A Knight’s Persuasion by Catherine Kean

CKean-Knights PersuasionA Knight’s Persuasion is a sweet story of love, misunderstanding and courtly obligations in a rich medieval setting.

When Edouard de Lanceau, son of Moydenshire’s great Lord Geoffrey de Lanceau, finds an unconscious wounded woman lying in a river, he’s shocked to recognize Lady Juliana de Greyne, to whom he was once almost betrothed. The previous year, his bet with a friend to win her kiss went awry, and the commitment to her never proceeded. When Juliana’s sister deceived him into betrothing her instead, Edouard became honor-bound to wed her; yet he still desires Juliana. Taking her in his arms, he vows to discover who would want her dead—and why. While riding to an important meeting on behalf of his ill father, Edouard must face Lord Geoffrey’s enemies, who have returned to Moydenshire to destroy him. Taken prisoner and chained in a tower, Edouard must fight not only for his life but for Juliana’s as well. When Juliana wakes, she has no memory of who she is or what happened to her. She only knows she’s captive in a chamber alongside a man in chains who insists he knows her. For reasons unknown, her feelings for this stranger run strong. Were they once lovers, or is he a cold-blooded killer? Determined to regain her memories and know the truth, Lady Juliana discovers that nothing can vanquish love or the power of a knight’s persuasion.

I enjoyed the way the mystery unfolded. You are told what is at the core of A Knight’s Persuasion fairly early in the story. I sat and twitched, wanting to shake them as they walked into the trap, but it only made me more invested in those characters.

Juliana isn’t exactly a damsel in distress, well, she turns into one when she looses her memory after an attempted murder. Edouard realizes he’s been a jerk when he’s tricked into being betrothed to her sister Nala. Karma, what goes around, comes around in A Knight’s Persuasion, it’s quite satisfying. He finds Juliana on his way to the castle she’s been staying at and takes her back, trying to find out what happened to her. HELLO! Ok, so he wears a helmet and gets hit in the head a lot. I guess he can be forgiven. That is when everything takes a turn for the worse. I can’t really go into any of it without giving too much away.

The characters are full, yet fairly stereotypical. It is easy to understand their motives, yet are described in so much detail that you want to become involved in their plight. I think everyone has met an annoying self-centered person like Nala. Not only does she try to steal her sister’s intended, she almost kills her in the process. And that’s only the first attempt on Juliana’s life in the story. I loved the concept of a woman artist like Juliana was; except during the middle ages, art was a lot more stylized than as described in A Knight’s Persuasion, as you can see from surviving period statues, embroideries and manuscript illuminations. Edouard is a great example of the chivalric ideal: loyalty, courtly love, honor. The sexual tension is very subdued, but runs well throughout A Knight’s Persuasion.

In all, I enjoyed A Knight’s Persuasion. The story was fun, the setting & characters just pulled me in. I plan on reading more by Catherine Kean in the future.

Series Order: (but each novel can be read as a stand alone)
A Knight’s Vengeance
A Knight’s Reward
A Knight’s Temptation
A Knight’s Persuasion

Also reviewed by: CK2’s Kwips and Kritiques, Natascha’s Place, Escape between the Pages, Night Owl Reviews

About Trish 11 Articles
Wife & Mom, part-time Chiropractic Assistant, Costumer, and avid table top Role-player/GM. Strong interest in history and historic fiction. Is totally loving the Steampunk movement.

2 Comments

  1. Picked this up at the con, it’s in my stack! Sounds like it’s worth a read, and I must say I’m kind of a sucker for a good medieval.

    • I’m a sucker for a good medieval as well. There’s a few books in this series and the ones I’ve read have been good as well. You should definitely check them out.

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