The Scarlet Trefoil

Tahn #3

by L.A. Kelly

The Trilett family and friends prepare for the joyous celebration of Tahn and Netta's wedding. Returning from a party in her honor, Netta is kidnapped, and her coachman and escorts are found murdered. It looks like the work of bandits, but Tahn is secretly sent a message that Netta will be released if he will present himself in trade.

Tahn believes that his murderously jealous cousin, Baron Lionel Trent, is responsible for the villainy. The baron would surely kill Tahn given the chance, just to eliminate the possibility of a rival heir. But Tahn chooses to go to the assigned meeting place anyway, alone as ordered, in hopes of securing Netta's release. Will he succeed in rescuing his bride? Or will Tahn and Netta forever miss their chance at happiness?

Genres: Fantasy, Christian Fiction, Christian, Christian Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 2007

About the author

A pseudonym used by Leisha Kelly

Reviews

[Tricia Mingerink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first two books in the series, but I still always re-read it with the others because I just can't get enough of these characters.

[English · Rating 3 out of 5]

Opinion: As with the last novel, this one left me with somewhat mixed feelings, overall, I would say I enjoyed it a little better than the last one, but it had many of the same shortcomings as its predecessor. The first half of the novel seemed to me the weakest, it seemed repetitive and just rather dry, slow and tedious, aside from realising Netta had been kidnapped, then that Tahn had gone missing, and search parties looking for them, or worried persons at the Trilett manor trying to deal with/ work everything out, nothing much really happened- except Tahn getting beaten up for the umpteenth time. Predictably of course, evil old Lionell Trent of the fake ‘British’ accent was behind everything, with a final nefarious plan to do Tahn in once and for all- with the help of the bandits from the last book.

Parts of the second half I found more enjoyable, partly because they seemed more historically plausible (with the characters using the correct term of ‘Barony’ as opposed to the erroneous ‘Baronship’ they used in the last novel to my great annoyance) or simply more well written and original then other parts of the book. Some of the characters start to come into their own a little more, like Benn Trilett who is not such a wet blanket. The conclusion to Than and Netta’s story is satisfying, if a little predictable, and one could be forgiven for thinking that a little too much adversity then was plausible was thrown at them before they got their happy ending.

Christianity/Morality: There is hardly any objectionable content in this novel, apart from some violence against Tahn and Netta which does arguably become a little tiresome by its overuse. ‘The Scarlet Trefoil is a good Christian novel which builds upon many of the same themes of the two prequels, such as the efficacy of prayer, and the faithfulness of God. The only thing which I found a little strange was the appearance of angels at Tahn’s side, who are initially there to protect him frim the baddies, but which he still sees when he returns to the Trilett manor. I know that ministering angels are mentioned in scripture, and I do believe in their existence, but the manner with which Tahn almost causally converses with the angel just seemed to me a little bit –for lack of a better word- weird.

History: As with the other novels, a lot of the characters were very ‘Americanised’ in terms their speech, and some so much so that they could have stepped right out of a Western. Even some of the names sounded rather cowboy-like to me with at least one ‘Jud’ making an appearance. I personally find that content such as this makes it difficult to take the characters seriously as Medieval Europeans, and it seems as though the story is populated mainly by sword wielding cowboys or 21st century Americans.

Another thing which bothered me was the characters' attitude towards, and the overall depiction of nobles. With the exception of the Triletts they are almost entirely depicted as too arrogant, conceited,snobby or otherwise worried about their own interests to accept Tahn.Or at worst many seem to have been often portrayed as being so obsessed with the trivial, such as ‘stupid’ customs, social mores and traditions that the slightest offence to their dignity could lead to aggression or violence. The non-aristocratic characters constant harping on about this just gets annoying after a while, and even the Triletts’ dismissal or dislike of their aristocratic peers can prove irksome.

I don’t know if the above is a reflection of some common American attitude towards or prejudice against the aristocracy, but the idea that literally every person of noble both, apart from the Triletts who are practically perfect in every way does seem to be rather an unfair generalisation.

For the reasons highlighted above, and those mentioned in the previous reviews of novels in this series, I personally feel that the ‘Medieval’ setting was generally rather weak in many places. In my opinion it makes more knights and ladies, characters using swords and bows, or wearing cloaks to make a convincing medieval story and I still think that another period setting might have worked better for this trilogy.

[Candi · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was awesome! I loved the first two, but it took me a while to get the third, and last, book. And I am glad I finally got it. It was just as great as the first two. It was heart-wrenching, and filled with God's love and grace. The tragedies that happened were terrible, and I feared it would end not how I wished, but it did have a wonderful ending. I recommend it to everyone! It truly is a wonderful read, and a help, blessing, to me.

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

There isn't much I actually liked about this book to be honest. The writing was well done but after a while everything started to sound the same and there were a lot of repeat phrases. I knew the outcome already from the second book and nothing surprised me in this book. Again the faith aspect seemed loaded on and flaky, the characters drove me batty and didn't seem to change at all.

I got really tired of Tahn and his inability to see himself of any value and it got really annoying. All the characters loved him beyond reason and it was stated over and over and over again, whereas he was constantly wondering what he had done to deserve this or if he was worthy... it was annoying! Also in each book he is beaten within an inch of his life to save someone else so you spend the majority of the book reading about his healing and him nearly dying each time. Each books seemed to have the same events.

The Angel thing as well was actually just plain creepy and weird and I didn't understand his delusional party after the rescue either... one or two appearances of the angels...fine but when they are almost there throughout most of the book and carrying an conversation with the main character.... weird.

The writing dragged on and on... really this book could've ended 10 chapters ago. They were constantly going back and reliving things from the first 2 books and it seemed that nothing from them was getting resolved emotionally , and mentally for any of the characters... this almost didn't need to be a trilogy to be honest.

One positive... baronship was corrected with the correct term of barony... THANK YOU!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little disappointed with this one. I liked the fist half of the book and the the last few chapters or so. But one part in the middle seemed to drag on forever... and ever.... and ever. I skimmed that part and finsihed it. Still a good book, but you could stop at the first one.

[Cal Katherine Beard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked parts of this but it was a chore to muddle through overall. The handling of religion was very cringey and simplistic, some implications offensive and unfortunate, and it felt somewhat sexist despite trying to insist that it wasn't. I had to use extra imagination to like Netta at all and even got tired of Tahn.

[Kaitlyn Krispense · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tbh the entire trilogy is just a repetition of "poor Tahn, he's been tormented enough, he needs a break" and Tahn then immediately diving headfirst into more danger and injury.

However. I do love some whump.

[Mikayla]

Excellent conclusion and a wonderful Christian fantasy read!

[Taylor Breen · Rating 5 out of 5]

a satisfying conclusion for Tahn

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐
Great wrap up to the trilogy. Will definitely read again in the future

[Flora · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author leads you on an incredible journey of mercy, the grace of God, forgiveness, and love. A must read!!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evil can be subtle, but in this story, it is blatant and brutal. Our hero can only endure and survive by God's deliverance.

[Mindy G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

PB

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, this series was awesome. It was the first romance I ever read, and I was surprised that I enjoyed that aspect. I was young when I read it, so romance wasn't something I was interested in. I was interested in the swords and inevitable fighting that was going to take place. The first two books were quite amazing, especially the second one, in my opinion. When the third one came out, I was expecting another awesome and exciting book. But when I finally finished reading it, I was left feeling that this book was rushed, slapped together, and just written so those series would be a trilogy. When an author comes to a conclusion of a story, they should want to make it memorable for the readers, and they usually end with a bang or on a high note. This series ended with a summery of what happened after the wedding. I was disappointed that such a good series would get lazy at the end. These characters were ones I had grown so attached to, and I thought they deserved more. I have read this series more than once, I enjoyed it that much. The third book, however, hasn't been opened since that first time reading it. I can't bring myself to read over that rushed bit again. The first part of the book is all right, though, and I would still recommend this series to anyone. I would just tell them to skip over the ending.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always enjoyed historicals from the era of knights, castles and ladies in waiting. This story began with danger and treachery and escalated until I thought for sure there was no way the mess Tahn found himself in could get any worse. The author did a fabulous job pulling me into the story, making me care about the characters, and giving me just enough info to get a feel for the two previous books in the series without telling me too many boring facts (This is book 3.) The author also brought the story to a satisfying conclusion without leaving loose ends that make you want to hurl the book at the wall.

The love story was great, the abuse--brutal, the villains--evil, and the resolution believable, yet miraculous. Wonderful story. I just wish I'd read the first two books first because I can see from Tahn's transformation that he suffered a lot and I would've enjoyed getting to know him better before finding out how it all ends. This can be read as a "stand alone" title, but I think it would be even better as the true conclusion to the series.

[Alora Cobb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character is 10x better than the last book because he has ptsd and problems after having The Violence happen to him. And it was nice to discuss that being strong for people 100% of the time is not good or healthy. Wish we spent more time discussing that. It was during this book that I realized the author keeps Tahn and Netta apart because they have mediocre chemistry. They just love each other too much. Never fight. Netta is cool with whatever Tahn decides and he always does what’s best. Like 70% of Netta’s lines are along the lines of “no one understands him” “ he doesn’t deserve this” etc. There’s very little character development. I’m here for the drama. I skipped every single dream described and the four page wedding scene. Very boring. After they are no longer facing the threat of violence/beheading via sparkly battle axe, the only thing worth sticking around for is Tahn’s whole Need To Be Strong Man mental dialogue.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts out with a sense of foreboding, and it doesn't take long before the usual high action and tense, life-or-death situations get started. The momentum carries you through to the end.

This is the third and last book of the trilogy, and I really enjoyed it. I think it was better than the previous two books in the series, although I think you do need to read them first. I could really see L.A. Kelly's style maturing in this one.

[Telpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book, not at all a letdown to the rest of the amazing series. It has continued with the wonderful tradition of incorporating spiritual themes into the exciting plot and cool characters. Amazing book.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome series! Couldn't put it down. I read all 3 books in the series in 1 month! Now if someone told me I would have to read 3 books in one month I would have said it was impossible. Full of mystery and action with twists and turns. This is the first time I read a medieval-type writing.

[Laura Boyles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great finish to incredible series

this series is my favorite. I have read it 5 times in the last 7 years and it never gets old. this book is incorrectly labeled as book 2, it is book 3.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wonderful conclusion to a wonderful series! I was so happy for Netta and Tahn at the end!!! I loved the whole series!!

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

of course, like most series, the first was the best.

[Cassia Ries · Rating 5 out of 5]

November 2011
May 2014

[Celesta Thiessen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This just wasn't as good as the first book of the series. There were a few interesting points in it but overall I think the wrong/boring/pointless sections of the book were overemphasized.

[Paula]

Enjoyed it even less than Return to Alistair.

[Molly Evangeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful conclusion to the trilogy!

[Natty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I finished it in almost two days.

[Rachelle Sperling · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice conclusion to a good series. The themes of grace, mercy and redemption were carried through to the end.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[Stephie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The conclusion to an amazing trilogy we will be sad to see end.