The Rose and the Shield

Beautiful Lady Rose, the fiercely independent mistress of Somerford, reluctantly agrees to hire a bold Viking warrior, Gunnar Olafson, and his mercenaries to protect her undefended lands. But although Gunnar takes her breath away with his steel-hard muscles and eyes afire with undisguised yearning she dares not trust him. But Gunnar is not what he seems. Posing as a hired soldier, he is duty-bound to expose Rose, whom his liege lord believes is plotting against him. Somerford is to be loyal Gunnar's reward, but he quickly realizes Rose is the true prize. He never expected to be bewitched by the exquisite beauty he is sworn to betray, and now he is discovering that her love is what he truly desires a need he must satisfy, even if dishonor is its price ...

Sara Bennett has always had an interest in history, and to survive a series of mind-numbing jobs, she turned to writing historical romance. She lives in an old house, with her husband and animals too numerous to mention, in the state of Victoria, Australia, where she tries to keep the house and garden tidy, but rarely succeeds—she'd rather be writing or reading.