Sanctuary of Roses

Medieval Herb Garden #2

by Colleen Gleason

Madelyne de Belgrume has lived in secrecy in a hidden abbey for years. Her mad, abusive father, Fantin, believes she is dead.

Lord Gavin Mal Verne wants nothing more than to seek revenge on Fantin de Belgrume ... and he has the king's blessing to bring the man to heel.

After a battle with Fantin that leaves Gavin nearly dead, he accidentally comes upon a hidden abbey ... and the beautiful, serene nun who helps to heal him, touching his heart in more ways than one.

When Gavin discovers Madelyne's true identity, she is forced to leave the sanctuary of the abbey and appeal to King Henry for succor.

To her horror, Madelyne learns she must either marry ... or be returned to her father's custody.

If you love the rich tapestry of medieval romances from Lara Adrian, Paula Quinn, Roberta Gellis, Catherine Coulter and Julie Garwood, you'll love Sanctuary of Roses!

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Medieval, Historical Fiction, Ebooks, Fiction

286 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 2011

About the author

Award-winning, NEW YORK TIMES and USA Today bestselling author Colleen Gleason (who also writes as Colleen Cambridge) has written more than fifty novels in a variety of genres…but always feature smart, strong women determined to right wrongs and get shit done.

Colleen lives in the Midwest United States where she is fortunate enough to be working on her next book.

She loves to hear from readers via her website, Facebook, or GoodReads.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Late review
Read: 5/24
Lackluster and dull!

Madelyn and her mother escaped her crazy father when she was 10. She has spent the last 10 years in a wonderful abbey. When Gavin's party is injured in battle, his men stubble onto a hidden abbey. The nuns heal his wounds and drop him off in the forest. It doesn't take him long to figure out the identity of the beautiful madonna who treated his injury. Madelyn is the lost daughter of his enemy. Gavin forces Madelyn to leave, and he eventually brings her to court where the king declares she must marry.

Meanwhile, her bat shit crazy father tries to reclaim his daughter. He is OBSESSED with alchemy and believes he is the one that will turn metal into gold. He is under the delusion that God has chosen him and that he will be gifted with immortality. 🤪 Needless to say, he is upset to learn that his daughter is alive and now in the hands of his enemies. She must be the key to his alchemy.

Conclusion:
I liked Madelyn, but not so much Gavin. Gavin has a gruff, angry personality that leaves much to be desired. Normally, I love a brooding H whose heart only the h can melt, but that didn't happen in this case. Gavin stayed cold through most of the book. There was nothing that made me root for this couple. The h should have run for the hills.

Another problem was the slow pacing. Once they reached court, the story became a real snooze fest😴. The one-dimensional characters didn't help either.

I liked the 5th book in the series. I'm shocked that this is the same author.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sanctuary of Roses has a romance thread running throughout, but the plot and character list is broad enough that this read more like historical fiction that historical romance. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the ride.

I loved the scene with the abbey and the roses and the peeks into the medieval court. The abbey was beautiful and quiet, while the court was vicious, full of color, and rich with intrigue. Finally, Madelyne's father was a crazy religious fanatic who was the creepiest villain I've encountered in a while.

While Gavin only became interesting at the very end, I really enjoyed Madelyne's character. She is serene. I've never encountered a heroine like her. It was cool to see how her time at the abbey influenced who she was. I appreciated her peace and inner strength. As for Gavin, he resisted his emotions and was pretty stony through the whole book, but when it really mattered, he came through.

Overall, I really enjoyed the crazy plotting, the even crazier villain, and the sweeter romance. I will be continuing the series.

One note: I think the author sometimes selects words because they flow well when read even if they don't actually make sense. I never had trouble understanding what was happening, but sometimes I did have weird twinges of "I don't think that word is quite right." For those of you obsessed with grammar, bear this in mind and perhaps try a sample before buying.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I can't believe it, but I liked it! It's been along time since I liked a medieval story (my favorite kind of read, btw). Here's my casting.

Gavin


Madelyne

[Claudine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the medieval romances I've read in the past were super creepy, misogynistic, and rapey, so this was a pleasant surprise. It's none of those things, for the most part.

Trigger warnings: there IS a scene near the end where a female character is coerced into... i don't know what exactly. SHE is flirting and pretending interest because she wants to rescue her friend, so everything in that scene is nonconsensual, but there's no rape. It turns into a hostage situation. There's also some physical abuse in the forms of beatings/whippings, but those take place offscreen.

The Hero and Heroine actually get to know each other before hooking up, and while there are circumstances that push them together, it's not actually against their will. Wills? That sentence is grammatically problematic and I apologise.

Good things:
- heroine isn't isolated, she has a friend who chooses to leave the abbey and accompany her so that she won't be alone
- her friend (who acts as her maid) is never treated as less valuable than the heroine, or shamed for not taking religious vows
- zero slut-shaming, from the good guys at least.
- heroine stands up for herself verbally, without being rude or cruel to others
- the Hero apologises to the heroine for ruining her life, and he means it
- when the villain finally succeeds in kidnapping the heroine, it's not because she is silly or stupid! And everyone acknowledges that!
- honestly the side-romance between Tricky and Clem was pretty cute, and again there was zero slut-shaming or criticizing Tricky for being a flirt? It was honestly so refreshing to see actual men affirming that the woman has every right to flirt with whoever she wants, and Clem being so put out over it but not wanting to protest because he respected her right to choose (even if she wasn't choosing him) was so pure and sweet.
- Gavin's major romantic rival, Richard, is portrayed as a decent dude. He doesn't make Madelyne's head spin, but he's actually a nice guy and he genuinely has affection for her and wants to marry her. Better yet, when Madelyn marries Gavin instead, he's sad but still respectful!! I'm shocked in a good way I don't think I've EVER read a book where that happens.

Bad things:
- despite being a somewhat intelligent woman, she does nothing to defend or protect herself. At all. In any situation. The closest she comes to physically defending herself is to scream once when she's being kidnapped.
- oh my god so much drama it could have been a soap opera, kind of ridiculous-- the bad guy is her abusive father and also the man who seduced the Hero's wife AND is indirectly (or directly?) the cause of that woman's death, and HER childhood friend Judith's former fiancee was killed by the hero when the fiancee was helping the father do... something... at... oh god honestly I couldn't even understand any of that particular narrative cul-de-sac.
- minor plot holes, or things that only made sense because of "plot reasons"
- oh man so much religious preaching.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the juxtaposition-- religious fanatacism for the villain and piety for the heroine. But there was so much going on that I found too much of the screen time was being taken with prayer and religious commentary.

Still a thouroughly enjoyable book.

[Sandra R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tricky to review. This is a medieval, slow burn romance between a woman hiding in an abby, (from an abusive father), and a Lord/soldier of the King. Set in England in the 12th century. It's an interesting story, but plods along, so it's easy to put down. There are plots, court drama, sword fights, poor people, swoony knights, hateful characters and an authentic, dark feel to the overall dramatic story.

The author has tried to recreate the time period by using medieval style dialogue as well. Or, as near to it as it's possible to imagine - since no one really knows how they spoke. So it's slow reading at times.

Ms Gleason is an excellent writer and this is an older book. 5 stars for the medieval atmosphere and 3 for readability. I liked it and appreciated the difficulties setting authentic sounding stories in this time period. I wish more authors would tackle the medieval genre. This book is an example of how historical romances should be written. There are points of view from several characters as well as the H/h.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd in the series, but can be read as a stand alone. This was a freebie on Amazon.

I usually have bad luck with the free romances that Amazon offers, but this one is a pleasant surprise!
Maddie's father is a crazed psychopath who beat her & her mother regularly, until they made their escape to a hidden abbey when she was 10 years old. Maddie lives there until she's a young adult & meets Gavin, who is injured after being attacked on the road (by her father). He spills that Maddie is in the abbey to King Henry & is sent back to fetch her. They follow a convoluted path to love.

I really liked this story! A lot of authors of medieval romances have the male lead act as an arrogant jerk, but CG gives Gavin a heart, as well as intelligence.

[Gogol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frankly, I didnt finish. This writer needs an editor, and she should learn that quality is always, always more important than quantity. The slow pace and the unnecessary drawing out of the plot without any substance or anything of interest happening that would drive the story just frustrates and bores readers. The other book was even worse.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really flat characters and an overuse of tropes. Much of the plot is thin; there were a few moments where I felt hopeful that the heroine/hero would experience some character development but this book definitely fell flat. I was quite bored near the end - and I think the author was bored as well, as it wrapped up overly quickly and suddenly.

[Rachel-RN · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, like Lavender Vows, is set in the same time period (12th century). Maybe it's just me or the time period, but I had a hard time getting into this one. It is better than Lavender Vows (2.5 for me), this one is a 3. I also didn't like the heavy religious aspect either (again probably just me). I mainly got these because I loved Colleen Gleason's other series (including the one written under Joss Ware). I don't think I will be reading #3.

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good novel, reasonably good story, a really bad guy and all of it. I don't know why I'm not enthusiastic but... Here it goes.
Half the characters felt... Paper thin. Their emotion changed to suit the moment of the story, not always in a natural way. I think that's what ruined it for me.

[Giulia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this historical romance and will be reading more of Colleen Gleason. Read my full review http://devastatingreads.blogspot.ca/2...

[Kim Fraser · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book started out interesting and then got very boring for me. The actions of the characters didn't make sense and didn't fit with the plot of the story.

[Winnifred D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is basically a holistic review for the 1st 3 entries in the series, because by the time I finished this book I wasn't that eager to read the 4th. I'm giving 5 stars for the author's writing style, which is smooth and elegant as always, and for her historical research. 4 stars for the dialog, which tries to sound true-to-period, and even if it is clunky at times, it's not anachronistic. 2 stars for flat characters and unfortunate tropes that creep in throughout the series.

Tbh, I'm not usually a big fan of romance novels set in the Middle Ages because, well, women were chattel. There's no real way of making that romantic. The heroes of these books are typically brutish and somewhat rape-y. The heroes in this series aren't quite that bad, but just didn't do it for me; they're snarly and cynical and prickly when a h ever dares stand up for herself. They mellow out somewhat, of course, enough for h to want to have relations, but they're just your stock grumps with little warmth.

My biggest problem with this book is that the h is the pawn throughout. The decision to leave the nunnery is taken out of her hands, the decision to reunite with her father is taken out of her hands, the decision to marry is taken out of her hands. When I get to a HEA, I like to think that both H/h's lives haves improved by meeting each other, and that's not really the case here. The h tells H early on why she doesn't want to be anywhere near her dad, he knows why she and her mother left the guy, and he certainly knows firsthand the dad's bad news. But it takes H forever to come around to the idea that h is justified in her feelings.

H's selfish attitude is exemplified early on when he considers the topic of women being beaten as a form of discipline. He doesn't think it's right to hit someone physically weaker, but then he considers his late wife's infidelity, and thinks, yeah, I get why a guy would beat his wife to keep her in line, OK by me. It echoes the attitudes of H's in the previous books. Not that this attitude didn't exist in those days--it was prevalent--but as a twenty-first century woman I want an H who's a gentleman, an advocate, and willing to go against the grain. (That's why I read historical fiction as an escape in lieu of historical nonfiction.)

On the flipside, this h is one of those virginal women in the genre who's just to good to be true; a bit of a martyr. She's preternaturally calm, beautiful, a healer, saves the H's life more than once, helps save his village. Doesn't matter--H forces her to travel with him to a place that's supposedly safe but is rife with traitors, ripping her away from the only sanctuary she's ever known, because his ego's bruised. The king's ticked off that H hasn't done away with Evil Dad sooner, so they want to use h as bait. She agrees to be used every step of the way because she has no choice, but in the end she's too noble to really relate to. (Ironically, mustache-twirling Evil Dad makes his way into the castle with no trouble at all. So why can't the king's men take care of the looney? Plot holes started to emerge that bugged me at around the 60% mark.)

H/h are stuck in a cycle in which H puts h down, making her feel "less than", and meanwhile h is forced to dress up while she lets go of her dreams and personal beliefs. (Yes, there's the dreaded "makeover" scene, a trope I personally dislike). None of this is romantic. It's actually kind of...bleak. The plot gets jumpy and convoluted as the action unfolds. I really wanted the h to get a bit tougher and stand up for herself, but she's pretty much the standard damsel in distress. The ending is what you expect. There is a slight twist, but it's nothing that you won't see coming.

Bottom line: I've liked Colleen Gleason's books in the past, and was happy to stumble across this series in KU a couple of weeks ago. She's a talented writer, but this just wasn't for me.

[Venetia Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I've just flicked through the reviews of Sanctuary of Roses, and I'm surprised how many reviewers commented favourably on the quality of Gleason's writing. Two things primarily bugged me in regards of the prose: 1) the faux-archaic speech, and 2) the occasional misused word.

Ye Olde Speech drives me crazy! It's a relic of 19th-century novels and has little to do with the medieval era. (It's almost as bad as och-aye Scottish speech in highland romances.) Just littering your characters' dialogue with 'twas and perchance does not convince me of historical authenticity. It only reeks of stereotype and absence of familiarity with real Middle English texts.

Then there was the occasional misused word. Gleason's editor really ought to have picked these up. For example, just before he throws himself into saving a peasant in a burning house, the noble hero Gavin declares, "I am the lord, and I am foresworn to protect my vassals." Quite beside the fact that a peasant is by definition NOT a "vassal", Gleason seems unaware that "foresworn" means to swear falsely. Precisely the opposite of what she intends in this situation.

I shouldn't be too mean about Sanctuary. After all, I did finish it. I appreciated Gleason's even-handed (if polarised) depiction of medieval religion. Exhibit A: religious fanatic and all-round bad guy Lord Fantin de Belgrume, alchemist and chosen of God. Exhibit B: the saintly and wise abbess at Lock Rose Abbey. Exhibit C: heroine Madelyne's frequent resort to religion for comfort and refuge. The story too was nicely filled with plenty of historical detail and interesting (if generally stereotyped) plot developments.

Oh, and on the topic of stereotypes, I object to the standard medieval = bad table manners trope. Even King Henry "picked up a piece of apple, shoved it into his mouth, and chewed like a cow." In fact, Sanctuary of Roses is soaked in stereotypes of the Middle Ages throughout: religious extremes (good and bad), barbaric table manners, stereotyped medieval dialogue, a brutish warrior hero, and a heroine at the mercy of men.

[Karen A. Ort · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missing stuff

I actually really liked the story and the writing; the H and the h were, to me, a great mixture of strength and vulnerability, and their mutual attraction was nicely done with the conflicted mind of the H. Gotta admit, I thought it coulda spread out quite a bit because the characters had such rich stories that I would have loved to see this story broken up into parts, with stand-alone roles for the protagonists as they approached their destiny. However, I have a dry bone to pick...my story is missing quite a few pages. It's not hard to guess what likely went on where the missing storyline went, but come ON! I want ALL the story. 4 stars because I loved it, the missing 5th because I was ticked off I had to write my own story where it was missing! Does anyone know if there is a way to get the missing pages? *sigh* I just hate having to climb my own cliff's...

[Cherie S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosebuds, Smoldering Kisses, Unexpected Love:
My first time reading this author and I must say this is one hell of a powerhouse story that had me glued to all of the smoldering pages that were filled with excitement, heartfelt confessions, deeply emotional plot and the most terrifying ending I think I have ever read.
I loved this story and the cast of characters. The villain was one of the worst I can remember ever reading.
The only thing I did not like was the author writing in old broken English or whatever you call it.
I truly enjoyed this authors' intelligently written story.
I received this book from a free website. The cover and description made me want to read it and I'm glad I did.
I would like to read more from this author. 

[Alaska Hults · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Escape

Best feature: The dialogue, and story overall, is grounded well in the time it takes place. I only felt once that a line was too modern. Without this aspect, medieval romances just. don't. work.

The main characters were very, very good and the bad guys very, very bad. Religion as a tool for good and for evil was a theme. The romance was predictable, but only in the usual way--the reason we enjoy this particular genre. Sex, but not overly explicit, and not until the wedding night, and just the one instance. (I'm not overly picky about these things, but lots are, so I like to include this information in a review.)

[Laura Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF. The H forces the h to leave the abbey where she has lived for the past ten years. He lies to her saying the King has summons her, but really he wants to use her to get revenge against her father. After the King decides she must marry and tells her she will not be allowed to return to the abby, which he makes out as her fault because she had not yet taken her vows, I wanted the h to be angry and treat the H with the coldness and mistrust he deserves. He continued to try to control her by scolding her for doing things like going to the chapel to pray. I had a hard time buying into her attraction to him.

[Paige Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

To enjoy this book, you have to meet the story where it is. The things that happen to the heroine aren't traumatic, but it's not fair either. Her life is not in her hands and when put in terms of the time period that makes sense. But she loves God, hikes up her skirt, and makes the best of it. You can't not root for her. The hero can be callous in how he views the heroine's situation. But he does come around out of love and genuine concern for the heroine. You get a real peek into a relationship of that time without the edges being smoothed over by a lighter touch. And it's no less genuine. But the road there is not roses.

[Judi Easley · Rating 4 out of 5]

From convent to court...

Stealing a nun from a hidden convent isn't something Gavin de Mal Verne does on a regular basis. But add in the fact that she's the daughter of his arch enemy, the greatest thorn in the king's side. He feels he can justify it. Madeline has been living in the hidden convent since she and her mother escaped from her father. She was only ten. She is ready to shave her head and take her final vows as a nun. Now, she is to lose the freedom she has found in the convent and become a political pawn to control her mad parent. She's to be wed, but to who? Recommended.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Madelyne and her mother find sanctuary in an abbey away from her father, the mad & tyrannical Fantin. Brought up believing she’ll be a nun, one day Madelyne tends to the wounds of an injured man called Gavin who finds the abbey after a skirmish with his sworn enemy… Madelyne’s father Fantin. What follows is a story of love, betrayal, faith and trust. - I really enjoyed this book. Set in medieval times in the court of King Henry Plantagenet, the story jogged along nicely and kept me interested. The writing was nicely descriptive of the period it was set (although the continued use of the word ‘nay’ got on my nerves after a while!) I would recommend this book.

[Jeanie Womack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saved by love

A haunting story of a mother and daughter fleeing their home for the safety of a convent. Years of peaceful cloister with the sisters dedicated to God and their service to the less fortunate. Hiding has been essential, for if their lord husband and father were to learn they live, their lives would be forfeit!

Suspenseful and filled with treachery, the plot is a double love story filled with wonderful characters you'll cheer for and some dastardly, devious villains you'll love to despise! You won't want to miss this intriguing tale.

[Kathy Kilgore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great plot with unexpected twists and turns

Colleen Gleason introduces well developed characters that are so realistic i found myself wanting to warn them to think more before making some decisions , applauding acts of heroism and simply hating the horror that some exhibited.

There was enough suspense throughout the book to hold my attention and by the end to stay up very late to finish reading.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes action, suspense, romance, strong characters in a period setting.

[Janet Wild · Rating 4 out of 5]

A medieval tale with some mayhem and romance

Set in the time of Henry and Eleanor, the tale tells the story of of a maiden discovered hidden within an Abbey walls. Her removal to court leads her father to try to kidnap her for his own twisted religious and alchemy uses. But her knight rises to save her. Makes for a good read, some good descriptions of the dress with in this period

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story. Madelyne has been living in an abbey for the past 10 years hiding from her crazy father. Gavin, sworn enemy of her father, is wounded and is taken in for healing. He discovers who she is and takes her to the king, hoping to hurt her father. Her father is a certifiably crazy religious zealot. The king takes her as a ward and says she must marry. Gavin steps forward and they are so sweet together.

[Michaela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meeh..... this one felt really long and boring. Like an old chewing gum. It dragged on. No real chemistry between the protagonists. An over the top villain. A maid who had the wisdom if an older woman although living her whole life in a monastery. I really like romances but this one was not for me.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really believed that she wanted to be a nun. It's a pity she became a pawn in politics.
What I didn't like was there was no conclusion about that 'secondary' romance between an ex-novice (Tricky) and a knight. Geez... all those built up for nothing :-|

[Nostalgic · Rating 4 out of 5]

amazing

Read it in two reads!!! Full of adventure, romance, sorrow and wit. Loved all the characters and there individual struggles to help the main hero and heroine. Highly recommend.

[Sally Spoelstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

Nicely done plot and character development. The villain was truly villainous and the heroine beautiful. She had black hair instead of the usual blond or red of most heroines. A silly detail but expect other nuances in this romance as you read.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

action plus

Full of action and intrigue and a very insane Villanova finally gets his just reward. Only through a lot of obstacles that had to be overcome to accomplish both that and a hea