"Utterly brilliant! Another masterpiece of humor"

Nobody writes quite in the style as Katie Macalister does. Maybe that is a blessing since she is amazing, turning out wonderful book out after book. The market couldn't stand a dozen writers as prolific! Obviously, Katie Mac feels our lives dull and need more than a few zany giggles, and she keeps giving us original tale, with less than perfect heroines that seem to land in bizarre situations. A Hard Days Knight is another of her wacky, charming tales that has put her on the bestsellers list time after time.

This time Katie Mac takes on Medieval-Renaissance Faires, called Ren Faires by those mighty warriors of the SCA -- Society for Creative Anachronisms. These devout worshippers across the world, keep history alive, and during the summers come together for old style jousting, melees and damsel fair. Macalister is in top form as she both pays homage to these stalwart troopers and has a wee giggle at them, too!

In this utterly delightful tale, unemployed software specialists Pepper March is lured into attending the Ontario Renaissance Faire by her friend and cousin CJ. CJ's boyfriend is one of a jousting team called Three Dogs Knights. Her cousin assures Pepper at the tourney she will finally meet real knights in shining armour, who treat women as chivalrously as Knight of Auld. A strange cat shows up and begins to play matchmaker. It catches peppers attention, then dashes in front of the galloping chargers. Pepper rescues the cat, and Walker MacPhail rescues Pepper from being trampled by the horses. Pepper is struck that MacPhail is her true knight in somewhat shining armour, but then he opens his mouth and ruins the shimmering illusion by berating her for being stupid and risking herself for the cat.

MacPhail is also a member of the Three Dog Knights jousting team and once was the man to beat. But sort of like John Wayne in the Quiet Man, MacPhail injured his opponent in a previous match, and now keeps to the sidelines, training others in Knightly Ways. Pepper is determined to convince him she is his destiny, but our lad in plate is a wee bit resistant to the notion. It's up to Pepper and the magical kitty to see things are put to rights.

Macalister captures the festive fun of the Ren Faires completely, bringing the jarring clash of contemporary settings and ancient codes into a wonderful mix that will delight anyone wanting to read a book that makes them happy! You end with a big smile on your face.

Pure magic!

Reviewed by DeborahAnne MacGillivray
Posted January 5, 2005

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...