The Knight's Courtship - Joanne Rock

The Knight's Courtship, by Joanne Rock, was released in 2006 as a medieval romance in the Harlequin line. Set against the background of Eleanor and Henry's tumultuous rule, the passions of courtly love and the court that Eleanor ran, this story tugs you into a difficult time period without a hitch.

Ivy, daughter of a merchant and a noble born woman, isn't accepted by the families of her mother's line. The noble born men and women of the court don't accept her as one of their own. And her father, a merchant who won her mother's heart, is determined to find a husband for Ivy, be it a noble of the court, or a well placed and wealthy merchant. She has one chance to have a say in who she will wed, and that's via Eleanor's court where she has found a place, albeit a temporary one, as a poet the Queen favors. If she has not found a husband by the time she returns home then her father will choose one for her.

But Ivy has no interest in finding a husband. She's determined to make her mark as a poet. Win the Queen's favor fully and be free to lead her own life.

When Roger Stancliff, a notorious heartbreaker and rogue, applies to Eleanor's court for lessons to change his ways, the Queen's decision turn's Ivy's world upside down.

The Knight's Courtship is a beautifully written romance that blends the political turmoil of the time period with the personal storyline between Ivy and Roger. They are polar opposites in many respects. Roger has no desire for love, he has no use for it in many respects and Ivy craves it, she tries to tell herself she seeks out knowledge of it just for her poems, but it's more than that, far more indeed. The romance between them grows with each turn of the page.

Ms. Rock is an author worth investigating further. If The Knight's Courtship is a prime example of her work then I'll not turn down the chance to read other works by her. She writes a tight and well plotted story.

ISBN 978-0-373-29412-1