"When a young disinherited knight, Jean-Michel d'Anjou, nearly loses his life in a fire at the Cathedral d'Auxonne, his shirt sleeve is singed with the sign of the cross. With this unmistakable sign of God's calling burned into his sleeve, Jean-Michel is commisssioned by the Bishop to seek a holy relic to replace the one lost in the blaze; the sword of St. Martin. Longing for the acceptance of God as well as his critical father, Jean-Michel willingly accepts this holy quest-a quest that will lead him from the far reaches of medieval Europe to a Holy Land torn by the Crusades. Consumed by an impossible longing for the lovely Baroness Blance DeVal, trapped in the middle of a conspiracy to assassinate King Louis IX, and struggling to keep his faith, Jean-Michel finds that love, war, and treachery await him at every turn of his travels. Will this medieval knight find what he seeks, or will intrique and betrayal destroy all that he has believed in?" (Detailed description taken from the cover, for lack of any other reviews).

While it presents an interesting picture of Old Times...monks and such...it goes a bit slow for my tastes. I thought this book deserved three stars because it provided an interesting look into the mind of the author (a former teacher of mine). I thought it was a bit anticlimactic; it ended before i knew it was going to...so it lost a few stars there because I HATE BOOKS THAT HAVE BAD ENDINGS...It's worth a read, though.