Review: The Lone Wolfe - Barbara Devlin

Blurb: 

It is the tempestuous time of the Wars of the Roses and, as the Lancasters and the Yorks battle for the Crown, Lady Desiderata de Mandeviel is caught in the games men play in their lust for power and privilege. Contracted to wed from birth, she welcomes a union with the love of her life, the greatest lancer in England, Titus Saint-Germain. When her father delivers news of her betrothed’s untimely demise, and demands she marry another, Desi must choose between her heart’s desire and family loyalty. Will Desi trust her instincts or yield to paternal authority? 

Harboring a secret, the truth of his parentage, imparted by his mother on her deathbed, Titus Saint-Germain finds himself trapped between two warring factions with no escape. A loyal Yorkist, the warrior knight serves with distinction and valor, until his own men, in the heat of battle, betray him. It is a scene eerily similar to the one that claimed the life of his father, the great Titus de Wolfe, at Towton, with a singular exception. Help arrives in the form of an unlikely ally—an uncle unaware of his brother’s progeny. Will Titus resist fate and deny his destiny, or will the Lone Wolfe, at long last, journey home to the Lair? 

Amazon

Review: 

As a huge fan of Devlin's work, I was over the moon with excitement to learn that she was releasing a new novella. I was even more curious to see what she would bring to the table with characters not part of the Brethren.

The Lone Wolfe was at times both exciting and heartrendingly sad. The idea that in that time period love did not necessarily guarantee a lifetime together and more often than not marriages were brokered for the alliances and acquisitions of land and were not love matches. This is the case with our characters. Margreit and Titus De Wolfe truly care for each other. Unfortunately they are on opposing sides of a battle for the Crown. This however means nothing to them when their eyes meet across a ballroom. For two years they conduct themselves in a clandestine liaison until the day Margreit must break off their relationship because her father has brokered a match for her. With hearts broken they part ways and each settle into arranged marriages.

This is not the story of Margreit and Titus though. This is the story of the unknown child of Titus. Margreit does not inform her son that he is the bastard son of infamous Titus De Wolfe until she is on her deathbed and bids him to find his father's family. This is where things get interesting. About to lose his lands and everything to those he once called allies Titus sets forth to find his father's family and ends up finding so much more.

In what I have come to expect from Devlin, this story was both exciting and emotional. Something to be read with tissue nearby. I could not put it down from the moment I began reading it. I had not been familiar with the original series by Kathryn Le Veque, however, after reading Lone Wolfe I find myself wanting to go back and read the original series that spurred the the contribution by Devlin.