5 Blue Ribbons for One Snowy Knight

Title: The Dragons of Challon, Book 3 – One Snowy Knight

Genre: Historical
Author: Deborah Macgillivray
Reviewer: Chrissy Dionne

Publisher: Kensington
Release Date: October 6, 2009

Author Website: http://deborahmacgillivray.co.uk/
Format: PRINT

Rating: 5 blue ribbons

Scotland, 1296

Following the unfortunate deaths of his parents when he was just a young boy Noel de Servian was taken into Earl Michael’s loving home and raised alongside Julian, his brothers and their cousins at Castle Challon. As a group the boys were sent to be squires to King Edwards and later served as his knights – and earned their reputation as the Dragons of Challon. After years of fighting in the name of the king, Noel is ready for peace and when King Edwards gifts him with Craigendan Keep he thinks the serenity he seeks is finally within reach.

Lady Skena MacIain of Craigendan Keep was not heartbroken when her husband failed to return from warring at Dunbar. Their marriage had never been a love match but their children made their union worth the disappointments. Skena struggles with caring for the people of Craigendan especially since all the men left are old, feeble or too young to protect or hunt. Food and supplies are scarce and Skena worries over the fate of her people.

With her children, Andrew and Annis, missing, Skena sets out from the safety of Craigendan Keep to find them before the snow and darkness make this endeavor too difficult. The last thing she expects is to find them in the company of a magnificent steed and insisting that the horse is a kelpie and it brought Andrew’s Yuletide wish – a knight to protect them. Or Annis’s wish for a knight to care and love them – something she’d never received from her father. Skena doesn’t believe in wishes – none of hers have ever come true but once she sees the unconscious knight laying in the snow she knows that she cannot leave him to an icy fate. Thus begins the wholly unexpected romance between Skena and Noel. As she tirelessly works to save his life after he takes ill thanks to the weather, there can be no denying that he’s a beautiful man and she’s attracted to him as she’s never been to any other man but how will she feel when she learns that he’s the new Lord of Craigendan? And there’s the little issue of Noel’s involvement in her husband’s death – or is Angus truly dead? Skena swears she’s seen him on several occasions and each sighting is coupled with something sinister so what is really happening and why?

ONE SNOWY KNIGHT is the third book in Deborah Macgillivray’s DRAGONS OF CHALLON series. Noel’s a knight who takes his responsibilities seriously first and foremost but he’s got a gentle nature that comes to the forefront especially when it comes to Skena or her children. The bond he shares with his foster brothers really says a lot about him as a man and gives the impression that anytime he needs assistance or they need it of him then they would be there for each other. The relationship between Skena and Noel is fun, passionate and endearing and I really loved the playfulness between them. Deborah Macgillivray always adds a dramatic flair to her storylines that captures the imagination and keeps you smiling through each page of her books.

While it’s certainly not necessary to read all the DRAGONS OF CHALLON books in order to enjoy ONE SNOWY KNIGHT, the other stories are just as delightful so I’d recommend picking them up as well.

The other stories available are:
A RESTLESS KNIGHT and IN HER BED

REDEMPTION is the upcoming DRAGONS OF CHALLON book and it’s due to be released in September 2010.

Curtesty of Romance Junkies