A Knight to Remember is a book I'll remember. This is the second in the series and what a wild ride it was. Edlyn is the heroine whom we met in Once A Knight where she was being fostered by the heroine. The hero, Hugh, was also in that book being fostered as a knight. She was a girl of 17 and in love with him but he hardly noticed her. She was sent to a Duke of very advanced age and A Night to Remember picks up her story.She has been widowed twice, the Duke was old and died of natural causes and the King married her to a knight who eventually became a traitor to the king and was caught and executed. The traitor's castle and its occupants, including his wife and sons, and title were given to someone else and she was left out on the road with nothing. She headed to the abbey she had previously endowed but with a now lowered status because of her dead husband's perfidy.Hugh and Edlyn both have secrets they keep from each other for awhile but they do not distort the story. Edlyn is opposed to the forced marriage with Hugh because he is a knight and she has been married to a knight before and did not like being left to fend for herself while her husband pursued his mistress of battle. Hugh is every inch a knight. He lives for and loves battle but he is smitten by Edlyn and wants her to love him.There are several very classic situations of Mars/Venus communication that had me laughing out loud. Christina Dodd writes men very well. This is a strong heroine whose strength is so subtle the enemy doesn't know what's hit him until she is triumphant, and all without bloodshed. She is one clever lass. I never got frustrated with her or with him for that matter, both stayed in character and their points-of-view were realistic. The action never stops, nor did the enjoyment of reading this book.
Oh for Pete's sake. I got this thinking it would be along the lines of some other historical fiction but it was a bit more of a Harlequin bodice-ripper type of book. I never even saw the cover as it was a Kindle buy and if I'd seen the cover, I might have known a little better.That being said, it was the BEST of that genre I've read. More plot, good romance writing, but not one to stay on my mind for very long. I kept finding myself saying, "that wouldn't really happen" and "men in that era would never do that" or "a woman would NEVER get away with that" -- and my own mind got in the way of enjoying the book. However, I've read a lot of Holocaust memoirs lately and this was a much needed break, and it wasn't terrible. Just not what you're looking for if you're looking for an accurately and extensively researched historical fiction book.Lori Anderson
What do You think about A Knight To Remember (2013)?
This historical romance involves a few unique twists to the budding relationship that I found refreshing and fascinating at the same time. It also explored something I don't often see explored in historicals involving knights and their women, which is a juxtaposition of the male need to conquer vs the female tendency to worry, and how those perspectives color (or might have colored) *everything*, really. Excellent romance, but also just an excellent exploration of human philosophy and character. I'd highly recommend it.
—Jamie DeBree
