The Dark One: Dark Knight
Kathryn Le Veque
Medieval Romance
1486 A.D. – Fresh from his treacherous turning of the tides against Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth, Sir Gaston de Russe’s reputation is dark and dirty. Those loyal to Richard hate him and those loyal to Henry Tudor fear him. He is, after all, The Dark One.
In order to gain a strong foothold in Yorkshire, Henry sends Gaston to one of the largest fortresses in the north, a massive bastion called Mt. Holyoak Castle. Having formerly belonged to Sir Guy Stoneley, who is now a prisoner in the White Tower after his capture at Bosworth, the castle is still the home to Guy’s wife, Remington, her three sisters, and her son.
Gaston takes possession of Mt. Holyoak, pleased with his acquisition and intrigued with Lady Stoneley. Beautiful, somewhat shy and demure, Gaston soon comes to find out that Mt. Holyoak harbors a horrible secret of rape and abuse. Guy Stoneley abused his wife and sisters, so much so that the women look to Gaston as their savior for taking Mt. Holyoak from Guy. As Gaston struggles to administer the North and form alliances with those still loyal to Richard, something more is taking place that threatens to distract him from his task. The lure, the power, is more than he can resist.
A strong bond is forming between the knight believed to be the ultimate traitor and the lady who has known nothing but sorrow and horror. And with that realization, a delicate love story begins as two lonely people find solace and comfort with each other. Gaston soon realizes he loves Remington more than anything, which sets the stage for the biggest battle of his life: the fight against the Catholic Church in his quest for an annulment so he can marry her.
Join Gaston and Remington as they embark on an epic adventure of discovery, love, anguish and sorrow, defeat and victory. From the hills of Yorkshire to the halls of London, share their story of a lifetime where dreams become reality and true love really does conquer all.
Uncaged Review: Honestly, I’m not sure I can
give this book the justice it deserves from a
review. It’s that epic. Before I get into that, I will
say this made me want to go back and re-read
Dark Moon, which is the book that comes after
this one in the series that I had already read.
That’s one of the best things about this author
and her different series, you can read them in any
order and not be lost. Now, on to this review.
It’s hard to know where to begin, this book has
a lot of information in it. And even though it is
around 700 pages, there is not a lot of fat in the
book. This is truly a masterpiece. The action
sequences, many instances of danger but many
more of laughter and love. There is also talk of
past rapes and abuses – just as a word of warning.
Our main hero in this book is Gaston, the most
feared knight in all the realm and the author does
not hold back with Gaston. He’s earned his reputation
and you get to witness it pretty quickly in
the book. Remington is the beautiful wife of Guy
Stoneley, who is kept in jail by crimes against the
crown. Guy raped and abused Remington and her
younger sisters for 9 years, so they never knew
the tenderness and love of a man, only pain and
hate.
Gaston is given Mt. Holyoake, Stoneley’s castle
and fortress by the King as both a reward and to
keep the peace in the region. Remington, her sisters
and the staff are still living at Mt. Holyoake and
don’t know if they will be able to continue to live in
their home, or be kicked out by the Dark One. Remington
is caught off guard by Gaston, seeing him for
more than his reputation, and when the bond begins
to form between Gaston and Remington – it will be a
hard, hard road to their HEA.
I cried several times reading this, but I also clapped
and squealed. There was even a time I wanted to
jump in the book and slit someone’s throat myself,
well maybe more than once. Kathryn Le Veque pulls
her readers into the story – you never feel like you are
only reading, it’s one of her magical abilities. I can’t
really go into this book, it would take longer and
more room than designated for reviews and I could
never do the book the honor it truly deserves. As long
as Kathryn Le Veque keeps writing…I’ll keep reading.
Reviewed by Cyrene
5 Stars
