KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE: LANCELOT

Author: Gwen Rowley ISBN: 0515141992 9/2006 HISTORICAL/PARANORMAL Publisher: BERKLEY
Time Period: Medieval

Sir Lancelot, First Knight of King Arthur’s realm and the queen’s champion, cannot be defeated by any earthly man—as long as he keeps his oaths to Arthur and Guinevere. Though insolent and supremely confident, he will be brought to his knees by a mere maiden: Elaine of Corbenic. Together, they will have a son, Galahad—the knight destined to find the Holy Grail. Lancelot du Lac is the greatest knight of a peerless age, blessed by the Lady of the Lake with extraordinary military prowess. His fighting ability has earned him a place at King Arthur's side, but the powers the Lady has given him come at a terrible price. Elaine of Corbenic is struggling to hold her impoverished family together. The keep is a wreck and the peasants, starving, are on the brink of rebellion. Elaine's father is obsessed with finding the Holy Grail, and her older brother, maimed by Lancelot in a joust, is a bitter drunkard. Without a dowry, she has little hope for the future. Incognito, Lancelot rides into Corbenic on his way to the king's tournament. He finds the practical Elaine irresistible. Thoroughly dismayed when she reveals her contempt for "Lancelot," he must face his own arrogance to win her hand. For only with Elaine at his side will Lancelot have the strength to free himself from the enchantments that bind him...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Gwen Rowley gave her own twist to the legend of Lancelot with her new release, KNIGHTS OF THE ROUNDTABLE: LANCELOT. It is a breathtaking love story between Lancelot and Lady Elaine and how their love is more powerful than all the magic in Avalon.

Lancelot, incognito, rides off to a tourney, only to get lost in the woods. He eventually finds a well-ridden path that leads to the keep of Lady Elaine, her father, brothers and the villagers. There, he is welcomed and allowed to stay the night before he journeys to the tourney once again.

Elaine is cautious of this knight-with-no-name. She has enough to deal with at Corbenic. Her father as turned into nothing but a dreamer and her brother is bitter over his injury—the injury he sustained at a tourney jousting with Lancelot. The upkeep of Corbenic and the villagers falls upon her shoulders and life has become much more difficult lately. Now, before her stands a very handsome knight with dreamy eyes.

Lancelot is taken with Elaine. It is not because of her beauty, it is because of her courage, strength, honor and love of her family and Corbenic. Elaine is also quite enamored of Lancelot, and after sharing the afternoon by the river, they both know that there is something special between them. Indeed, there is something very special and very powerful between them. Love.

Lancelot and Elaine have much to overcome if they are to be together. Many times I didn't think that this book was going to have the happily ever after that almost all romance novels have. But, love does conquer all, and Lancelot and Elaine are two inspiring examples of that. I loved both of them and I just wanted the story to go on and on.

Rowley passionately pens the romantic scenes between Lancelot and Elaine with simple grace and elegance. The scenes were not graphic, but instead, just simply beautiful. The whole book is written just superbly, and I loved every minute reading it.

Rowley also included King Arthur, Lady of the Lake and Guinevere to this story, along with some other characters that are only going to be recognized if you are really familiar with the legend of Lancelot. One of my favorite movies is First Knight, and if you loved this movie, you will definitely love this book.

KNIGHTS OF THE ROUNDTABLE: LANCELOT is the first book in Gwen Rowley's Knights of the Roundtable Series.

Julie Kornhausl