Blog Tour: Review of My Noble Knight by Laurel O'Donnell

I've never had the pleasure of reading a novel by Laurel O'Donnell before, and I'm so glad I jumped at the chance to be a part of this blog tour!  There's also a kindle up for grabs so don't forget to enter the giveaway!

My Noble Knight by Laurel O'Donnell 

Publication Date: October 10, 2014 

Genres: Historical, Romance

Synopsis: Layne Fletcher, the only girl in a family of three boys, has grown up learning to use a sword and joust, but she is not a knight. She and her brothers have been traveling from tourney to tourney to make enough coin to buy their own farm to shelter their ailing father. When her brother is found unconscious, Layne takes his place on the jousting field against... Griffin Wolfe, the undefeated jousting champion. When he is unhorsed by a slip of a woman who is not a knight, he demands retribution. His honor will not allow him to let a woman be thrown in the dungeon and he has no choice but to pay her fine, ordering her to travel with him until her brothers can repay him. He attempts to educate her in the art of being a woman, but finds he is attracted to her exciting personality and uncommon beauty despite her less then lady like ways. But someone is trying to sabotage Griffin. Can Layne and Griffin discover who the culprit is while keeping their families safe and their growing attraction secret?

Review

★★★★ stars
I really haven't read any historical romance novels in quite some time although I've continued to add them to my reading lists and piles.  Laurel O'Donnell is an author who I've wanted to read for a very long time.  I had high hopes for this book and they were met.  
I quite like heroines who are feisty, and Layne is the epitome of that.  I love how she was observant, quick witted, and talented in jousting and swordplay, everything a lady should not be.  I also loved how she was with her brothers and the way they treated her as one of them, even though she was a girl.  I loved Layne's strong sense of honor; she placed a very high value on it.  Griffin I liked from the beginning as well.  I guess it was more his (mostly) misguided sense of chivalry and his pre-prescribed role for females.  I think he would've done much better had he listened to Layne from the beginning of the book.   They were both wonderful together.
The story really impressed me.  It's unique and yet still has almost everything a conventional historical romance novel has.  I was hoping for more closure with Griffin's brother and his wife.  I was a but taken aback when all these other family members appeared all of a sudden, but Laurel introduced them in a way my fears soon disappeared.  The story has no slow points and jumps from one point to another very quickly.  I read this book just as fast as I could.  The mystery was really well written and kept me guessing as to who was the coward in question.
Another thing that really surprised me was the amount of emotional attachment I formed with the characters, not just Layne and Griffin, but also her brother's Cole, Frances, and Michael.  I love that parts of the story were told from their points of view.  It added something extra to the story.  Now that I've read my first Laurel O'Donell novel, I know it won't be my last.  
* Thank you to the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*

About Laurel O'Donnell

Laurel O’Donnell has won numerous awards for her works, including the Holt Medallion for A Knight of Honor, the Happily Ever After contest for Angel’s Assassin, and the Indiana’s Golden Opportunity contest for Immortal Death. The Angel and the Prince was nominated by the Romance Writers of America for their prestigious Golden Heart award. O’Donnell lives in Illinois with her four cherished children, her beloved husband and her five cats. She finds precious time every day to escape into the medieval world and bring her characters to life in her writing.

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway