A favour to be returned in an unusual way…

Synopsis

She’s rescued a knight

Now she needs the favour returned…

When widowed Lady Johanne happens upon an injured knight, she sees an opportunity to form an alliance and protect her home, Castle Brae, from her enemies. The betrothal she proposes might be merely for appearances, but the very real attraction between her and Sir Alewyn thrills and disturbs her. For it’s clear he’s hiding something… Can she trust him, with so much at stake?

My review

Widowed Lady Johanne knows she has to watch her back to keep her home Castel Brea safe. So she is totally aware of the risk she is taking with rescuing an unknown yet injured knight. Because who says that he isn’t a spy trying to uncover secrets of the Castle? Especially when that same knight claims he has lost his memory…
But has he truly? Or has his presence at the Castle not been as random as it appears? Because it’s clear that Sir Alewyn is hiding something, but what?
No matter what his reasons are, Lady Johanne needs his help for protecting her home, even if that means to fake their betrothal. No matter how many things they can be faking, their attraction for sure isn’t one of those things. But how far does their trust reach? Because secrets are going to come out anyway… 

It’s known that I truly enjoy reading about Knights, their strength and protectiveness. Add like usual for this author a likewise strong and protective Lady and I am for sure hooked! 

Lady Johanne in this story is just the perfect example of how women are absolutely capable of leading and guiding those under her charge.
Her husband may not have been a good example, but she for sure knows where her priorities lay and does more than her best to keep Castle Brae safe.
And she is making sure that her son grows into a respectful, strong man too! What an amazing woman Lady Johanne is! 

She also wants to make things on her own. While it would have been easier for her to just accept a proposition from her neighbour, she knows it’s not the right decision to make. So she prefers to find her own ways to make things works instead of taking an easy way out, which would also mean her people would be on the losing side.
Her kindness is also clear when she decides to take the injured, unknown Knight to her castle. While it would have been smarter to just let him be, we see that she cannot leave a man in need of help. And not just any Knight, without knowing, she is looking after one of the King’s Knights, who has his own agenda, unbeknownst to Lady Johanne. 

Sir Alewyn may have been able to stay at the Castle using the excuse of having amnesia, but that gives him the perfect opportunity to figure out if the rumours are true.
While I didn’t like him fooling the people who helped him, I could understand why he did it.
But I also liked seeing a soft side of this imposing Knight, who with just standing up would be terrifying almost anyone.
However, seeing him helping around at the castle, and agreeing with Lady Johanne’s proposal, I saw him for who he truly was, just a kind, caring and helpful person.

What I liked the most about this story was that even he biggest Knight has his own insecurities and doubts. I found it bittersweet to see how Sir Alewyn is struggling with his own place in the world, not seeing his own talents. This only shows us that no matter who we are, we all have our own insecurities, even if unjustified. 

We all know how this story will end, but that didn’t take away the joy of reading page after page after page.
Seeing how two strong-willed characters are growing closer, putting their trust in each other and seeing the lengths they would go for each other, warmed my heart. Their attraction was palpable from each page. 

I truly enjoyed reading this next book in an amazing series, the author easily took me in a world of Knights and Ladies, and showed me that size can be impressive, but that behind that big stature, the kindest men can be found. And the right Lady can see what her Knight truly is made of.
Is there a place where I can find such Knights myself?