Conqueror's Kiss by Hannah Howell

Conqueror's Kiss

by Hannah Howell

There is little hope for sanctuary in the midst of the tumultuous Scottish border wars, yet one woman may find safe refuge . . . in the arms of her sworn enemy . . .

Jennet Graeme has witnessed terrible tragedy during the many years of strife between the Scots and the English. As Scottish invaders plunder her convent sanctuary, she defiantly resists the blond warrior who claims her as his prize. But his brute strength is overpowering and Jennet is forced to ride with him through the lawless lands, tending to the wounded, protected and desired by a man she wants to hate . . . but cannot . . .

Sir Hacon Gillard is moved by Jennet's compassion and mercy. As a loyal knight, he's pledged fealty to his king's command, even as he loses his heart to this remarkable woman. Merciless in combat . . . yet there burns within him a spark for something far beyond the heat of battle . . .

Reviewed by stacey_is_sassy on

4 of 5 stars

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The Mon claimed the wee skinny lassy as his plunder…

***3.5 Stars***

I have just finished Conqueror’s Kiss and while I enjoyed it, I really struggled with the writing/language. Nearly every sentence with dialogue had to be translated. Ok, maybe I’m slightly exaggerating, but there were definitely words that I struggled with the meaning. My enjoyment of the story decreased because I had to re-read passages to clarify or work out what was being said.

Jennet lived in a convent. It was a peaceful existence for her especially after leaving service as a handmaiden for an ill-tempered employer. She did not plan to become a nun, but was happy to live there. England was at war with Scotland and she felt safe within the convent walls. Unfortunately, the Scottish soldiers did not follow the rules of sanctuary and attacked, murdered and stole from the occupants. Hacon, one of the The Bruce’s soldiers, comes across Jennet and likes what he sees. She admits to not being a nun so Hacon decides to keep Jennet as his plunder.

Jennet is Hacon’s property and moves with him while he is fighting for his liege. At first she is treated like a cleaning woman, but once it is known that she has healing abilities, she becomes valuable to the group. Hacon is a good man. Even though he has to kill and fight in a bloody war, he always acts with honour. He never forced himself on Jennet and while she is thankful, it still surprises her. They soon start to have feeling for each other and can’t deny the attraction. I enjoyed watching their connection grow and their intimate scenes were fairly steamy.

I don't have a great understanding of the history at that time, but if half of the stories are true, there were a lot of people who died for the wrong reasons. A lot of the soldiers followed with blind obedience, because if they didn't they would be accused of treason. You could either die on the field doing what you're told, or die because you didn't. This story proves how senseless war is and obviously we still haven't learnt from those mistakes.

Besides the love story, Hacon’s life is in danger. One of his kinsmen wants him dead. We learn pretty early on in the story the name of the perpetrator. Unfortunately the evilness can’t be stopped because Hacon can’t find proof of his evil intent. So while Hacon is fighting the English, he also has to watch his back in case his “allies” attack. Luckily his cousin Dugald is there to help protect him.

I did enjoy Conqueror’s Kiss and the love story that developed between Jennet and Hacon was sweet. The language was my biggest problem and while one or two words wouldn’t have concerned me, I felt like I needed a translation guide to follow.

To buy from Amazon - http://amzn.to/1Gu28bR

I received a complimentary copy of the re-released Conqueror's Kiss via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 26 October, 2015: Finished reading
  • 26 October, 2015: Reviewed