Lady of Jeffrey Manor

3.75stars—sweet and passionate romance

3.75 stars-- LADY OF JEFFREY MANOR co-authored by JS Cole and Naleighna Kai is the fourth instalment in the multi-authored/multi-cultural KNIGHTS OF THE CASTLE romance series. This is Durabia’s Crown Prince Hassan, and African-American surgical nurse Blair Swanson’s story line. LADY OF JEFFREY MANOR can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary but I recommend the series in order for back story and history. The Knights of the Castle is a spin-off from the multi-authored Kings of the Castle, and several characters cross over for cohesion.

Told from several third person perspectives including Blair and Hassan LADY OF JEFFREY MANOR follows the forbidden romance between Durabia’s Crown Prince Hassan, and American surgical nurse Blair Swanson. Blair Swanson is a nurse; a mother of four young children; and has filed for divorce from her abusive husband. When her aunt Ellena (King of Durabia) and the Kings of the Castle offered to help Blair and her children move to Durabia, Blair found herself in communication with, and mentored by Crown Prince Hassan, the man with whom Blair would fall in love. What ensues is the slow building relationship between Hassan and Blair, and the potential fall-out as Hassan’s father refuses to accept Blair as his son’s potential mate.

Blair Swanson is a strong-willed, ascerbic, intimidating, educated, and self-assured woman who refuses to back down, and often. Telling it like it is, Blair finds herself on the offensive when her job is threatened, and her relationship with Hassan comes into question. Crown Prince Hassan of Durabia has angered his father, and the people of Durabia by falling in love with a black woman from America, a woman who doesn’t follow the religious dictates of the Kingdom of Durabia. Going against tradition and the demands of his father, Hassan finds himself having to choose between love or country, and is willing to sacrifice everything to get what he wants.

The slow building relationship between Hassan and Blair begins as a friendship as Hassan knows that to enter into a sexual liasson could threaten the woman with whom he is falling in love. Technically still married to her husband back home, Blair struggles to separate herself from her past, a struggle that Blair continues to feed.

LADY OF JEFFREY MANOR covers several months and follows numerous paths and conflicts as our heroine must come to terms with her past, her present and potentially her future, while Crown Prince Hassan must address his family and the Kingdom’s concerns, and his growing love for a woman who is currently unavailable. We are up close and personal as Blair’s family history is revealed a history steeped in secrets, lies, abuse and cover ups; and the execution of a divorce that could have been resolved sooner than later. There are some aspects of the story line that I found unbelievable and questioned the validity of whether or not the events or scenarios could have occurred in reality but such is the nature of fictional story telling-in this I struggled to accept the possibility. The premise is interesting as the author addresses racism, sexism, and stereotyping in a country with strict religious dictates and views on women, men and relationships; the romance is sweet and passionate; the characters are positive and strong.