A delightful second chance, marriage of convenience romance that I thoroughly enjoyed. The story is about a mature couple who are familiar with the ups and downs in life, having lost their beloved ones, now learning to trust their adversaries and opening their hearts again to a new love. The plot is very well written and filled with emotion, action, danger and a bit of steam. Eyreka and Augustin are wonderful characters with a great chemistry. I already knew Eyreka from the previous book. She is a strong, fierce, intelligent and kind character, as is Augustin. I really loved how their relationship developed and how they stood beside each other from the start. The same goes for their peoples, who reminded me of reluctant members of a new patchwork family, initially rejecting the new situation before starting to respect each other and eventually trusting, supporting and caring for each other.
The book can be read on its own, but I recommend reading the first installment to learn more about the characters and backgrounds.

When the Norman king William wants to take their estate Merewood away from her family and instead gift it to one of his Norman knights, widowed Saxon Lady Eyreka, of Viking origin, acts immediately and proposes to the king that she marry the new owner to ensure the acceptance of her Saxon people.
The widowed Baron Augustin de Chauret is anything but enthusiastic about following the king's orders and marrying Eyreka. He is still mourning the loss of his late wife and wanted to return home, but it is clear that he cannot refuse to take Eyreka as his new wife who is to blame for this situation. His vassals and his daughter are also against him marrying a Saxon and are not prepared to accept her as their new mistress.
Eyreka and Augustin agree to a marriage of convenience, even though they are attracted to each other, but neither of them can forget their deceased spouse or betray them.
The situation in Merewood comes to a head. Eyreka's sons and her people are also against her marriage and boycott the Normans. Eyreka and Augustin must learn to trust each other and try everything to unite their peoples. Only when they are attacked by old and new enemies are the Saxons and Normans finally ready to act together and support each other…

If you like heartwarming medieval romance novels with mature protagonists who get a second chance at love against all odds, you are sure to enjoy this book!

I received a free ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and left voluntarily.

I'm not sure if the date this is set is considered medieval, but it is only a few years into the reign of William the Conqueror.
Our heroine lost her Saxon husband to the Norman's, but knows they are here to stay. There is only one way to protect her people and her sons from losing everything.
Our hero doesn't really want the reward he is offered, but nobody says no to William.
The war might be over, but the peace is by no means settled. There are many battles ahead, and grudges held.
This is an action packed story with fabulous characters. It's not really steamy, but there is a lot of emotion.
It is the second book in the series and you do get hints of what happened before this one is set. That doesn't spoil this one. It just made me wish I had read that one.
I loved it.

This is a fanominal story that brings lots of the English history together in captivating manner. In English history, the land was invaded by the Vikings and then the Normans. In a unique fashion, this author brings all of this into one story with Lady Eyreka a widow of Viking blood who was married to a Saxon Lord. Now the king has agreed to marry her off to Augustin a Norman widower. The conflicts between these different cultures run deep and the drama of merging them together is worth each page turning effort. A strong, powerful story of love lost, new love found, merging families and cultures. Even today, this can be found when families merge. From one of my favorite authors, who has suffered great loss and has continued to work through her grief by sharing her immense talent with all of us. An exceptional story, don't miss it!

This enchanting medieval romance brings to light the lengths a mother will go to in order to protect her family. I enjoyed the interaction between Augustin and Eyreka, especially as the attraction between them began to blossom and grow. It would seem that some magic is involved as there are so many parallels between their previous spouses and the proposal negotiated with King. Certainly, in spite of the popular view held by most men, Lady Eyreka's strategic thinking brings about a solution that is to everyone's advantage, except for those miscreants who wish to bring about mayhem and murder. Augustin is a man of honor and when it would seem that all is lost, he proves himself to be every bit the warrior that Eyreka needs. The novel comes to a wonderful conclusion as two mature people finally find the love they have longed for. I received a copy of this exciting romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

I knew this was going to be an emotional book when the author's dedication to Kathryn Le Veque was already making me cry.

Eyreka and Augustin are married by the decree of King William (The Conquerer). Both of them have lost spouses and have no desire to marry again. They start out dancing warily around each other, then gradually become friends, then finally lovers. They also have to convince Augustin's 10 yr old daughter, Angelique to go along with this plan of a new stepmother.

This is a bittersweet, tender romance with plenty of grief woven in. The sparks between the two mcs are hot. Both of them are really good people who deserve love and they both get it.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

This book picks up where the previous book (Liberating the Lady of Loughmoe) left off. The keep does well under Garrick and Dunstan's management, and life is somewhat more settled. Then word arrives that King William intends to give the keep to one of his warriors. Widowed Lady Eyreka fears for the safety of her family and her people, so when she learns that the Norman is a widower, she develops a plan. She sneaks away to see the king and offers marriage to the Norman in exchange for her family's cooperation in running the keep.

Augustin loved his late wife and had no desire to remarry or stay in England. However, no one says no to the king, and Augustin quickly finds himself married and on the way to Merewood. He is an honorable man though also a bit arrogant and does not realize how unprepared he is to take over Merewood.

I loved watching the relationship between Eyreka and Augustin develop. They get off to a rough start, as Augustin is accustomed to having his orders obeyed, and Eyreka is used to a full partnership with her late husband. Their clashes of will are fun to watch as each strives to come out on top. Unexpected attraction complicates their interactions.

Melding Saxon and Norman into a cohesive unit doesn't come easy. The antagonism, both overt and subtle, keeps everyone on edge. Eyreka and Augustin realize that their resistance to the sparks between them adds to the tension. I liked seeing them get to know and respect each other before giving in to their attraction. The bigger question is whether they can let go of the past and make a future together.

I loved watching the Normans and Saxons learn how to work together. The initial distrust between them is evident and understandable. There are stronger undercurrents with some of Augustin's men, and I ached for Eyreka, who found herself the target of some of those resentments. There are some terrific scenes of Augustin as he settles into life at Merewood and begins to make progress.

But there is trouble looming. When Eyreka and his daughter become the targets of revenge, Augustin must bring together both sides if he will save them. The confrontation was intense, and I was on the edge of my seat until it was over. I loved the depth of emotion displayed at the end and what it meant for their future.

This is the second book in The Ladies of the Keep series. It is a beautifully well written Medieval romance. It has drama, action, a protective mother, an unwanted gift, conflict, heroism, strength and determination, and so many more emotional issues that kept me entertained and engaged. I enjoyed how courageous, honorable, and strong-willed characters the characters were and that they came to find love and a beautiful romance. I highly recommend reading!

Bargaining With the Lady of Merewood by CH Admirand is a middle ages story of two middle aged, widowed people who fall in love. It is a mature love but not without lust. Lady Eyreka was the Viking widow of a Saxon lord, Addison, who she had loved with all her heart. Now she had read a missive to her son stating that Merewood, her home, was to be given to a Norman lord. It was spoils of war. She had a plan to keep it from being wrested from her family and she hastened to meet the king and propose her plan. She would marry the man, touting how her family could ease his way as the lord, rather than coming in as a conquerer, which was sure to ruffle feathers as well as hurt his (the king’s) income from the property. Augustin de Chauret was first and foremost a warrior. He didn’t want a wife. But the king ordered it and he must obey. Even the guards were enemies. His guards and hers. It was difficult, but she threw herself into making them one people. She discovered that the kitchen had been over-salting the Normans’ food and sending them vinegar-ed wine. She put a stop to it. She was attacked by a “friend” of de Chauret’s and his guards ignored her cries. She encouraged mercy. He locked them up with little food. She snuck food to them. Slowly they came together, in more ways than one.

This was at utterly enticing novel. Both of these were older people, thinking themselves beyond the flush of love. They had both experienced it and were not sure they wanted to take a chance. But, often before love comes respect. These were both honorable and courageous people doing their best for their people. They couldn’t help but notice one another. They neglected to speak words of love until it was nearly too late. This book was full of romance as well as miscommunication and misunderstandings. It may have been Admirand’s best book yet out of a portfolio of good books.

I was invited to read Bargaining With the Lady of Merewood by Dragonblade. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #CHAdmirand #BargainingWithTheLadyOfMerewood