<b>What drives a warrior to fight?</b><br /><br />Some take up arms to protect their homeland, while others seek glory and riches. For Charlaine and Ludwig, it&#39;s the result of a love that can never be!<br /><br />Charlaine deShandria has never questioned what her future holds. For years, she&#39;s been training to take over her father&#39;s smithy, spending her every waking hour toiling at the forge.<br /><br />Ludwig Altenburg loathes his role as the Baron&#39;s son. Always dreaming of fighting battles, he must now surrender himself to the inevitability of his future.<br /><br />Duty is all they&#39;ve known, but when they meet, they begin to question if there is more to life. Before they can even make a choice, they find themselves surrounded by those who are determined to tear them apart.<br /><br />Lives are changed forever when family secrets are revealed in this clash of classes that propels two people towards their destiny!<br /><br />Travel back to the origins of these soon to be mighty warriors in Tempered Steel, the prequel of Paul J Bennett&#39;s epic military fantasy series, Power Ascending.<br /><br /><b>Books by Paul J Bennett</b><br /><b>Heir to the Crown Series:</b><br />Battle at the River - Prequel<br />Servant of the Crown<br />Sword of the Crown<br />Mercerian Tales: Stories of the Past<br />Heart of the Crown<br />Shadow of the Crown<br />Mercerian Tales: The Call of Magic<br />Fate of the Crown<br />Burden of the Crown<br />Mercerian Tales: The Making of a Man<br />Defender of the Crown<br />Fury of the Crown<br />Mercerian Tales: Honour Thy Ancestors<br />War of the Crown<br />Triumph of the Crown<br />Mercerian Tales: Into the Forge<br />Guardian of the Crown<br />Enemy of the Crown<br />Peril of the Crown<br /><b>The Frozen Flame Series:</b><br />Awakening - Prequels<br />Ashes<br />Embers<br />Flames<br />Inferno<br />Maelstrom<br />Vortex<br />Torrent<br />Cataclysm<br /><b>Power Ascending Series:</b><br />Tempered Steel - Prequel<br />Temple Knight<br />Warrior Knight<br />Temple Captain<br />Warrior Lord<br />Temple Commander<br />Warrior Prince<br /><b>The Chronicles of Cyric:</b><br />Into the Maelstrom - Prequel<br />A Midwinter Murder<br />The Beast of Brunhausen<br />A Plague in Zeiderbruch<br /><br /><b>What readers say about Paul J Bennett&rsquo;s books:</b><br />????? -&quot;Fantastic Fantasy!&quot;<br />????? -&quot;Epic Battle Scenes!<br />????? -&quot;I&rsquo;m hooked on this series!&quot;<br />????? -&quot;Exciting Sword and Sorcery.&quot;<br />????? -&quot;Outstanding work of fantasy.&quot;<br />????? -&quot;Another excellent book series!!&quot;<br />????? -&quot;I just could not stop reading them.&quot;<br />????? -&quot;This author has a way to tell stories.&rdquo;<br />????? -&quot;Easy to follow, but difficult to put down.&rdquo;<br />????? -&quot;Wow! Best book I&rsquo;ve read in a LONG time!&quot;<br />????? -&quot;Thoroughly absorbing, exciting, and mystical.&quot;<br />????? -&quot;A real fantasy that springs off the pages.&rdquo;<br />????? -&quot;I love the strong and smart female characters.&rdquo;<br />????? -&quot;Give this a read... you will end up hooked as I did.&rdquo;<br />????? -&quot;If you like fantasy fiction, then this is a must-read!&quot;<br />????? -&quot;Each character fits snugly into the wildly, active plot.&rdquo;<br />????? -&quot;This story gripped me and kept me turning the pages.&quot;<br />????? -&quot;This jaw-dropping continuation is well worth the read.&rdquo;<br /><br />&nbsp;