This story gives you two books for the price of one: a romance sugarstory followed by an historical adventure tale of war and rebellion

The book starts as a romance novel and by the time you think the story is about to end you are only halfway and the now happily married couple now plunges in a historical adventure novel with evil rulers, treason, prisonbreaks and a happy marriage.

It is the 14th century in England and the assumed gay king is a weak person letting his favourite man rule the country. Law and order are a distant memory. Kit is the illegitimate daughter of a lower nobleman who is forced to marry a lowly knight because her half-sister, who was the intended bride, did a runner. The half-sister slept with the overlord of the knight and the idea was to compensate her like this. Kit does not want to pretend she is Katherine but is left no choice.   That is the plot of the romance part of the book.

Regarding to the adventure story that follows this: Sir Adam is bound to his liege lord Lord Roger Mortimer an important lord of the realm. Nowadays we picture a lord of the manor as a wealthy family living in a big mansion in the middle of a village but in 14th century England that manor was just a big farm. The knights are like army officers and their farmhands the soldiers the overlord can call upon. It does not matter if the knight agrees with his overlord he is honour bound. In Adam's case that is even more so because Lord Mortimer saved him as a child. This pledge of loyalty however is also a way to protect the less powerful of society. When Adam becomes young Edward's man he cannot be openly opposed by Despenser anymore.

I liked the historic setting. I would loved to have seen that proceed a bit faster (I know what will happen and wanted to have it over with - and see if the hot poker in the arse of someone would feature) but discovered the writer wants to write more about the family in other books to follow. However that made the story sometimes a bit slow.

The book features a lot of bedding but apart from mentioning hard objects trusted it is not pornographic. However combined with also some violent deaths I would recommend readers to be at least 16.

Reviewed for NetGalley. Very friendly priced Kindle. It is really worth the 99 cents.