Ah, February, the month of romance… and this year, I'm drawn in by the historicals. I've been reading them for several months and I'm still looking for more. I pulled Catherine Kean's latest, A Knight's Reward, off my shelf as my next conquest and found it to be an enjoyable read.

We meet Gisela Balewyne on an outing to the local market where she hopes to pick up some bread for her son's dinner. Since fleeing her horrible husband's side she's had to be very careful when out in public. In fact, no one in Clovebury even knew her real name. To them she was Anne, not Gisela.

Finally facing her pursuer in the shadows of a stable, Gisela is amazed to look up into the face of her former love, Dominic de Terre. Never did she think she'd see him again and how could she explain to him her situation now. A runaway from an abusive husband, a pawn in a game of smuggling… she was far from the innocent girl he had dallied with in the daisy field long ago.

But what a man he had become---a Knight serving Lord de Lanceau. If only their lives had turned out differently perhaps her son Ewan might have grown up knowing a kind and just father instead of the miserably violent Ryle whom she had taken instead of Dominic. Certainly no good could come of this meeting, but it did feel good to be held by him again; very, very good.

Dominic de Terre was certain it was she even though he could not see her face entirely. The sway of her hips, the grace of her movements – it had to be Gisela, his first and only love. How odd to find her here in Clovebury. Why had she left her home? Ah yes, perhaps to be wed. A beautiful girl like her did not stay single long.

Unable to resist knowing for sure, Dominic corners her in a nearby stable only to see fear and distrust in her eyes. What had he done to make her hate him so? And what was she so afraid of? Certainly she couldn't have anything to do with the silk smuggling going on in Clovebury, or could she? He'd have to find out and the best way to do that was to spend time with her. Hopefully her husband wouldn't mind.

Ms. Kean has crafted a well-told story in A Knight's Reward that reads like a passionate fairy tale. Full of mystery and misunderstandings, it will keep the reader on edge until the very end, when all is finally revealed.

If there is one thing in this world to believe in, it is that true love lasts despite the twists and turns of life and this story is a perfect example of how every young passionate love should end.

Treat yourself. Grab a box of tissues with a glass of wine and sit down to enjoy a classic historical romance in A Knight's Reward. 
 
Reviewed By Sabine Maurier
© February 2008