January 1st, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, A-C, Blind, Book Review, Counts, Marquis, Viscounts, Governess / Companion, Great Britain, Historical Romance, Poor Eyesight
I loved The Viscount in Her Bedroom by Gayle Callen the third in the Sisters of Willow Pond Trilogy. What I like about Gayle Callen is that you don’t have to read the first two in the trilogy to really enjoy this book. You can pick up at the end and go backwards and have just as much pleasure in the reading of the love matches. The descriptions in this book are so sensual and touching.
The sisters of willow pond found themselves out of money and out of favor in little society, not to mention big society when their father died. Louisa Shelby is the last remaining sister to be unmarried. She doesn’t need to work anymore, but Louisa has found comfort in helping others. Being a companion to elderly women; reading to them, writing letters for them, singing and talking to them makes her feel useful. Louisa left her previous position when the men in the family pursued her as if she were nothing but a common whore. She couldn’t believe that men would treat her differently just because of a lowered status. Never again, she thinks. But when Dowager Wade asks her to come be her companion, Louisa can hardly resist, especially when she factors in Simon Wade.
Simon Wade was blinded in a riding accident. Adrift in the world of the seeing, Simon retreated to his grandmother’s estate. There he has learned to cope reasonably well with being blinded and his manservant Manvil is there for him when he can not let his family into his world. Mostly he is afraid of being seen as a creature to be pitied and refuses to show his personal accomplishments in front of his grandmother, sister… or one Miss Louisa Shelby. Simon is especially worried about Miss Louisa Shelby, before his accident he had heard that she was fast. What kind of an influence would that be on his poor already socially awkward sister? He is determined to make sure nothing untoward happens, but the more he supervises Louisa, the more he’s sure those awful words against her are just that words. Now, however, he wants to ruin her reputation worse than any rumor. He wants her for his own.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy: The Viscount in Her Bedroom
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Happy Readings!
Originally posted 2008-11-20 17:15:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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November 18th, 2009 — Author Interviews, Dark Ages, G-I
Hello readers! I'm delighted to announce that Hellen Hollick has agreed to answer a few questions.
Keira: What inspired you to tell Arthur's legendary tale?
Hellen: I have never been very keen on the Medieval tales of Arthur which are set in the 12th - 13th Century, but when I discovered that if Arthur had existed he would have lived circa 450 - 500 AD I became interested. I researched the "facts" and the early legends of Arthur - and became hooked!
Keira: What is your favorite scene in the Kingmaking?
Hellen: Where Gwenhwyfar pledges her future unborn sons to the young Arthur when he is declared the next Pendragon.
Keira: What are some challenges in writing the Banner Trilogy?
Hellen: I wrote what turned out to be The Kingmaking and half of Pendragon's Banner before I was accepted by a mainstream publisher - before I knew I was any good as an author, so the hardest part was keeping going during those times when I wondered if I was wasting my time. I also found writing the third part, Shadow of the King, hard as I knew Arthur had to die at the end. It had taken about ten years to write the first two books, so Arthur was a very close friend by then. I felt like I was breaking off a long-term relationship!
Keira: How would Arthur define love? Gwenhwyfar? You?
Hellen:
Arthur: As honour and loyalty - though not fidelity. He was not faithful to Gwenhwyfar physically - but he never loved anyone else.
Gwenhwyfar: she was faithful but Arthur made her so angry at times - and tragic events sometimes overtook her feelings. Both of them would die for each other though.
Me? Love is without condition. Love is being loyal and understanding. Love is getting angry - but always forgiving.
I heard a wonderful quote once: Love is what is in the room at Christmas when everyone stops talking and you sit and listen.
Keira: Arthur has a bunch of affairs in the Kingmaking; what do you think makes a great (written) bedroom scene?
Hellen: Not going over the top. By all means be explicit where necessary - but not in every scene and not for pages and pages, a paragraph - or even a sentence is sometimes enough. My personal rule is: would I feel comfortable reading this aloud before a group of strangers? If the answer is no, it doesn't go in.
Keira: Outside of Arthur and Gwenhwyfar, who is your favorite character to write?
Hellen: Do you mean in the Trilogy? Oh Bedwyr without a doubt.
Outside the Trilogy - my pirate, Jesamiah Acorne (who funnily enough is very like Arthur!)
Keira: What is the worst character flaw in Arthur and Gwenhwyfar?
Hellen: Arthur's bloody-minded stubbornness - and Gwenhwyfar's hot temper.
Keira: What can we look forward to in Pendragon's Banner?
Hellen: The deepening of their relationship - and more tempestuous quarrels. Arthur is now King - and has his work cut out to stay King. I suggest you have a box of tissues (Kleenex? Is that the US term?) handy though!
Keira: What do you hope your readers will gain from your books?
Hellen: An insight into what life was like in the Dark Ages - and that there is much, much more to the story of Arthur than the Medieval made-up tales of non-existant round tables, Holy Grails and knights in armour.
Keira: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
Hellen: Only that I hope your readers enjoy my books - and perhaps fall in love with Arthur like I did, despite him being the rogue he is.
Keira: Thank you Hellen! You can learn more about Hellen and her writing at http://www.helenhollick.net/
Originally posted 2009-03-03 05:20:48. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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October 20th, 2009 — Author Interviews, G-I, Great Britain, Kings, Princes, Sheiks, Chiefs, Medieval, Queen or Princess
Hello Keira – thanks for welcoming me to your Blog!
Keira: How has Gwenhwyfar and Arthur's love evolved from what it was in The Kingmaking to Pendragon's Banner?
Helen Hollick: Things have moved on from the close of The Kingmaking. Gwenhwyfar now has one young son and is expecting another child. Arthur is attempting to consolidate his victories by making peace with the Anglo Saxon English – but not everyone agrees with his ideas, not even Gwenhwyfar. When he insists she goes with him to visit an English settlement she is horrified. Not only is she frightened by not knowing these people, or their customs and traditions, she is about to have her baby.
The relationship between her and Arthur is pushed to the limit – and beyond – in this middle part of the trilogy. Tragedy can either draw a couple together or rip them apart….
Be warned, a box of tissues may be needed!
Keira: What are some challenges that will be put to them to challenge the strength of that love?
Helen Hollick: There are quite a few, some of them tragic, some of them frustrating, some downright infuriating. But sorry I’m not telling you about them as it will spoil the read!
Keira: Arthur is now King – what challenges will he face in Pendragon's Banner? How does he hope to overcome them? How must he change?
Helen Hollick: Arthur’s goal is to unite his Kingdom and bring peace. It is an uphill struggle for him though, as other people seem set on stopping him. Even Gwenhwyfar….
Keira: Arthur’s stubbornness and Gwenhwyfar's temper are sure to cause problems. Outside of their relationship, how do their flaws affect life at court, politics, and situations?
Helen Hollick: There are quite a few exchanges of stubbornness and temper in this one. Arthur is single minded – he knows what he wants and is determined to get it, but members of his Council, especially his uncle, Ambrosius Aurelianus are equally as determined to stop him, which heads disastrously towards what could be an end of the Kingdom and peace.
We find out a lot more about Morgause in Pendragon’s Banner as well – and her daughter, Morgainne, the lady of the Lake. Arthur meets her and the inevitable happens. There are a few scenes where Arthur should have kept his breeches fastened – no doubt Gwenhwyfar feels the same!
Winifred, Arthur’s first wife also has her fingers dabbling in several pies. She wants her son to be the next King.
Gwenhwyfar has her own distractions. Her children, her worry and concern for Arthur – her jealousy of his other women. But then, she has a few male friends too. Friends who spark Arthur’s retaliatory jealousy.
There are several scenes in Pendragon’s Banner that draw from the early Welsh stories of Arthur, you may recognize a few or them. Weaving them into my novel in a plausible and practical way was my own challenge.
Keira: Why do you think people are drawn to King Arthur's story? To Medieval stories?
Helen Hollick: I think people enjoy the familiar Medieval tales of Arthur and the round table, Holy Grail and knights in armour because they conjure up a long-gone era of courtly love, honour, respect and Doing Noble Deeds. The whole chivalric image that brings out our romantic emotions.
But my Arthur is not from those stories. My Arthur is a rough, tough, down-to-earth war lord and soldier. The sort of man who can be an utter b*****d – but will fight to the death to protect you, and will always be there when you need him.
The figure of Arthur, in legend and fiction is one of the most enigmatic and intriguing of all the characters of English history and literature. What is it about him that makes people discuss him, read about him, write about him?
Google for King Arthur, and you will spend weeks going through the links. There are discussion boards, forums, facebook profiles, blog pages, myspace sites. He is there in virtually every genre of fiction, from fantasy to thrillers. There are movies of Arthur, poems about Arthur, plays centred around Arthur – you name it its been done.
People argue about whether he lived in the Iron Age, Roman period, Dark Ages or the 11th Century, the 12th, 13th…..
He was a local warlord in the north of Britain. He fought in Scotland, Wales, Brittany or came from the West Country – Cornwall, Somerset. He is the King of myth and fantasy. Magic and mystery surround Arthur and his deeds.
Was he from the realm of Magic – or was he a real man, a soldier who led a war band into battle? The sad fact is - there is not a shred of evidence to prove he actually existed!
For the truth about Arthur there are no answers.
And it is that which makes him so fascinating, why again and again we write about him, read about him.
I fell in love with Arthur while I was writing the Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy. I intimately knew that man for more than 13 years while writing the Trilogy – it took a long, long while to get him out of my system and move on to creating my next main character (Harold Godwineson in Harold the King. – also to be published soon by Sourcebooks Inc)
But that feeling is not unique to me.
I wrote to the wonderful author Rosemary Sutcliff just before she died. I had completed The Kingmaking, but it was still in the process of being made ready to be published, so I could not send her a copy. I told her all about it though, and my ideas of Arthur. I received back a handwritten letter (complete with her cartoon motif of a dolphin attached to the last ‘f’ of her signature.) She confided that after she had written her novel about Arthur, Sword At Sunset, she had not been able to get him out of her mind for at least six months.
I know what she meant…. And that is why Arthur is so popular. His spirit, his charisma, his presence goes on, living for ever.
No wonder the legends state that he will come again when he is needed. He never left. He is always here, dwelling in the minds of his loyal subjects, those of us who read and write about him!
Helen Hollick
Main Website: www.helenhollick.net
Blog profiles: www.acorne.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/helen.hollick
Monthly Journal: www.helenhollick.net/journal.html
Follow Publicist Paul on Twitter: @psamuelson01
http://www.helenhollick.net/culpa41.html my own hints and tips for aspiring writers.
Buy: Pendragon's Banner: Book Two
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September 28th, 2009 — 4.5 Stars, ARC, Counts, Marquis, Viscounts, Duchess, Countess, Marchioness, G-I, Great Britain, Guest Reviews, Regency, Rogues and Rakehells, Sports
by Susan Sigler, guest reviewer
A Marquis to Marry exemplifies the very essence of what a romance novel should be. It was superbly written and I’ve added Amelia Grey to my list of top authors. This is a novel I’ll read time and time again!
I recommend this book to every romance lover, regardless of their favorite sub-genre. This was a happy, witty, feel good romantic tale I know you’ll love.
A Marquis to Marry is book 2 of Grey’s (The Rogues’ Dynasty Trilogy). It completely stands alone, and you do not need to read book 1 A Duke to Die For in order to follow the story.
The Marquis (Alexander Mitchell Raceworth) is absolutely stunned, when a young Dowager Duchess by the name of (Susannah Brookefield ) accuses him of having “her” grandmother’s Talbot pearls. The very pearls “his” grandmother (Lady Elder) left to him in her will.
Susannah travels from Chapel Gate to London, with the misconception that all will be resolved quickly. What she didn’t foresee was that Race would be so stubborn! It seems she’s not the only one after the pearls; there are 3 men who also covet them. When the pearls are stolen, it’s a race against time to find the thief and recover the pearls.
Susannah has a lot to accomplish: retrieve the pearls, resist Race’s handsome good looks, convince him the pearls belong in her family not his, and re-enter London’s Polite Society despite her tarnished reputation of youth.
Every time Race calls the Duchess by her Christian name Susannah, it made my heart skip a beat. Grey has you feel the emotion & want, that emanates from the hero.
Things I enjoyed:
- Race’s shock when Susannah invites him to her bedchamber
- The camaraderie between Race, his cousins, and their older friend Gibby
- How Race pursues Susannah
- His informal notes to her
- The way Grey expertly transitions you from reader to character, you’ll feel every emotion as Susannah and Race fall in love
I didn’t grant this book the full 5 stars because of the pugilist (boxing match). It stole time away from the main characters, time I wanted for Susannah and Race.
A Marquis to Marry was absolutely beautiful! I’m eager to read book 3 An Earl To Enchant, which is set to release in April 2010.
Rating- 4.5 Stars
Buy: A Marquis to Marry
Regency Romance, ARC, Trilogy, Sourcebooks, Inc., Casablanca, October 2009, Print Pages 359.
ISBN-10: 1402217609 ISBN-13: 978-1402217609.
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September 2nd, 2009 — 2.5 Stars, 3 Stars, ARC, Business, Friends, Gentry, Great Britain, J-L, Pregnant, Regency
Loving Mr. Darcy is the second novel in a trilogy by Sharon Lathan detailing the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Darcy after their marriage vows. As such, I recommend reading the first novel Two Shall Become One before entering into this novel as it follows directly on its heels.
What I liked:
- Sharon really knows how to make Regency come alive. Her descriptions of people, places, and things suck you in and refuse to let you go.
- I loved her Georgiana, Mary Bennet, and Catherine de Bourgh. Their voices were perfect, and Catherine’s futile anger was fun to read.
- Darcy’s 23 gifts to Elizabeth for her birthday. I want a birthday like that.
- Pemberley Summer Festival. I'd spoil a little here but Sharon's done an excellent job teasing about clowns.
What I disliked:
- The over the top cutesy “Do you know how much I really, really, really love you?” dialogues Darcy and Elizabeth entered into at least once every chapter. It is extremely sickly sweet. I liked it in the first novel, but it was excessive in the sequel. Well at least for me anyways.
- If I had a dollar for how many times Darcy asked Elizabeth “Are you well?” or a similar variation of the phrase, I’d be a wealthy woman. Elizabeth’s pregnant, not an invalid! Trust me Darcy; you’ll know when she’s not doing well.
- There was no real direction for a good chunk of the story at the beginning of the novel. I wanted more conflict...
Like the first novel, this novel unfolds slowly taking it’s time to depict their daily lives. For those who've ever wondered how it would look, Lathan's trilogy is definitely something you want to pick up and devour. In this second novel, Elizabeth is pregnant and recovering from her episode in the last book which has the direct result in making Darcy crazy overprotective and hovering.
In the end I think this was the right novel, but wrong time for me to read it as Lathan's writing is very much a leisure read to be done while relaxing in a bubble bath for hours not while getting small patches of time here and there.
Rating: 2.5-3 Stars
Buy: Loving Mr. Darcy: Journeys Beyond Pemberley
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July 21st, 2009 — 3 Stars, 3.5 Stars, A-C, Beauty and Fashion, Book Review, Business, Contemporary, Erotica, Friends, Plump/Endowed Heroine, Rogues and Rakehells, United States of America
Tally’s Gift is the third novel in Quartzton Trilogy.
The last of the unhitched friends are thrown together when calamity strikes and the others are out of town. Playboy Brett Huntsman has broken nearly every limb in his body. The poor guy is strung up and unable to move. Tally Bennett comes to check up on him to ease his sister’s worries and this is the last place she wants to be, luckily it’s only for tonight.
Somehow they manage to have hot and sweaty sex on the bed, but that doesn’t mean Tally is interested in more. Tally Bennett, you see has been burned in the past. A man she thought was the love of her life threw her over for money and a stick figure blonde. Ever since then Tally has been good at keeping her distance whether she’s with a guy or not. Sweet Meadows keeps her busy and that’s good enough for her for now.
When circumstances make it impossible for Sophie to return to take care of her brother, Tally agrees to nurse him back to health. Brett, being male, milks it for all he’s worth and suddenly Tally and Brett are starting a six week no strings attached sex-fest. Of course it doesn’t stay that way soon feelings get involved and desires change.
Tally’s Gift in short is fun and sexy—though I’m not convinced sex that busted up is entirely feasible, but I’m willing to go along with it. This was my favorite novel in the set.
Rating: 3-3.5 Stars
Buy: Tally's Gift
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July 11th, 2009 — 4.5 Stars, A-C, Business, Comedy of Manners, Gentry, Great Britain, Guest Reviews, Jane Austen, Regency, Virgin Heroine
What I love best is seeing multiple perspectives on books that I'm reading, have read, or intend to read. When Sasha sent me this guest review, I was pleasantly surprised. Without knowing it, we were reading the same book trilogy within days of each other! Check out my review of An Assembly Such as This and Sasha's below!
By: Sasha Muradali, guest blogger
This is not your typical romance novel, nor would I classify it as romance per se because An Assembly Such As This (Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentlemen) by Pamela Aidan is the author's take, from the point-of-view of Fitzwilliam Darcy, on Pride and Prejudice, a classic novel, by Jane Austen. However, well-acknowledged, Pride and Prejudice is a love story.
An Assembly Such as This is the first part of a trilogy (Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentlemen) that takes us through the all too familiar journey so many of us have come to love. The other two novels are called Duty and Desire and These Three Remain. This specific volume ventures into the first third of Pride and Prejudice up until when Darcy and the Bingley family leave Hertfordshire for London after the fiasco at the Netherfield Park Ball.
You cannot truly appreciate or understand the depths of this novel without having had read Pride and Prejudice previously. There is a lot that the author takes for chance that you already know.
While, many of us have had our assumptions on that Darcy feels, we've never really seen it in writing before. And as someone who is very skeptical about anything that interprets Pride and Prejudice, this first novel of Aidan's trilogy is nothing short of absolutely fantastic.
The author takes her readers through Darcy's first meeting with Elizabeth, why he behaves they way that he does, and how often, what was once seen as him being tough and perhaps cruel, was his natural decorum, or way of flirting holding on to that very decorum.
Specifically, Aidan is able to add some of her own little quirks into the story - consistent letters between Georgiana and Darcy, a look into Darcy's private life as male head of house. This is actually one of the most unique aspects, and what I enjoyed reading the most, because as a reader you get to see an illustration of how Georgiana was really feeling post-Mr. Wickham. These letters also serve as a means to understand how truly and deeply Darcy cares for Georgiana - they also show how often he really puts others before himself.
This fact helps the reader understand further his decision to separate Bingley from Jane Bennett; in An Assembly Such as This, Darcy is working together selflessly with Caroline to protect Charles, not harm him. It would be important to remember that in the original Pride and Prejudice, the ball at Netherfield Park turned into somewhat of a fiasco between the younger Bennett girls running wild with the officers, Mrs. Bennett running her mouth off and, the Bennett's cousin, Mr. Collins, becoming a public laughing stock. These circumstances are part of what fuels Darcy's opinion of country manners being 'savage.'
If you are looking to laugh, gain a near flawless interpretation of Pride and Prejudice through the eyes of Fitzwilliam Darcy, try your eyes on An Assembly Such As This.
Here on Love Passion Romance we will be featuring reviews on the other two in the trilogy shortly. So stay tuned and don't forget to remember the tag 'Fitzwilliam Darcy Gentlemen.'
4.5 of 5 stars.
Buy: An Assembly Such as This
Find and buy more Pamela Aidan novels at great prices.
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July 10th, 2009 — 2.5 Stars, 3 Stars, A-C, Book Review, Contemporary, Erotica, Firefighter, Friends, Rape/Abuse, United States of America, Widow or Widower
Grace on Fire grabbed me in the first sentence:
“Grace Muscat’s totally frigid. I’d be scared my dick would freeze off if I put it in that
icebox of hers.”
Firefighter Don Marshall, the man of Grace’s dreams, just compared her vagina to a freezer in the middle of a bar to his friends unsuspecting of her presence. Ouch! That’s quite a blunder for a hero! I immediately wanted to see if Elle Amery could save him from a fate worse than death…
In order to beat Don Marshall in the game of love Grace turns to Wyatt Bennett, the brother of one of her best friends for sex lessons. He would help her overcome her fear of men and erase all the abuse her husband Duane heaped on her (which is extensive) before he died.
Wyatt Bennett has loved Grace for 10 years, ever since he kissed her when she was fourteen. It’s been two years since she was widowed… if he waits any longer for her to heal, he just might end up losing her again. But when she asks for sex lessons in order to be a good bed partner for the likes of Don Marshall, Wyatt sees red. Eventually he decides to help her out in hopes of making her fall in love with him.
Despite the darker undertones to the story, Grace on Fire is a good read. Not as much sex in it as you would think based on the concept, though there is plenty. There was one instance of the dreaded lathed instead of laved as Smart Bitches has discussed in full. It’s interesting how it ends and took me
Grace on Fire is the second of a trilogy by Elle Amery. You do not need to read them in order, but you appreciate characters and their relationships to each other better by doing so. If I’m right, the trilogy matches three brother/sister pairs which also equals two sets of three best friends (6 people in total).
Sophie Huntsman with Jake Muscat in Saving Sophie.
Grace Muscat with Wyatt Bennett in Grace on Fire.
(My guess…) Tally Bennett with Brett Huntsman in Tally’s Gift.
Rating: 2.5-3 Stars
Buy: Grace on Fire
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March 30th, 2009 — 2 Stars, 2.5 Stars, 3 Stars, Category, Guest Reviews, Magic Users, Memory Loss, Paranormal, Police, United States of America
By: Marcia, guest reviewer
The review for today is not one, but three novels.
The Raintree Trilogy is an weak, anemic effort by three different authors. The premise is that two hundred years ago there was a war between the Raintree clan, a family with paranormal abilities, and the Ansara wizards. The Ansara clan was nearly wiped out, but the Raintree clan stopped short of annihilating them entirely, a mistake that they are about to regret. The Ansara clan has been rebuilt and a rogue group is out for revenge.
Book One: Raintree: Inferno by Linda Howard
Dante Raintree is Dranir or king of the Raintree family and owns a hotel-casino in Reno. Like the other members of his family, he keeps a low profile and does not advertise his paranormal abilities, which in his case is the ability to control fire and enter the minds of others. He has no intention of ever getting married or having a family. His brother Gideon, who is heir apparent for the position of Dranir, sends him fertility charms on a regular basis. Gideon does not want to be Dranir.
Lorna Clay finds herself in Dante's office because she is suspected of cheating. Lorna is empathic and can therefore ‘read' the other players. She denies, even to herself, that she has this ability. Suddenly there is a fire in the casino and Dante must enter her mind to augment his own powers in an effort to control the fire. Controlling Lorna's mind is something Dante does often in the story, albeit with good intentions. It is a wonder that Lorna can forgive him enough to fall in love with him.
Those familiar with Linda Howard's work, may be disappointed with this book. She does not appear comfortable with this genre and has difficulty explaining the particulars of Dante's paranormal abilities and the Raintree family. As a result, the plot seems disjointed and characters' motivations are not easy to understand.
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Book Two: Raintree: Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones
Gideon's gift is controlling electricity and the ability to see and talk to ghosts. Talking to ghosts comes in handy with his job; Gideon is a homicide detective in Wilmington, NC. Lately, he has been dreaming of a tricky little girl ghost named Emma who insists on calling Gideon ‘Daddy'. He has carefully explained to her that he has no intention of marrying and having children, but she laughs and says that she will come to him in a moonbeam.
Hope Malory is a police detective who has asked to be transferred to Wilmington from Raleigh in an effort to be closer to her mother. In Raleigh, she worked in vice and has always wanted to work in homicide. She is Gideon's new partner. She is immediately suspicious of him. He is too well dressed for a cop and he lives in a lovely, beachfront home. His success rate in closing cases is nearly perfect. Thinking that he is a dirty cop, Hope decides to check into him further.
Raintree: Haunted is a pleasant surprise after reading Inferno. Linda Winstead Jones is very comfortable with this genre. The plot is tightly woven with very likable characters and a good amount of humor. There were a couple of things that did not seem realistic: people have a kind of amnesia that keeps them from remembering what doesn't make sense to them; and a heterosexual man who knows that it is not comfortable to sleep in a bra. All in all it is a satisfying book, the best of the three.
Rating: 3 Stars
Raintree: Sanctuary by Bevery Barton
Mercy Raintree is a single mother, empathic healer and keeper of the Raintree Sanctuary; the sacred, ancestral home of the Raintree Clan, located on a large area of land in the Smokey Mountains. It is here that all the previous characters meet up to defend it against a rogue group of Ansara warriors.
Judah Ansara is Dranir of the Ansara Clan. Cael, his illegitimate half brother and leader of the rogue group of warriors are challenging Judah's position as Dranir. Judah is also the father of Eve, although he is at first unaware of her existence.
Eve is a bright, talented child with knowledge beyond her years. Since Eve is a ‘half-breed' she should have been killed at birth and only her mother and nanny are aware of her parentage. Mercy and Judah are bitter enemies, despite the powerful lust they have for one another but they must learn to work together to save Eve and the Sanctuary.
As a finale, Sanctuary falls flat. The plot is thin and lacks cohesiveness, the characters are superficial and the ending is contrived. There is very little detail and plot elements are underdeveloped being briefly explained on the side. Most of the action during the big battle scene is focused on Dante and does not really involve the other characters. This is a disappointing book.
Rating: 2 Stars
If you would like to submit a review to LRP, we would love to have you. You can find submission guidelines here.
Thanks again Marcia! You're a wonderful reviewer and RRN is lucky to have you!
Originally posted 2008-11-30 13:15:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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March 1st, 2009 — 4 Stars, 4.5 Stars, ARC, Dark Ages, Farming, Friends, G-I, Gentry, Great Britain, Kings, Princes, Sheiks, Chiefs, Pregnant, Rape/Abuse, Rogues and Rakehells, Soldier, Survival, Virgin Heroine, Warrior
The Kingmaking is book one of the Pendragon Banner Trilogy by Hellen Hollick. In one sentence this book is about Arthur growing from boyhood to manhood, from untried to experienced, from soldier to king. He is shaped by his times, loving women and drink freely and openly. It gets him into trouble more than once - the most serious time exposing him to the clutches of the current king and his manipulating wife and daughter. Forced into marriage with Winifred, Arthur's full of self-loathing and fury, because instead of being married to a woman he truly admires and respects (Gwenhwyfar) he's stuck with a spoiled rotten manipulative whore. If only he had kept it in his pants!
Arthur must decide which is more important - his quest for kingship or the love of his life?
Winifred is determined to keep Arthur for herself now that Gwenhwyfar has brought him to her attention. She bears Arthur one sickly daughter who soon dies, and one son, which he begets with her during the voyage from his home in Less Britain back to the king's court. Not very smart of him since he was planning to divorce her so he could marry in the Christian way his beloved Gwenhwyfar. (He married her by the Old Way before leaving Less Britain and doesn't know it but impregnated her.)
You will find that Arthur is the reason behind most of his anger and regrets. He tends to get in his own way by being loose with morals and engaging with whomever strikes his fancy. He says he loves Gwenhwyfar, but his actions lead him to many beds of slave and servant girls. It's not clear, but I am certain he also found himself in bed with more than one gentle female. Plainly put, he is used to pleasure and to not denying himself. However while we know many of his illicit trysts, most of the details are rendered vague or skipped over.
Luckily for Arthur he seems to straighten out once he's gone through the divorce and married Gwenhwyfar. Of course he almost slips up during the last stages of her pregnancy but a quick spat settles it. Loving and marrying Gwenhwyfar soothes the spoiled and selfish side of Arthur, but his barriers have not yet fallen down. I expect we will find him (more) enamored and open with Gwenhwyfar in book two, the Pendragon's Banner, which I'm greatly looking forward to reading.
Hollick's trilogy promises to combine a legendary hero with political intrigue, historical research (and obvious fictional interpretations of it), romance, and a quest for ultimate power. Harry Potter for grownups. Now try to wrap your tongue around half of the names... haha.
Rating: 4-4.5 Stars
