The Crimson Shield

The Executioner Knights, Book 13

By: Kathryn Le Veque

Narrated by: Brian J. Gill

He’s an Executioner Knight with a royal secret that could blow England apart.

She’s the last of the bloodlines from the High Kings of Ireland.

Between the two of them, they have more royal blood in them than anyone alive, but royal blood can be far more of a curse and far less of a privilege when dealing with secrets that could bring down a kingdom.

And destroy a love that was never supposed to happen.

Tristan de Royans was raised by the House of de Royans, but de Royans blood does not flow through his veins. As the secret love child of Alys of France and Henry II, Tristan has been kept hidden since the day of his birth. Aware of his true parentage, he bears the shield of the royal house in the course of his duties, hating that he bears the crimson shield of his real family.

A family that wants to kill him.

William Marshal has kept Tristan protected all these years. Having fostered in the best homes, Tristan is a knight’s knight – a warrior beyond compare. The Marshal has need of Tristan’s strength in Wales, protecting properties belonging to Ajax de Velt, but before Tristan can assume his post, a chance meeting changes the course of his life.

Enter Andromeda "Andie" de Coursey.

Andie is as unique as Tristan is. Her maternal grandfather is the last Norse-Gaelic king of Dublin, Ascall mac Ragnaill, and much like Tristan, royal blood was a curse. Pursued by her grandfather’s enemies, she was sent into hiding a long time ago with an Irish-Norman family who changed her name. As it turned out, King John wanted to use her as a bargaining chip when the time was right, but when he died, his ambition to utilize her died with him. Now, Andie is little more than a servant in a Norman house, hidden from the world. Her future seems bleak.

Until she meets Tristan.

The hardened Plantagenet warrior is immediately smitten with the beautiful woman with the pale blue eyes. With her bloodlines, and his, they could effectively rule nations if they were to join forces, but in their case, the relationship they form is born from love… not conquest.

But there are those who seek to use Andie in just that manner. Conquest.

Join Tristan and Andie in an adventure of a lifetime, where a love that was never meant to be suddenly becomes the very air they breathe. As factions endeavor to tear them apart, a love for the ages refuses to die. Tristan must bring out the king in him to survive.

And Andromeda must bring out the queen.

Love, as they discover, is the strongest force on Earth.

The Crimson Shield is part of the USA Today Bestselling Executioner Knights series.

©2023 Kathryn Le Veque (P)2024 Kathryn Le Veque

it was easy to hear

loved this book all the way through, to me not having too vicious plans against the couple. So, I loved it!

Fascinating!

Kathryn has been a wonderful author and she continues to write wonderful stories! I love reading her books!
Brian is a great narrator! He has the ability to make me feel I am in the story.

The author’s command of language and originality

Brian J Gill is the perfect narrator for Kathryn Le Veque’s Medieval romances. Her books require a reader who can speak in various accents from different countries and even read and pronounce words in the various Celtic tongues. I believe that Mr Gill is very competent at this.

As always, the author entertains and enthralls the reader with her varied and unique stories. Her ability to weave a love story through a world populated by both real and fictional characters and stay true to historical accuracy, is nothing short of amazing. That she can connect all of her characters through time, space, place and families is phenomenal. And a delight because it makes the reader feel a part of the world which she has created. We come to know, recognize, and care for the characters and their families and friends and feel that we understand them and support them with the very same knightly oaths that they have sworn to uphold!