Brides of Northumbria Series
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A young woman desperate to escape a lecherous cleric. A battle-hardened knight who’s haunted by his past. A marriage of convenience, and a deception that could ruin them both.
Abandoned as an infant, Isabeau de la Frêne has lived a sheltered life at the abbey of St Leonards, under the protection of the abbess.
When Isabeau catches the eye of a lecherous bishop, she finds herself in a desperate situation; stay and endure the bishop’s attentions, or find a means of escape.
The abbess sees only one way to protect Isabeau; grant her the land that the abbey sits on as a dowery, and then offer her, as an eligible wife, to the family who originally owned the land.
In desperation Isabeau agrees to the marriage, but she must conceal a secret, that if discovered, could destroy her, and the future she craves.
Ranulf d’Argentan is driven by a desire to out-run his past. Haunted by his family’s betrayal, he is given an opportunity he can’t resist. He can reclaim the birthright his father lost, but only if he marries Lady Isabeau de la Frêne.
He agrees to the terms, not for love, but for land. Land that will give him the security he craves.
However, when he marries the beautiful, and mysterious, Lady Isabeau, he becomes aware of a deeper need; to be loved for himself.
Can Ranulf and Isabeau overcome their own tormented pasts, and embrace a future where love truly does conquer all?
Born in Deception is a story about forbidden love, and a marriage of convenience, where class, and religion, dictate every aspect of life. But nothing is as it seems. Everyone has secrets, but some secrets are too dangerous to ever be revealed.
Will love, and forgiveness, find a way to overcome such enormous obstacles?
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The king’s most feared knight.
A noblewoman in mourning.
A shared past that could rip them apart.
Widowed, and believing herself barren, the last thing Cicele de Grenville wants is another loveless marriage. As she waits by her father’s deathbed she is informed that he has arranged for her to be married by proxy to an unknown knight. To her horror she soon leans that her new husband is the man who, several years earlier, almost destroyed her life. With little choice she agrees to the marriage, but vows never again to succumb to the passionate attraction that left her heart broken and bleeding.
Guyon le Loup needs a wife. Not just any wife, but a wife who’s name, and title, will give him the legitimacy he craves. There is just one problem—the woman King Henry has chosen is the very woman Guyon betrayed. He has never forgotten the golden-eyed beauty who stole his heart, but he knows it will take more than the memory of their shared passion to persuade the lovely Lady Cicele to trust him again.
But Guyon also hides a terrible secret, that if revealed, might destroy his last chance to redeem his past, and settle old scores.
Drawn to the Beast is a second chance romance filled with delicious conflict, a reluctant heroine, and an attraction that refuses to be ignored.
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In twelfth century Northumbria divorce can be fatal …
Cast aside by her violent husband, Beatrice disguises herself and seeks refuge with her infant son in the shelter of Beauforde castle. But her plans to live a quiet life risk coming undone when she catches the eye of the handsome seneschal.
Gilbert de la Haye needs to marry and marry fast or risk losing his lands to the church. When the beautiful and mysterious Beatrice attracts his eye his problems seem solved – until she refuses his proposal.
Gilbret pursues the alluring beauty until she agrees to his offer—a marriage of convenience and legitimacy for her son.
But what dark secret have the Fates yet to reveal?
In the complicated and dangerous game that is marriage, there’s only one way to determine fate … a duel to the death.
What People Are Saying
“I became so engrossed in this story that I didn’t want it to end. Cate Melville sets a scene/time and place that is so believable one feels that the story is not a story but is reality.
I thoroughly recommend this book to lovers of historical romance and those who just want to be immersed in a different time.”
— Alison Smith
“Lovely story written with knowledge of the times and customs.
There was romance and a mystery and a satisfying conclusion to the story. The epilogue skillfully draws you in to the next book. Thank you so much for a novel with a terrific story, romance with a capital “R” and lessons to enrich the reader’s soul.”
— Belmonte Rose
“This book was FAN-TASTIC!!!! If you haven't read book 1 (Born in Deception) I would highly encourage you to. It's not detrimental to the story, but you might be just a little confused at the beginning if you don't. *Ummm it's also a freaking amazing story!
Read it! Read it!! Read it!!!”
— Anna Busch