Shari Anton, At Her Service

At Her Service

Shari Anton

Warner, Jan 2005, $6.50, 368 pp.

ISBN: 0446614653

In 1350, Widow Lady Joanna worries about how to keep her surviving daughter Ivy safe and alive when terrorist outlaws constantly plunge Lynwood Manor, knowing no lord sits in the manor. The male villagers do their best, but they are not skilled to match the outlaws. Desperate for a swordsman, Joanna tries to hire mercenary Logan Grimm, whose loyalty goes as far as the person who pays his bills. Logan rejects the service until the townsfolk treat him like a pariah due to his profession.

As Logan battles with the outlaws, he finds Joanna and Ivy make him dream of settling down in one place. Joanna is stunned by his patience and kindness, starting with a tart to Ivy whose abusive father had no use for a daughter beyond potentially selling her as a spouse to the highest bidder. Soon Joanna falls in love with her hired gun and he reciprocates as her courage reaches deep into his gut. Still both know when the job is completed, he will move on seeking his next sponsor.

This exciting, medieval romance comes across as a fourteenth-century version of the Magnificent Seven although in this case there is only one defender. The storyline is action-packed as Logan battles the outlaws, struggles with villager contempt, wants to keep Ivy safe at the cost of his life if necessary, and falls in love with his employer. His transition, starting with giving Ivy, the last tart, makes for a fine historical romance.

Harriet Klausner