Warrior's Moon
Jaclyn M. Hawkes
Medieval Historical Romance
Never in all the kingdom has there been a more brave and protective champion. Nor such a loyal and capable maiden. And they loved each other desperately.
But is their love strong enough to withstand all their dark age holds—danger, feudalism, disease, and unfair oppression?
Yes, they truly loved each other desperately.
They loved their kingdom more.
Praise for Warrior's Moon
"This book has adventure, memorable characters, and tons of action. There is even romance! I absolutely loved it!!!" ~Laura (Goodreads)
"I loved this book! Great characters, I love a strong female lead. I really enjoy all of Jaclyn Hawkes books, but I must say this in one of my favorites!" ~ KMon (Amazon)
Excerpt
Later that afternoon, he wanted to trounce Chantaya
himself when she tried to insist she could help carry bundles of reeds up the
tallest ladder to his father, as he repaired the roof of the little village
church. ‘Twas far too high for her safety, but convincing her of that was
a day’s work of itself, let alone the thatching. Peyton’s father had had
to tell her to stay down when she flat out ignored Peyton’s insistence.
She was so intrepid ‘twas absolutely frustrating sometimes. Not a grain
of fear in that silly child’s head! And climbing a ladder with her
petticoats fair rioting in the breeze! It had been near scandalous.
There were days when Peyton had no idea how to deal with that girl in the
slightest.
He was still mad at her when the three of them walked
back home together, and got even madder still when she laughed at him and his
frustration with her. At that, she fair got the giggles. She put
her arm round his waist to give him a light hearted hug at his obvious vexation
and said, “Oh, come now, Papa Peyton. I lived through climbing the tall
ladder quite nicely. No harm done. Stop being such an old crone now
and laugh with me. ‘Twas an adventure, wasn’t it? I’ve never been
up that high even when we climb the old tree by the cliff! Wasn’t it
marvelous? I could see clear to the cross roads! ‘Twas fair
refreshing! Was it not?”
Tristan chuckled and Peyton gave her a look of disgust
and sighed, “Refreshing? One of these days you’re going to kill yourself,
Chani, with the antics you attempt. And I’m not going to be the one to
pick up the pieces. You’ll have to go and admit to your dear mother
yourself how you ended your young life, because I haven’t the heart to break
news like that to her.”
Chantaya only laughed again and gave his arm a
squeeze. “Oh, yes you will, Peyton Wolfgar. You’ll always pick up
the pieces for me. It’s well I know you. You’ve been my champion
always and nothing will change that. It’s in the very soul of you.
Being a champion. It’s fair branded onto your forehead.”
She changed her voice to a deeper pitch to imitate him
and cupped her mouth and went on, “I am a knight in shining armor who will
rescue small children, grandmothers and damsels of all varieties. If you
are ever in need, simply call on Sir Peyton, the gallant! I will never
let one down.” Peyton fair glared at her and she laughed and added,
“Ever!”
They had reached the Kincraig cottage and Isabella
opened the door to their voices, took one look at Peyton’s grimace and
Chantaya’s giggles and said, “Gracious Pey, what’s she done this time to make
you so sober? Or do you have a toothache?”
At that, Chantaya went off in
a whole new spate of giggles, hugged him once again and walked up onto the
porch.
My Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review
Warrior's Moon is a perfect example of a great cover sparking my interest. After seeing this beautiful cover and reading the blurb, I was hooked. As I started reading, I realized that this novel reads quite a bit like high fantasy. It starts out when main character Chantaya is three, and follows her as she grows into a young woman.
I loved Chantaya's character. She is so refreshing, free-spirited in a time that frowned upon such things. Perhaps she's like this because her mother is such a good person, or maybe because her best friends, Peyton and Tristan accept her for who she is. Whatever the reason, she is beautiful inside and out. Chani is a source of never-ending grief for poor Peyton who worries more and more as she reaches adulthood.
Peyton is an amazing male lead. At times he was just too good to be true, Loyal, handsome, brave, generous—these are just some of his traits. Peyton and Chani make a great couple. It's impossible to not root for them to find happiness in their lives. I almost cried when Peyton left the small village to become a knight. But some things are just meant to be, and Peyton was destined to be a knight.
This is not my normal read, yet I still enjoyed it quite a bit. The story is as old as time, but the characters really make this novel different. Warrior's Moon is a clean read, though some of the subject matter is more suitable for an older audience. My recommendation is high school and up. If you enjoy a sweeping fantasy romance set during Medieval times, add this to your TBR list.
Author Jaclyn M. Hawkes
Jaclyn M. Hawkes grew up in Utah with 6 sisters, 4 brothers and any number of pets. (It was never boring!) She got a bachelor’s degree, had a career and traveled extensively before settling down to her life’s work of being the mother of four magnificent and sometimes challenging children. She loves shellfish, the out of doors, the youth and hearing her children laugh. She and her fine husband, their family, and their sometimes very large pets, now live in a mountain valley in northern Utah, where it smells like heaven and kids still move sprinkler pipe.
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