Review: Defiant by Kris Kennedy

Defiant
Author: Kris Kennedy
Publisher: Pocket
Genre:  Historical Romance
ISBN: 9781439195901
Release date:  April 26, 2011
Author's website: Kris Kennedy
Available to buy at:  Amazon

A warrior with questionable intentions . . .
Jamie Lost is the king’s most renowned commander, a fearless lieutenant ordered to kidnap an exiled priest before rebel forces close in. The mission is simple—until he meets a mysterious thief who will steal his quarry and then his heart.

A lady of remarkable courage . . .
Beautiful Eva is also seeking Father Peter, but she intends to protect him from a secret that could cost him his life. She senses that she, too, should fear Jamie—not just for his wickedly sharp sword and dangerously muscular body, but for the powerful longing he ignites within her.


A secret that could overthrow the king.
When a band of mercenaries abducts the priest, Jamie and Eva must form a volatile alliance. As civil war unfolds around them, they embark on an epic journey that betrays the truth about their hidden identities, their unexpected loyalties, and the simmering attraction that could seal their fates forever.

Father Peter has been kidnapped and seems to be wanted by all because he knows many secrets.  King John
has ordered that Peter to be brought to England and sends his head commander Jaime Lost to retrieve him.  While searching for Peter, Jaime meets a woman by the name of Eva that is also seeking out the priest.  They find themselves traveling together and end up forming an alliance of sorts.  While traveling they both find out many secrets about one another and realize that everything is not what it seems to be.  Tension builds between the two of them as the find themselves attracted to one another and soon they can't help but give into it. 

I found Jaime's character to be and funny.  Even where he found himself in the dire circumstances, he always had something witty to say.  I liked that Jaime came off as someone that could not be trusted, but ended up having the best intentions when he realized what was truly going on.  I found him to be very honorable and I loved reading the scenes when he realized that he was falling for Eva.   I found Eva to be a strong female character due to the fact that she had much thrown upon her shoulders from such a young age and was able to succeed in all she had to do.  The reader finds out that her childhood was a very sad one and I respected her even more when the truth was revealed who she really is.  In fact, she and Jaime have more in common that they realize and I loved how all the secrets were revealed throughout the book.  All was revealed with perfect timing and I found that this added to the storyline and made it more exciting!

I'm giving Defiant a rating of:

Defiant was my very first Medieval Romance read and found it to be enjoyable. There were a few times that I felt that the book moved slowly and that is my only complaint about the book. Other than that, it was full of intrigue, and had lots of action that included sword fights. The characters were extremely enjoyable and I loved that Eva and Jaime didn't get along through most of the book. I felt that this made their growing relationship more realistic, fun, and had me wishing nothing but the best for them when they finally realized that they were meant for each other.