16 June 2014

Dark Warriors by Julie Shelton

When Nicholas Herron, Duke of Berwick and his best friend, Rolf Torgesson, two of King Edward III’s most powerful and respected knights, discover a badly beaten young woman hiding in the forest, they swear to protect her. By the time they learn that she is Lady Kathryn Weston, and that her attacker is none other than her betrothed, Robert Walford, the powerful and ruthless Duke of Pemberton, it is too late. They have both fallen in love with her and she with them—a love so forbidden it could cost them everything, even their lives.
Set amidst the turmoil and pageantry of 14th-century England, Dark Warrior weaves a vivid tapestry of three lost souls bound to each other with a deep, abiding love. But will that love survive Walford’s evil plan to attack Berwick Castle, take it apart stone by stone and ultimately destroy everyone who lives there?
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20648159-dark-warrior?ac=1

Dark Warrior would have been more aptly named Dark Warriors as Lady Kathryn was fortunate enough to be rescued by Nicholas, the Duke of Herron, and Rolf, his knight and best friend. As they were both drawn to her upon their hunting party finding her near-death in the woods, they worked together to keep her alive and found their natural protective instinct ratcheting up higher than ever before. It is apparent immediately that Lady Kathryn is in dire need of as much care and protection as she can get as her life has been a series of bad events that have gotten progressively worse, the most recent of which is her betrothal due to her father’s gambling. It is at the hands of her betrothed that she is raped and beaten nearly to death – the state in which Nicholas and Rolf find her. What follows is an action-packed story full of medieval weaponry, spies and intrigue, impending war, and a power-hungry villain attempting to usurp the throne, which just happens to include a scorching hot ménage between Kathryn, Nicholas, and Rolf. 

As you may suspect, I thoroughly enjoyed the sexual aspect of the ménage relationship between Kathryn and her dark warriors. Nicholas and Rolf were so committed to wiping Kathryn’s rape from her mind that they were very thorough in their lovemaking and it … was … HOT! Because this is a full-length novel, the reader is treated to several sex scenes that will leave you wishing for your own set of knights … at least it did me. But what makes their relationship and the book even more enjoyable is that Nicholas and Rolf loved and romanced her. They were devoted to her happiness and making sure that she felt safe and loved and they most definitely succeeded in their mission.

Ms. Shelton’s Dark Warrior is a well-written novel that doesn’t just give you a quick and easy happy ending. She takes you on a journey as the trio not only finds their way as lovers, but also seek to secure their future and the future of their country and king as they face-off against the greedy cousin of the King. If you enjoy historical romances and ménages, I definitely recommend this book. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Shelton’s novels. 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ICNWWQ2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00ICNWWQ2&linkCode=as2&tag=crysmanrev-20   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-warrior-julie-shelton/1118661692?ean=9781627411059&itm=1&usri=dark+warrior+julie+shelton
  Julie has been writing her entire life, but it wasn’t until November of 2012 that she burst onto the erotic romance scene with her sizzling hot first novel, Loving Sarah, followed by its sequel, Owning Sarah, ten months later.  Her third novel, Dark Warrior, set in 14th-century England, is her first historical romance.  It was published in January, 2014.
Julie lives in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.  Retired after a 25-year dream career, first as a children’s librarian then as a professional storyteller and puppeteer, she now has time to devote to her new love, writing erotic romance, the steamier the better, thus following the career path blazed by so many before her—from kiddie lit to erotica.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you, Angela, for such a lovely review. I'm so glad you enjoyed Dark Warrior.

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