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Darnleys & Kirallens #3
The Linnet
Everyone within miles of Aylsford Keep knows the notorious reputation of Lady Maude Darnley, only twenty-one yet inflamed with a temper so sharp it can draw blood. But few know the terror and anguish her temper conceals, and no one dares to breach the wall of ice that seems to encase her. Only the Irishman Ronan Fitzgerald sees beneath her haughty and cruel manner to another Maude--one who exists in spite of the hatred that taints every Darnley and Kirallen caught in the feud. Stranger in a strange land, Ronan is at Aylsford as both minstrel and healer.
Bound by oath to look after Maude, Ronan's growing fascination--and attraction--compels him to seek out her secrets, her innermost desires. Neither expects the passion that springs between them or a love so powerful and true it promises to break the endless cycle of hatred, and to triumph over violence...
Bound by oath to look after Maude, Ronan's growing fascination--and attraction--compels him to seek out her secrets, her innermost desires. Neither expects the passion that springs between them or a love so powerful and true it promises to break the endless cycle of hatred, and to triumph over violence...
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 6, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 5, 2010
I had this book in the TBR pile for some time. It's a medieval and I had heard it was a bit different than your usual alpha male/feisty heroine pairing that seems to appear in most books so I decided to save it for when I was in the right mood.
The story starts with something that happened 7 years before, something horribly violent that changed Maude Darnley forever. At the time of illness she was cared for Fergus, a healer, and ever since she got well he has been waiting for her to call him when she has need of him. But she has enclosed herself behind an icy mask, pretending that all is well and never did. Feeling his death approaching Fergus asks his apprentice, Ronan, to go find her and help her but doesn't tell him what happened. When Ronan meets Maude she is her usual haughty self and effectively manages to insult him and drive him away. But Ronan feels bound by his oath to Fergus not to leave and then he realises how cleverly she has shut him out on purpose and persists in getting to know her.
Maude slowly opens up to Ronan due to their shared love of music. In time she trusts him enough to tell him about the shadows who don't let her sleep (there's a bit of a paranormal element) and about what really happened to her 7 years ago. This is the third book in a trilogy and it is mentioned several times some bad things that Maude has done in the past. She is aware of them and she feels responsible, she doesn't find excuses for what she other than that she was frightened and didn't know what else to do. I haven't read the previous books so I can't judge but this story stands alone quite nicely.
This is neither a merry book nor a light book. Bad things really happened to people, especially during a feud between families as we have here, and even after healing the scars are never far from the surface. We see Maude and Ronan falling in love but we can see that they won't have an easy journey to their happy ending. I did really like Maude and Ronan, they were rich, complex characters and this is a multi-layered story that will take the reader on an emotional journey. Ronan and Maude are both scarred by their past and their future can't be the usual marriage and babies. But not everyone has to have the same fate to find happiness and I was quite satisfied with how English concluded their story. Her characterization of the people and the period has depth and it's engaging so she left me hoping for more of her books. Unfortunately it seems this was her only trilogy...
Grade: 4/5
The story starts with something that happened 7 years before, something horribly violent that changed Maude Darnley forever. At the time of illness she was cared for Fergus, a healer, and ever since she got well he has been waiting for her to call him when she has need of him. But she has enclosed herself behind an icy mask, pretending that all is well and never did. Feeling his death approaching Fergus asks his apprentice, Ronan, to go find her and help her but doesn't tell him what happened. When Ronan meets Maude she is her usual haughty self and effectively manages to insult him and drive him away. But Ronan feels bound by his oath to Fergus not to leave and then he realises how cleverly she has shut him out on purpose and persists in getting to know her.
Maude slowly opens up to Ronan due to their shared love of music. In time she trusts him enough to tell him about the shadows who don't let her sleep (there's a bit of a paranormal element) and about what really happened to her 7 years ago. This is the third book in a trilogy and it is mentioned several times some bad things that Maude has done in the past. She is aware of them and she feels responsible, she doesn't find excuses for what she other than that she was frightened and didn't know what else to do. I haven't read the previous books so I can't judge but this story stands alone quite nicely.
This is neither a merry book nor a light book. Bad things really happened to people, especially during a feud between families as we have here, and even after healing the scars are never far from the surface. We see Maude and Ronan falling in love but we can see that they won't have an easy journey to their happy ending. I did really like Maude and Ronan, they were rich, complex characters and this is a multi-layered story that will take the reader on an emotional journey. Ronan and Maude are both scarred by their past and their future can't be the usual marriage and babies. But not everyone has to have the same fate to find happiness and I was quite satisfied with how English concluded their story. Her characterization of the people and the period has depth and it's engaging so she left me hoping for more of her books. Unfortunately it seems this was her only trilogy...
Grade: 4/5
September 22, 2020
This was one of my first DIK reviews, from back in 2004. I haven't reread in a while, but I remember this as being a great, angsty read, and I liked it enough to haul the book around with me through 4 subsequent moves. I still have it.
----------------
The bloody Border feuds between the English and the Scots are both terrible and fascinating. But while many have written about them, few books give much consideration to the human side of the brutality marking Border life hundreds of years ago. In The Linnet, Elizabeth English brings this time and place to life, showing both the horror and the beauty of it all. The hero and heroine really have to work for their happiness, but following them along their gut-wrenching journey is ultimately rewarding.
After traveling the world as a musician, Ronan Fitzgerald is now apprenticed to Fergus the taibhsear, a type of healer/seer. His master, who had previously treated Lady Maude Darnley, is dying, so he sends Ronan in his place to tend to her. Ronan is told little by the old healer, so he does not know what to expect when he reaches the stronghold of the Darnleys and meets Maude, his unwilling patient.
In many ways, Maude, who is cold and harsh to those around her, is the terror of the Darnley home, and her rude and callous mistreatment of family keep her detached from her own household. These qualities have also given rise to malicious gossip among the rival Kirallen family, who currently hold her brother as hostage to ensure a truce. Not surprisingly, Maude’s initial resistance to the healer’s apprentice is so vehement that it appears unlikely that she will ever again find herself on good terms with the healer.
Ronan, however, is both wise and persistent. His kindness, intelligence, and abilities stand him in good stead as he seeks to find out what ails Lady Maude beneath her haughty exterior. Ronan is one of the first to guess that a truly troubled heart lies beneath Maude’s cold demeanor and he sets about trying to help Maude free herself from her self-imposed prison. From then on, their story is one that is often wrenching, dark, and violent, but not totally lacking in humor since there are light scenes interspersed throughout to keep the reader from being utterly wrung out by the intensity of Maude and Ronan’s tale.
This is a partial review. You can find the complete text here: https://allaboutromance.com/book-revi...
----------------
The bloody Border feuds between the English and the Scots are both terrible and fascinating. But while many have written about them, few books give much consideration to the human side of the brutality marking Border life hundreds of years ago. In The Linnet, Elizabeth English brings this time and place to life, showing both the horror and the beauty of it all. The hero and heroine really have to work for their happiness, but following them along their gut-wrenching journey is ultimately rewarding.
After traveling the world as a musician, Ronan Fitzgerald is now apprenticed to Fergus the taibhsear, a type of healer/seer. His master, who had previously treated Lady Maude Darnley, is dying, so he sends Ronan in his place to tend to her. Ronan is told little by the old healer, so he does not know what to expect when he reaches the stronghold of the Darnleys and meets Maude, his unwilling patient.
In many ways, Maude, who is cold and harsh to those around her, is the terror of the Darnley home, and her rude and callous mistreatment of family keep her detached from her own household. These qualities have also given rise to malicious gossip among the rival Kirallen family, who currently hold her brother as hostage to ensure a truce. Not surprisingly, Maude’s initial resistance to the healer’s apprentice is so vehement that it appears unlikely that she will ever again find herself on good terms with the healer.
Ronan, however, is both wise and persistent. His kindness, intelligence, and abilities stand him in good stead as he seeks to find out what ails Lady Maude beneath her haughty exterior. Ronan is one of the first to guess that a truly troubled heart lies beneath Maude’s cold demeanor and he sets about trying to help Maude free herself from her self-imposed prison. From then on, their story is one that is often wrenching, dark, and violent, but not totally lacking in humor since there are light scenes interspersed throughout to keep the reader from being utterly wrung out by the intensity of Maude and Ronan’s tale.
This is a partial review. You can find the complete text here: https://allaboutromance.com/book-revi...
March 18, 2015
Unusual Borderlands Romance with an Irish hero
This is book 3 in the trilogy about the Darnleys and the Kirallens. Set in the borderlands between Scotland and England in 1379, this is the story of Lady Maude Darnley, who when she was 14, suffered a horrible attack and ever since has suppressed the truth (even to herself) beneath a cold exterior. But at 21, she is barely holding herself together. Meanwhile, her father has been consumed with taking revenge on their enemies, the Kirallens, whose raid brought about the horrible event.
An Irishman named Ronan Fitzgerald, who is a taibhsear (a healer and a seer, and in his case, also a bard), is dispatched by his teacher (who is aware of the facts but is sworn to secrecy) to Lord Darnley to offer his services. Ronan carries his own baggage from the past and knows nothing of his mission, but soon realizes that Lady Maude needs his help. He is patient and as they enjoy their music, she slowly begins to reveal her past and the horrible event that changed everything. But can the horrible event of the past and the terrible revenge it produced be made to come right?
This is a very different historical romance. It is really the story of one woman’s struggle back from a horrible event to find love in the arms of her healer (a patient falling in love with her therapist, if you will). And Ronan, an insightful and gentle man, finds the woman who can hold his heart. Both are complex characters. It’s a well-told, intricately woven story, but likely not for everyone. The medieval stage is well set though there is not much history here, just the warring families on the border.
It can be read as a stand alone story though there are references to earlier happenings and other characters.
The Darnleys & Kirallens:
The Border Bride
Laird of the Mist
The Linnet
This is book 3 in the trilogy about the Darnleys and the Kirallens. Set in the borderlands between Scotland and England in 1379, this is the story of Lady Maude Darnley, who when she was 14, suffered a horrible attack and ever since has suppressed the truth (even to herself) beneath a cold exterior. But at 21, she is barely holding herself together. Meanwhile, her father has been consumed with taking revenge on their enemies, the Kirallens, whose raid brought about the horrible event.
An Irishman named Ronan Fitzgerald, who is a taibhsear (a healer and a seer, and in his case, also a bard), is dispatched by his teacher (who is aware of the facts but is sworn to secrecy) to Lord Darnley to offer his services. Ronan carries his own baggage from the past and knows nothing of his mission, but soon realizes that Lady Maude needs his help. He is patient and as they enjoy their music, she slowly begins to reveal her past and the horrible event that changed everything. But can the horrible event of the past and the terrible revenge it produced be made to come right?
This is a very different historical romance. It is really the story of one woman’s struggle back from a horrible event to find love in the arms of her healer (a patient falling in love with her therapist, if you will). And Ronan, an insightful and gentle man, finds the woman who can hold his heart. Both are complex characters. It’s a well-told, intricately woven story, but likely not for everyone. The medieval stage is well set though there is not much history here, just the warring families on the border.
It can be read as a stand alone story though there are references to earlier happenings and other characters.
The Darnleys & Kirallens:
The Border Bride
Laird of the Mist
The Linnet
March 30, 2024
4.5 stars
This was a "ooh, this cover is pretty!" purchase, because the first printing is a lustrous gold and the typography and illustration are so beautiful. I'd never heard of the author and only discovered later that it was the third in a series of late medievals that take place along the England/Scotland border in the 14th century and document the enmity between the Darnley and Kirallen clans.
But I dived in, and it stands alone pretty well. It's the story of Lady Maude Darnley, who was r@ped and left for dead seven years prior. (So there's your content warning; we don't see it happen but it does recur in flashbacks throughout the book. It isn't written gratuitously at all, for which I was grateful.) She of course is left with severe PTSD and has closed herself off so as not to deal with it.
The man who took care of her afterward, a healer/mystic, isn't well enough to come to her after she returns from London, so he sends his protegee, Ronan Fitzgerald. Both he and Maude are fascinatingly complex characters, which I love. In fact, there are no true baddies here. There are plenty of people who have done bad things, but they are portrayed as very much human rather than mustache-twirling evildoers. I love this kind of nuance in a romance.
Ronan is a wonderful hero. He's a bard and a holy man and a warrior and a healer; you see him wrestling with his attraction to Maude because he's basically her therapist, and I think it's done very well. Even though he has a POV, he remains mysterious enough to be intriguing.
This book isn't by any means an easy read at times, but it also includes one of the best kisses I've ever read and a short but beautiful love scene beneath a willow.
There is an element of magic here, which I loved, but I wish English had spent a little more time on that aspect of Ronan's abilities. Maybe there's more in the first two books, which I will be reading.
So, a nice surprise! Sometimes you CAN judge a book by its cover.
This was a "ooh, this cover is pretty!" purchase, because the first printing is a lustrous gold and the typography and illustration are so beautiful. I'd never heard of the author and only discovered later that it was the third in a series of late medievals that take place along the England/Scotland border in the 14th century and document the enmity between the Darnley and Kirallen clans.
But I dived in, and it stands alone pretty well. It's the story of Lady Maude Darnley, who was r@ped and left for dead seven years prior. (So there's your content warning; we don't see it happen but it does recur in flashbacks throughout the book. It isn't written gratuitously at all, for which I was grateful.) She of course is left with severe PTSD and has closed herself off so as not to deal with it.
The man who took care of her afterward, a healer/mystic, isn't well enough to come to her after she returns from London, so he sends his protegee, Ronan Fitzgerald. Both he and Maude are fascinatingly complex characters, which I love. In fact, there are no true baddies here. There are plenty of people who have done bad things, but they are portrayed as very much human rather than mustache-twirling evildoers. I love this kind of nuance in a romance.
Ronan is a wonderful hero. He's a bard and a holy man and a warrior and a healer; you see him wrestling with his attraction to Maude because he's basically her therapist, and I think it's done very well. Even though he has a POV, he remains mysterious enough to be intriguing.
This book isn't by any means an easy read at times, but it also includes one of the best kisses I've ever read and a short but beautiful love scene beneath a willow.
There is an element of magic here, which I loved, but I wish English had spent a little more time on that aspect of Ronan's abilities. Maybe there's more in the first two books, which I will be reading.
So, a nice surprise! Sometimes you CAN judge a book by its cover.
February 1, 2022
a different kind of romance
This was excellent but so heavy in subject matter and tone. So many sad things happened as a result of the attack on Maude 7 years earlier. A lot of death and loss - honestly I loved it but probably won’t reread. That all being said, I could not put it down. I wish there was an epilogue to pick me up again!!
This was excellent but so heavy in subject matter and tone. So many sad things happened as a result of the attack on Maude 7 years earlier. A lot of death and loss - honestly I loved it but probably won’t reread. That all being said, I could not put it down. I wish there was an epilogue to pick me up again!!
March 18, 2015
Unusual Borderlands Romance with an Irish hero
This is book 3 in the trilogy about the Darnleys and the Kirallens. Set in the borderlands between Scotland and England in 1379, this is the story of Lady Maude Darnley, who when she was 14, suffered a horrible attack and ever since has suppressed the truth (even to herself) beneath a cold exterior. But at 21, she is barely holding herself together. Meanwhile, her father has been consumed with taking revenge on their enemies, the Kirallens, whose raid brought about the horrible event.
An Irishman named Ronan Fitzgerald, who is a taibhsear (a healer and a seer, and in his case, also a bard), is dispatched by his teacher (who is aware of the facts but is sworn to secrecy) to Lord Darnley to offer his services. Ronan carries his own baggage from the past and knows nothing of his mission, but soon realizes that Lady Maude needs his help. He is patient and as they enjoy their music, she slowly begins to reveal her past and the horrible event that changed everything. But can the horrible event of the past and the terrible revenge it produced be made to come right?
This is a very different historical romance. It is really the story of one woman’s struggle back from a horrible event to find love in the arms of her healer (a patient falling in love with her therapist, if you will). And Ronan, an insightful and gentle man, finds the woman who can hold his heart. Both are complex characters. It’s a well-told, intricately woven story, but likely not for everyone. The medieval stage is well set though there is not much history here, just the warring families on the border.
It can be read as a stand alone story though there are references to earlier happenings and other characters.
The Darnleys & Kirallens:
The Border Bride
Laird of the Mist
The Linnet
This is book 3 in the trilogy about the Darnleys and the Kirallens. Set in the borderlands between Scotland and England in 1379, this is the story of Lady Maude Darnley, who when she was 14, suffered a horrible attack and ever since has suppressed the truth (even to herself) beneath a cold exterior. But at 21, she is barely holding herself together. Meanwhile, her father has been consumed with taking revenge on their enemies, the Kirallens, whose raid brought about the horrible event.
An Irishman named Ronan Fitzgerald, who is a taibhsear (a healer and a seer, and in his case, also a bard), is dispatched by his teacher (who is aware of the facts but is sworn to secrecy) to Lord Darnley to offer his services. Ronan carries his own baggage from the past and knows nothing of his mission, but soon realizes that Lady Maude needs his help. He is patient and as they enjoy their music, she slowly begins to reveal her past and the horrible event that changed everything. But can the horrible event of the past and the terrible revenge it produced be made to come right?
This is a very different historical romance. It is really the story of one woman’s struggle back from a horrible event to find love in the arms of her healer (a patient falling in love with her therapist, if you will). And Ronan, an insightful and gentle man, finds the woman who can hold his heart. Both are complex characters. It’s a well-told, intricately woven story, but likely not for everyone. The medieval stage is well set though there is not much history here, just the warring families on the border.
It can be read as a stand alone story though there are references to earlier happenings and other characters.
The Darnleys & Kirallens:
The Border Bride
Laird of the Mist
The Linnet
December 3, 2015
Astounding
This was so good I hated putting it down. The dreams and insights were amazing and I loved how all three books were intertwined. This was great and I like the stories. Hope there is another book on Haddon and Malcolm.
This was so good I hated putting it down. The dreams and insights were amazing and I loved how all three books were intertwined. This was great and I like the stories. Hope there is another book on Haddon and Malcolm.
January 15, 2016
:)
I couldn't set it down all 3 books. Interwoven perfectly. I could see the people, the places, how exciting. Looking forward to more from Elizabeth English!
I couldn't set it down all 3 books. Interwoven perfectly. I could see the people, the places, how exciting. Looking forward to more from Elizabeth English!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews