A Knight's Enchantment
Lindsay Townsend
Zebra, Jun 1 2010, $5.99
ISBN: 9781420106978
In 1210 England, Bishop Thomas holds the father of Joanna of Glastonbury prisoner. If Joanna the alchemist wants to see her dad live, she will create an eternal life elixir. Insulted as a puffer by the Bishop’s cruel men Joanna pans for gold, a necessary ingredient in the elixir she is brewing.
Sir Hugh Manahill learns the Bishop has captured his brother David. He attempts to ransom his sibling, but is not only insulted by the Bishop, he demands relics he accuses David of stealing. The Bishop orders his men to incarcerate Sir Hugh. He flees but hauls Joanna with him hoping she is an exchange chip to free his brother. Instead the pair realizes a mutual loathing of the Bishop who has their respective loved ones held in captivity and a strong attraction to one another. They team up with resolve to free her father and his brother, and send odious Bishop Thomas to the eternal life in hell he deserves.
This superb medieval romance is a very invigorating brisk thriller due to the strong background as the church and state interweave like a DNA helix to the chagrin of those unfortunates caught at the nodal points of abused power. Brother Thomas is as vile a villain one will encounter in a thirteen the century historical like Chaucer’s Pardoner but nastier, he would sell souls if he could. His opposite is the lead couple who are courageous and fortified by their love for each other as they risk their freedom to rescue their confined loved ones.
Harriet Klausner
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