Beyond the Shadows — Linda Boulanger

In a time when men fought for their king, protected him and their families with might and sword, Redahn Sharanis questions his self-worth after losing strength in his arm due to a battle injury and botched surgery. He grows hard, maintaining a facade of bitterness and cynicism that only begins to chip away after he meets a woman at the annual gathering of the maidens who is smothered by her own shadows.

Eighteen year old Mahryn's innocence is tarnished by the baggage of her past and now she's been thrown into the pool of beautiful maidens, whose sole purpose is to provide pleasure to the King's warriors. Knowing she was sent by her father when he could have made a good match for her opens a floodgate of questionable memories from her past. And if that wasn't enough, she manages to attract the attention of a man fighting his own battles-- a warrior who had been second only to his older brother, the King's finest, before he was wounded.

But there's more to both of them. Lord Redahn is fiercely loyal and bound by his own code of honor... traits that Mahryn's presence brings out. She's stronger than any woman Redahn has ever known, which comes to light when her true past is exposed. Together they begin to help one another fit the puzzle pieces of their lives back into their right places, though the picture that results isn't something everyone wants to see.