Lady Of The Knight

Rating:
Summary: What a wonderful book!
Review: Author Jackie Ivie got it right on her first try. Lady of the Knight is a wonderful book - I loved every part of it.
Morganna KilCreggar's entire clan is dead, except for her older sister who is mentally unbalanced. The last of her clan was wiped out by clan FitzHugh, and Morganna, disguised as a lad, has vowed to kill their leader and get revenge on them, even if it means her own death. Along the way, Morganna-Morgan has honed her skills with deadly weapons. While scavaging the scene of a recently fought battle for spoils, she comes upon a man she believes to be dead, but soon finds out he is anything but. This man turns out to be Zander FitzHugh, of the hated FitzHugh clan. He claims Morgan for a squire and she plays along, thinking she can kill him at an opportune time and get the revenge she seeks. Things don't quite turn out that way, however. Morgan impresses Zander with her weaponry skills. She also manages to keep Zander in the dark with regards to her gender. Zander finds himself attracted to his squire and, understandably, is quite upset about this. Morgan too, is beset by feelings for Zander that she never believed would happen to her. Ms. Ivie deals with Zander's emotions at believing he is attracted to another man exceptionally well. She shows us his grief, his confusion, his anger and his love. She also deals well with Morgan, and how she struggles against a woman's feelings. Zander in love is a tender, considerate, wonderful man who shows Morgan that there is love in the world, even a world full of brutality and death. Zander's brothers add to the story, as well as Robert the Bruce, a wonderful woman of loose morals names Sally Bess and assorted other characters. I loved the part where Morgan is coerced into playing the part of a woman in a play at Earl Argylle's castle. Zander's reaction to seeing her dressed as a woman is memorable.
This is a great read, and I would recommend it to everyone. I hope Ms. Ivie's next books are the same quality as this one. I predict a successful writing career for her.

Rating:
Summary: W-O-W-! This is not to be missed!
Review: Clan FitzHugh destroyed the KilCreggar clan. Unknown, there are two female survivors. One is all but insane. The other is Morganna. At the tender age of four, she witnesses horror first hand. As she grows, she disguises herself as a lad and hones her skills. She has no time for play or leisure. She has a vow of vengeance to fulfill. The one who caused the blood feud, Phineas FitzHugh, will die by her hand. Once done, she will be free to die herself. So as the grows, she becomes deadly with whatever weapon one can name.

A.D. 1310
Alexander "Zander" FitzHugh brazenly takes what he wants. So he makes the boy "Morgan" his squire. Zander has no idea of all Squire Morgan's secrets. He only knows that the lad always hits what he aims for - always! Zander finds himself attracted to his squire, and has no idea as to why, but he intends to find out.

The newly crowned King of Scotland, Robert the Bruce, is set on the unification of Scotland. As Squire Morgan's skills become legendary, the king and Zander use them to unite the Scottish Clans. During this time, Morgan strays from her purpose and into Zander's bed. Now, in the battle between vengeance and passion, the more powerful will emerge victorious.

***** Author Jackie Ivie knows drama and uses it to take away the breaths of her readers! This is a powerful tale with a heroine that women can look up to. No silly or simple-minded lass here! This book is destined for my "Keeper" shelf and will never leave my possession. Yes, it is THAT good! Highly recommended for all Historical Romance fans. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Story!!!!!!
Review: I knew this book was a winner when I stayed up until 2 in the morning to finish it. It had me so caught up, I ached for Morgan. I wasn't able to put this book down, wanting to know what was going to happen next. I will be watching for your next book.

Rating:
Summary: Lady of the Knight
Review: In Lady of the Knight the characters are lively and engaging,I was alternately charmed and chargained by Zander who is definately a manly man of a bygone era. Ms. Ivie captures the readers attention from the first page and keeps it to the last page. Morgana is the heroine we all buy books to read about. The cover of this book captured my attention and the author kept it. What a great read!

Rating:
Summary: The Lady is a Knight.
Review: Morganna "Morgan" KilCreggar is orphaned young thanks to a clan feud, and left mostly to her own devices. She lives life as a boy, training herself to have assassin-like skills with daggers and a bow and arrow. Robbing dead bodies with a small band of village boys, Morgan manages to scrape by. Until one day, on an abandoned battlefield, she tries to rob the body of a man who isn't dead.

Quickly recognizing the "boy" Morgan's intelligence and deadly skills with various weapons, Alexander "Zander" FitzHugh forces Morgan to be his squire as punishment for trying to rob him and for being a robber of the dead. The younger son of a Highland laird, Zander has made a name for himself as a warrior and pseudo-political figure (he's a fourteenth century Robert The Bruce contemporary) promoting the unification of Scotland. Using "Squire Morgan" to continue his mission to gain allies in as many clans as possible, Zander is somewhat astounded to find himself attracted to his male squire.

I like a gender-bending medieval heroine once in a while and that along with the fact that this is another of Zebra's $3.99 debuts prompted me to give Ms. Ivie a try. I was not disappointed.

So often, the "girl dressed as a boy" thing doesn't work because the author isn't willing to commit her character completely to the role--Ms. Ivie side-stepped that mistake quite handily. Morgan really lives as a boy. She's tough, she's deadly, and she thinks she can do anything. I love her; she's awesome. I think she's the best gender-bending heroine ever.

Then there's the romance. Ms. Ivie whole-heartedly committed to making it feel real. Zander falls in love with Morgan truly believing she's a boy. Truly! I love it! We see the real struggles of a religious fourteenth century man "realizing" he's gay, thinking he'll go to hell if he acts on his feelings, but totally going for the love of his life anyway. This is absolutely perfect. I cannot applaud this enough! And you really believe that Zander doesn't know that Morgan is a girl, because she totally does NOT act like a girl. So rarely in a romance does an author really go for the jugular with inner struggles; so rarely does a historical romance author embrace what would have truly been a character's religious and cultural beliefs, not letting them be transparently modern in their beliefs; so rarely is a romance author willing to step outside the normal bounds of having an unquestionably feminine heroine and an unquestionably alpha, headstrong hero.

Naturally, Zander's clan is the one Morgan's clan was feuding with, and of course at first Morgan intends to kill him. Then she starts to fall for him and her plans change. Her internal conflict doesn't quite have the emotional impact of Zander's, but it is believable. Meanwhile "Squire Morgan's" skills are becoming legendary, and Morgan's fame begins to eclipse Zander's to the point that she becomes a national hero.

Somewhere about two-thirds of the way through the book the romance begins to resolve itself and the book starts to run out of steam. Then we have stereo-typical historical romance situations. Morgan starts to turn a little too feminine a little too fast once the cat's out of the bag on her masquerade. And, Zander starts to turn into a less-likable, domineering male. Things don't fall utterly apart, but they do become more conventional which leaves me a little less than thrilled.

In the end, I give "Lady Of The Knight" three stars. It probably deserves more than three, because there's a lot that's excellent about it. Unfortunately the book's problems hold me back from rating it any higher. On top of the loss of momentum, there are far too many secondary characters, the laughingly predictable usage of historical figures, clichéd romance novel circumstances, and a villain who too neatly wraps up the original plot. Don't get me wrong, I think this book is worth reading, but I'm not blind to its flaws. If you like medievals, and especially if you like gender-bending heroines, this story is for you.

Rating:
Summary: Impressive Debut Effort
Review: Since she was four, Morganna (Morgan) KilCreggar has had one goal only--to destroy the FitzHugh leader whose rape and murder set off the feud that destroyed the entire KilCreggar family. Morgan has trained herself to be a ruthless killer, with an uncanny ability to throw knives, shoot arrows, and fence. Through constant exercise, she has developed muscles that let her pass as a male--although a young male. While leading her band of robbers onto a battlefield, Morgan is seized by a warrior who claims her as his squire.

'Zander FitzHugh is doing what he can to free Scotland from English control and a squire with a talent for weapons like that of young Morgan is too useful a tool to throw away. Despite the 'lad's' resistance, Zander drafts Morgan into the effort. The emotional cost is high, though. Zander has always liked women before--and now he can only think of his beautiful squire.

Morgan hates the FitzHughes, but this is not the FitzHugh she has sworn to kill. Sooner or later, Zander will return to his family's home and she'll be able to kill his brother, the head of the clan. Despite the growing attraction she feels for Zander, she knows the two can never have a future together. Her own death will surely follow instantly upon the death of the FitzHugh lord. Still a girl can dream, can't she? Even if she's a girl in male clothing.

Author Jackie Ivie tackles the difficult task of refreshing the overused 'hero mistakes heroine for a boy but falls in love anyway plot line' and making it new. This device was horribly overused in the 1970s and has fallen out of favor as a result, but Ivie pulls it off with Morgan's extreme training (she does hundreds of pushups a day) and with Zander's occasionally hinted at near-sightedness. One note, I would have liked to see Morgan/Morganna's continued athleticism and proto-feminism rather than a retreat into a pampered and protected female.

Set in the early 14th Century during the time of The Bruce, LADY OF THE KNIGHT is an impressive debut effort by an author to watch.

Rating:
Summary: A great debut novel...
Review: This book is not your same ole same ole. The author takes a plot that has been done before--girl dressing up like boy. But takes it so much further--she (the author) takes a risk, and it pays off.
I really loved this book. This book offers a lot--a rich setting, real (and likeable) characters, and even with a slightly dark overtone, a chuckle or two. Probably my favorite part though is that it is not predictable. This is not a cookie cutter application of a previously used plot. It stands on its own.
In addition to recommending this book for any reader, I in particular think it would be an excellent choice for a reading group. It is sure to generate discussion. Don't pass it by.

Rating:
Summary: Very Good Read
Review: This book was engaging from the first page. It was, however, told entirely from the heroine's perspective. I would have liked to have known what the hero was feeling at times, especially when he became "attracted" to Morgan. I would definitely read this one again.

Rating:
Summary: Got to read this book!
Review: You won't regret it. Romance at it's best. If you like historical novels where the heroine is strong, tough, with a hard, outer shell and all soft inside. this is for you. If you're tired of all the other same ole same romance novels than this is for you.