Even better than the first by this author that I read (Night Fires). Excellent medieval atmosphere, h/h, plot. The heroine is Adeline, half Welsh, half Norman, who was a Norman hostage for 5 yrs to ensure her chiefton father's good behavior. When she comes home she has been forced to spy on the nearby Norman called Simon the Priestkiller, who has lost his good name, his lands, his family, most of his wealth, by the killing of the priest and other mysterious things in his past. Wonderful strong heroine with a logical mind and without any trace of silliness, wonderful strong hero who is everything a knight should be. Cook's prose presents a very eerie sense of the medieval world; I've never read another author whose writing felt quite like it. I enjoyed this book tremendously and am keeping my copy.
After five years as hostage in Normandy, Adeline may return into her father's keep, but on the condition of spying on Simon, a Norman knight suspected of treason. Nothing about her homecoming is easy: suspicions, secrets, caution, and tension abound all around her. Her own task is distasteful to her, but she has the wit and courage to take matters into her own hands. Simon, the Knight, has to prove himself, and he does so with Adeline's help. Sensitive to her situation and needs, he appreciates her as his intellectual equal, protects and cherishes her...a true knight. Linda Cook sets the perfect mood with this medieval tale of treachery, redemption, and love...I saw the golden sunsets, the frosty landscape, and the swirls of the Silver Wind.
