Desire Lines by Elizabeth Kingston
He had only ever wanted to return home. Gryff has left his life as a noble hostage behind him and has run from risk to danger, never feeling secure and always yearning to go back to his conquered Welsh homeland. His unlikely saviour is the most stunning woman he has ever seen—and the most lethal—and she is being held hostage by evil men. Her lack of speaking is unsettling, her generosity is unexpected, and it is very apparent from her stern warning that she will not be the target of lust. Nan is certain that the poor Welshman she saved from impending death was born to finer things than the life of a servant she had previously led. They rapidly go somewhere neither of them could have anticipated, thanks to her own unexpected desire.
Desire Lines by Elizabeth Kingston
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The protagonist of the tale is a Welshman named Gryff who is kidnapped by vicious criminals. He is forced to travel with them in order to look after the falcons that he has been looking after for years. He is saved by a woman named Nan who, essentially acting alone, swoops in and kills everyone holding him captive. She is an expert knife user. She barely makes any noise at all.
It ends up being just the two of them since he decides to travel with her. She is highly secretive for her own reasons, and he is very secretive about who he is because he fears being discovered.
It’s enjoyable to travel with them because they make such a good team. But this also has a wealth of fascinating historical information. Knowing where they all allow you to determine that the author has done extensive research on falconry. I also particularly liked how the novel included context for what having Black and Jewish people would have meant during the period. These are real people from that time period, which is uncommon in historical romances. She also did a terrific job with that, in my opinion.
