Following The Lily and The Sword and The Rose and The Shield, Once He Loves features the disgraced knight, Ivo de Vessey, friend to Radulf and Gunnar. Briar, the daughter of a wealthy lord-turned-traitor, blames Lord Radulf for her family's misfortunes and is determined to avenge her father's death. She is willing to sacrifice herself by luring the mighty lord into her bed. Her game of seduction works too well, however, as Briar learns too late that she has seduced the wrong man!