Straight Reading from the Library: Of Love and Vengeance by Louise Lyndon

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.Louise will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn host.

READ THE BLURB

Forced to marry Lord Aymon to ensure her young nephew’s survival, English Lady Laila vows undying hatred for the Norman she holds responsible for the deaths of so many innocents. Discovering Aymon has committed an act of treason gives her the chance to seek vengeance he deserves. But can Laila let Aymon die at the hands of the king once she learns the truth?

A hardened Norman warrior, Lord Aymon has lived through atrocities no man ever should. With the invasion of England over, all he wants is a quiet life and a wife who will give him heirs and obey his every command. Instead, he finds himself wed to feisty and outspoken Laila. But when she learns the truth of his treasonous act, can Aymon count on her to keep his secret?

READ THE REVIEW

This is an exciting tale set during the time of the Norman invasion. Laila expects Aymon to be the kind of Norman she has heard about--after all, aren't all Normans the same? At the same time, Laila is not at all what Aymon is expecting either.

The author has done a great job of setting up the conflict and throwing enough problems in the couple's way to insure the two get to see what the other is really like--their preconceived notions go flying out the window. But, even then, there are issues to overcome.

I love historical romance, and this one did not disappoint. Laily and Aymon have to face not only their own trust issues, but pressures from outside as well that puts a strain on their budding relationship.

Ms. Lyndon did a wonderful job with the characterization of both the main characters as well as the secondary characters-- I would love to see many of them get their own stories. This is my first time reading this author, but it won't be the last.

4 stars.

READ AN EXCERPT

Laila heard them long before she saw them. Their angry, frenzied shouts and thunderous roars filled her ears. With her hands tied securely behind her, she was dragged up the lane toward Tyburn Gallows, where she was to be hanged for a crime she did not commit. The mob sounded blood thirsty. Large. Frightening.

There was no sign of Aymon. Or Hugh. Had they left her alone to die?

Her chin trembled and her nails dug into her palms.

She suddenly fell to her knees and screamed until she tasted blood at the back of her throat. She kicked out and tried to crawl free as her hair was almost torn from the roots as she was pulled up and shoved along the lane.

Her eyes burned with her tears.

“I am innocent!” Laila screamed.

They came around a corner, and that’s when she saw them. There must have been a least two thousand men, women, and children, hungry for her blood. And when they saw her, they erupted into a wild fever of roars and cries for a slow and painful death. Their thirst had been piqued, and now it must be sated.

Laila was shoved into the center of the clearing.

She glanced wildly around in a desperate search for Aymon’s towering, bulky frame. She could not see him.

But what she could see was the Tyburn Tree. The gallows she was to be hanged from. The executioner, hooded, stood beside the tree as he waited patiently for her. Laila’s mouth suddenly went dry.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Louise grew up in country Victoria, Australia, before moving to England, where for sixteen years she soaked up the vibrancy of London and the medieval history of England. She has since returned to Australia and now lives in Melbourne.

She has been writing the moment she picked up a copy of Diana Gabaldon's first Outlander novel twenty something years ago. She thought to herself, 'this is what I want to do' - not travel back in time, but become a novelist! She has always had snippets of dialogue and scenes floating around in her head with characters screaming at her to bring them to life.

In 2013, Louise won first prize in the Crested Butte Sandy Writing contest – Historical category for her story, The Promise, which is now called, Of Love and Vengeance.

When not writing, she can be found covered in mud, crawling under barbed wire and hoisting herself over twelve foot walls - under the guise of competing in Spartan races all over Australia.

AUTHOR LINKS:
EMAIL: louise_lyndon@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.LouiseLyndon.com
Blog: http://www.LouiseLyndon.com/blog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Louise-Lyndon/1472910852955051
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouiseLyndon1 Pinterest: llyndon3513
BUY LINKS:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Vengeance-Louise-Lyndon-ebook/dp/B00Q3NBQ56/
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/of-love-and-vengeance-louise-lyndon/ 1120929944
Publisher: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php? main_page=product_info&cPath=242_176_138&products_id=5976
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