Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for providing an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

William Geraint saved the nobleman's daughter when he was just a squire, but now he's searching for her, the loss heiress of the de Clancy fortune. His task, to return her to her family in exchange for his honor and knighthood to be restored is in peril by the strong willed Isabel. She is every bit as fiery as the young girl he saved so many years ago, but with a passion that he hasn't seen before. He promised to keep her safe, but it is really his heart that is in danger.

This was my first real, I guess you'd call Medieval Historical Romance. I've read fantasy romances and straight up fantasies set in a similar time period, but nothing like that and let me tell you. I'm hooked.

There's something about a damaged hero or hero in need of redemption. The tragic backstories vary in intensity, but there is always something very relatable about a man that wants to atone. With Will, I just wanted to give him the biggest hug and keep him safe. There was something so snarky and alluring about him. He had all the vibes of that sexy villain, but with a good heart.

Isabel is that young woman wanting something more than to be married off because of her title which I think a lot of women can really relate to in concept. Being placed into a box and wanting to rebel against something that is expected of you or something you are pushed to do. Kind of a feminist take on a story structure that I know a lot of feminists wouldn't endorse, but I think it's still relatable.

The chemistry between the two was delicious to watch. I will admit that the story wasn't reinventing the wheel and the same can be said for most romances, but this story had that cozy familiarity that you look for. Something you expect, but with enough of a surprise to really keep you satisfied. It was also a real comfort read to me for that same reason. I'm definitely going to be picking up more of Melissa's work and give Harlequin Historical's Medieval Romances another look.

This medieval romances had me captivated from page one. The verbiage caught me up a few times early on in the book but it helped draw me into the book. The story was the perfect blend of suspense, intrigue and romance.

Will showed his true self from the beginning of the book to the end. He was kind hearted but was plagued with demons. Despite this he still didn’t give up on finding Lady Isabel and bringing her home. Isabel was the perfect match for Will. She was caring and reserved. She held her emotions close as fear was never far behind. I literally laughed out loud when they met again. They had immediate chemistry that couldn’t be contained. The pair race across the countryside dealing with scoundrels. Inbetween their journey a strong relationship formed.

There was a minor miscommunication between the pair but it was quickly resolved to give this Lady and Knight their much deserved happy ending.

My first Harlequin Historical and I loveeee it.
I thought it's going to be just a sweet romance read, but apparently there are suspense and mystery in it, that what makes me love this book.
A sweet romance story about a journey for Sir William from France to England to return the lost heiress Lady de Clancey. A journey with this charming honorable knight?!?! who can say no?!?, a journey guaranteed full of actions and romance, with danger in every corner and sparks between Sir William and Lady Isabel, it sure there never be a dull moment, a page-turner obviously.
Great story, great characters, like many Harlequin books, this one definitely a must-read for romance readers

First, let me say that this book reads like the author has certainly done her research of the time period. At least it feels that way. I can't say that I'm an expert of that period by any means, but for the first time in a while, I've read a book in the genre that didn't have me rolling my eyes every few minutes. That's not to say some things aren't a stretch of believability, but then, it is a romance and there are knights and damsels and all that. William and Isabel make for some great romance. They have witty banter, which I always enjoy, and Isabel has just enough feistiness to not be a complete pushover, but not so much that she's like a modern woman set down in the past. The story has a good combination of romance, danger, and a bit of mystery. It's an entertaining read that made for a good way to while away a few hours curled up on the couch.

This is an adventurous historical romance starting in 1206 when eight year old young noble lady, Isabel de Clancey, is sent by her parents to stay with the family of her betrothed. En route the party are attacked and decimated. Isabel is rescued by William Geriant who takes the mute girl to safety in a convent. Twelve years later, he seeks her out again to in an attempt to return her to who he now knows is her family. Their journey is fraught, there are dangers to be overcome before he can return her to her mother. However, the attraction between them grows as the journey progresses, adding to Will's turmoil as he seeks to protect her but finds it difficult to resist her. He feels unworthy but will love find a way for them? Can they stay safe? What will happen when she reaches home?

This is an action packed story, on filled with historical intrigue, mystery, double dealing, danger and betrayal. It also has true friendship, love and romance, making it an enthralling read and great romance. I have no hesitation in highly recommending this book to anyone who enjoys historical romances with great characters and plenty of surprises.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

This is a road trip romance! I actually didn’t know that going into the book. I read Oliver’s debut, The Rebel Heiress and the Knight, a couple of weeks ago in preparation for reading this ARC, and I’m happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this as much as the first one!

This book actually has a line that should go down in the Annals of Historical Romance: “How dare he believe he was not good enough for her, as though he was beneath her” (264). How many times do we see this scenario? Many times past and many times future. Does it ever get old? Sometimes, but not really. In this case, Will believes he’s not good enough for Isabel, even though he proves himself time and again. Not only that, but Isabel explicitly tells him that they are both good enough for each other. Eventually, his friend Hugh helps him out, and it all clicks—naturally.

Our heroine, Isabel de Clancey, feels lost, as if she doesn’t belong anywhere. That’s part of what makes her relationship with Will feel so special. They become each other’s person, a home for one another. Will is on a self-imposed exile for what he perceives is his fault and his greatest shame, while Isabel feels disregarded and unwanted. Together, they build each other up without really trying, and they grow to love each other deeply and believably.

The adventure in this book tops that of the previous one, and that’s saying something. In the first book, we have a Robin Hood-esque heroine with a knightly hero, and in this one, we have a noble lady disguised as a peasant with another knightly hero. You’d think the first would have more action, but in truth, this book has several assassination/kidnapping attempts, actual Knights Templar (even though my feelings for them are less than stellar), defense lessons like those in the first (but more pertinent because Isabel has to repeatedly use them, saving both herself and Will), a voyage across land and sea, and a plot to steal a very important spoilery item—which I never guessed until it was revealed! Kind of ashamed of myself for that, really, after reading Dan Jones’s The Templars fairly recently.

One thing I really like about Melissa Oliver’s writing is that she keeps the action and the plot moving, spending only the amount of time necessary on each scene. She has yet to fail to make me feel for her characters, and I look forward to reading more from her. She’s definitely an author to put on your radar.

On blog tour 01/28/2021

Will he let what he believes to be his shortcomings draw the lines of his future...

I loved that it was more than a romance, the added mystery about the pendants supplemented the story with a dash of mysteriousness not often seen.
Isabel and William first met on the day her world was upended. The young boy rescued her from a gruesome death, and without knowing it, offered her a shelter to lick her wounds and rebuilt her life.
Isabel was only 8 when her existence as she had always known it came to a full stop. And while she has found a measured happiness and some peace in her new life, and does not long to go back to her birth home, she is perfectly aware that those who tried to erase her from their equation might come back to finish their work. And even if she is no warrior, she stands for herself and can fight back when the need comes.
William is a more than honorable man but he lives with a guilt that is slowly eating at him. He can’t accept his own flaws and punishes himself because he can’t acknowledge he is only human. But behind his need for atonement there is more than what he sees as his past failure, he has scars than run deeper than all his battlefield wounds. Those scars seem to justify his inability to admet others in his life. He chose a lonely path, and is unable to believe he has as everyone else the right to happiness, still seing himself as below everyone around him.
Together they go from youth wonder, to distrust then admiration and friendship until it moves to deeper feelings. Along their journey, while facing danger, they come to trust one another, opening their heart to their innermost pains, fears and secrets. But will it be enough to erase years of self punishment for William.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 mild onscreen lovemaking scenes

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher, the author and Rachel’s Random Ressources. Here is my true and unbiased opinion.

When disgraced knight William Geraint sets out to find and escort Lady Isabel de Clancey back to England and her family, she is no longer the biddable young girl he once rescued on her travels to France. Instead, she is more beautiful than he could have imagined and thinks more highly of him than he could have hoped. And both are unaware of how deep their attraction, and the conspiracy that dogs their steps, will grow.

Second in Melissa Oliver’s Notorious Knights series, Her Banished Knight’s Redemption is a loosely linked follow-up to The Rebel Heiress and the Knight with a cameo appearance by that book’s romantic lead, Sir Hugh de Villiers. Both are medieval romances that, in spite of their adventurous and romantic storylines, never quite grab onto my imagination. But where the previous book has the heroine playing a masked Robin Hood type character, William and Isabel’s story has the added interest of intrigue involving Templar Knights and a pair of necklaces that Isabel has been taught should never be kept together.

An open door romance between two wounded characters who believe they cannot remain together, Her Banished Knight’s Redemption is Melissa Oliver’s second book with Harlequin Historical and fans of medieval romance will want to watch for this author’s future books.

I voluntarily read a digital galley of this book through NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. A positive review was not required and these are only my own honest opinions.

As a young girl of eight, Lady Isabel de Clancey is on her way to foster with her betrothed’s family in France, when her entourage was set upon and she is the only one who escaped the gruesome fate of her party, thanks to the help of a young squire named William Geraint. Isabel doesn’t tell William who she is, nevertheless, he takes her to safety and then must leave, but he vows to always be her friend, in thanks she gives him one of the two identical silver and ruby pendants she has with her. He leaves and she is sure her family will come for her – but years pass without a word and Isabel using her mother’s name of Adela is adopted by a family and decides to embrace her new life.

Twelve years after that horrific day, William is now living in France as a “disgraced knight” and mercenary but is secretly working for England’s regent and Lord Protector, William Marshal. He is approached by Eustace Rolleston who swears he will not only pay Will a fortune to find the missing de Clancey heiress but guarantees he will have Will pardoned. Will declines until Rolleston points out that the pendant he wears belongs to the de Clancey family. Will has long wondered what happened to the girl and finally agrees. It takes him months before he finally finds her, but when he does, it is clear that Isabel doesn’t want to be found.

After days of evading Will and planning to run away and hide, Will finally corners her and she reluctantly agrees to return to England. But almost as soon as they sent out, it is clear that someone doesn’t want Isabel to return to England alive. They will have to outsmart their pursuers and with the help of the Knights Templar, solve the mystery of the pendants. All while trying not to let their growing feelings leave them both with broken hearts.

This was a well-written, fast-paced story with wonderful characters and an intriguing mystery. I enjoyed getting to know William and Isabel, they are both likable characters with painful pasts, I thought the mystery of the pendants was very well done and loved the incorporation of the Templars – it gave the story a bit of a “National Treasure” feel. The story is filled with emotion, betrayal, murder, a cameo from Hugh (of The Rebel Heiress and the Knight), very mild love scenes, treasure, secrets, action, and finally a well-deserved HEA. This the second book in the series, but it is easily read as a standalone title with no problems. I enjoyed this story and would happily recommend this title.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. *

This is a Historical Romance Fiction, and this is the second book in the Notorious Knights series. I had a very hard time getting into this book, and I have to say I did not start to care about any of the characters until close to 60% into the book. I liked the adventure in this book, but I did not love the romance. This is a short and fast pace book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Harlequin Historical) or author (Melissa Oliver) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that. This book is schedule to be release on February 1-2021.