This is the first book of the series and also my first time reading something by this author and I was pleasantly surprised. The story has romance, drama, villains, and suspense and drew me in from the beginning and kept my interest till the end. The characters were well-developed and interesting and I was instantly endeared to them and enjoyed following their story. Daniel lost everything when his uncle killed his father and his wife and took over the earldom. Since then, he has been in hiding and has built a new life as a shipbuilder. He has no desire to go back and claim his title. Cadenza has never felt the pull to love and marriage and aspires to be a nun. When her parents arrange marriage to Daniel's uncle , she decides to run away, and ends up in Daniel's workshop. Despite not having any aspirations for love, she is immediately drawn to him,, and when he finds out she is meant to marry his uncle, he is determined to protect her and gain back his title at the same time.
A sweet and captivating medieval romance filled with drama and intrigue. I enjoyed discovering a new author and I look forward to continuing the series.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing and am voluntarily leaving my review.

What a unique story! If you like captivating and heart-warming medieval romance novels, you will certainly enjoy this book!

I was drawn to this book by the blurb but it lost me a couple of chapters in. I'm participating in a challenge where I had to read a book set in Middle Ages so that's why I finished it.
I felt like there were a few unnecessary moments that could easily be dropped out of the book. Carenza wanted to be a nun and she was praying a lot through the book. nothing wrong with that but I felt like the prayers weren't always necessary to be written out. I think it was at that moment that I hoped I didn't stumble into a Christian romance as that is not what I read.
Poems were a major part of the book too and they provided entertainment. When Carenza and Daniel met, the focus shifted from being a nun to the poetry they both loved.
I liked the author's writing style but at the same time I didn't so I'm on the precipice of I want to continue reading the following books by this author even though I have seen they will definitely be interesting. Maybe the others wouldn't be so focused on the prayers as it was this one? (maybe because this one included a future nun?)
I like the descriptive writing style but only to the point where I don't get bored. The poetry took away the first reason for this book - making Daniel an earl again and defeating his uncle. The MC were together at half of the book and got married so at that point I was only waiting for the battle.
In short, this book felt much longer than it actually was and all the prayers and poetry battles actually took away from the romance instead of - in the case of poetry - contributing to it.
3 stars.
2.5-3 on a spice scale (out of 5).

This is a sweet romance. It's interesting how poetry is woven all throughout the story. Both of our characters write poetry. It's is what originally brought them together. When they both had a spoken poetry battle it reminded me of a medieval "Whose line is it anyway". It's also used to deliver coded messages. Both characters use it for stress relief, self care and understanding their own feelings. This book is also about understanding your purpose and calling, and grief and finding true love again.
Special shout out to Sir Percival the cat who knows when snuggles are necessary.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Enjoyable, Medieval Romance

His uncle stole his birthright, and he wanted revenge. As to the earldom, he wanted nothing to do with it. He lived as a commoner for many years, but then, he fell in love with a noblewoman. Could falling in love set him on a different path?

This story has romance, suspense, treachery, and intrigue. It is my first read by this author, and I loved it. The story kept me engaged from beginning to end. I recommend it to lovers of historical romance. I look forward to what comes next in this series.

I absolutely loved this book. Carenza was such a beautiful character, and the way she grew throughout this book was just perfect.

A Gripping Medieval Love Story

A new to me author I really enjoyed and I will definitely read the next books of the series!
The storyline hooked me right from the start and got even better as the story progressed.
I enjoyed the blend of heartfelt emotions, romance, danger, suspense and spice.
The characters are very endearing, the chemistry between them was great and their flirtatious poetry battles throughout the book made me smile.

Daniel de Broase lost everything he held dear when his uncle killed his father and wife and usurped his own title, Earl of Hawkhurst. Constantly on the run and in hiding, still mourning the death of his late wife, he vowed never to reclaim his title and built a new life as a shipbuilder in Winchelsea.
He prefers his life as a commoner and writes poetry for his troubadour brother-in-law, who lives with him.

Carenza de Vere's greatest wish is to become a nun. For years she successfully avoided romance and love, never feeling the slightest temptation. When her parents arrange a marriage to the vicious Earl of Hawkhurst, she tries to escape to the nunnery, but ends up in the workshop where Daniel works.
She is immediately drawn to him and his poetry.

When Daniel learns that the sweet, innocent young lady is to become his uncle's bride, he decides to save her by killing his uncle and resuming his title...

If you like captivating and heartwarming medieval romance novels, you will certainly enjoy this book!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a medieval romance with a very witty storyline. Our hero is living in hiding from a murderous relative. By working as a shipwright and writing rhymes, he has tried to bury his past.
Our heroine only wants to be a nun. Not because she's very religious, but for the peace to write and study.
There is danger and adventure as well as funny poetic battles. This story also gets a bit steamy in the second half.
The characters are fabulous with complex personalities that are easy to love. I'm not sure if this is the start of a series or not.
Good fun.

It is the first time I have read a book by this author and found it to be rich in history, romance, and drama as the determined Carenza, in a bid to avoid marriage comes face to face with the shipbuilder Daniel. Hearing him sing stirs Carenza's heart and she immediately recognizes the poet in the burly man. In an era where force was used to gain power, Daniel finally gets the chance to take revenge against the man who destroyed his family and those he loved, but it means using Carenza as a means to get close enough to him to carry out his plan. The plot is fast-paced and suspenseful, but through it all, runs the beauty of romance and the songs of love that bring Carena and Daniel closer together. The novel comes to a lovely conclusion as the couple finds their true calling. I received a copy of this entertaining novel as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

What an amazingly beautiful story. Daniel has lost everything but is determined to survive so he becomes a shipbuilder. Cadenza wants to become a nun. Circumstances bring them together and they use their individual and combined interest in poetry to make beautiful music, poetry and love. One of the things I really enjoyed about the story was the inclusion of prayer throughout. Devotion to the church and God had a powerful place in history especially during that time period. Most stories don't even touch on this portion of history. Well written with struggles to seek revenge, forgiveness, love and peace.

Daniel is living a simple life compared to his stolen heritage of being an Earl.
Carenza plans to dedicate her life to God by joining a nunnery but her parents are committing her to marrying the false Earl.
Time period is interesting and helps the story progress.
An enjoyable book with good characterizations.

This is just fantastic and I just could not put it down! It’s well written, well crafted, full of imagination, full of humour and had me laughing out loud with tears! A fast-paced, spellbinding romance complete with outrageous and hot hot hot characters, this is another hit for this author!

Revenge, Poetry, Emotional Love Story:
My first time reading this author. I must say I loved the cover and the story inside was interesting. The characters were intriguing with a plot of revenge, discovering love along with a many insecurities.
Carenza is one witty and determined young lady who's only desire is to be a nun; she fears love and writes poetry.
Daniel a strong and determined character who is developing a plot to get revenge against his uncle and reclaim his rightful title.
There is a good amount of excitement here and there along with a good amount of passion throughout the story. A cast of characters that bring humor and joy to the story.
The story took me into a long read with many topsy turvy situations that could have been left out. Sixty percent of the way through I did start skimming quite a bit until the last several chapters which picked up pace with the stories conclusion which did become quite exciting along with a beautiful finish and a heartfelt poem in the epilogue.
It was a good story. It could have been shorter for my taste.
📣Special Mention: Percival the cat was a nice added character, along with Franny who was a hoot and made me laugh
💋Loved the cover.
📖Rating 3.5 rounded up to a 4-star rating.