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Medieval Norwens #1
The Black Earl
WHILE KNIGHT FOUGHT KNIGHT FOR LAND, HONOR AND GLORY, ONE WOMAN FOUGHT ONLY FOR LOVE.
"I am Lady Elizabeth of Beaufort. My uncle is Sir Godfrey."
With these words, delivered to Richard of Norwen, the Black Earl, this beauty knew well what she risked...
Her uncle's wrath, should he learn of her betrayal...and her brother's life.
But the valiant Richard held a certainty of his own--that the Beauforts were the cause of his greatest sorrow. He could not foresee that when all the treacheries were done, the gentle Beaufort who stood before him would be the cause of his greatest joy.
"I am Lady Elizabeth of Beaufort. My uncle is Sir Godfrey."
With these words, delivered to Richard of Norwen, the Black Earl, this beauty knew well what she risked...
Her uncle's wrath, should he learn of her betrayal...and her brother's life.
But the valiant Richard held a certainty of his own--that the Beauforts were the cause of his greatest sorrow. He could not foresee that when all the treacheries were done, the gentle Beaufort who stood before him would be the cause of his greatest joy.
312 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
About the author
Sharon Stephens
9 books2 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Pseudonym of Candace Camp
Candace Pauline Camp was born on May 23, 1949 in Amarillo, Texas, U.S.A.. The youngest of three children born into a newspaper family -- her mother, Lula Mae (Irons) Camp, had been a reporter and her father, Grady Camp, was the business manager of the Amarillo, Texas, newspaper -- some of Candace's earliest memories are of making up stories which she played out on the floor of their den with whatever objects were handy. She cannot remember a time when she was not interested in creating stories. She began writing down her stories when she was about 10, and from then on writing was her favorite form of relaxation. Explains Candace: "I was always very shy and did not talk much. However, in written form, I could express all my thoughts and feelings."
Writing remained only a hobby, though, as Candace attended college at the University of Texas at Austin and West Texas State University, then became a secondary teacher in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. She later moved to North Carolina, where she worked in the trust department of a bank. It was there that she discovered the romance novel in modern form and started to write her first romance. She also began law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and while she was there, she finished her first novel, entitled Bonds of Love, that was published by Jove Publishing in 1978, under the pseudonym Lisa Gregory. Candace credits the rigorous training of law school with teaching her the discipline necessary to finish a book. She gave up the practice of law to devote her time to writing. Two pseudonyms later (Kristin James and Sharon Stephens), Candace writes under her own name Candace Camp-- and still loves creating stories.
Candace is married since 1980 with Pete Hopcus, and they had a daughter Anastasia Hopcus in 1982, who had started on her own career path in the field of acting and now also writes young adult novels.
Pseudonym of Candace Camp
Candace Pauline Camp was born on May 23, 1949 in Amarillo, Texas, U.S.A.. The youngest of three children born into a newspaper family -- her mother, Lula Mae (Irons) Camp, had been a reporter and her father, Grady Camp, was the business manager of the Amarillo, Texas, newspaper -- some of Candace's earliest memories are of making up stories which she played out on the floor of their den with whatever objects were handy. She cannot remember a time when she was not interested in creating stories. She began writing down her stories when she was about 10, and from then on writing was her favorite form of relaxation. Explains Candace: "I was always very shy and did not talk much. However, in written form, I could express all my thoughts and feelings."
Writing remained only a hobby, though, as Candace attended college at the University of Texas at Austin and West Texas State University, then became a secondary teacher in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. She later moved to North Carolina, where she worked in the trust department of a bank. It was there that she discovered the romance novel in modern form and started to write her first romance. She also began law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and while she was there, she finished her first novel, entitled Bonds of Love, that was published by Jove Publishing in 1978, under the pseudonym Lisa Gregory. Candace credits the rigorous training of law school with teaching her the discipline necessary to finish a book. She gave up the practice of law to devote her time to writing. Two pseudonyms later (Kristin James and Sharon Stephens), Candace writes under her own name Candace Camp-- and still loves creating stories.
Candace is married since 1980 with Pete Hopcus, and they had a daughter Anastasia Hopcus in 1982, who had started on her own career path in the field of acting and now also writes young adult novels.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 13, 2021
Totally totally besotted Hero, as soon as he sees the heroine he falls like ninepins 🥰
I think THIS might be the first Candace Camp book I’ve read. I remember a lot of details from it, so I must have read it a long long time ago.
The heroine and her young brother are trying to escape from their evil uncle who is their guardian. The heroine fears that the uncle will try to kill her brother since their father, the Earl is dead and her brother is the heir. The uncle often beats them and and his son touches the heroine inappropriately, but he hasn’t raped her yet.
They hear that the uncle’s enemy is nearby and the heroine runs off to try and ask him to help them. The Hero is the enemy of the uncle, who killed several members of his family members and stole their lands when the Hero was a young boy. The Hero, and his brother (who is illegitimate) have come back and reclaimed most of their lands, and now want vengance on the uncle.
When the Hero sees the heroine he is immediately attracted to her. When she tells him of their plight, he decides to marry the her so he can legally claim her dower lands from the uncle, and he can be appointed guardian of her brother. So they marry. The uncle is very upset, and continues to plot against them.
The bastard brother is very suspicious of the heroine, he thinks she is in cahoots with her uncle, he fears that the Hero is totally besotted and will do anything for the heroine.
This book is pretty different from others in that the heroine doesn’t magically fall in lust with the Hero after they have sex. In fact it takes her a long time and even when it doesnt hurt anymore she doesnt really feel anything, her impassivity actually affects the Hero and diminishes his own pleasure 😂 (score 1 to the author for writing about a lousy lover 🤣).
The heroine herself is very suspicious of the bastard brother. She feels his hostiliy and is convinced he is plotting against her. The brothers are very close. They have gone through a lot together. Their family was unusual in that their father installed his mistress, the bastard brother’s mother in the same household as his wife. The wife was humiliated by this and shut herself off in one of the towers. Years later, she lets in the enemy’s men, and this leads to their massacre. The Hero doesnt know this. His aunt who help him, his brother and the mistress escape, never told him. The Hero himself, despite what was done to his mother, is very fond of the mistress, she basically raised him and his brother when they had to run for their lives.
When the Hero first brings his wife to his home, its the old mistress who is running the household. The heroine is cold and snobbish to her. She thinks the Hero is just like his father, and will humiliate her in the same way. Though the Hero takes her to task for this, he apologizes the next day and explains that, as his wife, she will now be chatelaine of his house. So the heroine is mollified.
The Hero realizes that it will still cause tensions having both women in the same household, so he decides to make his brother take over another of his holdings and bring his mother with him. The brother immediately suspects that this is the heroine’s doing and his hatred grows even more, he starts plotting against her.
Both the heroine and the brother are loyal to the Hero but neither one trusts the other.
The romance of the heroine and the Hero is not all smooth sailing since the Hero is much more in love with her than she with him. She has a lot of intimacy issues because of how she was treated in her uncle’s house. The Hero is frustrated for most of the book. When the heroine has a hard time during the birth if their daughter, the Hero is so affected that he decides he wont sleep with her anymore.
He goes off to fight the uncle for the lands of the heroine, while he is away, the evil uncle manages to kidnap the heroine. He tells the Hero to come alone or he will kill the heroine. The Hero cannot risk her life so he does, and the evil uncle captures them both.
In the end the bastard brother manages to rescue them. He had been playing a double cross game with the uncle, their enemy, but his loyalty is really all for his brother. During the rescue the heroine manages to help the brother, so now all is well and they both resolve their issues with each other.
This was really a hard won happy ever after for this couple. It was very cute how the Hero was so in love with his baby daughter.
❤️
Available on open library.
I think THIS might be the first Candace Camp book I’ve read. I remember a lot of details from it, so I must have read it a long long time ago.
The heroine and her young brother are trying to escape from their evil uncle who is their guardian. The heroine fears that the uncle will try to kill her brother since their father, the Earl is dead and her brother is the heir. The uncle often beats them and and his son touches the heroine inappropriately, but he hasn’t raped her yet.
They hear that the uncle’s enemy is nearby and the heroine runs off to try and ask him to help them. The Hero is the enemy of the uncle, who killed several members of his family members and stole their lands when the Hero was a young boy. The Hero, and his brother (who is illegitimate) have come back and reclaimed most of their lands, and now want vengance on the uncle.
When the Hero sees the heroine he is immediately attracted to her. When she tells him of their plight, he decides to marry the her so he can legally claim her dower lands from the uncle, and he can be appointed guardian of her brother. So they marry. The uncle is very upset, and continues to plot against them.
The bastard brother is very suspicious of the heroine, he thinks she is in cahoots with her uncle, he fears that the Hero is totally besotted and will do anything for the heroine.
This book is pretty different from others in that the heroine doesn’t magically fall in lust with the Hero after they have sex. In fact it takes her a long time and even when it doesnt hurt anymore she doesnt really feel anything, her impassivity actually affects the Hero and diminishes his own pleasure 😂 (score 1 to the author for writing about a lousy lover 🤣).
The heroine herself is very suspicious of the bastard brother. She feels his hostiliy and is convinced he is plotting against her. The brothers are very close. They have gone through a lot together. Their family was unusual in that their father installed his mistress, the bastard brother’s mother in the same household as his wife. The wife was humiliated by this and shut herself off in one of the towers. Years later, she lets in the enemy’s men, and this leads to their massacre. The Hero doesnt know this. His aunt who help him, his brother and the mistress escape, never told him. The Hero himself, despite what was done to his mother, is very fond of the mistress, she basically raised him and his brother when they had to run for their lives.
When the Hero first brings his wife to his home, its the old mistress who is running the household. The heroine is cold and snobbish to her. She thinks the Hero is just like his father, and will humiliate her in the same way. Though the Hero takes her to task for this, he apologizes the next day and explains that, as his wife, she will now be chatelaine of his house. So the heroine is mollified.
The Hero realizes that it will still cause tensions having both women in the same household, so he decides to make his brother take over another of his holdings and bring his mother with him. The brother immediately suspects that this is the heroine’s doing and his hatred grows even more, he starts plotting against her.
Both the heroine and the brother are loyal to the Hero but neither one trusts the other.
The romance of the heroine and the Hero is not all smooth sailing since the Hero is much more in love with her than she with him. She has a lot of intimacy issues because of how she was treated in her uncle’s house. The Hero is frustrated for most of the book. When the heroine has a hard time during the birth if their daughter, the Hero is so affected that he decides he wont sleep with her anymore.
He goes off to fight the uncle for the lands of the heroine, while he is away, the evil uncle manages to kidnap the heroine. He tells the Hero to come alone or he will kill the heroine. The Hero cannot risk her life so he does, and the evil uncle captures them both.
In the end the bastard brother manages to rescue them. He had been playing a double cross game with the uncle, their enemy, but his loyalty is really all for his brother. During the rescue the heroine manages to help the brother, so now all is well and they both resolve their issues with each other.
This was really a hard won happy ever after for this couple. It was very cute how the Hero was so in love with his baby daughter.
❤️
Available on open library.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2023
3🌟
- slow burn. Even though the marriage happens early in the book, majority of the book, the h isn’t even attracted to the H in or out of bed. There certainly isn’t ANY body betraying scenes happening here, she basically lays in bed like a corpse, while he finishes. It does pick up after 50% when she does starts feeling desire for him.
- h has fear of men and sex, because her cousins brutalized her sexually (she was never raped). She’s strong, but timid when she’s near the hero.
Love scenes, and any romance with the H dragged because of her fear of men.😑
I found her coldness with the H frustrating and off putting. She is also unlikeable as a person.
-Pros: loved the besotted hero. He’s a true hero.
- free to read on the open library, under the name Sharon
Safe
No cheating
No ow drama
They’re apart for months due to war, and sometimes they’re sleeping apart in separate bedrooms (months at a time) due to misunderstandings, and he’s completely faithful.
- slow burn. Even though the marriage happens early in the book, majority of the book, the h isn’t even attracted to the H in or out of bed. There certainly isn’t ANY body betraying scenes happening here, she basically lays in bed like a corpse, while he finishes. It does pick up after 50% when she does starts feeling desire for him.
- h has fear of men and sex, because her cousins brutalized her sexually (she was never raped). She’s strong, but timid when she’s near the hero.
Love scenes, and any romance with the H dragged because of her fear of men.😑
I found her coldness with the H frustrating and off putting. She is also unlikeable as a person.
-Pros: loved the besotted hero. He’s a true hero.
- free to read on the open library, under the name Sharon
Safe
No cheating
No ow drama
They’re apart for months due to war, and sometimes they’re sleeping apart in separate bedrooms (months at a time) due to misunderstandings, and he’s completely faithful.
December 28, 2020
It was okay. I had trouble finding this book. I finally found it on openlibary. Maybe I had high expectations and that's why I didn't like it.
I just could not like Elizabeth. Her reasons for being cold were ridiculous. Richard is such the perfect hero. Elizabeth was annoyingly fidget to a loving husband. The worst part of the book was that I didn't care. I felt no emotional investment of any of the he characters.
It just was not worth the trouble to find. Disappointed by such a good author.
I just could not like Elizabeth. Her reasons for being cold were ridiculous. Richard is such the perfect hero. Elizabeth was annoyingly fidget to a loving husband. The worst part of the book was that I didn't care. I felt no emotional investment of any of the he characters.
It just was not worth the trouble to find. Disappointed by such a good author.
April 8, 2025
3 1/2 ⭐️
May 7, 2015
It's a good book, not a great one. The middle drags on with the misunderstanding, but has a happy ending (but no epilogue).
January 17, 2008
The Black Earl - Ok
Sharon Stephens (aka Candace Camp)
While Knight fought Knight for land, honor and glory, 1 woman fought only for love
"I am Lady Elizabeth of Beaufort. My uncle is Sir Godfrey."
With these words, delivered to Richard of Norwen, the Black Earl, this beauty knew well what she risked...
Her uncle's wrath, should he learn of her betrayal...and her brother's life.
But the valiant Richard held a certainty of his own--that the Beauforts were the cause of his greatest sorrow. He could not foresee that when all the treacheries were done, the gentle Beaufort before him would be the cause of his greatest joy.
An woman, ill-treated by her family, misinterprets her kind husband.
Sharon Stephens (aka Candace Camp)
While Knight fought Knight for land, honor and glory, 1 woman fought only for love
"I am Lady Elizabeth of Beaufort. My uncle is Sir Godfrey."
With these words, delivered to Richard of Norwen, the Black Earl, this beauty knew well what she risked...
Her uncle's wrath, should he learn of her betrayal...and her brother's life.
But the valiant Richard held a certainty of his own--that the Beauforts were the cause of his greatest sorrow. He could not foresee that when all the treacheries were done, the gentle Beaufort before him would be the cause of his greatest joy.
An woman, ill-treated by her family, misinterprets her kind husband.
October 11, 2014
quite a good read
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January 12, 2012LIKE IT!!!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews