Jocelyn Kelley, A Moonlit Knight

A Moonlit Knight

Jocelyn Kelley

Signet, May 2006, $6.99

ISBN: 0451218272

As she has done twice before (see A KNIGHT LIKE NO OTHER and ONE KNIGHT STAND), Queen Eleanor d'Aquitaine visits St. Jude's Abbey seeking specialized assistance, a female bodyguard. Lady Mallory de Saint-Sebastian is the chosen one to join the Queen's guard, as her archery is by far the best of those residing in the special abbey.

Mallory is taken aback with the backstabbing and betrayal of those claiming allegiance to Queen Eleanor at her misnamed "Court of Love". One of them takes it a step further trying to assassinate Her Highness. Mallory risks her life to keep Eleanor safe. The Queen also asks Mallory to teach her ladies in waiting how to use a bow, but the frivolous females think that is a man's job, and only go through the motions so as to avoid Eleanor's wrath. Mallory also notices lute playing Saxon Fitz-Juste, who seems a lot more than just a traveling jongleur; she plans to find out if he is a threat to her responsibility, though deep down she hopes not because she finds him so very attractive.

The third Ladies of St. Jude's Abbey novel is a delightful historical romance with the emphasis on the court intrigue of the era. The storyline is action packed from the moment that Queen Eleanor selects Lady Mallory, and never slows down until the final confrontation between the heroine and Saxon. Readers will enjoy the reaction of the male bodyguards to the hiring of a female to join their ranks, as Jocelyn Kelly provides another fabulous twelfth century tale.