"A delightful somewhat reverse anachronistic tale"

At the Ontario Renaissance Faire, Seattle visitor unemployed software specialist Pepper March attends as an English wench because her cousin CJ persuaded her that she would find chivalrous medieval hunks as she always dreamed of a knight in shining armor. When the cat she is watching gets loose, Pepper follows, but almost is run over by a horse. The actions of English knight Walker MacPhail saves her from a stomping.

However, her hero is not very chivalrous afterward as he rips her for being an idiot. Later, she learns from her cousin that Walker is a member of the jousting team Three Dog Knight that includes CJ's beau. As Walker and Pepper become acquainted, they begin to fall in love. However, he fears any lasting relationships as much as he struggles to reenter the jousting ring that he once owned.

This is a delightful somewhat reverse anachronistic tale that cleverly uses a Renaissance festival to furbish a medieval context in a modern day Canadian setting. The story line works because of the strong cast. The heroine wants a caring knight for her to nurture while her choice has issues to deal with. The secondary players provide the background that will lead the audience to believe they are attending the gala. The final joust between the lead couple is a brilliant ending to a fine contemporary.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted December 30, 2004

Fairy tales were never this tough.

The USA Today bestselling author of Men in Kilts and The Corset Diaries goes medieval.

At a modern-day Renaissance faire, one woman is about to meet her knight in tarnished armor.

Summary

Men in Tights...

...never looked so good. At least that's Pepper Marsh's first impression when she attends the International Jousting Competition at London, Ontario's Renaissance Faire. An unemployed and unattached software engineer, Pepper has had enough of the computer geeks in her dating pool. She yearns for a man of yore. A man not afraid to stare death in the face and laugh at it. A man with a big lance....

Pepper's cousin promised to find her a knight in shining armor, on the condition that Pepper walk around in wench get-up. With her mind on her embarrassingly revealing bustier, Pepper promptly steps into the path of an oncoming steed...and is rescued by sexy Englishman Walker McPhail. Once the wild man of jousting, Walker has let a brush with death keep him out of the ring. Though his emotions are clad in an almost impenetrable armor, Pepper finds Walker infuriatingly sexy—and is about to go medieval on his heart...