Below the Salt Series by Elizabeth Rose

♥ He's been hired to guard her, but not even the best armor can keep one's heart from breaking ♥Lady with a Sword:Lady Raven Blake has trained alongside her twin brother, Rook for years. She is intrigued with weapons and skilled at wielding a sword. Raven likes excitement in her life, but her father wants her to start acting like a lady. To her horror, he's planned a tournament, and whichever nobleman wins will receive her hand in marriage as the prize... more♥ He's been hired to guard her, but not even the best armor can keep one's heart from breaking ♥Lady with a Sword:Lady Raven Blake has trained alongside her twin brother, Rook for years. She is intrigued with weapons and skilled at wielding a sword. Raven likes excitement in her life, but her father wants her to start acting like a lady. To her horror, he's planned a tournament, and whichever nobleman wins will receive her hand in marriage as the prize.Infuriated, Raven comes up with an idea to ruin this plan and stay single. Now, all she needs is the help of the armorer who her father has foolishly assigned as her bodyguard, trying to keep her out of trouble.The Armorer:Jonathon Armstrong is an armorer, swordsmith, and blacksmith who knows not only how to create weapons, but how to use them too. At times he has even hired out his sword and served as a mercenary to the nobles. Lord Corbett Blake has a trusted friendship with Jonathon and approaches him, offering him a temporary position as his new castle smith. However, what he really wants Jonathon to do, is to be his unruly daughter's bodyguard during the day and only work at the smithy at night.Jonathon can't turn down a noble's request, even though everyone knows the lord's daughter has no trouble protecting herself. And when the beautiful Lady Raven tricks him into making her a suit of armor in secret, he falls into a situation that could easily bring about his demise. If being dragged into her deceptive plan doesn't land him in the dungeon, something else surely will. Jonathon has grown fond of the woman. He's lost his heart to the noblewoman, and she has returned the feelings for him.Two people from such different walks of life are not allowed to be together. Love between a noble and a commoner is forbidden, and can only mean trouble in the end.Love has no bounds, but marriage has rules. A noble must never wed anyone from below the salt.(This series features the next generation from Elizabeth's Legacy of the Blade Series.) less

◆ Desire is seeded and attraction blooms where it is strictly forbidden ◆The Knight:Sir Rook Blake has seen his twin sister fall in love with someone from below the salt and swears he will never make that mistake. As the eldest son of Lord Corbett Blake, Rook is betrothed to a lady he's never met and expected to produce noble heirs. To his dismay, his betrothed has a reputation for being demanding, snobby, and hard to please.Rook has just acquired his own manor, but the grounds are in disrepair... more◆ Desire is seeded and attraction blooms where it is strictly forbidden ◆The Knight:Sir Rook Blake has seen his twin sister fall in love with someone from below the salt and swears he will never make that mistake. As the eldest son of Lord Corbett Blake, Rook is betrothed to a lady he's never met and expected to produce noble heirs. To his dismay, his betrothed has a reputation for being demanding, snobby, and hard to please.Rook has just acquired his own manor, but the grounds are in disrepair. The garden needs to be transformed for the wedding before his haughty betrothed arrives. Hiring a master gardener seems like a good idea, until he realizes the gardener has sent his daughter, Primrose in his place. On a strict timeline and with no other choice, Rook accepts her help but doesn't believe the girl can give him what he wants or needs.The Gardener's Daughter:Primrose Ashdown knows all about plants, having worked with her father, a master gardener, for most of her life. She was the force behind the famous labyrinths and flower gardens of the nobles that has made her father a favorite with those from above the salt. When her father has an accident at the last minute, Primrose goes in his place to fulfill the next job. She's heard of the arrogant, womanizing, dark-haired lord named Rook and is afraid he will be nothing but trouble.Primrose is serious about her work, so when Rook doesn't feel she is capable of the challenge, she decides to show him exactly what she can do. And that goes beyond the garden. She is a woman with a mind of her own, and he is a man who doesn't believe she should have one. Their wits meet, and somehow the games between them turn into foreplay, causing Primrose to fall for a man she never even expected to like.Love has no bounds but marriage has rules. A noble must never wed anyone from below the salt.(This series features the next generation from Elizabeth's Legacy of the Blade Series.) less

♥ Will love letters from a secret admirer bring joy or cause trouble? ♥The Lassie:Lady Lark is the daughter of the well-known Scottish chieftain, Storm MacKeefe. Needing time away from her clan, she goes to Blake Castle in England to be with her cousins and to clear her head. Lark is unwed but has a four-year-old daughter, Florie. A foolish act has tarnished her reputation and she is hoping to start anew... more♥ Will love letters from a secret admirer bring joy or cause trouble? ♥The Lassie:Lady Lark is the daughter of the well-known Scottish chieftain, Storm MacKeefe. Needing time away from her clan, she goes to Blake Castle in England to be with her cousins and to clear her head. Lark is unwed but has a four-year-old daughter, Florie. A foolish act has tarnished her reputation and she is hoping to start anew.Wanting the best for her daughter, Lark requests that a tutor be sent from the monastery to teach the girl. No monk will come, but a scribe named Dustin answers her call. Lark doesn't believe she'll ever fall in love again after the father of her child has deceived her, ruined her reputation, and deserted her. However, shortly after the arrival of the scribe, she starts to receive love letters and romantic poems from a secret admirer. It makes her feel alive again.The Scribe:Dustin Styles was left as a baby, abandoned on the stairs of the church. Raised by monks, he's lived his life inside the cloistered walls, but has never taken holy vows. Instead, he's focused on his studies, mastering the art of being a scribe and tutor to the nobles.A summons from the castle arrives, asking for a tutor to teach a young girl. Only boys are allowed to be learned so the monks turn down the request. Dustin is intrigued by the circumstances and volunteers to go. Once there, he meets the single mother, Lady Lark, and immediately loses his heart to her. They start to become close while he teaches her daughter, and she confides in him since she doesn't seem to have many friends. He can't express his feelings for her since she is from above the salt. So, instead he woos her as a secret admirer, sending her love letters, only able to watch her reaction from afar. However, sometimes even good intentions turn bad, and instead of spreading joy, those same intentions can bring trouble knocking at the door.Love has no bounds but marriage has rules. A noble must never wed anyone from below the salt.(This series features the next generation from Elizabeth's Legacy of the Blade Series.) less

She healed his body. Now he wants to heal her heart.The English Lord:On his return trip from the borderlands, Lord Robin Blake sees bandits attacking a young woman in the snow. He comes to her aid and fights off the ruffians, but not before he is wounded. To make matters worse, he is thrown from his horse and breaks through the ice. From underwater, he sees the silhouette of an angel in a flurry of snow. It is the woman he's helped, now coming to assist him... moreShe healed his body. Now he wants to heal her heart.The English Lord:On his return trip from the borderlands, Lord Robin Blake sees bandits attacking a young woman in the snow. He comes to her aid and fights off the ruffians, but not before he is wounded. To make matters worse, he is thrown from his horse and breaks through the ice. From underwater, he sees the silhouette of an angel in a flurry of snow. It is the woman he's helped, now coming to assist him.She tells him her name is Sage and takes him to a nearby monastery where she works as a healer. Her expertise at healing doesn't go unnoticed, but Robin also sees something else. Sage is not only heartbroken about something, but also shaken, and frightened for her life. He decides she is hiding at the monastery, staying there for sanctuary from whoever it is who wants to hurt or kill her. It is close to Christmas and Connor decides he'd like to take her back to the castle for the holiday to spend time with her and to protect her while he tries to learn her secret.The Healer:Sage Hillock is the town's herbalist. Since the death of her parents, she has been raising her younger siblings by herself but has become worried about their safety. She uses the garden at the monastery to do her healings, but her home is only a small, unprotected hut made of wattle and daub. A noble she's tried to heal recently has died and now someone is trying to kill her in revenge.When a handsome lord comes to her rescue and is injured because of her, she wants nothing more than to heal him, hoping he will not die too. The man is kind and she feels comfortable and safe around him. So when he offers to take her back to the castle for Christmas, she accepts, knowing her siblings will be protected there. Life has been rough and this is exactly what her family needs since it was on Christmas that they lost their parents, making this the hardest time of year. Sage accepts the knight's noble invitation, not telling him until afterwards that her siblings will be traveling with them.Love has no bounds but marriage has rules. A noble must never wed anyone from below the salt.(This series features the next generation from Elizabeth's Legacy of the Blade Series.) less