This was an exceptional read. There many scrafices, war, death and new found love. This book is about Jax's son Cole. The De Velts are known far and wide. Cori is a strong and independent woman, she is also the healer for her father. Her sister Gaia is younger and more flirty, not as mature. But with the war with the scots, they were in the imddle of it. My heart went out to Cori and Gaia for their scrafices. This was a beautiful love story even with all the blood and gore. HEA.

Ms. Le Veque has the ability to make you feel like you are actually in the past living the story. You feel what the characters feel, and you want to be there doing your part for the glory of the kingdom. The level of detail and the action in her books grab you and draw you in. Beginning with the prologue in The Dark Spawn, you can feel the tension in the air as you become part of the story, and it is impossible to put the book down. Beware, though, if you are looking for a quick, easy romance to read, this is not the book for you. But, if you are looking for a romance rich in characters and descriptions of a bygone era, you will love this book and you will fall in love with Cori and Cole. This is their story.

This was a thought provoking read with lots of action, battle and horrors of war. But there is a bright side to all this darkness that hides in one's self. The Dark Lord's son Coleby is the Dark Spawn and is true to form. Coleby is a handsome man with beautiful eyes that set him apart in so many ways. He's very aggressive and very calculated in the act of war.
He meets the woman who makes him believe in himself as a man that can be so much more.
Lady Corisande “Cori” de Bourges is different because she is very sure of herself and the ways of dealing with people. She is talented and accomplished at so many things. Cori is taken with the man who treats her with respect and Colby is smitten.
Coleby and Cori are instantly in love and forces are at work to hurt their budding desire and a happy ever after. Ms LeVeque does a bang up job of getting the job done and bringing a love that will last a lifetime.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.

Amidst the brutal wars between the English and the Scottish rises a romance that will be tested over and over again. Kathryn Le Veque sure knows how to write stories to enthrall us. The battle scenes alone are worth reading this book!! I loved seeing the Executioner Knights come together, as well as so many family names that the author has introduced us to in previous books....de Velt, de Lhor, de Bourne, de Winter, de Lara, just to name a few, who all come together to help with the war in Berwick.

I loved Cole, so brutal and dark and yet so gentle and emotional when he gives his heart to Cori. His name brings fear to the enemies, his actions during battle legendary, after all he is the Dark Lord's son! I also loved Cori's character, such a strong lass who is her father's surgeon and goes into battles with him. That alone becomes a big contention between her and Cole. Much has to be overcome before they can find their HEA and you will find yourself glued to your chair following their adventure!!

Kathryn Le Veque continues to write brilliant stories and I, for one, can never get enough!!! I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I received an ARC and chose to give my honest opinion - thank you NetGalley!!

"The Dark Spawn" was a pleasant surprise!! I went into it expecting a Medieval Romance and I got that and so much more.

If you ever watched "The Last Kingdom" on Netflix, I felt the very same vibe so I'd recommend it if you're a fan of the show.

The book focuses in our main couple (Cole and Cori) falling in love in the midst of a Scottish invasion.

Firstly, I lovedddddd the invasion part of the story. I loved the planning, the actual battle and battlefield description. I liked that Cori was a surgeon on the field too - one of the best actually!!

Unfortunately, their romance felt too fast for me. All of the sudden, they were madly in love and I felt like I had to run laps to keep up. They were cute to read about, but I wasn't necessarily rooting for them.

On the whole, it was an entertaining read but I was expecting way much more when it came to the romance

Kathryn Le Veque has written another Five Star book in my opinion! I love her long novels and this one kept me glued to my chair! I never even glanced up once I was so entranced with the storyline and characters! Kathryn seems to have that touch with the battlefield descriptions that I didn’t realize I was wincing while I was reading a few of those scenes. My husband questioned if I was hurting and I said no and read what Ajax De Velt used to do when he would take over a castle. My husband was surprised that a woman was writing those scenes and not a military man! Go Kathryn Le Veque!

Ajax , the Dark Lord has a son Coleby, who some say has some of his fathers dark tendencies! He is a agent for William Marshall and while on a mission he meets Lady Cori de Bourges and has to change his way of thinking. The Scots come a calling upon her families castle and she must witness his darker side, the Dark Spawn!
Will the two overcome the light and dark or will his past keep them apart. Also he has some more interesting secrets that could really affect their lives coming together as one!

This has to be the first book in awhile that I can honestly and unequivocally state is one of my favorite that I have read! I love almost every Kathryn Le Veque books without question and usually they rate extremely high in my eyes, but yes this is a five star book, but more than that it is a well-written thought out, the characters are strong, developed ,and everything flowed from one point to the next! I am just in love with this book that I have already read it again! I love the de Velts, but it had so many of the other strong characters of old as well! However, Coleby and Cori were the stars of this book!

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

This is my fair and honest review, voluntarily given and in my own words, for this ARC. I just cannot get enough of Kathryn Le Veque's books. There is so much history (albeit with a bit of license) and the characters are just enthralling. One of the best things is that each character gets their own story while still keeping with the family trees. You just get sucked in as though you are one of them.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💋💋

“ Ajax de Velt’s army is marching into Scotland as we speak. I have turned the man loose and he has orders to massacre. You all know what that means.”
(William Marshall)

This passage is part of the Prologue, it’s also the part where I squealed like a child and stamped my feet on the carpet excitedly.
From that moment I was engrossed in a book that I could not put down, it was just out of this world.

Stunning. Brilliant. Awesome.
Kathryn has written a book that equals The Dark Lord.
After all he’s in it a lot, which is wonderful in itself, but so are all the Executioner Knights.
My head was spinning, so much information and situations made for satisfying reading.
So many brilliant characters made for a great book.

Now onto our Hero, a chip off the old block.
Cole de Velt is a real force, he’s got the de Velt eyes, and when angry can be just as destructive.
Corisande is his love, and no matter what he wants to be in her life.
I adored their relationship, sweet and beautiful, not something you would expect in some ways from Cole, but it was just perfect.

Seeing all the other Knights back, William Marshall included, was fantastic, it’s definitely a must read for all Le Veque fans.
Outstanding writing and reading!

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review