 The Love Knot
By Elizabeth Chadwick (St. Martin’s, December 1999) Reviewed by Harriet Klausner Click here to purchase this book now from Amazon.com! |
 n 1140, everyone suffers from the bloody Civil War between the supporters of King Stephen and those of the Empress Mathilda. The countryside is filled with heinous crimes, as Oliver Pascal will soon learn when he comes across the raped and battered body of a friend, Lady Amice, who soon dies. Oliver escorts Amice’s ten-year-old son Richard and her maid Catrin to a relative, Earl Robert in Bristol.
Catrin tries to protect Richard, whom she sees as more of a son than a burden. She also feels obligated to Oliver for rescuing them even though she loathes the concept of depending on any male. Still she begins to fall in love with him and he reciprocates those feelings. As Oliver tries to regain his lost lands, he marries Catrin, not knowing that their relationship stands in jeopardy due to external forces having a different agenda. The Love Knot is well-written according-to-the-book medieval romance. Sub-genre fans will enjoy the interesting story line that places honor and love in peril, though the swing between present and past vernacular is a bit disconcerting. The lead characters are wonderful champions and Robert adds much depth to the tale. Elizabeth Chadwick writes a fine tale that her fans will enjoy.
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