Knight of Pleasure by Margaret Mallory is a medieval romance book. It’s the second book of the series All the King’s Men. It follows the story of a widow Lady Isabel Hume, who accepts a political alliance marriage to a French Nobleman at the King’s request. She meets Sir Stephen Carlton on the battlefront of the war with France. Giving in to this attraction means betraying her fiancé and her King.
Lady Isabel Hume married an older husband, but it gave her some freedom and security in society. When her husband dies, she is left at someone else’s mercy who doesn’t have good intentions towards her. So, she has to look for other venues. This is how Isabel decided to accept a political alliance with a French Nobleman set up by the King. She is brought to a military base to wait for pending nuptials and meets Sir Stephen Carlton. He is charming and is used to being the center of attention amongst females. She is drawn to him, but pursuing anything feels forbidden.
Stephen and Isabel feel drawn to each other, but they are not sure if they can act on it. She is to be married to someone else with King’s order. They have a lot of things going against them. Slowly, they come closer. Stephen is more than simply charming. He is sympathetic and worries about people affected by their military operations. He is chivalrous and genuinely cares about Isobel. She has an idea about his past, but that is not the only thing that makes her wary. She has promises to keep, and she has accepted to make the best of this political alliance marriage.
The story is quick-paced and sticks true to its medieval setting. People worry less about personal and social cleanliness. Isabel does not have any notions of women being restricted in their time because, for her, it is just a norm. Whether that’s good or not is a different question, but it is suitable to the times in which it takes place. Isabel and Stephen give will they, won’t they, sort of vibes, and you understand their dilemmas. Their romance is passionate and consuming, it’s intriguing to see them together. The characters are not perfect with their choices and reactions, but they seem so realistic. Isabel and Stephen keep you rooting for them to find a way to be together.
I have read a lot of historical romances but never a medieval romance. The thing that I want to talk about is the setting and the history of the story. Everything in the story happens during the war between Britain and France; I assume it is the Hundred Years War timespan, but I could be wrong. Mallory has dealt with the time in a sensitive way, yet it is descriptive enough to paint a picture in your head. I enjoyed the medieval setting of this romance novel. It has some similar vibes to a historical romance, but still a different genre.
Knight of Pleasure by Margaret Mallory is an engaging and enjoyable medieval romance. It has interesting characters, and an interesting setting, with amazing chemistry and romance between the main characters. I couldn’t put the book down once I started reading it. It was fun to read.
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