"Everything I had hoped for and more!"

Fighting a battle, Sir William Blackridge is badly injured and falls off a cliff into the icy open water far below.

Elaine of Rockland doesn't want to be out during the winter, but her village desperately needs food, so she, her brother and some of their soldiers are sailing along the coast, trying to trade. When they pull the body of a man out of the freezing water, Elaine is surprised to find out he is still alive. When the man wakes up, he has no recollection of who he is. But quickly discovers he has the knowledge of a healer. Because their village healer recently died, and most of the villagers are ill, Elaine offers to allow him to return to Rockland for his services.

With no knowledge of his true identity, Elaine gives him the name Gabriel. Because she has fought so hard to be considered equal to a soldier, Elaine has no desire to ever have to submit to a man or marry. But Gabriel is everything she could ever hope for in a man, kind, gentle, a healer as well as a warrior...even if he does look like he enjoys it too much -- he doesn't try to change her into something she is not.

For Gabriel, Elaine quickly steals his heart and not knowing if he is already married drives him crazy. When raiders again attack the village of Rockland, Gabriel saves the life of her brother and Elaine looses her own heart to Gabriel.

Kate Hill really made me one happy reader with THE MAD KNIGHT'S BRIDE. There are a lot of one-line sentences that were either very funny or moving and meaningful so this really was a perfect story for me. She did a fabulous job with the sexual tension and the relationship between Gabriel and Elaine because it truly is doomed. Yet true love does prevail between William and Elaine.

As a reader, you know he is going to recover his memory and it broke my heart broke when Elaine found out her Gabriel was really William, the man responsible for her villages dire situation. Elaine was seriously torn between emotions: loving Gabriel and the hatred she has for William.

William on the other hand, loves Elaine and yet doesn't blame her one bit for not wanting him in her life or Rockland. Because he has to confront his past, how he proves himself worthy of her love was equally as touching and also very shocking. He is everything you could want in a hero: he has a horrible past that finally consumed his good soul, and yet he was given a second chance at having a real life and a home. I really liked him both as Gabriel and the William he became when he regains his memories.

THE MAD KNIGHT'S BRIDE is everything I had hoped it would be. I devoured the story in one sitting and I whole- heartedly recommend this story!

Reviewed by Cynthia Eckert
Courtesy eBookIsle
Posted March 8, 2006

Summary

Inspired by his angelic face, Elaine of Rockland calls the injured man she plucked from the sea Gabriel. Though suffering from amnesia, Gabriel has retained his skills as a healer and a warrior. Using both, he dedicates his life to aiding the people of Rockland. Deep love and irresistible passion ignite between him and Elaine. They make plans to marry, but the sudden return of his memory ruins their happiness. William Blackridge, a knight twisted by hatred, has committed terrible crimes, including an attack that nearly destroyed Rockland. To save Elaine, William must risk his life engaging the help of his old enemy, Viking chieftain Wyborn the Indomitable.