The Dark Lady

She should have grown up in a life of luxury and ease; instead she was thrust into one of danger and deception....

Forced by her scheming mother to pretend that she was a boy, Vanessa Fordella became Van, the Dark Knight, in 12th-century England. But when her now-dying mother demands that she leave behind her charade and marry, Van embarks on the most difficult journey of her life. And if her new husband ever finds out the truth....

After years of war, all he wants is peace and the simple life....

Peter Lawston, Lord Grayweist, hopes for a shy and controllable wife to run his castle and bear his children. What arrives instead is a hellcat who doesn't know the first thing about being docile or obedient. There's something familiar about his unconventional wife, but Peter can't put his finger on it.

As Van struggles to let go of the knight she has been and become the wife she is expected to be, events unfold that threaten to destroy everything she holds dear, including her very life.

©2013 Dawn Chandler (P)2015 Dawn Chandler

My First Review...

Any additional comments?

I don't know if it carries much weight, but I have over 2,000 Audible books, yet this novel compelled me to pen my first review. I love to read and hate to write, so please bear with me as I attempt to convince you to add The Dark Lady to your Audible library.

The premise of Van the Dark Knight / Vanessa the Dark Lady is unique. It's fresh and unlike any other historical romance I've ever read. The heroine, Van / Vanessa, and hero, Peter, are a captivating duo. In their story, you experience subtle humor, sadness, frustration, tenderness, ferocity, personal strife and growth, chemistry, passion, love, sex and action. The heroine is a significant player in the action. Nothing in The Dark Lady seems contrived. The array of secondary characters are fleshed out, contributing to a multi-layered, original narrative.

The story advances in such a manner, I was always fully engaged. It grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I never lapsed into inattentiveness. It was a sublime balance of plot and characterization.

Narration is so integral to the enjoyment of an audiobook. Initially, I yearned for Nicholas Boulton, my favorite male narrator, but quickly embraced Ashton Greso's rendering. He conveyed the emotion with distinct and credible voices for all. Great job

!Is it worth a credit? Indeed it is! I listened to The Dark Lady twice, back-to-back. I've never done that before!

Lastly, if you've read through my "virgin" review thus far, I thank you. My intent is to share the pleasure I derived, and encourage others to listen to Dawn Chandler's novel. I promise, you will suffer no regrets!

Fabulous!

This is no lighthearted romance whatsoever. I had this book a while before I finally listened to it, and I barely slept I was so entranced. Not only is it narrated with exceptionally fabulous talent, it is written with such skill that I am amazed. There have been few books that grab me like this one has.
It's incredibly well developed, intricate and intellectually challenging. There is all of the detail without any filler.
This one isn't lightness and fluff. In fact It is very serious stuff. There is a rape scene that had me holding my stomach. There are twists and turns and ideas to challenge what we think we know. There are also some heartwarming moments and great laughs too.

Is this serious literature? Was 'Outlander'? Oh this has no resemblance to Outlander what so ever!!!! But it's that kind of quality writing. Not some formulaic romance with historical era generalities, but good detailed writing that is great entertainment AND thought provoking.

Yes yes yes this is worth the credit!

Best female heroine ever

I hesitated to buy this book as I wasn't thrilled with the narrator's voice, but soon was so taken by the characters and story, I didn't notice the narrator so much.

I love that the female character was strong, athletic, could kick ass,flawed, imperfections so although not perfect, she tried to be, over and over. I'm so over petite blond frail women with pink lip gloss and perfect skin!

This is a beautiful story, real and passionate. I loved every moment.

awesome book!

loved it so much! laughed, cried all the emotion! can't wait for the next one.

Who Was the "Black Knight"?

Kudos to author Dawn Chandler for writing such a unique book.

Fearing her husband would kill the baby because she was a girl, her mother ran away and raised Vanessa as her son Van and sent him/her to train as a squire when she was only 10 years old.

When Van was a teenager he was knighted by the King as "The Black Knight" for bravery on the battlefield for saving the King's Champion at great risk to his/her own life.

This was a new author and narrator for me, but both did an excellent job. Dawn Chandler has a great command of language drawing clear and concise mental pictures with her words without being overly wordy.

I highly recommend it for lovers of Historical Romances that include a lot of action.

Not bad.

Not bad. A reasonably good story, made better by well done narration.
I don't often enjoy male narrators doing female voices, but all the voices done were distinct and full of character.

Would have made a great story

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I don't care how you word a sentence on the same subject it's still repetition. and there are a lot of them in this book, one right after another. I guess it made this book a lot longer then it would have been otherwise. I think if she had a better editor the book would have been a lot better

Awesome!!

It's worth a credit. The characters were very entertaining and full of life. Highly recommended.

Different and fun

Was cheesy in bits but the entire story was different from the usual romance novel. Enjoyed it! I liked that it wasn't all fluff had some depth!

Great surprise of a book. Highly recommend

Would you consider the audio edition of The Dark Lady to be better than the print version?

I prefer audiobooks so that I can multitask so the audio version is always better for me.

What did you like best about this story?

The heroine is great. The story has all the emotions covered for a great read/listen. Narration is very well done.

What does Ashton Greso bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Ashton brings all characters emotions in perfect timing. Ve ray well done.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely! I will listen to it again in a single sitting.

Any additional comments?

An amazing surprise. I was hesitant to get this book but very glad I did. Well worth the credit. This book makes you laugh, cry and enjoy. I will definitely look for more books by this author.