Penelope Williamson’s KEEPER OF THE DREAM – Enthralling Welsh Medieval Romance!

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.

 

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

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

 

Set in the late 13^th century, this is the second in a wonderful series, a 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 be regained. A beautifully told tale with deep emotion... 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

Elizabeth Kingston’s DESIRE LINES – A Keeper of a Medieval Romance set in 13th-century Wales

October on Historical Romance Review is Medieval month, one of my favorite subgenres. I’m starting with a new favorite author, Elizabeth Kingston and book 3 in her Welsh Blades series.

Gryff was a Welshman raised as a noble hostage in the Norman court. Now he hides his true identity, saying only that he is a falconer, while he flees from one danger to another, longing to return to his homeland. (The word “Hiraeth” comes up repeatedly, meaning the Welsh concept of longing for home.) Meanwhile, a beautiful woman, who is very good with knives, saves him from a pack of villains.

Nan has no doubt the ragged Welshman she has saved was born to better things, far different from the servant’s life she has led. For one thing, his speech is more proper. Nan has suffered much and was always saved by women. That part of the story is intriguing, I must say, and so well done.

Nan’s first priority is to find her younger sister, who was lost to her long ago. Alas, that will prove a disappointing task as Nan discovers they are now very different women.

Rich in history, this story reflects much research on England and Wales in the 13^th century and on falconry and Wales’ part in raising the noble birds. It’s also very well told, capturing the medieval era perfectly. I love Kingston’s writing, the emotion in her characters and the complex motives that compel them forward to their fate.

This is definitely a keeper, a true love story of the genre and so much deeper than most. I guess you can say I loved it!  

Bertrice Small’s A MOMENT IN TIME – Unusual Medieval Historical Romance Even for Small that is also a Fantasy

A fantasy as well as a historical romance set in 11^th century Wales and England, this is the story of Wynne of Gwernach who, because of a past life, does not believe in love. She loves her family (her brother and sister) and her family estate in Wales. As she is about to become betrothed to a demanding suitor, Madoc of Powys enters her life, claiming they have been betrothed since she was a babe. What she doesn’t know is that Wynne and Madoc were lovers in another life where she was the Princess of the Fair Folk who fell in love with a mortal who ultimately failed her miserably.

Bertrice Small’s historical romances often lead the reader down a winding path with many trails leading away from the main love story. This is one of those. After having wed Madoc, Wynne is taken captive by Madoc’s evil brother and sold into slavery in England. There, Wynne leads another life away from Madoc. (Here’s where the story becomes a bodice ripper.)

The story gets off to a slower start than one might like but there are enough historical details to let you know the story set in a true historical time. Still, there are flights of fantasy (the hero, Madoc, can change his shape into a raven) that let you know this is something of a fairy tale. I prefer Small’s deeper historicals like the Border Lord series.

Elizabeth Kingston’s THE KING’S MAN – Rich in History, a Great Medieval Romance!

Set in Wales, beginning in 1280, this is the story of Ranulf Ombrier, King Edward I’s favorite killer, famous for his skill with a sword. After years of doing his king's bidding, he begins to fear for his mortal soul and follows his conscience to the wilds of Wales.

When one of Gwenllian of Ruardean’s men nearly kills Ranulf, as a Welsh daughter of a powerful Marcher lord, she has every reason to leave Ranulf for dead, but instead, she heals him. As a girl she was married by proxy to a man Ranulf murdered, making her a widow before she ever met her groom. In the years since she has studied warfare and the healing arts.

I loved the characters and the history woven into this wonderfully written tale. It’s such a good story. Gwenllian takes Ranulf to London… to the king where they are soon caught up in dangerous intrigue and the king’s plans to bind Wales to him. Forced together, they discover how alike they are and how much they want each other. But even hard-won love cannot thrive when loyalties are divided.

A “hard to put down” story from the conflict between Wales and England. A very worthy romance!

New Review: Elizabeth Stuart’s WHERE LOVE DWELLS – Captivating Tale of Love Among Enemies in 13th Century Wales

October is Medieval month on my blog. Some of my very favorite stories are on the best list I’ll update later this month. I’m beginning with one of my favorite authors, too.

Where Love Dwells won the RITA Award for Best Historical in 1991 and is among several wonderful romances by this talented author. (Her Scottish historicals are my favorites.) This is one of those sweeping sagas that draw you in and hold you captive. Stuart is superb at integrating historical details and building characters with believable histories. Since she is Welsh, and this is a tale set in Wales in the late 13^th century, it was a labor of love for her.  

This is the story of the battles between England and Wales as the Welsh fought to hold onto their independence and their lands. Of course, it was a losing battle. The story opens as Lady Elen of Teifi loses her family (and her betrothed) in a battle that leaves her, a Welsh princess, the last of her ruling family. Escaping into the north woods, she helps her remaining people lead raids on the English knights. The man who has protected her all her life becomes the Welsh Fox the English dread. In a raid on her rebel camp, Elen is taken prisoner by Sir Richard of Kent, King Edward’s liege knight who has been given the assignment to rid Wales of the rebels. He doesn’t know the young woman he has captured is the last of the royal Welsh family. Instead, he thinks she is the mistress of the rebel known as the Welsh Fox.

The story of how Elen and Richard discover their love for each other, notwithstanding they are enemies, is a wonderful tale, and well told. However, there were some improbable occurrences early in the story that didn’t quite make sense. I found that surprising for a RITA award winner until I read on—the book was so worth it, a 5-star keeper.

Here are some examples of what I found improbable:  

--Richard assumes from her appearance that Elen is a “mere girl”--13 or 14 (she is 16) -- yet he instantly concludes she must be the mistress of the Red Fox who he believes to be well over 30, and therefore he also concludes she is not a virgin. He doesn’t even ask.

--Elen speaks beautiful French and Welsh, but Richard assumes she cannot speak English, too. He doesn’t even test his theory and speaks freely of his plans to capture the Fox in front of her. It seemed unlikely for an experienced warrior.

--Knowing she is the only hope of her people to birth the next generation of Welsh rulers, she plots to kill Richard by using seduction to gain his weapon, never thinking that if she slept with him, she would give birth to the child of her enemy. I had trouble seeing a patriot engaging in that behavior.

--Richard continues to believe Elen is the mistress of the Red Fox even after she told him her betrothed was slain in an earlier battle. If she was 16 and betrothed, she’d be no man’s mistress. Yet, Richard never thinks about that inconsistency.

Even with those things, this is an amazing story and I recommend it as a “keeper.” Buy the book on Amazon.

  See my post on this author HERE: