The Wolfe by Kathryn Le Veque Also in this series: Warwolfe , Nighthawk: Sons of de Wolfe, Serpent , Dark Destroyer
Series: de Wolf Pack #1
Published by Dragonblade Publishing on December 26, 2013
Genres: Historical Romance, Medieval Era, Scottish Highlands
Narrator: Guy Veryzer
Length: 37 Hours and 12 Mins
Pages: 909
Format: Audiobook
1231 A.D.
After a nasty skirmish along the England/Scotland border at Bog Wood, a badly wounded knight has crawled off to die. As women from the Clan Scott fan out across the battlefield to collect the spoils of war, one woman breaks off from the pack. She is sickened by the tradition of stealing valuables off the dead and runs off to hide. In her hiding place, however, lingers the badly wounded knight. The young woman is frightened at first but her natural instinct to lend aid takes over. She tends the knight and saves his life. Little does the Lady Jordan Scott know that she has just saved the life of the dreaded English knight known to her people as The Wolf….
Several months later, peace is proposed along the border. An English groom is offered to a Scots bride. The Lady Jordan Scott is that bride and her groom is the aged and powerful Earl of Teviot, John de Longley. When Lord de Longley sends his mighty and hated army to collect his new bride, the captain of the army personally retrieves Lady Jordan. When Jordan looks upon the fearsome English knight, she realizes there is something oddly familiar about his voice. When the man finally reveals himself, she sees that it is none other than the man whose life she saved. Sir William de Wolfe, the scourge of the Scots, makes his presence known.
William has never forgotten about his Scots angel. One look at the Lady Jordan after all of these months and he is stricken with appreciation and adoration. He has thought of nothing else but the lady since the time she tended his injury and now, his infatuation with her takes flight. As he escorts her back to Northwood Castle to wed his liege, each passing minute sees him fall more and more hopelessly in love with her. Jordan comes to know the man beyond The Wolf of legend, and so the love story begins….
Join William and Jordan in a tale of true and utter devotion, of a love that bleeds beyond the boundaries of Scots and English, and where loyalty, friendship, and family bind them all together in this uncertain and political world. These are the dark days of dark times, but in the midst of a treacherous world of secrets and hatred, William and Jordan share a love that is only dreamt of.
The Wolfe is one of the most awe-inspiring EPIC romances that you could ever have a chance to pick up in your lifetime. There was so much passion….so much zest and goodness in this book that I soaked it up like a sponge and I never wanted to let go of it. Granted I know the length will really scare some people off, however, I delight in challenges and what is even more fantastic is having this treasure as a part of the romance audible package which makes it the LONGEST audiobook I have ever listened to in my life. This 900-page book turns into 37 hours of listening!!! Yes, you heard me 900 PAGES!!! I don’t think I have ever read a book that long (other than my religious scriptures of course) so it can be daunting but I swear the moment you pick it up it sweeps you off your feet.
The story starts out 1231 A.D., our heroine of the story is a highland lass, daughter of the Laird of Clan Scott. Their clan is close to the English/Scottish Border, and there are many battles between the two countries. Shortly after a bad battle, Lady Jordan aids an English knight, known as the “Wolfe” who is injured, never expecting to see this compelling man ever again. But when there is a peace offering, a treaty, both parties agree that the time for warring is over and the era of peace is deserving after all the good people they have lost on both sides. So Lady Jordan is to be married to the Earl of Teviot. Lady Jordan knows how important this treaty is, and even though she would rather marry a man of her own choosing, she knows that this is the right thing to do. But what she didn’t expect, is the man coming to bring her to the Earl of Teviot, is one of the most powerful knights in England and the same man she healed months earlier….The Wolfe. As William, escorts Lady Jordan to England to be married to his liege lord, his feelings for this strong and kind woman grows and he wonders if he can let her go to marry another man to maintain the peace which is so important.
I first want to give a warning though about the narration. This wasn’t my favorite narrator to be honest, not nearly as talented as Brad Wills (who narrated the first book in the series) and I am pretty sure the speed is wrong. Because I normally keep mine at 1.00 however you will need to speed it up to 1.25. But I grew to really like this narrator, it took some time though but I really grew to love his deep voice and the inflections of the characters turned out to be so wonderful that I couldn’t get enough. I would always look forward to listening to him every day. Now I will say that this book took me 10 days to listen to. But it just didn’t feel like it was that long to be honest. What I am coming to really appreciate about this author is how she spins a tale so flawlessly that you don’t notice the length at all. You just look forward to picking up the story and not worry about it being rushed, it flows so smoothly and the historical details…OH MY!! I could go on for days about the historical context alone. Simply superb. And I did like that the details don’t bog the story down, it only enhances it so well.
There is quite a bit that happens in this book and it’s so much more than just a “forbidden romance” as the blurb indicates. Both William and Jordan are taken on a journey that is riveting and engaging to the reader, you won’t want to put this couple down. Their story is so compelling, we see them grow and change through the story while facing a great enemy. This story is not easy at times, especially when you deal with enemies that you don’t see and how greed and lust for power can bring about devastating consequences. But we also see the good in men, we see the strength, honor, and courage of men and women as they face these trials that they are faced with. We also get some side stories revolving William’s knights and the women they fall in love with. We also get to see the workings of the villain and this enhances the plot and really thickens the suspense and intrigue of the story.
The main characters are both wonderfully penned in this story. Our hero may be a powerful knight and full on alpha male…but the kind of alpha male you love reading, the kind you would want to marry in real life. He is strong and powerful, but he also is kind-hearted and compassionate. Our heroine, Jordan, is sweet yet strong. She has some flaws, that make her human and come to life. She has such inner courage you admire, but when she is passionate about something she surely can kick booty for sure especially when it comes to defending the man she loves. I felt such a kinship towards both of these characters, they turn out to be so likable and endearing and after reading their story I feel like we are “bosom friends”.
And I have to say I have never read such an unique epilogue, that was a bit confusing but once you finish it, you burst into tears, the emotion displayed in this story from beginning to end is so raw and heartwrenching.
And now this is the story told
Knights of legend, riding bold
Ancient times, of visions gone
Into present of passion’s song
The knight and lady of love long past
Together again, of dreams at last
The Wolfe and his mate, joined for life
Will always be as man and wife
In this age… and the next
Overall I found The Wolfe to be an intense and engaging roller coaster of a romance that swept me away in history, in desire, in the fight of good defeating evil and the true honor of humankind and the power of true love!! EMPOWERING!!
About Kathryn Le Veque
KATHRYN LE VEQUE is a USA TODAY Bestselling author, an Amazon All-Star author, and a #1 bestselling, award-winning, multi-published author in Medieval Historical Romance and Historical Fiction. She has been featured in the NEW YORK TIMES and on USA TODAY’s HEA blog. In March 2015, Kathryn was the featured cover story for the March issue of InD’Tale Magazine, the premier Indie author magazine. She is also a quadruple nominee (a record!) for the prestigious RONE awards for 2015. Her bestselling novel, THE WOLFE, is also a semi finalist for the 2015 Kindle Book Reviews award for Best Romance.
In October 2014, Kathryn was the 31st MOST READ author on Amazon. She is extremely prolific with over 50 published novels and 37 #1 Hot New Releases in Medieval Historical Romance since May 2012. When new readers see how many novels she has published, the inevitable question is…
“She writes so many novels! Are they any good?” The answer is… YES!!
Welcome to Medieval England – hard-core, battle-scarred, power-driven alpha knights of the highest Norman order and the women who love them. Like High Middle Ages action and romance? Welcome to the Le Veque Medieval Machine.
Kathryn’s Medieval Historicals have been called ‘detailed’, ‘highly romantic’, and ‘character-rich’. She crafts great adventures of love, battles, passion, and romance in the High Middle Ages. More than that, she writes for both women AND men – an unusual crossover for a romance author – and Kathryn has many male readers who enjoy her stories because of the male perspective, the action, and the adventure.
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