Dragonblade

The Dragonblade Trilogy, Book 1

By: Kathryn Le Veque

Narrated by: Tim Campbell

Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

A. D. 1326 - Tate Crewys de Lara is the son of kings. The illegitimate son of Edward Longshanks, Tate has the qualities of a magnificent king. But fate is cruel, leaving him a mere knight protecting young Edward III during the uncertain days following the horrific murder of Edward II.

While gathering allies for the young heir in Northumberland, he meets the Lady Elizabetha "Toby" Cartingdon. Daughter of the Lord Mayor of Cartingdon Parrish, Toby is a gorgeous woman with a mind for business. It is she who runs the parrish, not her father. Taken aback by the strong, bitter female, Tate is nonetheless intrigued with her. He soon discovers why Toby seems so hard; her father is a drunkard and her mother is an invalid, leaving Toby responsible to not only provide for the family, but also for the welfare of her small sister.

Feeling something more than curiosity, Tate begins to break through the hard surface to discover the warm and compassionate woman beneath. Yet factions who would see the young heir dead make a sudden appearance, drawing Toby into their malevolent plan. Soon she finds herself linked to both Tate and the quest to take the throne from Roger Mortimer. It becomes Tate's destiny to not only win a throne for young Edward, but to win Toby's heart as well.

©2012 Kathryn Le Veque (P)2014 Kathryn Le Veque

Another good one

I liked this story very much. Good action, but not too much for a romance. Good romance. Only issue is some of the writing seems amateurish. She keeps using the same descriptions over and over. Ms Le Veque has an obsession with eyes. Stormy grey. Cornflower blue (which I note will be serious issue in a later book) ect. It is very irritating. Doesn't completely ruin the story but it's very irritating.

Excellent combination of writer and narrator.

Pairing of writer/narrator was wonderful with plot twists totally unexpected. I have listened to this audiobook multiple times and eagerly await more.

The song of love

Kathryn LeVeque has nailed it again. Her love stories touch the readers heart, aching us to get yet another adventure to cuddle up and listen to. I'm so happy I discovered her. I thought there was only one writer who had a magic formula, but now I have found her!!

Great historical Romance

This is a great trilogy, I have enjoyed all 3 books even if I read them backward. My only criticism is perhaps the amount of grief the author heaped on the heroine, her parents and then little sister was a shade too dark for a romance. The narrator is simply AMAZING and made the story come to life.

A Gutsy Woman, an Admiring Knght

This tale will keep you riveted to the events. As in all Kathryn Le Veque’s Medieval romances, they include so much more. They are set in a historical setting where factions are divided, gritty with battles, sometimes gore, and completely saturated with emotion–not to mention they have very satisfying and passionate love scenes.

Edward III has two problems. He’s 14, which is just about the time a boy wants to be a man. However, being the King makes it a precarious existence—not yet having the skill set to govern or make wise decisions. It’s hard to be a King in hiding, fearing your enemies will find you and destroy you before you attain your rightful place on the throne. Luckily, he has his uncle to protect him, Tate Crewys de Lara, who has the best of qualities within himself. As the illegitimate son of King Edward II, he steps up to the challenge.

When Tate does his duty by the King, hoping to raise an army and possibly find a way to finance it, he comes upon a parrish and a town meeting of sorts. Toby, Lady Elizabetha, has spoken contradicting the head of the parrish, who happens to be her father. Unbeknownst to the village folk, Tate and several large knights are at the back of the crowd. Tate dislikes the beautiful, but disrespectful, assertive approach Toby has. But this dislike slowly changes as he discovers and understands what Toby endures. This part of the story shows what Tate and Toby are made of—hero and heroine material!
Toby is an intelligent woman and through several events and the terrible destruction of her home she discovers all that Tate has not told her. This is where Le Veque puts the reader on edge, as it were.

Where Tate is all good intention, he falls flat on his face with Toby. Toby, not only surprises Tate, she will surprise the reader with the powerful, determined will she possesses. She’s a gutsy woman I came to respect and admire.

I look forward to the rest of the Dragonblade series.

A note about the narrator – Tim Campbell. I have listened to many of his narrations and he has become one of my favorites. He takes a talented writer’s story and makes it all the more pleasurable. I hear the emotion of the characters within dialogue—even in their thoughts. His deep bass voice is melodious, at times dramatic, with a pace capturing the mood of the scene. He’s also very flexible with character personification, using tone, dialect, and various accents when called to do so. Check out the sample of his narration on Audible.com.

Simply delightful!

I couldn't put it down...it keep my attention on so many levels. Can't wait to start book 2.

Awesome Medieval!

I just LOVE Kathryn Le Veque's books - I canNOT get enough of them. The period is so well drawn and the characters endearing. I enjoy the strong heroes AND heroines! I am happy this is a Trilogy as I can't wait to read more about these awesome characters.

Excellent

I cannot emphasize enough how fantastic Katheryn Le Veque books are . I own over 50 of them and thoroughly enjoy all of them. I particularly like the audible books.

the man that would be king

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Tate was very smart and was constantly having to chose between his love and his king.
i found he had a strong character. I also loved that his friend Sir Ken stayed by his friends wife knowing it could mean his death

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dragonblade?

when she went back in to offer her body in exchange for her husbands life.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

yes very extreme ,, i couldnt sleep until i finished it and then could wait for the next to start.
this author really knows how to draw her readers in...

Great for GOT fans

I would love to see as a movie. Awesome book. Awesome Awesome book. I was pleasantly surprised.