Margaret Mallory

Regret. Pain. Hope. Passion. Love.

Those are the themes of KNIGHT OF PASSION by Margaret Mallory, although not necessarily in that order. Fans of Mallory will recognize our hero, Jamie Rayburn as the little boy from Knight of Desire. In the first book of the series, Jamie was a cute and precocious boy. Now, in KNIGHT OF PASSION, Jamie has grown up and become quite the looker. He's returned to England, searching for a wife to build a home. Although his heart is drawn to Lady Linnet, his mind show more steers him away. He wants a nice stable wife - can Linnet play that role?

The Lady Linnet's heart is torn in two different directions. One side of her wants to reek vengeance on the people who left who her poor and homeless after the death of her grandfather. She marries and quickly becomes a widow, all in according to her plan of generating wealth in order to track her prey across England. The other side of her, the side filled with love and hope, cried at having left Jamie to fulfill her dark mission. When she befriends Queen Katherine and finds herself once more in the presence of Jamie, the spark is quickly rekindled. Will her love for him be enough to convince him that she can change or will her mistakes destine her to a life without him?

This book was a bit more intense for me than Knight of Desire. The first in the series with Lady Catherine Rayburn and William FitzAlan is still by far my favorite, but KNIGHT OF PASSION turned out to be pretty good competition. The relationship between Jamie and Linnet was one that kept you on the edge of your seat throughout most of the story. The passion was there, surely, but was the trust? Ms. Mallory teased us and then pushed us away, leaving us with the knowledge that both parties truly loved one another but wondering if a Happily Ever After was possible for these two. Unfortunately, I won't be able to answer this question for you. You'll just have to read and find out.

One thing that makes Ms. Mallory's books so fantastic is the attention to detail she puts into them. Her writing is just as beautiful and colorful as the covers on the books and it is easy to get lost in the story through her words. Sometimes we see good stories, good plots, but the writing bogs the book down. Ms. Mallory presents us with a work that flows easily and reads quite well despite the complexity of the story and relationships therein.

By far my favorite aspect of KNIGHT OF PASSION was Lady Linnet. Her backstory was painful and really tugged on the heartstrings. It was difficult reading about her at times because we knew what she was going through and what she needed, but the world always seemed to work against her and there wasn't a thing we could do about it. There were times that I wanted to shout at Jamie and tell him all about Linnet; tell him just to love her. Fortunately, I couldn't and watching the two learn about each other and themselves made for a fantastic story.

I would highly recommend this to any fans of historical romance. The book is well researched, paced quite well, full of passion, and beautifully written. Ms. Mallory is an expert and one that romance junkies just have to experience. show less

Lady Isobel Hume has been betrayed by the men in her life. Firstly, her father weds her to the highest bidder - a very old man whom luckily for her dies shortly after they are wed. Then before she can rejoice at the fact that she is finally out of her terrible marriage, she finds that her late husband has left all his fortune to someone else, leaving her with no choice other than to marry the man who now claims "her" lands or be at the mercy of their King. The King feels that Isobel can best show more be used to secure an allegiance to Normandy- and she chooses this rather than to succumb to her late husbands successor.

Once under the King's protection, Isobel is provided a chaperon and there she meets William and his younger brother Stephen. Sir Stephen Carleton is known for being a ladies man. But once Isobel crosses his path he is taken in by her beauty, charm and innocence. Isobel is also smitten with Stephen but they can't defy the King's wishes. Through some instances of major flirting, several heated encounters, and a few not-so innocent rendezvous' - their attraction for one another grows. Isobel has always done everyone else's bidding and she feels that it's time for her to have one thing before she moves on and marries the next man... and that is to be with Stephen. But when the seduction quickly escalates and what starts off as a fling becomes something much more - they find themselves in a tight spot, for a fling will never suffice for either of them.

I LOVED THIS STORY! And let me tell you, I really liked Ms. Mallory's first in the series, Knight of Desire - but I absolutely fell in LOVE with Knight of Pleasure. Call me a sucker for historical romance - but it was also so much more than that. Yes, the time frame the book is set in does play into my romantical notions... but Stephen and Isobel are just to die for.

Isobel is this tough girl who knows how to wield a sword and although she's always followed rules (her father's, her late husband's and now her King's), she is a rebel at heart. I loved this about her. She was proud, she was strong and she was courageous. Stephen is carefree and light-hearted, he has a great sense of humor and his flirting and seduction of Isobel were just a treat to read. He's deadly with a sword and protective of Isobel... yep, be still my heart... what more could you want in your hero, right?

This was just a beautifully written tale where you jump in and quickly become engrossed in the lives of these two characters. They are likeable, relateable and absolutely dreamy or, should I say, "steamy" together. I found myself rooting for them from the start. Ms. Mallory has once again done a fabulous job and has definitely recruited herself a devoted fan in me. I can't wait for the next one! show less

Och! This was better than the first book which was pretty dang good.

Sybil is the wild child of the Douglas sisters. She's lived most of her life at Court and the males of her family raised her to be able to navigate the scheming and maneuvering of the nobles But thanks to her brothers lofty ambitions and his open cheating on the queen, Sybil's family has fallen out of favor with the queen. No, that's not quite right. The queen hates her brother and needs to take her anger out on someone. show more Sybil is the only Douglas sibling currently unprotected because her brothers left the country without even thinking about her safety.

Just as the queen's soldiers are coming for her, a gorgeous but huge Highlander stands in front of her to tell her that her brother had gambled her away in a card game eight years ago and signed a marriage contract to the Highlander. She can either take her chances with the Highlander or face the queen's wrath which will probably end in death. She takes the easy choice and rides off with the Highlander. She can always ditch him later.

There were so many twists and turns and complex workings going on on this book that I couldn't possibly explain it all. I was thoroughly engrossed in the story and the romance took my heart on the ride right along with Sybil and Rory.

Once again, there were many villains who were just asking for a dagger in their throats. The author makes me love to hate these creeps.

I read all the way through without sleeping so I'm a little delirious. I better go to bed now.

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Originally Reviewed At:Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 4 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: ARC From Publisher
Reviewer: Heather


The Warrior (The Return of the Highlanders Series) is a historically set romance that brings us back to 16th Century Scotland in the middle of a never ending clan war that has taken many lives. In this time feuds are easily started as the stars may shine, and love in never to be taken for granted. Yet the same cannot be said for Duncan and Moira, and the Warrior is as show more much as their tale as it is his own.

Step back in time with the wee lasses and head strong men of the Scottish past; be swept away by the longing of pipers, and a good scotch. Adventure, romance, and a lot sexy brogue are all tied into one heartfelt read.

I love, and I mean love all things Scottish. Being of Scottish heritage it is expected of me, but deep down in my heart I long to visit the shores, breathe the highland air, and just maybe visit one of those castles. If I weren’t a married woman I also wouldn’t mind getting swept off my feet by a handsome Scotsman.

Yet as I browsed the “pages” of The Warrior I found myself being fulfilled as the pictures of faraway lands filled my mind. The visualization was superb, and it was like I was actually standing there in 16th Century Scotland. At times I could almost smell the peat upon the fires.

The characters were written so well that I was astonished. At times you feel as if you ARE Duncan, and when you are not him, it is like you are in Moria’s shoes. It was an unbelievable experience to have as a reader, and one I sure hope to have again.

The sexual tension between Moria and Duncan was also realistic. Even the fears both had were completely relatable to modern day lives, and the struggles we have when we love. In some ways it is inspiring to remember that even when we’ve had a rough go at love that we should never give up.

I am no stranger to Margaret Mallory, and I will continue to read each and every book she writes. Each one keeps getting better and better. show less