Beyond Temptation: The Templar Knights

The year is 1307, and King Philip of France has just decreed that the Knights Templar be rounded up and tried by the Inquisition for heresy. Only a handful of English Knights escape. One of them is Richard de Cantor.

Richard joined the Templars when his wife Eleanor succumbed to mental illness after the death of their infant child. He’d hoped to atone for any sin that caused her madness. Upon returning to his estate in England, Richard finds Eleanor’s health and mental state have steadily declined during his six year absence.

Since being summoned from the convent where she’d been serving penance, Lady Margaret has cared for her cousin Eleanor. Meg, as she prefers to be called, was exiled from polite society because of an affair with a man beneath her station. Her father bribed the Templars into drafting Meg’s lover, who reportedly died in battle shortly thereafter. Because of that experience, Meg’s opinion of the Templars is understandably low, and Richard is also tarred with the same brush.

When she sees the gentle way Richard deals with Eleanor, Meg soon realizes that he is not as horrible as she’d imagined. Richard comes to see Meg as a ray of light in his bleak world, and what begins as compassion and understanding between the two quickly develops into more. Neither feels able to act on their desire, though, even after Eleanor’s death. A missive from King Edward requiring their appearance at Court soon forces Richard and Meg to confront their feelings. Will they have the courage to put their pasts behind them and fight for the chance at happiness?

Everything about Beyond Temptation impressed me! Ms. McCall eloquently weaves history and actual historical characters into a poignant love story. Richard is the ultimate hero - a strong and honorable warrior with a kind and caring soul. Meg is a survivor. Even after suffering humiliation and punishment on top of an incredible loss, she’s still full of life.

Ms. McCall’s wonderful writing style kept me completely immersed. There was nothing out of character with the time period to jolt me out of the story, and the background on the Templar Knights the author includes makes this an especially engrossing read. Most of all, I appreciated that both Richard and Meg hold on to their moral convictions through temptation and adversity.

I very highly recommend Beyond Temptation. This first book in Ms. McCall’s new Templar Knights series has me anxiously awaiting more stories of these sexy, dedicated warriors. Until then, I’ll have to settle with glomming her backlist!

Reviewed by: Shelley