The books in Jocelyn Kelley’s Knight series certainly have eye-catching titles. The series focuses on women raised and trained at St. Jude’s Abbey, where, in addition to the usual spiritual training, they are taught to be skilled fighters pledged in service to Queen Eleanor. As the name of the abbey would suggest, the Queen calls upon these knights as her last resort.

In One Knight Stands, Elspeth Braybrooke has been called upon to travel into Wales and remove a certain stone which a prophecy has suggested will cause the King’s death should he step on it. Given that Wales was taken forcibly by England, Elspeth can expect little assistance from the Welsh and her mission may well be dangerous. Skilled with a fighting staff, Elspeth sets out alone, depending only upon her own fighting skills.

When Tarran ap Llyr spies Elspeth, she is dangling from the arrow slit of a castle. Thinking to rescue a damsel in distress, he comes to her aid only to find that she was trying to get into the castle and, therefore, did not need his help. As Elspeth is on a mission for the king and queen of England, she dares not tell her true story to a Welsh prince and her understandable reserve leads Tarran to distrust her even as he admires her beauty and fighting skills.

Elspeth finds herself traveling in the same direction as Tarran and his band. Though they are very uneasy with one another at first, they gradually start to warm to each other. It helps that Elspeth is a fighter in more than name. Tarran comes to genuinely admire and respect this woman, and that goes far to build a bridge between them.

Elpseth is basically a likable character, though her fighting skill is a little over the top. She also veers a little too close to “feisty” territory for comfort, though she never fully descends to that level. Tarran is a rather interesting hero. Though a bastard son, he is by Welsh law and tradition considered a prince. He is loyal to Wales and yet must deal with the English rulers who see him only as a bastard. He has become a rather taciturn person, keeping his real self hidden from all except those closest to him.

Though Elspeth and Tarran engage in a bit too much petty bickering for my taste, the struggle as they decide whether to trust one another is an engaging one. Each comes from a rather unusual background and this makes for a refreshingly different story.

Though One Knight Stands is part of a series and there are mentions of plot points from A Knight Like No Other, the book stands well on its own. Those looking for usual lords and ladies may be disappointed, but anyone on a quest for something a little different may want to check this one out.