Reviewer Comments: Setting – Northumbria – North of England 1070 --- Lady Lily is running for her life from Radulf, the ‘King’s Sword’ – the scourge, rumored as a hideous ogre with a bloody sword, who has been sent by the king to slay all who fought him. She is the Saxon widow of Vorgen, the Norman traitor who betrayed King William. Vorgen, despised husband, who killed her father, then wedded her over his dead body. Lily arrived exhausted at Grinswade Church, where she sought the priest and to bid a final farewell at the graves of her parents– but luck was not with her.
Radulf arrives at the church and discovers Lily. When he asked who she was, she lies and gives him the name of Lily, the pet name her father used for her, and also tells him that she is the daughter of the Earl of Morcar, who remains a loyal vassal to King William the Conqueror. Radulf finds himself fiercely attracted to this cool silver blonde beauty and accepts her story at face value. He has been betrayed by a woman before and is wary, but he has also never had this overwhelming attraction before. He vows to protect her and return her to her father. Lily herself is drawn to this man, her enemy, who would slay her should he discover that she is the ‘she-wolf’ he hunts. Not only do they both fall in love (of course, they don’t admit this to each other) they have an exquisitely hot and sensual time of it before he discovers that he has been deceived once again, by a woman.
THE LILY AND THE SWORD follows the mold of an exciting medieval romance with a lusty, gorgeous alpha-male and divine female. Radulf is the mighty warrior but with the respect and love of his men and vassals – the tales of his brutality are just that – tales! Lily is a by-product of being the abused wife of an old, impotent and hateful man. Out of necessity and self-preservation she has hardened her heart to not trust her feelings or any man, before enduring any more betrayals and pain. Their love story is that which will bring a tear to your eye at the inevitable conclusion. This is a stellar start for a debut novel from this new author who bears watching. I found this fast paced novel to be an outstanding and truly enjoyable read for lovers of medieval historic romance.
Reviewer Comments: Please note this is an ARC review. THE LILY AND THE SWORD will be available March 2002.
THE LILY AND THE SWORD was a delightful breath of fresh air to me. It brought me back to "classic" romance at its best.
Sara Bennett is a fairly new author on the scene, and this is her first Avon published romance. Her writing style has been compared to both Stephanie Laurens and Kathleen Woodiwiss. I'd have to agree.
THE LILY AND THE SWORD begins with Lady Lily fleeing from Radulf, otherwise known as 'The King's Sword'. Lily is the recent widow of Vorgen, an abusive man who had killed her father to gain control of his lands and wage war on the Normans.
That pages begin to sizzle when Lily and Radulf meet. There is an instant attraction, and though Radulf does not know Lily's identity at first, he continues to deny his doubts as he falls helplessly for the silver haired beauty.
I would say this book has a Part I and a Part II. Once Lily and Radulf reach the court of King William I feel it takes on a distinctly different tone, and the story becomes a bit convuluted. There is several underlying stories running in the book, one having to do with Lily's childhood sweetheart and one having to do with Alice, a woman from Radulf's past. Though no less well written, I enjoyed the first part of the book a bit better than the later. More time was spent in development and it moved in a more natural pace.
I enjoyed these characters immensely, and believed in their love. THE LILY AND THE SWORD is a journey you won't regret taking.
