About the Book
THE WULFRITHS. IT ALL BEGAN WITH A WOMAN.
A battle. A crown. The conqueror. The conquered. Medieval England—forever changed by the Battle of Hastings. And the rise of the formidable Wulfriths.
A NAMELESS NORMAN
Born of scandal, Sir Dougray of the family D’Argent defies his illegitimacy by championing the oppressed—until the prospect of winning the hand of a lady persuades him to join the Duke of Normandy in conquering Saxon-ruled England. When an injury sustained at the Battle of Hastings causes the woman he loves to reject him, an embittered Dougray turns his efforts to uprooting Saxons resistant to their new king. But among those he must bring to heel is Em, an escaped slave-turned-rebel whose suffering at the hands of a fellow Norman tempts him to reclaim the man he was before he betrayed his conscience. And captivates him though he vowed never again to fall prey to a woman. Might yet another D’Argent warrior take a Saxon bride? Or will the one who made a possession of Em destroy what remains of her?
A FUGITIVE SAXON
Forced into slavery to ensure her siblings’ survival following the Norman invasion, Em escapes her abusive master and joins the Saxon resistance. Now trained in the ways of the warrior, she is determined to never again suffer the depravity of men. And will not, providing she can stay ahead of the one intent on recovering his property—and the usurping King William’s warrior scout, Sir Dougray, who also seeks to capture her. But when he appoints himself Em’s savior, thwarting an attempt to once more enslave her, she glimpses an honorable man beyond the conqueror and begins to feel that which is forbidden enemies—worse, forbidden one as ruined as she. Or so she believes until his kiss more thrills than frightens. And threatens to break a heart she would not have believed capable of being touched by a Norman.
Excerpt
“You are injured,” she said with what sounded concern, and quickly added, “Obviously, it was more than the loss of an arm that made it easier than usual for me to outrun the enemy.”
Again, she offended, though not as greatly as she would have had he not glimpsed soft emotion behind hard—as if a remnant of who she had been before Campagnon survived.
Curling the fingers of the hand beneath his mantle into a fist, acknowledging the wonder that still he could feel what was no longer present, he struggled against the impulse to aid her as she aided him. If he yielded, his mission could be compromised. If he did not, she could fall into the hands of one more dangerous than the young Dane.
So be it.
“I give warning, Em,” he spoke her name and resented the longing to savor it on tongue and lips. So slight were those two intimate letters, it was like taking a small bite of something soft and sweet, but not so soft and sweet one did not wish another taste.
“I wait,” she said.
“Sooner than expected, what happened here will deliver the king and a great host to York.”
Her eyes widened.
“They march now, and Raymond Campagnon and his mercenaries number among them. If you are not gone ere they arrive, the paper that knave carried may see returned to him one whose eyes shall betray her should she be captured. Thus, you must leave the rebels and take yourself as far from York as possible.”
Despite palpable unease, she raised her chin. “Your warning hardly covers the interest on your debt, Sir Dougray, but there is honor in the effort.”
Would she leave the rebels? Likely not. Would she pass his warning to her commander though it would mean constructing a lie to cover having aided the enemy? Likely. Still for as much as Dougray disliked Vitalis, he hoped she would share the warning, causing the Saxon to take his Rebels of the Pale distant.For a longer excerpt, visit TamaraLeigh.com
Review
A new release from Tamara Leigh is one of my all-time favourite indulgences, and I don’t even have to feel guilty about it! This series marries two of my favourite things—English medieval history and romance—and does so better than any other series I’ve yet encountered (this author’s other series excepted). And boy has she capitalised on the tensions that would have existed in the years immediately following the Battle of Hastings. Not just the tensions between Norman and Saxon, but also the conflicted loyalties that arise when “right” and “wrong” become entangled across political delineations.
First of all, I love that this series is so historically grounded. The Norman conquest isn’t just a convenient setting; it informs the whole series! Secondly, I love that, despite an almost 1,000-year gap between now and the setting of this series, these characters’ stories are still relevant in so many ways. Em’s story is one of survival, but at great cost as a result of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her Norman owner. Having seen parts of her story play out in the previous two books in the series, I was more than eager to see her gain freedom from both her physical and emotional bondage, and I think Tamara Leigh did a great job of capturing her unique combination of strength and vulnerability as she travelled that path.
And Dougray… well, let’s just say Tamara Leigh knows how to write heroes—flawed but honourable warriors who have their own struggles to overcome, in Dougray’s case, also physical and emotional. The care and respect he has for Em is chivalry at its best, and I loved watching the trust grow between them even while they were technically enemies. Here is an author who doesn’t need to have her hero and heroine constantly throwing themselves at one another to make you swoon. All it takes is a simple conversation:
“Dougray,” she breathed, “ever shall I be indebted to you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “There is a way to pay down your debt—indeed clear it completely.”
She turned to fully face him, and though the blanket slipped from a shoulder, she let it be. “Tell me.”
The lightness about his face fell. “Never again run from me. If you must run, run to me.”
And so this continues to be one of my favourite series ever. I now wait not-so-patiently for Sir Maël’s story in HEARTLESS.
I purchased my own copy of this novel, and as always, this review is my honest and unbiased opinion.
Previous Books in the Series
About the Author
Tamara Leigh signed a 4-book contract with Bantam Books in 1993, her debut medieval romance was nominated for a RITA award, and successive books with Bantam, HarperCollins, and Dorchester earned awards and places on national bestseller lists.
In 2006, the first of Tamara’s inspirational contemporary romances was published, followed by six more with Multnomah and RandomHouse. Perfecting Kate was optioned for a movie, Splitting Harriet won an ACFW Book of the Year award, and Faking Grace was nominated for a RITA award.
In 2012, Tamara returned to the historical romance genre with the release of Dreamspell and the bestselling Age of Faith and The Feud series. Among her #1 bestsellers are her general market romances rewritten as clean and inspirational reads, including Lady at Arms, Lady of Eve, and Lady of Conquest. In winter 2018/2019, watch for the new AGE OF CONQUEST series unveiling the origins of the Wulfrith family. Psst!—It all began with a woman.
Tamara lives near Nashville with her husband, a German Shepherd who has never met a squeaky toy she can’t destroy, and a feisty Morkie who keeps her company during long writing stints.
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Thank you for the beautiful, thoughtful review, Katie. I’m thrilled you enjoyed Dougray and Em’s story and the other books. I love sharing the momentous history of the Norman Conquest through my fictional characters’ lives. And the romance. Always the romance ❤️
I am la-la-loving this series! Tamara effortlessly and seamlessly weaves the early years of the Wulfrith to give more depth and meaning to her Age of Faith series that follows their descendants and makes these books like wonderful desserts you want to keep indulging in. And I’m enjoying every morsel.
Exactly! ❤️