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kirbs419's review against another edition
3.0
This was so sad, I couldn't get over an event in the story it left me devestaed!
katiev's review against another edition
4.0
I really did enjoy this and Marion Hussey is always a great narrator IMHO. Not sure on the strict historical accuracy of it all, but it wasn't fluff (which I find ridiculous in a medieval).
The setting is during the dissolution of William the Conqueror's empire after his death. His sons weren't happy to leave things as he wished (a split of his empire) and tried through various intrigues to be the one to reunite England and Normandy and rule it all.
The heroine and her sister are the identical twin daughters of a Norman nobleman and a English noblewoman. They all live in Normandy. Her father (and pretty much all his men) are killed when he decides to honor his pledge of loyalty to the Norman Duke rather than side with King Henry of England who claims Normandy as his. This leaves the sisters without any male protection aside from the loyalty of their father's unacknowledged bastard who was a very likeable character and likely a deliberate foil to the villain.
The heroine is strong yet likeable. She sometimes loses her temper and says things she doesn't mean, but she's not a "spitfire, foot stomping nightmare" by any means. She's smart and willing to make choices and take the responsibility if those choices come with unforseen consequences.
Some readers were turned off by the death of a main character (not H/h). It was hard to take and painful to read about, but to me it made it more real. Depends on your preference/point of view. I'm perhaps too conditioned by Game of Thrones to feel like I'm really reading a medieval unless something horrible happens to a beloved character (and yes, I realize GoT takes place in a make believe world).
Aside from the death (which I won't spoil) another tragedy befalls the heroine quickly upon that one's heels. The poor girl doesn't have an easy time of it.
I was pleased by Crosby's portrayal of the main villain. He was not cartoonishly evil although he did some very evil things. He evoked some unwanted sympathy both in the reader and the heroine. That's the kind of villain I genuinely prefer unless I'm reading an OTT Harlequin where the eeeeeevil villain with no redeeming characteristics is often entertaining.
My main criticism was that this should have been a bit longer. Which is odd since many of these older historicals tend to lean toward the too long. I felt like the H/h needed at least 25-50 pages together where they were doing something other than fighting their attraction or dealing with various tragedies.
The setting is during the dissolution of William the Conqueror's empire after his death. His sons weren't happy to leave things as he wished (a split of his empire) and tried through various intrigues to be the one to reunite England and Normandy and rule it all.
The heroine and her sister are the identical twin daughters of a Norman nobleman and a English noblewoman. They all live in Normandy. Her father (and pretty much all his men) are killed when he decides to honor his pledge of loyalty to the Norman Duke rather than side with King Henry of England who claims Normandy as his. This leaves the sisters without any male protection aside from the loyalty of their father's unacknowledged bastard who was a very likeable character and likely a deliberate foil to the villain.
The heroine is strong yet likeable. She sometimes loses her temper and says things she doesn't mean, but she's not a "spitfire, foot stomping nightmare" by any means. She's smart and willing to make choices and take the responsibility if those choices come with unforseen consequences.
Some readers were turned off by the death of a main character (not H/h). It was hard to take and painful to read about, but to me it made it more real. Depends on your preference/point of view. I'm perhaps too conditioned by Game of Thrones to feel like I'm really reading a medieval unless something horrible happens to a beloved character (and yes, I realize GoT takes place in a make believe world).
Aside from the death (which I won't spoil) another tragedy befalls the heroine quickly upon that one's heels. The poor girl doesn't have an easy time of it.
I was pleased by Crosby's portrayal of the main villain. He was not cartoonishly evil although he did some very evil things. He evoked some unwanted sympathy both in the reader and the heroine. That's the kind of villain I genuinely prefer unless I'm reading an OTT Harlequin where the eeeeeevil villain with no redeeming characteristics is often entertaining.
My main criticism was that this should have been a bit longer. Which is odd since many of these older historicals tend to lean toward the too long. I felt like the H/h needed at least 25-50 pages together where they were doing something other than fighting their attraction or dealing with various tragedies.
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