Dorothy Dunnett’s SCALES OF GOLD – From Venice to Africa for Gold and then to Timbuktu, Nicholas is off on another adventure

It’s Exotic Locales month. You can’t get more exotic that Portugal, Madeira and African deserts with their endless caravans. Nicholas begins on a ship but ends on a camel.

 

This is the 4^th book in the addictive House of Niccolo series. The year 1464 finds Nicholas in Venice, plagued by enemies bent on dissolving his assets and smearing his character. Needing to restore his fortune, he sets sail for Africa, where gold can be found in such abundance that men prefer to barter in shells. There, he will manage to outsmart his enemies and redeem his bank but who can save him from Gelis van Borselen, who seems conflicted in her feelings for him. She comes along, ostensibly to prove all the bad that is said about him regarding her dead sister. She knows little of the real facts and ends up as his lover with less than a pure motive.

 

Dunnett captures the stunning scenery of Africa, the treachery and lust for gold some men embrace, which ends in death in the wretched desert. And the exotic Muslim center of learning that is Timbuktu. It’s the Renaissance for all to see. Poor Nicholas. As usual, everyone thinks the worst of him (including Gelis) when his motives are noble. Some of the characters from the earlier books play a role in this complex story, including Father Godscalc, Umar (formerly Loppe) and Nicholas’ nemesis, Simon, who is his father but not recognized as such.

 

In the end, Nicholas gains inner peace only to lose it when bad news comes from Timbuktu and

Gelis delivers a gut punch.

 

One cannot give Dunnett less than 5 stars for such an effort, which held my attention throughout, but I am looking forward to the next one and a different setting, one where they don’t have to eat camels to stay alive.

 

The House of Niccolo Series:

 

Niccolò Rising (1986)

Spring of the Ram (1987)

Race of Scorpions (1989)

Scales of Gold (1991)

The Unicorn Hunt (1993)

To Lie with Lions (1995)

Caprice and Rondo (1997)

Gemini (2000)

Dorothy Dunnett’s TO LIE WITH LIONS – Freezing snow, erupting volcanoes and treachery! Masterful storytelling!

This may be my favorite in the House of Niccolo series. Dunnett has excelled in bringing Iceland to life and Nicholas’ heroic rescues from erupting volcanoes. It begins in 1471as Nicholas leaves on a new adventure, to Iceland, hoping to beat others  the fishery and catch a huge amount of cod. But that is not his only task. He must balance his loyalty to the Duke of Burgundy against the demands of the King of France. Beneath all is the game, a war he wages with his estranged wife who wronged him terribly. The “lions” of Burgundy, Cyprus, England, and Venice all play in the game.

 

Meanwhile, Nicholas faces treachery, erupting volcanos and the vengeance of his 11-year-old son, Henry, who believes he is the son of Simon of Kilmirren, Nicholas’ enemy. Henry tries to kill both Nicholas and his son Jodi.

 

Woven throughout the action is interesting history of the “lions” and the merchant business that has made Nicholas a wealthy man.

 

Gelis, Nicholas’ wife is nasty piece. One view would see her as the woman who ruined a great man, diverting his huge talents to a game that is beneath him. But Nicholas would win at all costs. His son, Jordi, is winsome and loves both his parents.

 

Wonderful characters populate every page, including Julius, Gregorio, Kathi, Robin, Clemence, the nurse, Tobi, the doctor. And then there is Nicholas’ magnificent Nativity Play, a work that astounds all.

 

I highly recommend this series but read them in order.

 

 

The House of Niccolo Series:

 

Niccolò Rising

Spring of the Ram

Race of Scorpions

Scales of Gold

The Unicorn Hunt

To Lie with Lions

Caprice and Rondo

Gemini (2000)

 

 

 

Dorothy Dunnett’s THE UNICORN HUNT – From Scotland to Egypt to Venice, Nicholas seeks revenge and the truth—a fast-paced read!

April is Classics month and Dunnett is one of my favorites. Her stories are complex, stunningly fast-paced in places and filled with intrigue. This one is from her House of Niccolo series. I do recommend reading the series in order. All the books are closely linked.

 

Another wild ride from Dorothy Dunnett. This one begins in Scotland in 1468 where our hero Nicholas de Fleury (aka Nicholas van der Poele), is still burning from the horrible truth his bride revealed on their wedding night. (Gelis van Borselen, Nicholas’ wife, may be the most despicable female villain ever. What woman would go whoring to her husband’s worst enemy just to spite him?) To me, Gellis appears cold, twisted and loathsome, and, like her sister, deceived.

 

Nicholas seeks revenge on Simon St. Pol, the man who was her partner in crime. While about that effort, Nicholas endears himself to the court of King James III and gains yet another knighthood. Granting the dying request of Nicholas’ priest, Godscalc, he agrees to stay away from Scotland for two years. So, he puts on hold his plans for Scotland and dedicates himself to a hunt for Gelis’ son who, like the fabled unicorn, might not exist. The chase takes him to Bruges, the Tyrol, Cairo, Mt Sinai, Cyprus and eventually Venice where a dramatic but wonderful ending awaits.

 

Some wonderful characters emerge, including Katelijne, the niece of Anselm Adorne, who in my opinion would make Nicholas a perfect mate, as well as the regulars who come at Nicholas’ call. Dunnett weaves an intricate story only she could hold together. So many threads, you’ll lose track. But the story will keep you turning pages, I promise.

 

The House of Niccolo Series:

 

Niccolò Rising (1986)

Spring of the Ram (1987)

Race of Scorpions (1989)

Scales of Gold (1991)

The Unicorn Hunt (1993)

To Lie with Lions (1995)

Caprice and Rondo (1997)

Gemini (2000)

 

 

Nadine Crenshaw’s FIELDS OF THE SUN: Simply Superb Storytelling!

I love the way Nadine Crenshaw breaks rules as she tells a great story. For example, in this one, set in 17^th century England, Morocco, the Atlantic Ocean and Brazil, the hero and heroine don’t meet until page 184! And I was perfectly OK with that, as I could not stop reading this fascinating tale.

 

Both Lady Katherine Heartfield and Sheffield Denton seek adventure and each makes unusual, rebellious decisions that eventually lead them to be captured by pirates and brought to Morocco to serve a harsh master. Katherine arrives 5 years after Shef. First, she was escaping an arranged marriage in Cornwall and then, in London, Cromwell’s men where she cut her hair and disguised herself as a young highborn lad. It is as a boy she is taken from the pirate ship when it arrives in Morocco. Little does Kate know that the Arab master likes pretty boys. But Shef has a plan to escape.

 

Kate has a wonderfully clever habit of writing letters in her mind to her best friend in Cornwall, Henrietta. These “letters” add a delightful touch to the story as Kate tells Henrietta all she is feeling.

 

This novel published in 1997 was the last of Crenshaw’s historicals (see list below). Like all of them, they deliver interesting, well-written romances that don’t disappoint. I recommend all of them.

 

Her other historicals:

 

Mountain Mistress

Captive Melody

Edin’s Embrace

Spellbound

Destiny And Desire

The Highwayman

Viking Gold

 

 

Karen Robards’ GREEN EYES – A Mystery Surrounding Emeralds and Love on a Ceylon Tea Plantation!

Green Eyes is set in 1832, the story of Anna Traverne, who is left penniless after her husband dies in Ceylon where they had a tea plantation. Now she and her 5-year-old daughter are at the mercy of her husband’s brother, Graham, who, though married, wants Anna in his bed. She resists and is hiding away in the study one night when a man breaks in and tries to steal the Queen’s emeralds, a set of family jewels that was hidden away in a secret compartment.

 

It turns out the housebreaker is none other than Graham’s half brother, Julian Chase, spurned by the family but who may, in fact, be the true heir. In a tussle, Julian flees and ends up in Newgate prison. Anna realizes Julian has left the emeralds and they are her ticket to a new life. She takes her daughter to Ceylon where Julian pursues her. Not only does he now need the emeralds that were once his mother’s but he has been told the emeralds hold the key to his heritage.

 

Robards is a great storyteller and I was immediately drawn into Anna’s life. Bold, brash Julian has been wronged. Understandably he is an angry man and he means to take out his frustration on Anna. Loved them both.

 

It’s a bit of a mystery and an exciting read with a nasty villain in Graham and some delightful secondary characters, including the former prostitute who is Anna’s friend, and Julian’s sidekick, a man whose life he once saved. There’s also a bit of Ceylon’s darker atmosphere thrown in, too.

 

Victoria Holt’s THE JUDAS KISS – Death, Love and Mystery in Bavaria!

A wonderful, intriguing Victorian mystery romance that pulls you in. I could not put this one down!

 

As a young girl, Pippa Ewell lived on an island with her sculptor father and sickly mother and her older and more beautiful sister, Francine, who she loved. When the sisters were still young, their father and mother died and they were sent to London to live with their stern grandfather in the forbidding Greystone Manor.

 

Their grandfather planned to marry Francine to his heir, a rather dour vicar related to the family. But she rebelled and married a baron from Bavaria in Germany who swept her away from England. Years later, Pippa discovers her sister has been murdered at the same time another mysterious Bavarian, Conrad, shows up and seduces her and asks her to become his mistress. Pippa refuses and he returns to his own country.

 

Pippa wants to learn the truth of Francine’s death and to find out what happened to her young son. When she inherits a small fortune from her grandmother, Pippa travels to Bavaria to discover what happened. As the young countess destined to marry the heir needs an English tutor, Pippa takes the job, hoping to learn more.

 

The mystery slowly unravels to reveal much and Holt gives the reader some unexpected twists. Even Pippa is shocked when she discovers just who Conrad is. 

 

Maggie Mooha’s IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER – Two Scarred People Find Love in the Crimean War

Set in the mid 19^th century, this is the story of Eleanor Sherbrook whose beauty is marred by a red birthmark that covers half her face. She does not expect men to see her as marriage material. The balls in London have taught her that much. But she is no shrinking vine. When her sister Julia steals the man she loves, Lieutenant Joshua Wentworth, Eleanor decides to serve with Miss Nightingale as a nurse for the wounded soldiers fighting Russia in the Crimean War. She travels to the British Army hospital in Scutari, Turkey where conditions are less than ideal. Coincidentally, this is near where Joshua is serving in the Light Brigade.

 

In the war, Eleanor and Joshua are thrown together, and often find solace in each other’s company. Joshua is wounded, losing an eye and, ironically, ends up with half his face scarred. Eleanor will nurse him to health. Meanwhile, her sister Julia begins a relationship with another man in London and seemingly cares nothing for what her fiancé is facing in the horrible war.

 

I should say at the outset the writing is excellent with many exciting scenes. Even though I knew where the story was going and could see the outcome, I kept reading. Eleanor’s trials as a battlefield nurse were intriguing and Joshua is a fitting hero who is Eleanor’s perfect match. Both are courageous. The historical events are well recorded. There’s lots of blood, guts and gore and much medical description that make the story realistic. The only thing that bothered me was Joshua’s continual reference to himself in his thinking as “Wentworth” as though he was speaking of another person but this was not a great matter.

 

For those who love deep historicals, this is a worthy story.

 

Dorothy Eden’s SLEEP IN THE WOODS – Absorbing Story from New Zealand in the Late Victorian Era

Though it was first published in 1960, it is now on Kindle. A worthy story readers will enjoy today (with possibly one caveat you’ll see below).

 

Set in the late Victorian period, the story tells of Briar Johnson, who as a baby was found in a cold ditch by the side of the road clutched in the arms of what was presumably her dead mother. Briar was fortunate to be raised in the home of a schoolmaster who found her intelligent and taught her to speak well and read the classics. When he dies, she takes a position as a maid and sails away to New Zealand with two young ladies sent by their family to find proper husbands.

 

Beautiful Briar (named after the briar rose) determines she will one day have the finer things in life, the life she believes she was meant for. So, when the opportunity comes, she attends a ball that would be forbidden to her and dons a mask for a masked game that has the men picking prospective brides. Alas, she did not get the man she wanted. Instead, she got the hard Saul Whitmore, cousin to an earl and wealthy in his own right with a sheep ranch and the finest house in the area deep in the wild country.

 

Saul, at his mother’s urging, intends to take a wife, but most of the women he meets are insipid creatures who can only talk of gowns and parties. In Briar, he sees a woman who has a fire in her green eyes that intrigues him. So he determines to have her. With few options and urged on by all, Briar accepts his proposal of marriage even though she hates the hard man who mocks her at every turn.

The title, “Sleep in the Woods” was used twice in the book, once as a euphemism for death, the death that was all around the pioneers living in Taranaki in the shadow of Mt. Egmont on the North Island of New Zealand. When they were under siege by a renegade band of Maoris, the Reverend prayed: “Grant us to live, and not to sleep in these woods, unless that be Thy will. If we must die, let us do so bravely…” But then later, Briar remembers a passage from Ezekiel 34: “…they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods,” which gives a more favorable aspect to the title and comports with the excellent and very happy ending.

Suspenseful action is infused throughout this well-researched story. Wonderful characters populate every page. Beautiful descriptions of both flora and fauna are tucked in without you really being aware. And the hero and heroine are striking. Saul, a man whose strength enabled him to carve out a destiny in New Zealand’s wild country, was a worthy hero, though often harsh. Briar, grasping at the security Saul’s wealth provided, had a tender heart for all. She was the mistress of his house and the courage of the people as they faced hardship and death. I could not help but love her.

 

The only thing this story lacked—and might have been better for it—were love scenes. So much emotion was left in the dark. What Saul and Briar shared in their intimate moments might have told us their real feelings for each other when their words did not. An entire wedding night was summed up with one word, “Afterward.” There is even a bodice-ripping scene rather late in the book but, without the follow through, it was a bit obscure. But one must make allowances for its year of publication—1960.

 

A great classic and a worthy read—and set in an exotic locale!

 

 

Elizabeth Chadwick’s– Forbidden Love in Jerusalem in the time of the Templars!

This story shifts from William Marshall (The Greatest Knight) as a knight in the Holy Land to his pilgrimage to Jerusalem to lay the young King Henry’s cloak on the sepulcher to his dying days in England. Along the way, in Constantinople, William and his brother, Ancel, encounter evil men who believe them to be spies for Rome.

 

In Jerusalem, they become embroiled in the politics of the ancient city while helping King Baldwin who is suffering from leprosy. It is there William encounters the dangerous Pascia de Riveri, the concubine of the highest churchman in the land. William pursues an affair with Pascia, hoping to keep it secret. Once discovered, their lives are in danger. Their only chance to see home again will depend upon the Templars who protect them and the two silk shrouds William has purchased for his eventual death.

 

As with all Chadwick’s books, she takes you into the time and place with vivid descriptions, meticulous research and her gift for painting a scene. Having read all her William Marshall stories save this one (book 6), I was surprised that Marshall was so weak in the face of rejection by a woman who was already compromised. But Chadwick did a good job bringing their emotions to the fore.

 

The story will draw you in. The flashbacks to the Holy Land are what make it enjoyable. To realize he is seeing it again in his mind as he lay on his deathbed made it a bit sad. Still, a good one to add to the collection. All her books shine with excellence.

 

 

Joanna Lloyd’s BEYOND INNOCENCE – Australia in the early 19th Century…a handsome sheep rancher and his prisoner bride!

A well-researched, well written historical romance, and a fabulous debut novel for Lloyd—a story set in the time when England shipped off its prisoners to New South Wales in Australia.

 

The story begins in London in 1819 as Electra Shipley, daughter of Vicomte Gascombe, is arrested for felony theft, set up by her evil uncle, who took her father’s title after his death. Convicted by the testimony of false witnesses, Electra is transported to Australia to serve a 7-year sentence as an indentured servant.

 

William Radcliffe, a wealthy sheep rancher, spots the beautiful Electra when the ship docks in Sydney, and saves her from a crewmember’s rape. Electra is taken with the others to the women’s factory where the prisoners work on the wool. Since the colonists are free to take a prisoner as their bride, many come to claim the women. Electra refuses all until William offers her marriage. With few options, and a budding attraction, Electra agrees.

 

Both Electra and William harbor secrets from their past, secrets that affect their new marriage. But despite all, they begin to care for each other.

 

Lloyd brings to life the Australia of the past when the population consisted of colonists, prisoners, former prisoners and the natives. Many came to New South Wales fleeing a past they would rather forget; others came for opportunity. All the prejudices come out as Electra and William attempt to build a new life in a harsh land. There are storms, fire, outlaws and the dangers of the bush country.

 

The romance between Electra and William is satisfying and there is adventure aplenty, though the pace at times is a bit leisurely. Some wonderful secondary characters, though, including a Scots couple I loved. I recommend it.

Elizabeth Kingston’s FAIR, BRIGHT AND TERRIBLE – A Rich Tapestry of Emotions in this Story of Love after England Conquered Wales

August is Exotic Locales month when we look for that true escape to novels set in places we may not frequently encounter. This one is a great story from one of my favorite authors.

 

Set in the late 13^th century, it’s the story of love between a Welsh noblewoman and an English knight after Wales has been brutally conquered by Edward I.

 

Eluned has lost her country and her hope. But she intends to have her vengeance on Mortimer, the English nobleman who was responsible for the death of the Welsh leaders. She has a calculating mind and plans carefully how she will do it. When her husband dies and she has the chance to marry Robert de Lascaux, the man she fell in love with 18 years earlier, she takes it as it will give her access to the English nobility.

When Robert is asked to marry the woman he loves but has been denied, he gladly accepts thinking he will at last have the woman he wants. But the lady who greets him at the altar has so little in common with the girl he adored that he begins to doubt that there is anything left of her.

Kingston weaves a rich tapestry of intrigue, treachery, stalwart love and lost dreams realized. Medieval Wales is brought to life. The story will draw you in as you eagerly hope for love to at last to be regained. A beautifully told tale, one not to be missed!

 

I recommend reading the series in order as they are closely related. The Welsh Blades:

 

The King’s Man

Fair, Bright and Terrible

Desire Lines

Dorothy Dunnett’s THE RINGED CASTLE – Lymond is in Russia and Philippa is in England, worlds apart.

 

This 5^th in the Lymond Chronicles takes our hero, Francis Crawford of Lymond, from Queen Mary’s Catholic England to the Russia of Ivan the Terrible, a rather erratic and cruel leader. In Russia, Lymond proves his worth as he forges a new army for the Tsar and becomes the general above all.

 

The winter scenes in Russia with its vast white wilderness are stunning. Lymond acquires an eagle that tests his strength and he plays a dangerous game of chess with the Tsar. His desire is to civilize Russia but he knows they need a strong defense first. Honing their skills, his army conquers the Tartars. Meanwhile, England and her rulers have not forgotten him and would use Phillipa, his bride of convenience, for their own purposes.

 

One has to love Phillipa. She is smart, witty, courageous and inventive—the perfect wife for Lymond. Not that he can see it, of course. Forced to come to England on a mission for the Tsar to acquire weapons for the army, Lymond becomes involved in the plots surrounding the English throne. And he comes up against his bride’s inner beauty and the fact men in Queen Mary’s court desire her above others. But Phillipa us still Lymond’s wife. European politics will delay their annulment.

 

I have to say that I liked Lymond less in this of the 5 stories I have read thus far. He was more cruel, more indifferent to his family, his young son, his men and to Phillipa. But we shall see.

 

The writing is brilliant and engaging even if Dunnett did lose me in a few places. Lots of names to remember and parts in other languages not translated. But the adventures never stop.

Another wonderful installment in the Lymond Chronicles: 

The Game of Kings

Queens’ Play

The Disorderly Knights

Pawn in Frankincense

The Ringed Castle

Checkmate

 

Dorothy Dunnett’s THE DISORDERLY KNIGHTS – Francis Lymond goes to Malta for a Worthy Adventure!

This is the third in Dunnett’s The Lymond Chronicles, the wonderful adventure series of historical novels featuring the wonderful Scottish hero Francis Crawford of Lymond.

 

Disorderly Knights is set in 1551 in the Middle East and North Africa where Francis is dispatched to embattled Malta to assist the Knights of Hospitallers in defending the island against the Turks. Factions within the Order work to defeat their cause; Francis will try to rescue the beautiful Irish lass he made love to in book 2; and, notwithstanding Francis’ efforts, Tripoli falls to Islam.

 

This is adventure of the best kind set in an exotic locale with some intriguing romance sprinkled in. The characters, particularly Gabriel, are well drawn and compelling even if he turns out to have a secret agenda. We are never in the head of Francis but we know him by his words and deeds. And our hero triumphs, as always.

 

A well-written series with enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your sear. I am devouring the books like chocolate truffles. Highly recommended.

Iris Johansen’s THE GOLDEN BARBARIAN – Desert Sands Make for an Exotic Locale in this Keeper!

This is the first in the Sedikhan series and it's a good one. If you like strong, resourceful heroines, handsome desert Sheikhs and love stories set in exotic places, you'll love this one. As with all Johansen's historical romances, she takes pains to weave a complex tale with wonderful characters and believable sexual tension.

Set in the early 19th century, this is the story of Tess Rubinoff, Princess of Tamrovia (somewhere in the Balkans) who first meets Galen Ben Raschid Sheikh of Zalandan (think desert sands) when she is 12 and he pulls her and her dog out of quicksand. Even then, he has designs on her as he wants to link their two countries in order to gain sufficient power to unify the desert tribes of Sedikhan.

 

Since she is only 12 when they meet, he will wait; he is a patient man. She spends the next 6 years in a convent at her cousin's suggestion (prompted by Galen) to protect her from an abusive father. When her father rejects Galen's suit, Galen arranges to steal Tess away by making her a proposition she cannot refuse—and she doesn't.

 

Once in Sedikhan, the adventure begins.

In case you want to read more of them, here is the entire Sedikhan Series (not all are historical; some are contemporary; but all have a link to Sedikhan):

The Golden Barbarian
The Golden Valkyrie
The Trustworthy Redhead
Capture the Rainbow
Touch the Horizon
A Summer Smile
And the Desert Blooms
Always
Everlasting
Till the End of Time
The Last Bridge Home
Across the River of Yesterday
Star Light, Star Bright
Man From Half Moon Bay
Blue Blue Skies and Shining Promises
Magnificent Folly
Notorious
A Tough Man to Tame

 

Bertrice Small’s BIANCA – Intriguing Love Story from Florence and the Black Sea in the 15th century!

Set in Florence and the area around the Black Sea, beginning in 1474, this is the story of Bianca, oldest daughter of Giovanni Pietro d’Angelo, a Florentine silk merchant. When his son’s indiscretion threatens to ruin the family, Giovanni is blackmailed into giving Bianca in marriage to the debauched blackguard Sebastiano Rovere. Rovere treats his delicate new bride abysmally and she loathes and fears him.

Her mother, appalled at what has befallen her daughter, helps Bianca flee to a seaside villa where she meets Prince Amir, grandson of Memhet the Conqueror. Two years later, Bianca’s husband is murdered (I couldn’t have been happier), leaving her free to find love with Amir. She wants no husband and would have him for her lover, but neither Amir (who wants her for his 3^rd wife) nor her mother (who considers him an infidel) accepts that decision.

Ms. Small never holds back on the evil of others, so the beginning of the book shows in vivid terms the perversions of Rovere. But once we are at the sea cliff villa, beauty is restored. Amir is a gallant, romantic man who loves Bianca. And Bianca has changed from the docile, obedient daughter to a strong woman bent on her own destiny.

 

It’s a fascinating look at the culture of the day in both Florence and in the world of the merchants of the Black Sea. A good start to a new series for Ms. Small.

 

The Silk Merchant’s Daughters series:

Bianca

Francesca

Lucianna

Serena

 

Karen Robards’ GREEN EYES – A Mystery Surrounding Emeralds and Love on a Ceylon Tea Plantation!

Green Eyes is set in 1832, the story of Anna Traverne, who is left penniless after her husband dies in Ceylon where they had a tea plantation. Now she and her 5-year-old daughter are at the mercy of her husband’s brother, Graham, who, though married, wants Anna in his bed. She resists and is hiding away in the study one night when a man breaks in and tries to steal the Queen’s emeralds, a set of family jewels that was hidden away in a secret compartment.

 

It turns out the housebreaker is none other than Graham’s half brother, Julian Chase, spurned by the family but who may, in fact, be the true heir. In a tussle, Julian flees and ends up in Newgate prison. Anna realizes Julian has left the emeralds and they are her ticket to a new life. She takes her daughter to Ceylon where Julian pursues her. Not only does he now need the emeralds that were once his mother’s but he has been told the emeralds hold the key to his heritage.

 

Robards is a great storyteller and I was immediately drawn into Anna’s life. Bold, brash Julian has been wronged. Understandably he is an angry man and he means to take out his frustration on Anna. Loved them both.

 

It’s a bit of a mystery and an exciting read with a nasty villain in Graham and some delightful secondary characters, including the former prostitute who is Anna’s friend, and Julian’s sidekick, a man whose life he once saved. There’s also a bit of Ceylon’s darker atmosphere thrown in, too.

 

 

Elizabeth Chadwick’s TEMPLAR SILKS – Forbidden Love in Jerusalem in the time of the Templars!

 

This story shifts from William Marshall (“The Greatest Knight”) who is dying in England to his memories as a knight in the Holy Land and his pilgrimage to Jerusalem. There he was to lay the young King Henry’s cloak on the sepulcher. On the way, in Constantinople, William and his brother, Ancel, encounter evil men who believe them to be spies for Rome. In Jerusalem, they become embroiled in the politics of the ancient city while helping King Baldwin who is suffering from leprosy.

 

It is there William encounters the dangerous Pascia de Riveri, the concubine of the highest churchman in the land. William pursues an affair with Pascia, hoping to keep it secret. Once discovered, their lives are in danger. Their only chance to see home again will depend upon the Templars who protect them and the two silk shrouds William has purchased for his eventual death.

 

As with all Chadwick’s books, she takes you into the time and place with vivid descriptions, her meticulous research and gift for painting a scene. Having read all her William Marshall stories save this one, I was surprised that he was so weak in the face of rejection by a woman who was already compromised. But Chadwick did a good job bringing their emotions to the fore. Still, I didn’t picture him that way.

 

The story will draw you in. The flashbacks to the Holy Land are what make it enjoyable. To realize he is seeing it again in his mind as he lay on his deathbed made it a bit sad. Still, a good one to add to the collection.

Alice Borchardt’s DEVOTED –A Worthy Medieval Romance Set in 10th Century France

At the time when Vikings were a threat to all in France, Owen, the young Bishop of Chantalon, rises as a hero of the people. At his side is the brave Elin who he freed from the Vikings’ clutches. This is a fascinating historical that features authentic elements as well as genuine faith, mysticism, mystery and magic. The descriptions are vivid, the characters well developed and the story compelling.

Elin becomes Owen's lady and would defend him and his city though it will cost her much. Their budding love comes to a sudden end when Owen is captured, leaving the defense of the city to Elin and Godwin, a warrior who stands by her side.

 

Owen represents the growing Christianity even as the brutal Northmen rape and pillage, led by the villain Hakon. The Forest People who worship pagan gods are disappearing but they come to Owen’s aid when Elin summons them, for she was raised among them, a princess of her people.

I enjoyed this story as it has great depth and I wanted to know what happened to all the characters who come to Elin and Owen’s aid. The author has captured the different factions in France at the time and the emerging future while bringing us a winning love story.

 

The sequel is Beguiled.

J.J. Flowers (aka Jennifer Horsman) THY BROTHER’S WIFE – 16th Century France Brought to Life!

J.J. Flowers (Jennifer Horsman) is one of my all time favorite historical romance authors because of her complex plots, detailed storytelling and character emotion. She has not failed to disappoint with this one. According to the author's note, it's based on a true story...or a legend surrounding one...from a 16th century French theologian and a collection of letters concerning the last woman condemned to die at the stake on the charge of witchery who was saved by a young French nobleman. It is very well done...intriguing to the end.

Set in France in 1513 (and 1519), this tells the story of 15-year-old Linness of Sauvage, a poor girl raised in a convent when her “second sight” was discovered and she is condemned as a witch. A gallant young knight, Paxton Gaillard Chamberlain, saves her from the stake. In a moment of self-indulgent battle lust, Paxton robs Linness of her virginity and leaves her naked in the forest (with a ring to remember him by) and words that he will return--words she does not hear. In a bizarre coincidence, she comes across the dead bodies of Lady Belinda (the betrothed of Paxton's older twin brother) and her guards who were attacked by bandits. Encouraged by one of the dying guards to assume the identity of the Lady Belinda, who he tells Linness the brother, Morgan, has never seen, Linness dresses in the dead girl’s clothes and takes her identity, unaware that the knight, Paxton, who made love to her is Morgan's estranged younger brother. (Are you still with me?)

Well researched, this story brings to life France in the early 1500s when King Francis brought peace to the country. Horsman describes well the wine industry at the time, the architecture, culture, dress and food. The characters are well developed and the plot complex. Horsman's writing style is a bit unique in that she frequently changes points of view. I got used to it and came to enjoy her seamless head hopping.

Patricia McAllister’ GYPSY JEWEL – The Crimean War and Moscow!

Another great story from McAllister, this one about a gypsy who isn’t a gypsy and a British soldier who is more than a spy… set in the mid 19^th century during the Crimean War on the Crimean Peninsula in the Black Sea and then in Moscow.

 

The story begins in the Caucasus Mountains as a baby is left in the woods to be rescued by a gypsy, Tzigane, who raises it as her own. Around the baby’s neck hangs a huge diamond. Tzigane names the baby April for the month in which she found it. April has blonde hair but grows up among the gypsies, wielding a knife with the best of them.

 

As a young woman, April passes through Constantinople with her gypsy family and encounters Damien Cross, who she does not know is the Earl of Devonshire. Damien helps her out of a jam, all the while noticing how aristocratic the young woman appears.

 

In 1854 (or thereabouts), April is now 17 when Nicabar, a horse trader from Spain, living with the gypsies, covets April’s horse, a magnificent black stallion—and he covets April. When he attempts to rape her, she cuts his face. In the gypsy trial that follows, Damien shows up, now a spy for the British in the Crimean War, and the gypsy king makes him the judge over the matter. Damien awards Nicabar her horse for the damage she did to his face and Damien decides she should be wed. The gypsy king agrees… even when Damien, wanting a good cover for his spying, suggests himself for April’s husband.

 

There’s a lot of intrigue and treachery in this story as Damien takes April north to Moscow and April’s past and Damien’s deception come to light. McAllister has created some wonderful characters, including Damien’s French mother, and given us some exciting scenes. It’s a worthy adventure and an unusual Victorian romance!

 

If you are looking for an unusual time and an exotic locale, this might be the story for you.