I’m such a huge fan of Kathryn Lev and as always, her books don’t disappoint. We always get great Characters with incredible and unforgettable stories. In this Medieval – Romance. We meet Astria who is a royal princess. She is not your average princess. She knows how to handle anything and can handle things all on her own. I love her spunk. We also get to meet the hunk of a man, Payne. with a name like that you know we are in for a great character and story. Payne is a warrior and everything you dream of in a Highlander. The chemistry between these two great characters are amazing.
This story will grab you from the beginning. It has intrigue, action and fun romance and more. You won’t put of down. I really don’t want to give the story away. Don’t forget the rest of the series just in case you missed it. Trust me your in for a “my weekend is booked” time with this one.
You are in for a treat, enjoy the Adventure!

The Tempest
by Kathryn Le Veque
Pub Date: Jun 27 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A fabulous historical fiction/romance, I highly recommend 🤎📖🙌
Astria Julia is the daughter of Sancho I of Portugal, a royal princess by blood. She also happens to be a rebel, a lass with a mysterious past, and when she ends up at Blackchurch as a spoil of war, Payne gets much more than he bargains for with the fiery Portuguese princess.

When an immovable force meets with a permanent object, it’s a battle of wills to see which one breaks first. Head to head combat between Payne and Astria soon turns to something else, something soft and warm that neither one of them recognize. When Astria finally reveals the truth behind her mysterious persona, Payne is in too deep to do anything about it.

He is now part of her, she of him.

And the results could be deadly.

Pirates, Warriors, and Royal Princesses … Oh, My!
A legendary pirate queen captures Princess Astria as a prize for Payne Matheson, a formidable warrior of the Blackchurch Guild—but Astria is no ordinary royal. She harbors secrets of her own, and when she meets Payne, their initial clash of wills quickly sparks a fiery enemies-to-lovers romance. How can a princess accept a fate like this? Especially when love threatens to complicate everything. Danger, however, is never far behind—and this time, it's deadly.
This medieval romantic adventure brims with high-stakes action, fierce banter, and unexpected heart. I flew through the pages and would happily recommend it to fans of the genre. If you like your romance served with sword fights, secrets, and sizzling chemistry, The Tempest delivers.

Author: Kathryn Le Veque
Title: The Tempest: A Medieval Romance (The Blackchurch Guild: The Shadow Knights)
Readers you will love this epic story. Payne and Astria are meant to be the main characters for this plot. Speaking of the plot talk about an amazing story that is riveting. It grips you from the beginning of the story all the way to the end. Yes the story is about the romance of a couple but the sub-plot is about a mother and her love for her boys.
Maude is the mother of Payne. Her character stands out strongly throughout the book. I love her passion. Her strength. Her determination. Her compassion. Her love for her boys and her willingness to listen.
Payne her eldest son has so many traits that he has gained from her. I love that his character so much compassion for Astria. His love for her shines from the moment both he and Astria meets, but I believe that he doesn’t realize it though. His loyalty to the Blackchurch is evident by his actions of working between two different countries. Astria is wonderful. She is amazing. One would call her an Amazon warrior. She handles everything that has been thrown at her.
But is she willing to handle Payne? What incredible story this is. I love the talented writing. The imagination that creates such a beautiful, dynamic, tragic, yet, loving story is truly gifted. I give this story two snaps and a twist. Until next time my fellow readers. Read on!

As always with Kathryn’s books, you just can’t fault them.
You can’t tear yourself away once you begin reading them and you definitely can’t go to bed till you’ve finished.

This one is no different, full of excellent characters, exciting situations and overall a great storyline.
I loved every page

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

I have mixed feelings about this novel, especially regarding the subject of piracy. That Princess Astria has been held hostage for five months in brutal conditions is appalling. Fortunately, Payne is not cut from the same cloth as his mother and siblings, and he genuinely shows respect and honour to Astria, doing whatever is necessary to make her feel comfortable. Despite sibling rivalry and dishonourable acts, this novel does come to a good conclusion. I received a copy of this book as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley, and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Another 5 star read to add to Kathryn's library of books.
This is a story about another of the trainers from the BlackChuch guild series.
Filled with loads of medieval details and battles with the usual romance and a bit of sadness.
I always look forward to reading Kathryn's,books and this one is equally as good

Medieval Romance at Its Best:
The highlanders of the Blackchurch are top notch warriors that are big, fierce, larger than life and so is the final book of the series.
This story revolves around Astria a royal princess with an intriguing past. She is not your normal sweet little lass but a feisty surprise that Payne one of the Blackchurch trainers didn't see coming.
We follow them on their journey of discovery to a love match as they conquer many emotional situations.
This is a story that is filled to the brim with angst galore, thrilling adventure, battles, and a fascinating romance.

This author never ever fails to deliver! Amazingly well paced, descriptive with vivid creativity and imagination. Astria and Payne are exceptional as are the secondary characters in this story. The Blackchurch Guild is back! I never have the right words to describe how much I adore each and every book this author writes. Her research is fanominal, style, story plot and detail are beyond this readers capabilities. If you have never read this author, stop and take a chance, you will not regret it. If you have read this author before, what more can I say!

We go back to Blackchurch to find out much more about one of the trainers there. Pirates are on the way, bringing two incredible women. You know they also bring trouble. There are battles galore and lots of surprises.
I always buy this author's books without needing to read the blurb. She never disappoints me. Every single one hooks me on the first page and I have real trouble putting it down until the end. All of her books are so different from eachother, even when they are part of a series.
I would give it ten stars if I could.
I loved it.

This was an entertaining, well-written medieval romance. It was steamy, fast-paced, action-packed and kept me reading. I enjoyed this medieval romance and will continue to look for new books by this author.

Sink into the fascinating world of the Blackchurch Guild.
A long-standing history of developing warriors and knights.
The story focuses on one of illustrious teachers named Payne.
He has been holding secrets about himself including being the eldest son of an Earl with a marauding pirate of a mother.
Payne’s mother has captured Princess Astria and brings her to Blackchurch for his bride.
Action packed with lots of family entanglements, and a feisty romance add to the story.
Highly recommend.

Kathryn Le Veque's books are truly a gem for fans of well written medieval romance. Her books are rich with details of the world and the characters that inhabit it, so much so that you feel you're right there in the story seeing it all play out in front of you. I was eager to read and review The Tempest because I knew I'd be delighted to be transported again into her wonderful world.

The Tempest was the first book I have read of the Blackchurch Guild series. It is the fourth book of the series, so I will be looking for the other three since I enjoyed Payne & Astria's story so much. They were fun characters. I like sassy Highlanders, and Payne very much fits the bill. He's quite charming and has a really good heart too. Astria is the youngest daughter of Sancho I, the former King of Portugal. She's had to be strong and stand on her own for quite some time. She's pretty bristly at first, but you'll understand why. Her love and care shines through once she realizes Payne can be trusted and that she has friends & support at Blackchurch.

Payne & Astria meet through some wild chain of events and end up marrying due to the circumstances. They're not sure of each other at first, but it doesn't take long for them to become close and care for each other. This is a Kathryn Le Veque book! The main characters are going to fall deeply and love and it will be an awesome time. There will be battles and upheaval of course, but they will work through it and prevail. I finished the book with a smile on my face. Like I mentioned before, I plan to read the three other Blackchurch books because I love Kathryn Le Veque's writing and the series interests me, but the Tempest can be a stand alone book too.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Tempest by Kathryn Le Veque is a sweeping medieval romance that pairs the formidable Payne, a rugged Highlander, with Astrid Julia, a strong-willed rebel—who happens to secretly be the daughter of Sancho I of Portugal. From the first chapter alone, we see Astrid is being held captive—and soon enough, she and Payne get married. And all the hot hijinks ensue.

Le Veque’s lush, immersive prose brings this world vividly to life, blending rich historical detail with emotional depth and well-fleshed out characters. I loved reading about everything, from old castles to bloody pirates. I also liked how the author combined probable events from the past and incorporated them into the story.

Both Payne and Astrid are layered, misunderstood characters carrying deep secrets, which makes their delightfully spicy romance all the more compelling. There’s a lot of fiery passion within this pages, and I found myself going back to reread them, haha. This is a well-researched tale perfect for lovers of historical romance, marriage of convenience, and—dare I say it?—pirate love stories. I can’t wait to read other novels by this author.

The Highlander and the Pirate Queen

So our Blackchurch trainer has a secret - his mother is a famed pirate queen, and she's come to tell him that his father, the Earl of Lismore, has recently passed so now the title passes to his heir, Payne. And that's not all - his mother has gone to great lengths to secure him a bride!

OK, here's where I have a problem - not only is the bride a foreign princess who speaks English as well as all our English characters, but she's been kidnapped, starved, and then - rescued? By the man she was handed off to as a bride? Who publicly spanks her in front of the entire pirate crew - her captors for five months - when he first meets her because she takes a swing at him? And she later agrees that she deserved it?

Yeah. Moving on.

Because I have to move on. I have a lot of faith in this author, so I've learned to overlook a little misogyny because of the social expectations of the times, and this is 1223 so I guess I have to make some allowances. But still.

After that horrifying meeting, the rest of the book goes well, with swashbuckling good guys and mustache-twirling baddies, culminating in a satisfying if not somewhat tragic HEA for our couple. I guess the relationship Astria develops with her new mother-in-law can be chalked up to an early example of Stockholm syndrome and the resiliency of a woman making the best of the hand she's dealt. Very romantic indeed.

And since I read an ARC of this book I hesitate to mention the many discrepancies and contradictions in the text, though there were so many more than I'm accustomed to from this author. To be honest, I've never read this level of misogyny from her, either, so I sincerely hope this book is an exception to her usual stellar writing.

If you're following our Blackchurch trainers you definitely will want to catch this one as well, if only for the continuity.

This is my favorite book by Kathryn Le Veque so far. Payne and Astria are the best. I know their relationship didn't start out on the best footing, but Payne is truly a sweetheart, and Astria is very lucky to find him. Having Payne's mother in the story is just a bonus!
Thank you to Kathryn Le Veque for the copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

Loved It! What a Fantastic Story! The Tempest will keep you spellbound as it takes you on a rollercoaster ride that weaves a story from beginning to end with threads of intrigue, greed, pirates, suspense and family unity. Kathryn Le Veque characters in this romance are amazingly crafted, with her characters traveling a tension building path full of twists and turns, passion, secrets, trials and tribulations, with plenty of emotion and uncertainties through out this story makes this a very captivating read.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

The Tempest by Kathryn Le Veque is a worthy entry into her Black Church Guild series. Featuring The Tempest, Payne Matheson, who unbeknownst to his colleagues is the heir to an earldom and Astria, who is a Portuguese princess with a string of titles. Astria is currently being held captive by Bloody Maude, a notorious pirate. Another fact unknown to most iss that Maude was Payne’s mother. It turns out she had held this woman captive fore five months in order to present her to her eldest son, Payne, as his bride. This knowledge all became apparent as Maude and her crew closed in on Black Church and Payne rode out to meet them, hoping to prevent trouble. You can all see where this is going. Just know Astria greeted Payne with a fist to the eye.

I am an unabashed fan of LeVeque’s-spoiler. Her characters, these included, are intricate and well-described. Her marriages are always successful and end up to be love matches, not matter how they start. This is no exception. Payne is an instructor at Black Church and as strong, resilient, and as respected as they come. As are all Black Church men, he is large, but likable unless you mean him or his harm. Astria, after her five months of being bound, knowing her step-son was coming for her and would not be kind, determined to be a good wife to Payne. The story was well-told, that of pirates on land, lack of respect and loyalty, strength and humor. It flowed nicely and used all of Le Veque’s strengths as a writer: wonderful characters, true love, good friends, amazing storyline, et al. I highly recommend.

I was invited to read The Tempest by Kathryn Le Veque Novels, Inc. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #KathrynLeVequeNovelsInc #KathrynLeVeque #TheTempest

I loved the story especially the two main characters, Payne and Astria. It’s well written and very descriptive in what was happening and that made it very easy for me to picture in my mind what was presently occurring. It’s an action packed story that started at the very beginning and continued until the end. Payne’s mother Maude played prominent part in this story. There are some surprises throughout the story which made great reading. I loved it and it is definitely worth reading.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.