October is Medieval month on Historical Romance
Review and I’m beginning with a classic by a great author.
This first of Roberta Gellis’ medieval romances
begins in England in 1149 as supporters
of Henry of Anjou gather forces to defeat weak King Stephen. It’s one of those
historical romances that have actual history woven into every page. I just
loved it.
Roger of Hereford is a young, handsome
knight, his father’s heir and confident of his abilities both on the field of
battle and with women. He has just returned from France to lead
the forces against King Stephen. The woman he wants by his side is Elizabeth of Chester, beautiful,
intelligent and difficult. Used to ruling with her father a large demesne, she
has turned away many suitors but accepts Hereford’s bid as she thinks he will
allow her to be herself. What worries her is the passion she feels for him and
so she holds back what she could give.
Will Elizabeth help or hurt Roger as he seeks to put a worthy king on the throne?
Gellis brings to life this period in England’s history. There are lots of characters as you might suspect, some honorable and some not so, including Roger’s controlling mother and his two sisters and jealous brother. Henry—the would be king—is also a character, and a charming one at that. Roger must handle them all. While he will take Elizabeth to wife, she will do something out of rebellion that compromises his mission and he must find a way to have her aid him without hurting the cause.
What you won’t “see” in this book are any love scenes. You only know they take place by what is said around them. (I had to read one passage three times to realize they’d made love.)
This is a great story and highly recommended for lovers of serious historical romance. It may start a bit slow but you will be quickly drawn in won’t be able to put it down.
No comments:
Post a Comment