The Scarlet Lion - Elizabeth Chadwick

Following early beginnings as a knight in the English royal household and a champion of the tourneys, William Marshal's prowess and loyalty have been rewarded by the hand in marriage of Isabelle de Clare, heiress to great estates in England, Normandy and Ireland. Now a powerful magnate, William has weathered the difficult years of King Richard's absence on crusade and is currently serving him on campaign in Normandy while Isabelle governs their estates. All the stability William and Isabelle have enjoyed with their young and growing family comes crashing down as Richard dies and his brother John becomes King. Rebellion is stirring throughout the Angevin domains and although John has created William Earl of Pembroke, the friction between the two men leads William and Isabelle to distance themselves in Ireland. The situation escalates, with John holding their sons as hostages and seizing their English lands. The conflict between remaining loyal and rebelling over injustices committed, threatens to tear apart William and Isabelle's marriage and their family...

Last year I read the Greatest Knight, I liked it very much but somehow I was not compelled to pick up its sequel right away. Now I was looking through Elizabeth Chadwick's books trying to decide what to read for the E in the ABC Challenge and The Scarlet Lion seemed like the perfect choice.

If The Greatest Knight focused solely on William Marshall, The Scarlet Lion devotes great attention to his wife and his children. I loved it how the characters are brought to life, their problems and worries, the political decisions of trying to survive during the reign of King John.

William Marshall was one of the most powerful men in medieval England and, through, his wife Isabelle; he also had considerable power in Ireland. With this story the author shows us how difficult it was to achieve and maintain that power, especially as Marshall’s achievements truly were outstanding in any age. If William comes alive has the consummate courtier, who knows that sometimes it is better to wait and ignore some of the indignities and humiliations to come out the victor; it is Isabelle Marshall that reveals herself has the true soul of the family, caring for her children and her husband while maintaining a keen eye on the political events.

Together they have to face seeing their oldest sons being made hostage by King John, war in their Irish lands and the constant political games of distrust and betrayal of a king who trusted no one and liked to break those who surrounded him.

The book covers the years from 1197 to William's death in 1219. In a period as politically complicated as this one was Elizabeth Chadwick truly has the gift of making it all seem very simple. My one complaint is that I was expecting to hear more about the Magna Carta but it is a small one considering what the author has achieved in explaining the period.

Now I can't wait for William and Isabelle's daughter Mahelt's story. And while I wait for it I may just have to start reading about Ida and Roger Bigod. It seems I can’t get enough of these characters and I would happily continue reading about the Marshall family and their allies in future books. But somehow I don’t think we will be seeing them in many more books as none of the Marshall sons had children and the properties and wealth ended up being divided between the daughter’s husbands.

Grade: 5/5

The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)

Now that the buzz has died down a bit I decided to grab the DVD and spend some time watching this. I had some problems with the story as I was disappointed with the historical changes Philippa Gregory wrote in her novel and on rereading I liked it even less. So much in fact that although I have other Gregory's in the TBR pile I haven't felt like reading them.

Naturally my opinion did not change on watching instead of reading. The script follows the book but in such a rushed way that had I not known better I would believe the story took place in just a couple of months. And Mary Boleyn's first husband just disappears and suddenly another man is proposing to her... that was definitely an example of how the secondary characters were almost invisible.

In terms of settings and costume I think they tried too hard, everything looked so shiny and sparkling that instead of giving authenticity they were a distraction. And Scarlet Johansson and Natalie Portman never really felt like the characters they were supposed to portray, they don't seem to age in the time span of the story and Portman as Anne definitely lacked the cultural depth that Anne Boleyn must have had. I can't say I liked Eric Bana either, he lacked majesty and wasn't attractive and repulsive enough when the action called for it.

Oh and if there were things in the book that annoyed me imagine what I thought when it is implied that Mary raised the future Elizabeth I?? I'm afraid this is not a movie I would recommend...

IMDB

This is an entry for the Period Drama Challenge in the Kings & Queens Category

What's on My Nightstand

I usually post the new additions to my TBR on sundays but this week I have no new addition to report. I've had to curb my book buying and mooching because, unless I buy a new house soon, I have run out of space to store books.

But I realised that this month I totally forgot to post about What's On Your Nightstand so I'll just use this post to mention some of the books that are presently keeping me company in the bedroom and waiting their turn to be read:

I'm almost done with this one and I am loving it. Chadwick never fails to draw me into the medieval world and I can't wait to get to Mahelt's story. This will be my E entry for the ABC Challenge.

I have the audiobook to listen when the weather gets better and I start doing some much needed walks but since what I have is an abridged version I want to read the book before so I can compare.

A series I've been meaning to continue but it seems something else always gets in the way. Maybe this month I'll get to it.

I love this series and I can't wait to find out what is going to happen next. It's also an entry for the 101 Fantasy Challenge.

And more Patricia Briggs because I also love Charles, Anna and Bran. Yes, I wish Bran would have more "screen" time.

I'm sure I'll read others in between these but those I'll choose according to my mood at the time. ;-)

What I've Been Watching

Rafe's Revenge - Anne Stuart

HIS REPUTATION PRECEDED HIM

Too late, film critic Silver Carlysle discovered what kind of enemy she'd made when her scathing reviews launched an all-out war with movie mogul Rafe McGinnis.

Rafe was reputed to be cold-blooded, cynical and predatory. And when he took ruthless steps to undermine her career, Silver swore she'd never surrender.

But no one had warned her that Rafe's smoldering sensuality would set her blood on fire. Or that each new skirmish would only fuel their mutual desire.

Silver knew she was in danger, but she couldn't surrender. Rafe had laid out his terms: nothing less than a night in her arms would satisfy him.

Another of Anne Stuart's older books (isn't that cover something? :-S) with an alpha hero and a heroine to match him. It is set in Hollywood and the hero is a famous Hollywood producer. The heroine is a movie critic who keeps trashing his films in the paper.

While in one or two scenes the hero gets to be a bit too macho I think in general these two were actually a perfect couple as the heroine gave as good as she got. For instance when the hero plans a dinner date to suggest to everyone that she is in fact his lover and is only against him because they had a lover's spat, the heroine decides to find the most hideous dress just to make him look ridiculous next to her. Besides those bad reviews he is interested in doing a movie the heroine believes she has the rights to and doesn't want to relinquish them.

It's a battle of wills that I really enjoyed, they were both very stubborn and that made for some good dialog. I did like the hero a bit more than the heroine - although he was overbearing most of the time - but she seemed to still be very much attached to the past and her problems with her parents. Too much I felt.

The ending was wonderful; truly the stuff romance is made of with the hero totally changing his attitude and behaviour towards what he wanted. Really nice!

Grade: 4/5

A Matter of Class - Mary Balogh

Reginald Mason is wealthy, refined, and, by all accounts, a gentleman. However, he is not a gentleman by title, a factor that pains him and his father within the Regency society that upholds station over all else. That is, until an opportunity for social advancement arises, namely, Lady Annabelle Ashton. Daughter of the Earl of Havercroft, a neighbor and enemy of the Mason family, Annabelle finds herself disgraced by a scandal, one that has left her brandished as damaged goods. Besmirched by shame, the earl is only too happy to marry Annabelle off to anyone willing to have her.

Though Reginald Mason, Senior, wishes to use Annabelle to propel his family up the social ladder, his son does not wish to marry her, preferring instead to live the wild, single life he is accustomed to. With this, Reginald Senior serves his son an ultimatum: marry Annabelle, or make do without family funds. Having no choice, Reginald consents, and enters into a hostile engagement in which the prospective bride and groom are openly antagonistic, each one resenting the other for their current state of affairs while their respective fathers revel in their suffering.

So begins an intoxicating tale rife with dark secrets, deception, and the trials of love - a story in which very little is as it seems.

Ms Balogh is one of my favourite writers. Lately I have enjoyed some of her books more than others and while I was curious about this one it was only when a friend mentioned having loved it that I decided to pick it up.

At first glance the story deals with one of the regency romance genre favourite themes, the marriage of convenience. And in this case a marriage of convenience between two people with different status, Annabelle is an Earl's daughter and Reginald the son of a man who made is fortune with coal mines. That alone would be enough to keep them apart forever but when Annabelle's reputation is ruined and her father desperately needs money there's no other alternative than accept the alliance.

The story happens in just a few days. from the proposal to their wedding day. During that period Annabelle and Reginald seem to get to know each other and learn to deal with each other while at the same we are treated to flashbacks of their past through the years. I'm not very fond of flashbacks and that is in fact my main complaint, when there are many I start getting distracted and want to get back to the main action.

There's no big drama in this story and everything seems to go on smoothly but Ms Balogh reserves us a final surprise. I thought that was a clever one, I don't think I've read a similar plot device before, but maybe it would have worked better as a short story (and with fewer flashbacks).

Readers should be ware that this is a novella not a full lenght although it is being marketed as a hardcover which may lead to some confusion. I'm planning on getting the author's next book in the Huxtable series and I sure hope she manages to surprise me like she did here.

Grade: 4/5

The Shadowy Horses - Susanna Kearsley

Impulse has brought Verity Grey to remote Eyemouth, Scotland from her home in England. Verity's friend and ex-lover Adrian Sutton-Clarke has tempted her with an archaeological mystery. What it is, exactly, he won't tell her until she gets to Eyemouth. By then, the impetuous museum worker is intrigued enough to stay.

At the estate known as Rosehill, Verity meets her boss, Peter Quinnell. People say Peter is quite mad, but the eccentric old man believes he has found the site of the lost Ninth Legion of Rome. With the help of a young boy with second sight, Peter intends to unearth the remains of the Roman camp. Verity's job would be cataloguing and drawing the artifacts that are found- but she isn't convinced of the site's authenticity.

While at Rosehill, Verity also meets David Fortune, an archaeologist working with Quinnell. What starts out as a working relationship builds into a romantic attraction as the two find themselves embroiled in a mystery that dates back to ancient Rome.

I have had this book in the TBR pile for a while now. I added it because Ro enjoyed it a lot but ended up not reading it at the time. Last December Katharina challenged me to read Kearsley (while I challenged her to read Singh) and I am happy to report that we both found new authors to love.

The main character is an archeologist, that fact alone is enough for me to be interested but she is also a very likeable and sensible woman. Her name is Verity Grey and she is the character we get to know better because the story is written in the first person.

Verity is invited by a former lover to join an excavation in Scotland. He doesn’t tell her what they are digging up but she is curious enough to join them a day early. On the way she meets David Fortune, another archeologist involved in the excavation but it’s only after she meets the head of the team – Peter Quinnell, once a renowned archaeologist but considered a bit mad due to his theories on the Legio XI Hispana, the famous lost 9th Legion of the Roman Empire.

Verity is at first very dubious about the evidence of such thing as the fate of the 9th is the subject of legend almost but she can’t help liking Peter and it is a well payed job so she decides to stay. But she soon starts to feel that not everything is at it seems and once she meets Robbie, a young bow known to have the Sight, she realizes that there is someone else walking the fields at night. Someone who might have a clue about what they are digging but that also feels that there is danger lurking around.

I think Kearsley did a wonderful job at creating a very suspenseful atmosphere. We get to know the characters through Verity’s eyes; we see her doubts about some of them, her attraction to David and her curiosity about Robbie’s abilities and what he can help with. She creates a wonderful atmosphere with her description and her dialect and we never feel like it isn’t too much. Instead it feels wonderfully evocative and the supernatural elements are perfect addictions to the suspense.

I do love contemporary books with a bit of history thrown in and this one is a perfect example. By coincidence In read a lot about the 9th last year after finding 2 movies about it and while I wouldn’t say the solution here is the perfect one there’s no doubt that Susanna Kearsley’s writing whets our appetite for more about them and for more books by her.

Grade: 4.5/5