Dorothy Dunnett’s CAPRICE AND RONDO – Nicholas On His Own, Cast Down but not Forlorn. I love this hero!

This one began rather sadly for me. I have become rather fond of Nicholas (our intelligent and cunning hero) and want to see him happy. Here he is in snow-covered Danzig, Poland in the winter of 1474 in a self-imposed exile, sharing quarters with the ruthless pirate Benecke. But Nicholas will not stay with him for long.

Nicholas’ actions in the last book (To Lie with Lions), set in Scotland, France and Cyprus, cost him friends and family--not to mention much of his wealth. But he won the game with his estranged wife, Gelis, who thought she could outsmart him (not a chance). She was, for the most part, clueless as to all he was doing. In my opinion, she deserved what she got. She partnered with his enemies who tried to, and nearly did, kill him. She invited all he did. How can she criticize him? Yet her deserting him (that’s what I call it) has cost him his young son, Jodi, who he loves.

After some persuasion and the need to build back wealth for the accountant Julius and his beautiful wife, Anna, Nicholas decides to assist the Muslim Prince Uzum Hasan in his fight against the Turks. And that’s just the beginning. Anna is hiding secrets that involve Nicholas’ past.

 

This is another complex, well-told, action-packed story from a master of historical fiction, one of my very favorite authors. I highly recommend it. One more to go and I can hardly wait.

 

 

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

 

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

 

Review: Kathleen Woodiwiss’ FOREVER IN YOUR EMBRACE – Classic Tale of Love in Mother Russia

Set in 1620 in Russia, this is the story of Colonel Tyrone Rycroft, an English mercenary in the employ of the Russian Tsar, who saves the life of Countess Synnovea, a young, unmarried woman brought to Moscow to be married. Tyrone thinks to make her his mistress (which has to be incredible arrogance on his part) and asks to court her (seemingly inconsistent desires).

Rather that be married to an old aristocrat to whom her guardian has betrothed her, Synnovea decides to allow Tyrone to ruin her and have them interrupted for all to see. It goes off without a hitch except that Tyrone is able to consummate their union. Then, a Russian who wanted her for himself takes his revenge out on Tyrone and tells him she concocted the plan.

The Tsar forces Tyrone to wed Synnovea, but Tyrone obtains the tsar’s agreement to allow the marriage to be annulled if Tyrone can leave England without touching his new wife. You see the rub.

What was hard to take about this story was the dramatic change in the characters’ views of each other. At first, Tyrone couldn’t live without Synnovea, even disobeying his superior to see her. Synnovea was a highspirited, smart young woman, who wasn’t in love with Tyrone. More intrigued, I’d say. But then all changes. He thinks she gave him her virginity just to get out of a marriage, he hates her. Oh, he continues to lust after her, but whatever “love” he once felt is gone, or so it seems. Meanwhile, the strong, independent Synnovea becomes a wet noodle, afraid of her husband and wallowing in remorse. It was hard to like either of them at this point.

As ever, Woodiwiss’ descriptions are opulent and the grand display of Russia in the 17^th century well presented. She has done her research. And the action scenes are good. Still, this will not be counted among her greatest works. I finished the book and, of course, there’s a happy ever after, but it’s not quite up to The Flame and the Flower, Shanna and The Wolf and the Dove. Even Petals on the River, which was published five years later, is better.

Review: Anita Mills’ FALLING STARS – Beware Handsome, Mysterious Russians Offering Jewels

August is Exotic Locales month on my blog, so plan to take a vacation of the mind to some very different settings! I'm starting with Russia.

Anita Mills serves up an unusual story in Falling Stars, sweeping the heroine from the ballrooms of London to the grand palaces of Russia. 

The story begins in London in 1814 where Katherine (“Kate”) Winstead, and her younger sister Carissa, are enjoying the London Season with their brother, Harry, Baron Winstead. [Usually the title and surname are not the same but here they are.] Harry’s best friend is Bellamy (“Bell”), Viscount Townsend, a rake of the first order with the face of an angel. He and Kate constantly exchange barbs and unpleasant truths about each other.

By all accounts, Kate is both short (5 feet tall) and plain, and at 22 “on the shelf”, yet when the Russians come to town with young Czar Alexander, all that changes. For some reason known only to his sister Galena and him, handsome Count Alexei Volsky takes a fancy to Katherine and quickly offers for her. Now why would a handsome Russian count do that? Why, indeed. To have such an offer as a plain girl is unheard of and Katherine does not fail to accept, particularly when the count’s sister, Galena, tells Kate the huge betrothal ruby on her finger proves Alexei loves her.

I thought Mills did this part especially well, preserving the mystery as the wool is pulled over Kate’s eyes. Ah, but no reader will fail to wonder just what’s going on.

Meanwhile, Viscount Townsend must escape a woman in London who has set a trap for him, so he decides to go to Russia when Kate and the Russian entourage leave town. And the plot thickens.

Russia is a very foreign place to Kate: the language, the people and the customs. She feels trapped inside Alexei’s huge estate as the snows pile up outside. There, she learns she is pregnant and is thrilled—until she discovers, to her horror, her marriage is a sham and underneath it all is a horrible truth. Kate decides (reasonably so) to flee Russia in winter. And who should come to her rescue but Bell, Viscount Townsend.

This is an unusual, well-told tale that kept me turning pages. Mills did very well with the Russian culture and scenes in and around Moscow in the winter. I felt the cold and lamented the loss of green England along with Kate. You must be patient to see the hero as an actual hero (though there are earlier hints) but he does come around in the end.

Buy on Amazon.