Jennifer M. Fulford Blood, Love and Steel: A Musketeer's Tale
Thames River Press, 2014, 302p.
Athos, the famed Musketeer, is plagued by cruel memories of his first love, Milady, whose deceptive love tortures Athos to near madness. Seeking the ultimate release from heartbreak - death - he is driven to attempt a suicidal dare. But neither bloodshed nor steel can redeem his broken heart, and his dare, a duel with the best swordsman in France, backfires when Athos wins, to the chagrin of Paris gamblers. The prize is a woman he cares nothing about, Nicole Rieux, the pious Comtesse de Rochefort, a compassionate woman who sees through his pain. Despite being thrown together, love builds between them, although she is married. Now, tested by both God and the sword, Athos must fight for her love to seek his own redemption and save himself from self-destruction.