Alliance
Forbidden
Diana Cosby
Elspet McReynolds has no choice but to flee into the forests around Tiran Castle, after her parents are slain, Step Brother is thrown in the dungeon, and her home burned down by the current Earl of Dalkirk.
She has found someone who is willing to help her get her brother out, but she has to pay him alot of money that she doesn't have so she resorts to thievery.
Then she meets Sir Cailin MacHugh who quickly becomes her protector and friend, Sir Cailin is the rightful heir to the earldom of Dalkirk, but was rumored to have perished at sea,
Sir Cailin MacHugh owes his life to the Brotherhood for saving him from a murderous plot, But what is the Knight Templar to do about the fearless, sword wielding beauty who has quickly become more then just a friend who has enlisted his aid Now he's having feelings and thoughts that he never expected to have as a Knight Templar even though they have been disbanded.
Now in the face of devastating betrayals that have the traitorous enemies closing in, can Cailin and Elspet claim a love that makes no promisesfor a future that they may not live to see
Diana Cosby is simply brilliant.
This book was a real page turner, Once you pick it up the story will weave around you and pull you in until the end, Elspet and Cailin were fantastic together, Their chemistry was off the chart and so high that it fairly sizzled off of the pages, I really enjoy the historical fiction part, It's always nice to learn something new, Ms. Cosby I believe that your books get better and better every time and I can't wait to see where the next story will take us to.
.Stars
Series: Forbidden
Publication Date:
Number of Pages:
This book was certainly exciting and actionpacked, While it is part of a series, you dont need to have read the other books in order to enjoy this one, It was a good story, but I almost quit reading it before the halfway point because the heroine was so very, very annoying.
She was one of the most TSTL, selfish, selfcentered, reckless, inconsiderate and foolhardy characters Ive ever read, I honestly couldnt understand why anyone, especially our hero, would come to love her, Luckily, there were fewer situations that allowed her to show her TSTL side after themark or so, She hadnt changed just didnt have the opportunity to show that side of herself,
Elspet McReynolds led a happy life filled with love until she didnt, She adored her mother, stepfather and stepbrother then the unthinkable happened their Laird, the Earl of Dalkirk, had his knights attack and burn her home, hang her parents, and capture her and her stepbrother.
He had planned to use her as his mistress, but she managed to escape from Tiran Castle and now she has to save her beloved stepbrother from the dungeon if he hasnt already been killed.
It is freezing cold and Elspet is on foot with no money and no resources, She had been to friends she thought would help her, but they were going to turn her over to the Earl, Now, she is even more desperate to save her stepbrother he must be suffering terribly, When she sees two travelers, she decides to steal their coin so she can bribe one of the castle guards to free her brother.
Except those travelers discover her and give chase and are about to ravish her when out of the snow comes a hero to rescue her.
Sir Cailin MacHugh is traveling in stealth, His father was the former Earl of Dalkirk and Cailin is the rightful heir, Both his father and mother were murdered by his evil uncle who also arranged for Cailins murder, Luckily, Cailin escaped that fate and soon joined the Knights Templar, Now, after the secret dissolution of the Knights Templar, he has returned to claim his birthright with the support of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland.
As Cailin is riding through a nasty winter storm, he hears a scream then another and rides to the rescue, He takes the woman, now injured, to the inn in which he is staying so that he can assess her injuries and determine how best to help her.
So, imagine his shock and dismay when he awakens from a drugged sleep to find his sword missing along with the young woman.
Furious, he sets out to find the woman and his sword that is the proof of his identity,
Thus began an exciting story filled with betrayal, alliances, friendships and a matchmaking king,
My rating for this book is,and it could have easily been,were it not for the TSTL heroine, I guess the thing that disappoints me most is that the author has a military background and should surely know what constitutes a smart, cunning, savvy heroine and it certainly isnt acting the way this one did.
I think youll enjoy this book if you can get past the heroine in the firstof the book,
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book, All thoughts and opinions are my own,
This is a story of two evenly matched people, both fighting for what they believe is right when destiny decides their paths to cross.
Elspet seeks to free her brother from the Earl of Dalkirk, The earl is a wicked man and will not stop to get all he wants, yes, even his earldom, Elspet lost her mother and father by his hands, Desperate and naïve she trusts a guard of Tiran Castle to help her free her brother, Her problem She hasnt coin to pay him, She turns thief.
Elspet doesnt have luck stealing, Her first forage ends very close to rape, Her second she pulls off, but has a change of heart, That change of heart changes her life,
Sir Cailin, still very much a Templar Knight, even after the knighthood was dissovled, seeks his birthright, to regain his claim as the Earl of Dalkirk.
His uncle has taken the title after killing Cailins mother and father and got rid of Cailin,
He meets a fiery lassie with an agenda of her own, His Templar instincts kick in to protect her when he finds her fending off some men, Elspet doesnt need to be protected as much as he thinks, She's quite the warrior. Keeping her out of his bed, however, becomes increasingly difficult as they work together, she to achieve her goal to save her brother and he to regain Tiernan castle.
Author Diana Cosby wields her pen as deftly as Sir Cailin does his sword, She interlaces a historical setting of danger with tender, blossoming love, Her characters and their challenges drive the power of the telling, Scenes of love making dont get in the way of the story, rather they contribute to the understanding that flows between Sir Cailin and Elspet.
Cosbys choice of words describing the feelings between the two was poetic,
I loved the read with its fastpaced and meaningful dialogue, its boldly descriptive scenes, and its characters, each with difficult and very believable inner conflicts, pulling at my heart strings.
Publisher's Description:
Bound by revenge, a woman turned outlaw and a knight sworn to reclaim his birthright band together to vanquish an enemy of Scotland
After her family is slain and her home seized, Elspet McReynolds flees into the forests surrounding Tiran Castle, where she resorts to thievery to survive and save her sole remaining kin.
There she finds an unexpected protector and ally in Sir Cailin MacHugh, rightful heir to the earldom of Dalkirka noble rumored to have perished at sea.
. .
Sir Cailin owes his life to the Brotherhood for saving him from a murderous plot, But what is the Knight Templar to do about the fearless, swordwielding beauty who has enlisted his aidand awakened his desire In the face of devastating betrayals and traitorous enemies closing in, can Cailin and Elspet dare claim a love that makes no promisesfor a future they may not live to see
My Thoughts:
This is another well written book in the Forbidden Series.
I have been enjoying Diana Cosby books since her debut novel when I didn't know what an ebook was,
I really enjoyed reading Elspet and Calin's story and look forward to the next book by this talented author,
The characters are well drawn out and the story needs no explanation, It can easily be read as a standalone but I recommend reading the series in order, This is bookof this series,
I gave this installment,of.for story line and characterization,
I received a complimentary copy of this book to read, This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I read and reviewed voluntaily, I liked the characters by the end of the book, In the beginning Not so much. Cailin is great but a little too forgiving, Elspeth was hard headed if not determined,
Even though it starts out on the eh side it does pick up, It was Cailin's side of the story that kept me reading, not Elspeth,
I received a copy for review, All thoughts and opinions are my own, Take a Scottish knight, a stubborn and willful lass, an evil uncle, heartbreak, battles, twists and turns, betrayals and loyalty and add a whole lot of steamy passion and you've got a story that grabs your attention from start to finish!
I must say I thoroughly enjoyed Cailin and Elspet's story! So much action throughout and a few surprises thrown in for good measure.
I thought it was well written and I now look forward to reading more books by this author,
I was given an ARC of this book via NetGallely and am voluntarily leaving an honest review, Fascinating
As usual, Diana writes an awesome story, one that is hard to put down until the end, Looking forward to the next one, as the preview leaves you wanting more! Diana, great job, keep it up! Always wondering how it will work out to the end! Forbidden Alliance by Diana Cosby is bookin the Forbidden Series.
This is the story of Elspet McReynolds and Cailin MacHugh, I have read the previous books but feel you can make this a standalone book if you wish to do so,
Elspet mother and stepfather where killed when they were accused of things they didn't do, her stepbrother placed in the dungeon all because of the Earl of Dalkirk.
Now she is on the run but still working to save her stepbrother, When she meets Cailin who helped her but she due to her issues steals from him but then moves forward to try and work with him.
Cailin parents where killed by accident he first thought and his Uncle sent him off to help with his education but he soon learned that his Uncle had hired someone to kill him too.
But they sold him to pirates where he stayed until the Knights Templar came and helped him, Cailin now is loyal to them and has stood by them until they were attacked, Cailin was instructed to return to claim back his rightful seat as the Earl of Dalkirk which leads him to meet Elspect when he is trying to learn about what is going on there to take it back.
But these two start having more feelings than they can ignore,
Exciting story for me,
ScotlandKnight Templar, Sir Callen was determined to oust her vile uncle posing as the Laird of Dalkirk, and take back his home.
His uncle had killed his father and mother and tried to have him killed, But fortunately he had survived and joined the Templars who really had saved him, Now he wants what is rightfully his and justice done,
Elspet McReynolds had watched her stepmother and father murdered by the hands of their Laird, the Earl of Dalkirk, Burning her house and taking her stepbrother, he almost ravished her but she was lucky to escape, Desperate to get her brother out of his clutches, she ends up robbing a man who helped her of his broadsword and tried to sell it for coin.
Wow, this was a great story tht held me from the beginning, Murder, betrayals, angst and a journey to a happy ever had a few twists and turns,
I highly recommend this exciting tale and cannot wait for more in this series! Tension and distrust dog our leading characters!
Having a soft spot in my heart for the mythical and romanticized view of all things Knight Templar, I was excited by the premise.
"The wrongful accusations and slaughter of warriors whod vowed to protect the innocent, men whod given their lives to serve the Brotherhoods cause.
. . sacrificed without hesitation by the duplicitous French monarch' King Philip, " The Templars have been secretly disbanded, and the brotherhood lives on to support new causes,
Out of this understanding rises the Forbidden series stories,
I the was captivated! I adored the Knights Templar connection,
It'sin the snow covered Scottish Highlands, Elspet McReynolds, of Tiran Castle, in naught but the clothes she stood in is fleeing the treachery of the Earl of Dalkirk as he murdered her stepfather and mother and dragged away her stepbrother Blar, is confronted by two ragged brigands degenerate laden intent on her! Not good!
A woman's scream in the depths of the quiet forest galvanizes
Sir Cailin MacHugh into action.
A fabulous beginning!
My Knight Templar, Cailin, is definitely meeting my romantic expectations, the rescuing of a damsel in distress!
Unfortunately that damsel has her own agenda that runs counter to Cailin's and the two will find themselves going toe to toe at almost every turn.
Here's Cailin, whose the real heir to Dalkirk, the current Earl being his treacherous uncle, attempting reclaim his inheritance, following Robert the Bruce's instructions without attracting attention to himself, and he rescues the woman who will turn all that upside down.
Why Because she's absolutely focused on her own path without thought for how she impacts others,
I grew exasperated with Elspet and her inability on important occasions to just think before she acted, I wanted to adore Cailin but in the end his interactions with Elspet were just too wooden, Sure there was some chemistry happening between the two, but I just wasnt convinced,
So three for the first parts of the story, I'm truly sad that for me, the story didn't have the Aha! resolutions it's beginning promised,
A NetGalley ARC,