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The Mercenary's Price
Lady Eliza Harcourt, the queen's seer, is in danger of being kidnapped. To avoid such a fate, she will be whisked to safety during a royal masked ball. But when the man doing the whisking turns out to be Thomas Blackstone, she's no longer sure fleeing is a good idea.
Rejected by Eliza seven years earlier, Thomas has changed from the amiable second son of a lowly noble into a cold-hearted mercenary. Not only does she have to put up with the silent treatment, but she cannot be entirely certain he is on her side. The only thing she can be sure of is that he's still bitter about the rejection. And that she still loves him.
Rejected by Eliza seven years earlier, Thomas has changed from the amiable second son of a lowly noble into a cold-hearted mercenary. Not only does she have to put up with the silent treatment, but she cannot be entirely certain he is on her side. The only thing she can be sure of is that he's still bitter about the rejection. And that she still loves him.
Nook
First published February 5, 2011
About the author
C.J. Archer
132 books5,949 followersC.J. Archer is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of historical mystery and historical fantasy novels including the GLASS AND STEELE series, the CLEOPATRA FOX MYSTERIES, the MINISTRY OF CURIOSITIES and THE GLASS LIBRARY series.
She has loved history and books for as long as she can remember and feels fortunate that she found a way to combine the two. She has at various times worked as a librarian, IT support person and technical writer but in her heart has always been a fiction writer. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband, 2 children and Coco the black and white cat.
Subscribe to C.J.'s newsletter to be notified when she releases a new book. Join via her website: www.cjarcher.com
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She has loved history and books for as long as she can remember and feels fortunate that she found a way to combine the two. She has at various times worked as a librarian, IT support person and technical writer but in her heart has always been a fiction writer. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband, 2 children and Coco the black and white cat.
Subscribe to C.J.'s newsletter to be notified when she releases a new book. Join via her website: www.cjarcher.com
You can follow her on social media to get the latest updates on her books:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CJArcherAuthorPage
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorcjarc...
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 15, 2011
Decent read, but shorter than I expected as the last 25 percent is an excerpt from another book.
It's about a woman who is considered a national treasure because she has visions that could aid or endanger the Queen's fleet. It depends on who has the information or I should say, who has HER.
Her spurned lover appears as a rescuer/bodyguard of sorts and as their feelings of passion rise, it becomes alarmingly apparent that the dude may not be rescuing her, but working against her... and all for money.
Well told, but at times, the action felt a bit rushed. However, this could have been intended to keep it short story. I never cried or laughed out loud or felt particularly moved by anything, but I was entertained.
It's about a woman who is considered a national treasure because she has visions that could aid or endanger the Queen's fleet. It depends on who has the information or I should say, who has HER.
Her spurned lover appears as a rescuer/bodyguard of sorts and as their feelings of passion rise, it becomes alarmingly apparent that the dude may not be rescuing her, but working against her... and all for money.
Well told, but at times, the action felt a bit rushed. However, this could have been intended to keep it short story. I never cried or laughed out loud or felt particularly moved by anything, but I was entertained.
September 13, 2023
3.5 stars
February 23, 2011
This was a great little novella. I have always been a sucker for Historical Fiction but it has been ages since I read a Historical Romance. I was hesitant at first but I am very glad I read this book. The author was well versed in the language and customs of the time era her characters lived in. C.J. Archer painted a wonderful picture and I could envision the book as if it were a movie. I enjoyed the theme of redemption and a second chance to make love work. Of course the ending was predictable but when I read romance I disregard that the ending is expected because it's ROMANCE! The boy and girl are supposed to live happily ever after in the end, I actually have no idea why anyone would expect otherwise is this genre. The author did a good job of immediately drawing the reader in with an almost palpable tension between the main characters and then was able to endure with that feeling right up to the end. BRAVO! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Romance, especially because Romance lovers read for the swooning, intense emotions and forbidden loves, this book has all of that! Overall it was a fun, quick and entertaining read. I would definitely read other works from this author because I enjoyed her writing style. WELL DONE!
May 22, 2011
For a novella this was an interesting story with a fair amount of development.
The first paragraph left me a little wary as the protagonist immediately brings up "that summer seven years ago", which I felt should not have been introduced as of the first few lines. There's a lot of exposition but considering how much story is written in to under 30,000 words, I guess there had to be.
The characters were well written and nicely rounded.
The language is, at times, rather clunky as it seems to wave between pseudo-16th century English (even though it's not written in British English, which kinda kills the scene setting for me) and much more recent terms and expressions.
The heroine speaks Spanish. I'm not sure this would be the case in 16th century Britain. I know for a fact that when Catherine of Aragon came to England, the only shared language she and her betroathed had was Latin. Over time she learnt English but no one learnt Spanish. Despite the fact that the country split from Rome and the Catholic religion, Latin was still an important language and was still taught. I'm not entirely sure Spanish was taught at this time.
It was an enjoyable story, a very quick read and at 99cents, value for money.
The first paragraph left me a little wary as the protagonist immediately brings up "that summer seven years ago", which I felt should not have been introduced as of the first few lines. There's a lot of exposition but considering how much story is written in to under 30,000 words, I guess there had to be.
The characters were well written and nicely rounded.
The language is, at times, rather clunky as it seems to wave between pseudo-16th century English (even though it's not written in British English, which kinda kills the scene setting for me) and much more recent terms and expressions.
The heroine speaks Spanish. I'm not sure this would be the case in 16th century Britain. I know for a fact that when Catherine of Aragon came to England, the only shared language she and her betroathed had was Latin. Over time she learnt English but no one learnt Spanish. Despite the fact that the country split from Rome and the Catholic religion, Latin was still an important language and was still taught. I'm not entirely sure Spanish was taught at this time.
It was an enjoyable story, a very quick read and at 99cents, value for money.
April 27, 2011
As far as short stories go this was really good. For the length the character development was great. I'm a big fan of second chance love stories and of historical romance this had both and a little supernatural to top it off. Although I may not completely agree with our heroine's view point from the hero and heroine's history I love that it seemed pretty accurate for the time. She was young, foolish, and a woman in a time where women's opinions did not count for much. I love that they both made mistakes and were able to overcome them to have a HEA.
January 28, 2013
C.J. Archer is an exceptional writer. I enjoyed this sweet romantic novella with a touch of paranormal. Immediately, I believed Eliza and Thomas were meant for each other, with fate intervening to keep them apart. However, the author did an exceptional job of making me wonder about the true motive for Thomas helping Eliza, which is later revealed. The sword fight scenes are fun. Because the story is a novella it is fast paced, which is to be expected. I would have liked to have known more about Eliza's mother and her place in the queen's court. I highly recommend this swashbuckling tale.
March 10, 2012
This was a fun read, but the ending was rather abrupt. The story was totally about Eliza's adventure as she is taken from the court by Thomas. Although her visions are purportedly the reason for her importance, they seemed like an afterthought in the story. I would like to know what happened to the characters after the events in the story. It seemed like a set up for a larger series.
The e-book version contains a substantial excerpt from Honor Bound, which looks interesting and appears to be a full novel (as distinct from The Mercenary's Price which was only a novella).
The e-book version contains a substantial excerpt from Honor Bound, which looks interesting and appears to be a full novel (as distinct from The Mercenary's Price which was only a novella).
June 5, 2011
A sweet novella about a second chance. The characters are young and foolish but in love. Mistakes are made and they are separated for seven years, during which time they both mature and come to realize what they gave up. When political circumstances bring them face to face again both have to let go of the past and forgive to be able to find love again.
August 31, 2012
2.5stars Short novella that was free to download to my kindle. I liked the writing but felt that too much was trying to be fit into too short a story. I would happily try another book by the author.
May 20, 2011
I enjoyed this, but wish it had been longer.
October 10, 2011
Short and sweet. Not much happens, but it was a fun read for as short as it was. The ending was kind of abrupt, but oh well.
June 22, 2012
This was a really fun novella. The story line was great and it developed pretty well. A nice, quick read.
January 14, 2014
A wonderful bite-sized piece of history, romance, intrigue, and adventure. I really enjoyed this novella, and would recommend it to any lover of historical fiction/historical romance.
Want to Read
February 15, 201667pgs
July 19, 2016
Too short, would be an excellent tale if the time frame started when Eliza was a child and then ended with this ending.
July 31, 2012
Fairly well developed for such a short story.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews