Sinclair de Reyne is an elite trainer at Blackchurch whose speciality is the sword. The Swordsman just returned to Blackchurch after being gone for several years.
Our heroine is not excited about her impending betrothal, so takes matters into her own hands by running away.
Katherine has written another amazing love story. The characters were awesome, especially with the addition of some pirates. We always have adventure, and a complicated path to a HEA. The Blackchurch trainers offer 100% commitment, support, and camaraderie to each other in all things..
I couldn't put the book down once I started reading.

Stunning swashbuckling romance!

Sinclair is back from three years of war, helping the young Duke of Toxandria regain his lands and title (a follow-up to the events in The Leviathan). He meets the beautiful Lisi, a woman with dark secrets who is working at the tavern near the Blackchurch Guild. Their friendship is just starting to become more when she's kidnapped and dragged back to the family she had run away from.

Determined to set her free once and for all, Sinclair has to enlist the help of pirates and friends alike in order to fight for her right to self-determination. There is a lot of political maneuvering involved that requires deft negotiations and, of course, a deadly battle or two.

This is a fast-paced story that spans only a few weeks. Sin and Lisi's connection is instant and incendiary, and I absolutely loved watching them figure out how to make things work.

This is another outstanding medieval romance from the queen of the genre and I highly recommend it for all romance readers. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Kathryn Le Veque has a way of creating characters that I really care about. Elisiana and Sin are great together. I love the relationships that The Blackchurch guys have with each other. You know a Le Veque book is going to be good - all from the thoughtful, heartfelt author's note at the beginning to the end where we get to see Elisiana's drawing of Sin.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋
😈

Brilliant read!
Another wonderful story from the trainers at the Blackchurch Guild.
Sinclair and Elisiana are so sweet, love at first glance almost, then two days later separated.
She’s a run away. Trying to escape an arranged marriage, but when she meets Sin she becomes enamoured of the big knight.
When she’s found by her family and taken back to their home, Sin will go to any lengths to claim her back.
Awesome stuff, I loved this one, Sin is one of my favourites, looking forward to lots more.

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

I always love when a writer gives a story that reads like a book. I had a great time reading about Elis and her most interesting ways of finding employment when she was under Lady de Valcourt charge. By the letter me say that Elis family are crazy, but in a good way. The pie story was good. The story has great anticipation to it. The romance is very exciting. The story does maintains the readers attention.

Entertaining, Medieval Romantic Adventure

To escape an unwanted betrothal, Elisiana finds herself working in a tavern. This is where she meets Sin. Love happens quickly for them, but her family finds her. Will the Swordsman fight for the woman he loves? There will be challenges ahead, and there will be adventure. Beware of pirates, for they are about to enter the fray. What do pirates have to do with anything? For the answer, you must read this entertaining, medieval, romantic adventure.

We go back to Blackchurch for this story. That is where they train the best warriors. The Swordsman is one of the trainers, who has just returned from a few years away.
Our heroine is a rebellious daughter on the run from an unwanted marriage.
We get a lot of adventure and few giggles thanks to very dangerous pirates. Also of course our hero needs to use his special skills to win his lady.
Although this is part of a series, each book can be easily read on its own. Every book this author writes I buy without even reading the blurb because I know I will enjoy it. They all have strong characters and a marvellous storyline.
I loved it.

Amazing, exciting, action packed third book in this Guild series. Sinclair has spent many years as a fighter and finally decides to change course and go back to his root at the Guild. His closest relationships are there, as well as the loyalty and faith of these other men. He meets Elisiana who sparks a fire in him. As they navigate their relationship, both must learn to trust each other, work through past and current issues. Amazingly written, a true page turner filled with historical information that allows the reader to both imagine and learn at the same time. Outstanding!

Another Blackchurch Guild story that defines more characters.
Well written with long standing relationships that mean caring and devotion.
Sin (Sinclair) is the Swordsman and after three long years battling for others, he returns home to resume his role as a trainer in the Guild.
He meets Elisiana in a tavern and is immediately struck by her beauty and composure.
Their courtship is,short,and,affected by their secrets and past.
Action abounds in this historical story.
Highly recommend this series.

The Swordsman by Katheryn Le Veque is a Blackchurch Guild novel featuring Sin de Reyne who has just returned from a few years in Toxandra, fighting to restore the rightful duke to his holding. He has stopped at the Black Cock pub to eat and possibly run into some of this friends. He was surprised to meet the loveliest woman he had ever seen. Her name was Lisi and she could hold her own in a place like this. She didn’t seem to be the pub type, though. She spoke like a noblewoman. As the days wore by he came to like her more and more until the day she was snatched away by a small army of men, led by her brother. He was taking her back to the life she has escaped from. He thought about how to retrieve her to lead the life he wanted with her and determined that her uncle, a notorious pirate, was the way in. To reach him he would have to approach his leader’s brother, another notorious pirate to help him. It would be complicated but it was the only way. Meanwhile, Lisi could not be forced to marry the man her father had chosen; he had already wed another.

Like all Blackchurch warriors/instructors, Sin was the best he could be at what he did. Blackchurch was acknowledged as turning out the best warriors and he taught them swordsmanship. He had never been attracted to a woman like this before and was determined that she be his. Lisi was strong and stubborn, not the ideal match for a man like Sin, one would think, but there was no denying it. It was an engaging story of these two people fighting for the lives they wanted. It encompassed characters we have met before at Blackchurch as well as interesting new characters. It’s not my favorite of Le Veque’s Middle Ages romances but it was a good one. Thanks LeVeque for humanizing the Middle Ages.

I was invited to read The Swordsman by Dragonblade. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #KathrynLeVeque #TheSwordsman

I was happy to see that a new novel about the Shadow Knights had come out. The men who train warriors at the Blackchurch Guild are the best of the best and have big hearts. Unlike most men of the period, they appreciate strong-minded women who know what they want and will help them fight for it. When her father announces her betrothal to a man she can not stand, Lady Elisiana makes a run for it. However, she is forced to make a detour and ends up working as a server at the Black Cock, a tavern where the men from Blackchurch gather for a meal and to relax. When Sinclair returns to Blackchurch after a long mission, the Black Cock is the obvious place to sit down and rest until his fellow knights arrive. The appearance of Lisi is unexpected, as is his attraction to her. As it turns out, the attraction is mutual and a sweet romance develops. When Lisi' s family catches up with her, Sin and his friends will leave no stone unturned to rescue her, especially as there is a nefarious plot afoot. The novel is a standalone and comes to a good conclusion. I received a copy of this romance as a gift from Dragonblade Publishing and Netgalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

I love reading about the Blackchurch Guild and the Knights who work and train recruits there. The tavern where they go on their day off is where he met the love of his life. They had a lot to endure to make that happen. Another great read from this author. HEA.

Secrets, Pirates, Comradery, Fighting for Love:
This is a hold on to your seats story that is very exciting and a wonderful addition to the series of the Blackchurch trainers.
This book actually comes in 2 parts of a truly adventurous love story that captured my heart right from the start.
Part One:
Brings us into a very intriguing beginning that introduces us to Elisiana (Lisi) as a young incorrigible entrepreneur who draws risqué pictures. As you can imagine Papa is not happy with her. From that statement you can tell this is going to be quite a story from this point forward. Hold on to your book as you won't be able to put it down until this fabulous heartfelt conclusion.
We next meet Sinclair as he returns from a long journey that brings him back home, but first he is stopping for some refreshments at the old hangout the infamous Black Cock Tavern where he will meet Lisi, and this is when Sin and Lisi's lives are about to change forever
Part Two:
Is about Sinclair's journey to rescue and find Lisi which takes him into more danger than you can imagine. Dealing with deadly pirates, bartering for their help, fighting for one's life, paying debts, and just so much excitement you just don't want to put this book down.
The story is wonderfully exciting, humorous, scandalous, and so much more.
💖Special Mention: to Payne who brought much enjoyment, and I hope to read about his own story,
💋Swoon worthy moment: The wooing declaration from Sin melted my heart.
🥰The charming reunion at the end was so heartfelt and lovely.
🤼Sub characters were outstanding, especially the trainers, and pirates.
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It’s a wonderful story that is full of action and it is written in great detail. The descriptions of what was occurring gave me a clear picture of the event. The H/h, Sin and Elisiana are great characters with lots of emotions and romance with a great storyline. There are secondary characters that added to the story. I especially enjoyed Santiago and his love and protective side for Elisiana. There are some surprises but I particularly loved the last one for Sin. It’s a great story that I would highly recommend.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.