The Champion

The Pacifist and the Warrior I loved this amazing opposites attract medieval romance! Everything about it is just perfect, from the first page to the last. Rowena is a staunch pacifist, spending her time writing love songs and traveling with the minstrels, advocating peace wherever she can. This story finds her and most of the royal court of Henry and Eleanor, including the much-sought-after Stryder, at a month-long tournament. The king and queen have their own reasons for needing to see both Rowena and Stryder married, so they plot to put these two together in a series of challenges that will almost surely guarantee they fall in love. Or so they hope. Rowena can't think of anyone less suitable than the warrior Stryder, a man who is feared by even the most stalwart knight, and is enthusiastically pursued by every woman looking to secure a handsome, titled husband. Stryder has no interest in marrying anyone, for any reason, as he has a mission to continue and doesn't ever see himself giving that up for a domestic life. The complicated, multi-layered plot involves plenty of adventure and intrigue, murders and conspiracies and assassins hidden in plain sight. The romance is first-rate; lots of sparring and yearning and honesty between them. Communication is not the problem. It takes a lot of personal growth for each of them before they can see a future together. I loved their romance so much. Even though it only takes the one month to get to their HEA, it still feels like an epic journey because there's so much going on, on so many different levels. Everything about this book just draws the reader into this fascinating world and I honestly couldn't put the book down until I was celebrating with our happy couple and preparing to see the next couple tackle their obstacles on the way to their HEA. This entire series is absolutely brilliant, and highly recommended for anyone who enjoys medieval romance done right.