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Will
Lady Eyreka become a tenant on her own land, or boldly step forward
and offer herself as bride? Merewood Keep is just beginning to earn
revenues and with her son as it's overlord.
When King William decides to gift the newly rebuilt keep to one of
his favored knights, she is devastated until she hears the rumors
that the Norman is widowed.
Augustin de Chauret has no desire to marry, nor live in England.
But his liege lord has gifted him with a keep and now a wife. But
will the Saxon beauty be willing to raise his motherless daughter
and teach her how to run a keep?
REVIEWS:
Historical romances are one of my favorite
genres to read.
Well-written historical romances send me into a
reading nirvana. I reached that and more with THE SAXON BRIDE. Having
read The Lord of Merewood Keep, also by C. H. Admirand, I was well
acquainted with some of the characters and found myself fully immersed
in the story of Eyreka, Garrick’s mother. I loved her tenacity and
faithfulness in The Lord of Merewood Keep and I have to say that she
came into her own with THE SAXON BRIDE. I found her gentle but strong,
and a force to be reckoned with. Augustin was my idea of the definitive
warrior. Strong, gruff, and loyal to his dead wife’s memory, his
capitulation to loving Eyreka was just magnificent. I couldn’t help but
fall in love with Augustin myself.
THE SAXON BRIDE by C. H. Admirand
highlights her talent as a writer. As both a reviewer and a fan, I love
watching her writing evolve. I anxiously await her next novel in this
gripping and emotional series!
Reviewed by Natasha Smith
Romance Junkies
Blue Ribbon Rating: 5
C.H. Admirand’s newest novel,
The Saxon Bride, is a sequel to her first release with The
Dark Castle Lords, The Lord of Merewood Keep. I had the
great pleasure of reviewing that first book, and as much as I enjoyed
that one, I loved the second story even more! Admirand writes a
wonderful historical, and the reader is immersed completely in the
worlds she creates. Her characters are believably real, and she
effortlessly creates empathy for them from the very first chapter,
maintaining that empathy throughout the story.
We first met Eyreka in The Lord of Merewood Keep, where
she was introduced as the young widowed mother of that story’s hero,
Garrick. She proved her mettle during the trials she and her daughter
in law suffered in that book, and her strength of will and character are
even more evident in The Saxon Bride. She will do
anything, sacrifice anything, for the good of her people and her
children.
It is this strength that ultimately draws the gun shy Augustin to her.
While forced to marry her by the King, he was determined not to love any
woman again, fearful of losing a loved one again as he lost his beloved
but fragile first wife. Likewise, the fairness and reason he
demonstrates with his rule of the keep serve to allay Eyreka’s worries
regarding the kind of man she has married, and foster a deep love for
him rivaling that which she shared with her first husband.
Of course, the couple experiences a good many trials and a bit of angst
before they find their way to each other. The author provides both
internal antagonists in the shape of their fears of loving again, and
external antagonists in the form of the residents of the keep who balk
at the ‘intruders’, Augustin’s men who are reluctant to accept Eyreka as
his wife, and a mysterious threat to all inside the keep.
Readers new to C.H. Admirand’s work will be happy to know that The
Saxon Bride can easily be read as a standalone novel and make
complete sense. Of course, it is enhanced by reading its prequel first,
as you will be privy to the relationships and nuances to the story that
are told in The Lord of Merewood Keep. I can’t recommend
both of these books strongly enough!
Reviewed by Jennifer
CK2s Kwips and Kritiques
Rating: 4.5 Klovers |
