters were complex, strong and well developed. They had the ability to hold the reader’s interest, leaving them wanting more. I found it easy to relate to them on every level. I found myself rooting for Sebastian and Alfreya as I wanted the best for them. I was totally invested in their outcome. They complimented each other very well. The chemistry between them was sizzling and off the charts. This was good as without chemistry the romance would not have been believable.
Alfreya was the type of woman who was willing to fight for what she believed. She stood by her people through thick and thin. She wanted what was best for them as such when she realized that surrendering to her enemy would be in their interest she decided to secure a deal with Baron Sebastian de la Croix. Sebastian was a merciful, yet powerful leader. He commanded the allegiance of his knights and the masses whom he had acquired through the subjection. However, there were a few who questioned his decision to secure a truce with Alfreya and her people.
The villain of the story was evil beyond the words. He was cunning and not above using the innocent to achieve his evil plans. His biggest motivations were greed and power.
The story pulled me in from the first page. The prologue sets the pace of the story. As one gets into the story the events that took place at the introduction becomes quite clear. The story was well paced and it had the right balance of romance and adventure. There were also some supernatural elements. All the events taking place blended well with the main story making for an intriguing read. The only issue I had with this story was the way which the villain was dealt with. I do believe he got off too lightly. I say this because he was not made to take responsibility for his actions. I do not want to go into too much detail as it may lead to spoilers. It was this reason I gave the story a four star.
This was my first time reading this author’s work and I am looking forward to read more. If you are a fan of romance, adventure and epic battles in medieval times, then this story is for you.
This book was provided in exchange
for an honest review.
NO monetary compensation was provided for this review.
The opinions expressed in my reviews are my own.
By the light of the fire she could see the abandoned
chair. To see the second chair Frey must peer around the door.
It too was empty.
Frey frowned. Did she doze and Sebastian slipped past
her unseen? She took a further step or two into the room and looked.
The bed was…
Before Frey could complete the thought, she was grabbed
roughly from behind and held firmly against a man’s broad chest. A large hand
covered her mouth and suppressed an involuntary scream.
The man recognised her and relaxed but did not remove
his hand.
“You picked the wrong night to slit my throat while I
slept, princess.”
Sebastian’s whispered voice filled her ear. He held her
still for long moments before speaking.
“Are you recovered? You will not scream?”
Frey nodded and shook her head in answer to each
question and she was released, her heart pumping furiously.
“Do you suggest I pick some other night then?” she
said, wiping her mouth to rid the sensation of his hand.
Sebastian ignored her barb and poured a small measure
of spiced wine into his goblet. He handed it to her and watched as she drank.
“Why do you assume the worst of me?” she asked.
“Habit,” he answered, arms folded across his chest.
“Now tell me what you’re doing in my chambers while others sleep.”
“I have to speak to you.”
Sebastian’s eyebrows rose in surprise. It might have
been scepticism, but Frey couldn’t be sure.
“And it couldn’t wait until morning?”
All of a sudden Frey’s courage left her and she
wondered if her senses had taken leave of her too.
She was an unmarried woman, alone, late at night in the
bed chamber of a man whose mere presence made her feel powerful sensations that
she struggled to understand. What on earth was she doing?
She shook her head softly.
“This was a mistake.”
As she turned to leave, Sebastian grabbed her wrist.
“It’s a mistake to not finish what you start.”
A future with words was always on the book for Elizabeth
Ellen Carter who started writing her own stories when she ran out of Nancy Drew
mysteries to read when she was 10.
Using her mother’s Olivetti type writer with the italic
keyboard, she spent endless school holidays making up her own stories and then
using the Dewey Decimal System to arrange and categorize her bookshelf.
Somewhere around the age of 13 she determined to become a
journalist and at 17 was awarded a cadetship to the Gold Coast Bulletin.
She covered news, council, education, health but had the
most fun as the paper’s entertainment and features reporter covering film, TV
and music.
Best of all she met her husband there and together they
started a small award-winning media, marketing and advertising agency and now
she works as marketing manager for an international organic skin care company.
In 2012, Elizabeth also returned to the keyboard to write
stories (and laptops are so much better than manual typewriters).
Her debut, Moonstone Obsession was shortlisted for
the 2013 Romance Writers Of Australia’s Emerald Awards for unpublished
manuscripts.
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Nadene's addiction to reading began at an early age, when a family friend gifted her a copy of Wuthering Heights. From that moment she was never without a book.She will read anything as long the material is compelling enough to hold her attention. She gained many experiences through the pages of the books she had the opportunity to read.She created this blog to share her love of books with like minded individuals hopes that in sharing reviews of the books read visitors to the blog will discover their next addictive read. When not reading, Nadene enjoys cooking, listening to music and watching television.
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