A Knight Like No Other - a Review

A Knight Like No Other, by Jocelyn Kelley, proved to be a riveting historical romance. The attempts of the two main characters to hide their romantic feelings for each other were beginning to get old when the story really took off. The story became so interesting that the romantic side of it did not take over the story, but rather complemented it. Concerns about what were going to happen made it almost impossible to put the book down.

Avisa de Vere is an unusual young lady for her times. Trained at St. Jude’s Abbey in the knightly and the martial arts, she is asked by Queen Eleanor to protect her godson and keep him away from Canterbury until the King returns. Avisa is not to let Christian Lovell, the Queen’s godson, know that she has been sent by his godmother to protect him. In that day and age, it would be rather embarrassing for a man to have a woman as his protector. Nor is she to let him know she is associated with St. Jude’s Abbey in any way. St. Jude’s Abbey was established by the Queen to train young ladies how to fight so they can be called upon in times of need.

Avisa needs to come up with a reason to leave the abbey. Only a very few select women at the abbey know of her mission for the queen; no one on the outside knows the true purpose of the abbey. Ladies are not expected to know the knightly and martial arts. Ladies are expected to always need a man to defend and protect them. How can she convince Christian and his brother, Guy, to allow her to accompany them on their travels? Avisa allows herself to be attacked by robbers on the road she knows Christian and Guy are going to travel. When they step in and rescue her, she tells them that her sister has been kidnapped and begs them to help rescue her.

She is not supposed to let Christian find out that she has been sent to protect him, so she must act as a normal female of that day and time would act. It is not in her nature to stand by and let the men take charge, nor is it in her nature to fall in love with a man. She has never experienced this feeling before, so her feelings for the man she has vowed to protect scare and confuse her. It doesn’t take Christian long to figure out that Avisa is different from any other woman he has ever met.

Christian’s father has been labeled a coward and a traitor, so the Lovell family honor has been disgraced and ruined. Christian’s aim is to restore that honor in spite of what his father is accused of doing.

I won’t tell you anymore about the story, except to say that the ending was extremely satisfying. This book was such a good read that I would like to read more by this author who weaves such interesting tales of romance and history.

A Knight Like No Other was provided to me free of charge by BellaOnline management to read and review. If you would like to purchase a copy to read yourself through Amazon, I have provided a link below to Amazon.