Set in the mid 12th century when England was at war with what would become Wales, and the "marcher lands" were a battleground, it tells of Raine, bastard son of the Earl of Chester, and Ariana, a Welsh woman who becomes part of the conqueror’s spoils.
Raine’s father was a Norman nobleman who treated Raine cruelly (beating him when he asked for a pony on his birthday, confining him to work in the stables, turning him over to their enemies). Raine overcomes his rude beginning and all he has suffered to become The Black Dragon, a favored knight of King Henry. Raine returns to Rhuddlan, a castle in Wales where he was once held captive, now held by Owain, lord of Gwynedd. When Raine takes the castle, only a young son of Gwynedd and his daughter, Arianna, remain. Arianna witnesses Raine kill her brother and hates him for it. (She is a seer and had a vision of a Black Dragon and realizes Raine is the one is she dreaded.)
As the story develops, Henry allows Raine to keep Rhuddlan and gives him Arianna to wed. She hates the Norman who has killed her brother and the start of the marriage is a disaster.
I cannot begin to tell you how well woven this complex tale is, but suffice it to say it is very well done and you will be glad you read it. The characters are well developed (and there are some wonderful ones, not the least of which is Taliesin, the wizard who is weaving his own story). The history of the period so well presented that you feel you are there, which is one of the author's great talents. She takes time for details that make it real. You become a part of the world she has created and it's wonderful. Needless to say, the love story will tear at your heart.
Notwithstanding all the good I can say, there were a few things that bothered me about the story:
--Raine is supposed to be honorable, yet he took Sybil when he knew she was betrothed to his brother Hugh and also knew he would be leaving for years to try and become a knight, thus dishonoring both Sybil, who loved him, and his brother. He also set Sybil up for the heartache she endured her whole life.
--Raine effectively raped Arianna on their wedding night and she cries herself to sleep without his comfort. Yet the next day she is happy not to be beaten for using a knife on him. Seemed a bit odd. When Arianna is asked to describe Raine to her father, she lists a lot of flattering adjectives (“hard but fair”, “brave, generous, gentle”) but she forgot “mean and bitter” for he was clearly that. There were many examples of his cruelty to Arianna. She gave her one treasure to buy cloth to make him a banner for his birthday to try and make up for the birthday beating he got from his father as a boy and Raine spurns both her and her gift, ordering it to be burned. When he realizes she’s had visions of him that allowed her to share his pain, instead of loving her for it, he gets angry and mean and then ignores her. He was always willing to believe a lie about her and never trusted her though Arianna was perhaps the only honorable one in the story.
--Finally, the wizard Taliesin (a wonderful character) at times seems to have great power (to cause a storm, to heal, to transport himself instantly) yet he needed Hugh to help rescue Raine, which didn't make sense.
All these issues aside, it’s a fabulous read and you will enjoy it.
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