Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle Christmas in the Castle
Christmas, Holiday, Historical Romance, Medieval Fiction
The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
November 15, 2023
Kindle
198
Amazon
Gabrielle is a flame haired, fire hearted French princess who dreams of becoming a Valkyrie warrior queen like her Viking ancestors from Normandy. Sent to Paris to learn the proper etiquette for a future French queen, she is called home to le Château de Beaufort for a forced marriage to a man she loathes when her father the king’s precarious health takes a sudden turn for the worse.
Chivalrous, solitary knight Sir Bastien de Landuc suffers an impossible love for Gabrielle, the unattainable princess he can never have. Without a title of nobility, he is ineligible to compete in the tournament for her hand in marriage, despite his unparalleled equestrian skills and inimitable swordsmanship.
Yet, Yuletide wishes for a wondrous winter solstice in the glorious Crystal Castle might make impossible dreams come true.
Can the valiant knight win the coveted hand of his Viking Valkyrie?
Reviewed by Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
When I received this book to review, I knew I was going to be captivated as I was with the other books by Ms. Walker. Knowing I would be glued to every page I made sure I positioned myself in a comfortable chair, food readily available and dived right in. I entered a world of knights, princesses, and a love story for the ages.
Gabrielle’s father is the King of Finistère, and he is in very poor health so before his death which he knows is right around the corner he must ensure his daughter is married. The law states that a female cannot inherit the throne so she must be married or risk losing everything. Rather than pick one for her he arranged for a jousting contest, where the winner gets the hand of the princess and becomes king.
Gabrielle has trained since the age of ten with Bastien de Landuc in using weapons and self-defense if necessary. Bastien is the Master of Horse and has loved Gabrielle since he first began training her, but he is not a noble, has no property so entering the jousting contest is forbidden. It is common knowledge that Ugolin Cauchon is anxious to win, giving him control of the water ways and allowing his partnership with pirates to continue unobstructed.
Ugolin is unable to compete, so he has a champion fighting in his place and won’t hesitate to use every underhanded means to win. He is an embarrassment to his father, can’t master riding, sword play or any other type of defense and is known for his cruelty, torturing animals and servants. Bastien and his allies must prepare and be one step ahead of him.
Ugolin’s first attempt at winning was to kidnap the princess and impregnate her forcing the hand of the king. Fortunately, with Gabrielle’s training and Bastien by her side they were the winners and Ugolin the loser. Of course, he is already preparing for the next betrayal.
Gabrielle has always loved Bastien and the thought of wedding someone else is pure torture, but duty calls and she won’t let her father down. When she asks Bastien to help her he readily agrees till he discovers what the help entails. Gabrielle wants her first time with the man she loves so at least she will have a happy memory to live with.
Gabrielle has always wanted to be a Valkyrie shield maiden and her training will prove to be a huge asset when the shit hits the fan. The king comes up with a plan hoping to give his precious daughter what she prays for but no matter what he tries, someone evil is one step ahead.
Secrets, surprises, betrayal, violence, and a battle between good and evil. The romance between Bastien and Gabrielle is beautiful, and it would take all the help from their allies i.e. Lancelot, a man who knows what it feels like to love a woman he can never have and who wants to ensure that doesn’t happen to Bastien.
I can’t recommend this book highly enough, it has everything, romance, jousting and a look at what life was like at that time not to mention amazing characters. Well, I am finally finished and totally happy that I was well prepared to start this book, didn’t starve and was comfortable and invested in this story from beginning to end.
Thank you so much for this amazing review! I am thrilled you loved my novel!