Healing Passion

Lady Juliana couldn't let Sir Thomas know her secret. If she did, she didn't know what would happen to her mother and the others of the keep. But with someone trying to hurt Sir Thomas and her mother's subsequent death, she knows she is going to have to tell him the truth of what happened to Sir Goswick, her husband and the man Sir Thomas has come looking for. She has told the people of the keep that she intends to tell him all that has transpired. As they have been trying to protect her this past year, they are afraid of what will happen to Lady Juliana once Sir Thomas knows the truth. Will he make her go before the king to take her punishment, and what will that punishment entail? Lady Juliana is afraid that once Sir Thomas finds out she's been lying, she'll lose the love that has been growing between them, as he hates being lied to. Has she sealed her fate and lost him forever.

Sir Thomas has been sent by the king to find out what has happened to Sir Groswick, since no one has heard from him in a year. Everyone he has talked to including Lady Juliana, says that he left the keep to meet the prince on the continent. But Sir Thomas knows that isn't so as the prince is back in London and hadn't seen Sir Groswick. As Sir Thomas gets to know Juliana, he starts falling in love with her and can foresee a life with her and her people. Only as the pieces start to fall in place and he learns the truth, he wonders if he'll get the life he's dreamed of. He has a duty to report the truth to the king, as honor and duty are such a part of him. He has to figure out a way to keep that part of him and also help Lady Juliana. He has a plan that he hopes will work for both of them.

Ms. Kingston's novel has all the elements that make a great read. The characters are fascinating in their interaction with their surroundings as well as with each other. The descriptions are so well written and the reader has no trouble visualizing the world Ms. Kingston has created. The emotions are so well described that readers can't help but feel their own emotions responding to the story. If you love medieval novels, don't pass this one up; you'll be glad you didn't. I love the character of Juliana, as she realizes that she can't let her people cover for her anymore, that she has to take responsibility even if it means losing everything that matters to her. The war that Juliana and Thomas both fight within themselves shows how hard it is to do one's duty.

Reviewed by: Donna