What do you think?
Rate this book
Welsh Blades #2
Fair, Bright, and Terrible
Wales is conquered, and Eluned has lost her country, her husband, her hope. All that remains is vengeance, and she will stop at nothing to have it. Certain there is no trace within her of the idealistic girl who loved Robert de Lascaux a lifetime ago, she agrees to marry him to advance the fortunes of her son, to avoid the nunnery, and most importantly - as an easy way to gain access to the man upon whom she will avenge Wales. When Robert is asked to marry the woman he has loved for eighteen years, he never hesitates. But the lady who greets him at the altar has so little in common with the girl he adored that he begins to doubt that there is anything left of her bold and passionate younger self. Marriage to her might gain him the fortune and status his family has always wanted, but no wealth has ever mattered to him as much as Eluned has. Trapped in a web of intrigue, revenge, and desire, they cannot forget their past – but can they share a future? The fascinating world of medieval Wales is continued in this riveting companion novel to The King's Man.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 26, 2017
77 people are currently reading
1032 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Kingston
13 books316 followers
***Sign up for the Elizabeth Kingston Newsletter for updates on new publications.***
Elizabeth Kingston lives in Chicago, where she can be found gleefully subverting tropes and inventing new ways to make fictional people kiss. When there's time for it (hint: there's always time for it) she shouts loudly about the intersection of historical romance and white supremacist narratives. Lipstick, skincare, and baked goods all rank high on her list of Other Interests. She sincerely hopes you enjoy her writing, and that you'll share it with others.
Elizabeth Kingston lives in Chicago, where she can be found gleefully subverting tropes and inventing new ways to make fictional people kiss. When there's time for it (hint: there's always time for it) she shouts loudly about the intersection of historical romance and white supremacist narratives. Lipstick, skincare, and baked goods all rank high on her list of Other Interests. She sincerely hopes you enjoy her writing, and that you'll share it with others.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
May 19, 2019
I'm not crying. Well, maybe a little choked up. Okay, okay, I'm crying.
So I rarely love a straight-up teddy bear hero. But dang man, Robert de Lascaux manages to be sexy as hell with his fierce devotion to both the memory and a woman that he spent 18 years loving.
I wondered who on Earth needed Eluned to get her happy ending, but I realized quickly I'd made a mistake. This was something we all need. A woman of her time, plotting and deceiving, a woman of her time brilliantly manipulating and born the wrong gender. A woman of her time, with a woman's tools who we would not think twice about her actions were she a man. Her redemption isn't swift or ignored, for she still bears the burden and disappointment from King's Man. She's cold, she's calculating, but there's something beneath the surface that loves deeply and intensely and I fell quickly and easily in love with her character.
And I didn't read the blurb, I had no idea this was second chance, and goddamn, was it ever successful--grief and respect for memory while making peace with the people they are now and could become. The longing, the angst, and the reconciliation were believable. They were lovely, and this book was a romantic treat. Even better? Nicholas Boulton performing it of course. All my fingers and toes crossed Desire Lines will be released in audio w/ him performing it as well...
So I rarely love a straight-up teddy bear hero. But dang man, Robert de Lascaux manages to be sexy as hell with his fierce devotion to both the memory and a woman that he spent 18 years loving.
I wondered who on Earth needed Eluned to get her happy ending, but I realized quickly I'd made a mistake. This was something we all need. A woman of her time, plotting and deceiving, a woman of her time brilliantly manipulating and born the wrong gender. A woman of her time, with a woman's tools who we would not think twice about her actions were she a man. Her redemption isn't swift or ignored, for she still bears the burden and disappointment from King's Man. She's cold, she's calculating, but there's something beneath the surface that loves deeply and intensely and I fell quickly and easily in love with her character.
And I didn't read the blurb, I had no idea this was second chance, and goddamn, was it ever successful--grief and respect for memory while making peace with the people they are now and could become. The longing, the angst, and the reconciliation were believable. They were lovely, and this book was a romantic treat. Even better? Nicholas Boulton performing it of course. All my fingers and toes crossed Desire Lines will be released in audio w/ him performing it as well...
February 3, 2017
I really liked this book. What a lot of people don't know about England in the thirteenth century is that one of the big political battles during that time period was the king and co going after the noble's land. Prior to this book taking place, the Magna Carta had been pretty much forcibly shoved down the Monarchy's throat.
The Monarchy, as monarchies are wont to do, did not appreciate having legal restraints on their power. Since they could do very little to limit the nobility via the law, they chose another route. This involved grabbing or confiscating as much of the noble's lands and assets as they could . Cause at this time, you can have all the legal authority you want, but if you have no money or manpower to enforce it, you don't have anything at all.
Eluned is the woman who spends years training her daughter to lead an army and maneuvering to keep Wales independent of English hegemony. She is not wrong in realizing that English annexation is not going to end well for the Welsh natives, sadly she is proven correct and the opening of this book is an excellent narration of the grief one might feel when an entire way of life has been lost.
Now Eluned has a new goal, she wants redress for the slaughter of her people and there is no law left that will give it to her, she is going to have to rely on other means and a considerable intelligence to find a solution to her dilemma. Eluned was absolutely outstanding in her passionate convictions and her indomitable will to have revenge for the wrongs done her. And I got that, cause what was done to the Welsh people in England's conquest for power was pretty reprehensible, and it wasn't even done in the name of making the world a better place.
Edward the 1st wanted Wales to increase his own wealth and power base and sadly he and his progeny let crown favorites do horrible things in the King's name. In the years that followed, the rape of Wales by the Mortimers was comparable to William the Conqueror's Harrowing of the North- and it was all done for monetary profit. Thus was life in England and Wales in the thirteenth century.
(I think another reason I loved this book was I am a huge amateur medieval historian -- it is one of my favorite time periods, so much of what we consider modern life evolved during this era, and EK nailed it on the research. She did a really, really good job and in these days of wallpaper historicals, that is a wonderful rareity.)
The h and H in this story are also highly believable characters that I got seriously invested in. I already liked the h from her role in the first book, (and I was a bit pissed with the daughter who was the h in the first if you want to know the truth.) Eluned was such a strong woman, I wouldn't mind having her backbone when I grow up.
She made hard decisions and she did it pretty ruthlessly, but that was very much the time period where might was definitely right. She was ruthless because she had to be, and I had a lot of appreciation for her strength of will. I think some people may be put off because Eluned is not nice, she isn't loving and she isn't long on compassion- she is very much a leader and there is no mercy in her at all.
The H in this case is a bit beta, and I can see why Eluned needed that. Eluned is a Alpha woman, she is also older and set in her ways, she probably wouldn't have had a very happy union with the majority of the men in that time period - the H, tho he is a bit weak, is also the only one who can really peel away the formidable iron layers Eluned encases herself with and get her to show some actual tender emotion. Plus he is probably the only man who loves her just as she is, hard, ruthless, determined but also fiercely devoted to those she protects (and that includes a LOT of people as she has been running one area or another for a very long time. )
The build up of the love story was very believable as both the H and h get to know each other and the h essentially married the H to further her quest for vengeance. The H had been in love with his ideal of the h for years. So needless to say, finding out how she really is comes as a bit of a shock.
They do manage to find an enduring love tho and I liked how they both adjusted and compromised to reach out to each other and find a HEA. I also loved the scene where Eluned has to save the H - her solution is RUTHLESS, but I liked it cause is demonstrated just how committed to the H Eluned really was.
If you don't like uber Alpha badass ladies, skip this one. If you like a well researched medieval with an older couple, (having older nobility still alive over 40 wasn't unusual, especially if a woman did not endure multiple pregnancies from a young age, most young medieval noble women died from childbirth or it's complications,) this might be a book for you.
The Monarchy, as monarchies are wont to do, did not appreciate having legal restraints on their power. Since they could do very little to limit the nobility via the law, they chose another route. This involved grabbing or confiscating as much of the noble's lands and assets as they could . Cause at this time, you can have all the legal authority you want, but if you have no money or manpower to enforce it, you don't have anything at all.
Eluned is the woman who spends years training her daughter to lead an army and maneuvering to keep Wales independent of English hegemony. She is not wrong in realizing that English annexation is not going to end well for the Welsh natives, sadly she is proven correct and the opening of this book is an excellent narration of the grief one might feel when an entire way of life has been lost.
Now Eluned has a new goal, she wants redress for the slaughter of her people and there is no law left that will give it to her, she is going to have to rely on other means and a considerable intelligence to find a solution to her dilemma. Eluned was absolutely outstanding in her passionate convictions and her indomitable will to have revenge for the wrongs done her. And I got that, cause what was done to the Welsh people in England's conquest for power was pretty reprehensible, and it wasn't even done in the name of making the world a better place.
Edward the 1st wanted Wales to increase his own wealth and power base and sadly he and his progeny let crown favorites do horrible things in the King's name. In the years that followed, the rape of Wales by the Mortimers was comparable to William the Conqueror's Harrowing of the North- and it was all done for monetary profit. Thus was life in England and Wales in the thirteenth century.
(I think another reason I loved this book was I am a huge amateur medieval historian -- it is one of my favorite time periods, so much of what we consider modern life evolved during this era, and EK nailed it on the research. She did a really, really good job and in these days of wallpaper historicals, that is a wonderful rareity.)
The h and H in this story are also highly believable characters that I got seriously invested in. I already liked the h from her role in the first book, (and I was a bit pissed with the daughter who was the h in the first if you want to know the truth.) Eluned was such a strong woman, I wouldn't mind having her backbone when I grow up.
She made hard decisions and she did it pretty ruthlessly, but that was very much the time period where might was definitely right. She was ruthless because she had to be, and I had a lot of appreciation for her strength of will. I think some people may be put off because Eluned is not nice, she isn't loving and she isn't long on compassion- she is very much a leader and there is no mercy in her at all.
The H in this case is a bit beta, and I can see why Eluned needed that. Eluned is a Alpha woman, she is also older and set in her ways, she probably wouldn't have had a very happy union with the majority of the men in that time period - the H, tho he is a bit weak, is also the only one who can really peel away the formidable iron layers Eluned encases herself with and get her to show some actual tender emotion. Plus he is probably the only man who loves her just as she is, hard, ruthless, determined but also fiercely devoted to those she protects (and that includes a LOT of people as she has been running one area or another for a very long time. )
The build up of the love story was very believable as both the H and h get to know each other and the h essentially married the H to further her quest for vengeance. The H had been in love with his ideal of the h for years. So needless to say, finding out how she really is comes as a bit of a shock.
They do manage to find an enduring love tho and I liked how they both adjusted and compromised to reach out to each other and find a HEA. I also loved the scene where Eluned has to save the H - her solution is RUTHLESS, but I liked it cause is demonstrated just how committed to the H Eluned really was.
If you don't like uber Alpha badass ladies, skip this one. If you like a well researched medieval with an older couple, (having older nobility still alive over 40 wasn't unusual, especially if a woman did not endure multiple pregnancies from a young age, most young medieval noble women died from childbirth or it's complications,) this might be a book for you.
May 20, 2024
Review from 2017
I've given this an A+ for narration and an A- for content at AudioGals
Fair, Bright, and Terrible is the sequel to Elizabeth Kingston’sThe King's Man, and is, like its predecessor, set in and around the final years of the Welsh struggle for independence against the military might of England under King Edward I. The book is an engrossing mix of historical romance and historical fiction; the author has obviously and extensively researched the political and military history of the time and the second-chance love story between two older and wiser protagonists – they’re both in their forties – is expertly woven throughout. But make no mistake – this is a gritty and angsty story about a proud, scheming woman who is so entirely focussed on revenge that she is prepared to sacrifice her happiness and her life if need be in order to obtain it; and her almost fanatical desire for vengeance to the exclusion of all else makes her difficult to like.
Eluned of Ruardean was not a popular character in The King’s Man, in large part thanks to the way in which she had so sternly controlled her daughter’s – Gwenllian’s – life and insisted on training her to be the saviour of the Welsh people, without really considering that Gwenllian was entitled to a say in her own life. She is still not the most sympathetic of women, but she’s a fascinating character nonetheless; driven, uncompromising and self-aware, and by the end of the book I was won over and seriously impressed by the author’s ability to have made such a flawed character both admirable and likeable.
As Fair, Bright and Terrible opens, Eluned is devastated at the news of the final defeat of the Welsh rebellion against the English. Her beloved uncle has been killed in the battle, her dear friend and servant, Madog, fatally wounded and Eluned, heartsick at the ravages suffered by her beloved Wales and at her own personal losses, falls into a lethargy from which she eventually emerges with a single goal of avenging Wales and the Welsh by killing Roger Mortimer, the man who laid the final trap for Llewellyn, the last prince of Wales.
Coming hard on the heels of the Welsh defeat is the news of the death of her absentee husband, who had spent most of the years of their marriage fighting in the Holy Land, thus allowing Eluned great autonomy over their home and lands. Now, however, instead of freedom, she faces the prospect of another marriage; her son, William, is sixteen and eager to take his place as lord of Ruardean and to amass more lands and fortune by marrying her to Robert de Lascaux, a man held in high esteem by the king owing to his stalwart defence of Edward’s lands in Aquitaine.
Robert de Lascaux has spent most of his life butting heads with his father, so when he immediately agrees to the proposed match with Eluned of Ruardean, both the elder Lascaux and Robert’s brother are astounded and suspicious. But they don’t know that, eighteen years earlier, Robert and Eluned – then twenty-two and mother of a young daughter – had had a passionate affair during one of her husband’s lengthy absences. Robert has never forgotten or fallen out of love with the vital, lovely woman who had enchanted him, even though they had not parted on the best of terms. So he eagerly seizes the chance to be with her again – but is destined to be disappointed when he discovers that Eluned, though still beautiful – is a completely different woman to the one he remembers. This Eluned is cold, manipulative and ruthless – and the moment when Robert realises that for eighteen years, he has idealised and loved a memory – and a misremembered one at that – is utterly heartbreaking.
Elizabeth Kingston has written a second-chance romance quite unlike any other I’ve read or listened to. In it, she shows clearly how life’s experiences can change a person almost beyond all recognition, how memories can play us false and the importance of being able to see clearly and accept others for what and who they are in the present. The central section of the story in which Robert and Eluned are married, yet miles apart emotionally, is beautifully written and tugs inexorably at the heartstrings. In spite of his frustrations, Robert cannot help but hope that in time, the woman he loves – loved – will come back to him while Eluned struggles to hold on to her fury and commitment to revenge in the face of her returning desire for Robert and her memories of what they had been to each other.
Robert is such a good-natured, happy soul that it’s impossible to dislike him, even if he is somewhat naïve in failing to see that Eluned is likely to have changed in the eighteen years since they parted. That isn’t to say that he allows her to browbeat or dominate him, though; he is as strong a character as she in his own way. And as the story progresses, we see that he is the only person who is able to get through the protective layers his wife has erected around herself; and the way in which the author shows Robert coming to know the Eluned of now rather than dwelling on his memories, and to appreciate and love her just as she is – ruthless, determined and fiercely protective of those she cares for – is marvellously done.
As I said at the outset, Eluned is a strong, badass heroine who isn’t easy to like. She’s ruthless and she’s taken tough decisions during the course of her life, but she has done it because she has had to – the middle ages were turbulent and frequently violent and she took whatever actions were needed to defend her lands and people. But there’s no doubt that she truly loves Robert and never stopped loving him. It was her despair at the thought of not ever being able to be with him that drove her to realign her life’s priorities:
“You said that loving me was the making of you. But it was losing you that was the making of me.” She breathed the next words, the bare truth of it too awful for anything but a whisper. “I do not like what it has made me. Nor can I be what I once was. Not without you.”
Long-time audiobook listeners will already know that a good narrator can elevate a mediocre book and a poor narrator can ruin a good one. But some days, if we’re really lucky, we get to listen to one like this, in which a wonderful story and sublime narration add up to make something a bit special. I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here when I say that Nicholas Boulton is one of a handful of narrators who does a great deal more than ‘simply’ narrate a story, and that he really is the ideal choice for this sort of slightly darker and emotionally intense tale. All the technical aspects of his performance –pacing, enunciation, accents – are flawless and his differentiation between characters is so sure that there is never any problem working out who is speaking, whether it be the pot-boy or King Edward himself.
His interpretations of both Eluned and Robert are perfect, too. Robert’s deep, resonant tones show clearly that while he might be somewhat naïve when it comes to his wife, he is nonetheless an attractive, intelligent and highly capable man who loves deeply and despairs just as deeply when he starts to think he may never find the real Eluned beneath the veneer. But Eluned is the star of the show, and Mr. Boulton’s portrayal brings out every complexity and every emotional nuance to be found in this difficult and complicated woman, helping the listener to see through the tough exterior to experience her inner conflict and the uncertainties and insecurities she never lets anyone else see.
Fair, Bright, and Terrible is a wonderful marriage of genres, combining painstakingly researched historical fiction and beautifully crafted historical romance to create a truly compelling story. Nicholas Boulton’s superb narration is so much more than the icing on the cake – it’s icing that permeates the whole thing and makes it even more delicious. If you haven’t already done so, go and snap this one up immediately.
I've given this an A+ for narration and an A- for content at AudioGals
Fair, Bright, and Terrible is the sequel to Elizabeth Kingston’sThe King's Man, and is, like its predecessor, set in and around the final years of the Welsh struggle for independence against the military might of England under King Edward I. The book is an engrossing mix of historical romance and historical fiction; the author has obviously and extensively researched the political and military history of the time and the second-chance love story between two older and wiser protagonists – they’re both in their forties – is expertly woven throughout. But make no mistake – this is a gritty and angsty story about a proud, scheming woman who is so entirely focussed on revenge that she is prepared to sacrifice her happiness and her life if need be in order to obtain it; and her almost fanatical desire for vengeance to the exclusion of all else makes her difficult to like.
Eluned of Ruardean was not a popular character in The King’s Man, in large part thanks to the way in which she had so sternly controlled her daughter’s – Gwenllian’s – life and insisted on training her to be the saviour of the Welsh people, without really considering that Gwenllian was entitled to a say in her own life. She is still not the most sympathetic of women, but she’s a fascinating character nonetheless; driven, uncompromising and self-aware, and by the end of the book I was won over and seriously impressed by the author’s ability to have made such a flawed character both admirable and likeable.
As Fair, Bright and Terrible opens, Eluned is devastated at the news of the final defeat of the Welsh rebellion against the English. Her beloved uncle has been killed in the battle, her dear friend and servant, Madog, fatally wounded and Eluned, heartsick at the ravages suffered by her beloved Wales and at her own personal losses, falls into a lethargy from which she eventually emerges with a single goal of avenging Wales and the Welsh by killing Roger Mortimer, the man who laid the final trap for Llewellyn, the last prince of Wales.
Coming hard on the heels of the Welsh defeat is the news of the death of her absentee husband, who had spent most of the years of their marriage fighting in the Holy Land, thus allowing Eluned great autonomy over their home and lands. Now, however, instead of freedom, she faces the prospect of another marriage; her son, William, is sixteen and eager to take his place as lord of Ruardean and to amass more lands and fortune by marrying her to Robert de Lascaux, a man held in high esteem by the king owing to his stalwart defence of Edward’s lands in Aquitaine.
Robert de Lascaux has spent most of his life butting heads with his father, so when he immediately agrees to the proposed match with Eluned of Ruardean, both the elder Lascaux and Robert’s brother are astounded and suspicious. But they don’t know that, eighteen years earlier, Robert and Eluned – then twenty-two and mother of a young daughter – had had a passionate affair during one of her husband’s lengthy absences. Robert has never forgotten or fallen out of love with the vital, lovely woman who had enchanted him, even though they had not parted on the best of terms. So he eagerly seizes the chance to be with her again – but is destined to be disappointed when he discovers that Eluned, though still beautiful – is a completely different woman to the one he remembers. This Eluned is cold, manipulative and ruthless – and the moment when Robert realises that for eighteen years, he has idealised and loved a memory – and a misremembered one at that – is utterly heartbreaking.
Elizabeth Kingston has written a second-chance romance quite unlike any other I’ve read or listened to. In it, she shows clearly how life’s experiences can change a person almost beyond all recognition, how memories can play us false and the importance of being able to see clearly and accept others for what and who they are in the present. The central section of the story in which Robert and Eluned are married, yet miles apart emotionally, is beautifully written and tugs inexorably at the heartstrings. In spite of his frustrations, Robert cannot help but hope that in time, the woman he loves – loved – will come back to him while Eluned struggles to hold on to her fury and commitment to revenge in the face of her returning desire for Robert and her memories of what they had been to each other.
Robert is such a good-natured, happy soul that it’s impossible to dislike him, even if he is somewhat naïve in failing to see that Eluned is likely to have changed in the eighteen years since they parted. That isn’t to say that he allows her to browbeat or dominate him, though; he is as strong a character as she in his own way. And as the story progresses, we see that he is the only person who is able to get through the protective layers his wife has erected around herself; and the way in which the author shows Robert coming to know the Eluned of now rather than dwelling on his memories, and to appreciate and love her just as she is – ruthless, determined and fiercely protective of those she cares for – is marvellously done.
As I said at the outset, Eluned is a strong, badass heroine who isn’t easy to like. She’s ruthless and she’s taken tough decisions during the course of her life, but she has done it because she has had to – the middle ages were turbulent and frequently violent and she took whatever actions were needed to defend her lands and people. But there’s no doubt that she truly loves Robert and never stopped loving him. It was her despair at the thought of not ever being able to be with him that drove her to realign her life’s priorities:
“You said that loving me was the making of you. But it was losing you that was the making of me.” She breathed the next words, the bare truth of it too awful for anything but a whisper. “I do not like what it has made me. Nor can I be what I once was. Not without you.”
Long-time audiobook listeners will already know that a good narrator can elevate a mediocre book and a poor narrator can ruin a good one. But some days, if we’re really lucky, we get to listen to one like this, in which a wonderful story and sublime narration add up to make something a bit special. I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here when I say that Nicholas Boulton is one of a handful of narrators who does a great deal more than ‘simply’ narrate a story, and that he really is the ideal choice for this sort of slightly darker and emotionally intense tale. All the technical aspects of his performance –pacing, enunciation, accents – are flawless and his differentiation between characters is so sure that there is never any problem working out who is speaking, whether it be the pot-boy or King Edward himself.
His interpretations of both Eluned and Robert are perfect, too. Robert’s deep, resonant tones show clearly that while he might be somewhat naïve when it comes to his wife, he is nonetheless an attractive, intelligent and highly capable man who loves deeply and despairs just as deeply when he starts to think he may never find the real Eluned beneath the veneer. But Eluned is the star of the show, and Mr. Boulton’s portrayal brings out every complexity and every emotional nuance to be found in this difficult and complicated woman, helping the listener to see through the tough exterior to experience her inner conflict and the uncertainties and insecurities she never lets anyone else see.
Fair, Bright, and Terrible is a wonderful marriage of genres, combining painstakingly researched historical fiction and beautifully crafted historical romance to create a truly compelling story. Nicholas Boulton’s superb narration is so much more than the icing on the cake – it’s icing that permeates the whole thing and makes it even more delicious. If you haven’t already done so, go and snap this one up immediately.
June 26, 2018
She had come to believe there was no such thing as a good death. There was only death, and it was always foul, and served no purpose but ti clear way for new souls who would die in their turn.
Having only just finally read THE KING'S MAN a week ago, I was so happy knowing that the end wasn't the end. That a second Welsh Blades book was waiting for me. While Gwenllian and Ranulf's ending was wonderful and perfect I still wanted more of them, more of their happy ending. So that's why I was pretty damn disappointed to open up FAIR, BRIGHT, AND TERRIBLE and discover it was Eluned, Gwenllian's mother, that would be the focus of book two.
If she must choose only one dream to make real, she would choose a fearless daughter over an adoring lover.
But that disappointment only lasted like.. two chapters.
The world was not built for her, that it would try and try again to crush her -- and no one would save her from it. She must save herself, or be ground into the dust.
Not only is this fantastic because it features an older couple, and a second chance, but it gave a lot of dimension to a character I thought to be pretty straight forward. Eluned is anything but. She's fierce, she's patriotic, she's devastated, and she's ruthless. Pitched against a man who is so purely good, so oblivious either because of hope or nostalgia, it's a fantastic dynamic. Throw in some unresolved tension, a fierce love, and it really just rounds out this whole package.
"If you would love me, you cannot love only the woman who lies with you among the flowers and laughs and sings. You must love also the woman who will bring the whole world to wreck and ruin if she loses you again, and who will scorch the earth to save you."
I was completely unprepared for how much I fell in love with these characters, and how happy I was that both Gwenllian and Ranulf made their appearances, and how much more I want from this world. For as long as THE KING'S MAN has been on my kindle (sooo long!), Kingston is still a new-to-me author and even though her other historicals are not medieval, I fully intend to devour them anyway. I love her writing, I love her characters, the strength of her women, I and love that she's made me cry in both of these books. I full expect both of the Welsh Blades books will find their way onto my shelf very soon. I can only imagine they get even better with rereads and I look forward to experiencing them in audio (Boulton!), too.
Highly recommend.
Having only just finally read THE KING'S MAN a week ago, I was so happy knowing that the end wasn't the end. That a second Welsh Blades book was waiting for me. While Gwenllian and Ranulf's ending was wonderful and perfect I still wanted more of them, more of their happy ending. So that's why I was pretty damn disappointed to open up FAIR, BRIGHT, AND TERRIBLE and discover it was Eluned, Gwenllian's mother, that would be the focus of book two.
If she must choose only one dream to make real, she would choose a fearless daughter over an adoring lover.
But that disappointment only lasted like.. two chapters.
The world was not built for her, that it would try and try again to crush her -- and no one would save her from it. She must save herself, or be ground into the dust.
Not only is this fantastic because it features an older couple, and a second chance, but it gave a lot of dimension to a character I thought to be pretty straight forward. Eluned is anything but. She's fierce, she's patriotic, she's devastated, and she's ruthless. Pitched against a man who is so purely good, so oblivious either because of hope or nostalgia, it's a fantastic dynamic. Throw in some unresolved tension, a fierce love, and it really just rounds out this whole package.
"If you would love me, you cannot love only the woman who lies with you among the flowers and laughs and sings. You must love also the woman who will bring the whole world to wreck and ruin if she loses you again, and who will scorch the earth to save you."
I was completely unprepared for how much I fell in love with these characters, and how happy I was that both Gwenllian and Ranulf made their appearances, and how much more I want from this world. For as long as THE KING'S MAN has been on my kindle (sooo long!), Kingston is still a new-to-me author and even though her other historicals are not medieval, I fully intend to devour them anyway. I love her writing, I love her characters, the strength of her women, I and love that she's made me cry in both of these books. I full expect both of the Welsh Blades books will find their way onto my shelf very soon. I can only imagine they get even better with rereads and I look forward to experiencing them in audio (Boulton!), too.
Highly recommend.
January 5, 2018
4.5 or A-
The companion novel to The King's Man is every bit as well-written and absorbing as the first in the series and shares similar concerns in its examination of iconoclastic women surviving and even thriving in such a hostile historical period. While both novels are heroine-centric, Fair, Bright, and Terrible is probably even more so given Eluned's larger-than-life persona as well as Robert's fairly astonishing desire for her to be the hero of this story. There are plenty of romances today that foreground equality as a central feature of a romance, but few and far between are those that feature a hero so utterly comfortable standing to the side. I had my own biased moments that really forced me to think about constructions of gender when I wondered if Robert was too weak for Eluned, too lacking in ambition and drive even. The novel flips gender expectations in many ways by constructing Eluned as ambitious, to the point of ruthlessness at times, while creating a cheerful and somewhat passive man who is more content pondering what makes a fine wine than he is scheming over territorial acquisitions. I thought it was particularly striking that early in the novel in flashback we witness Robert falling in love with Eluned at the moment when Eluned challenges him in public to find a passion worth dying for. That Robert falls in love with her inner strength is such a stark contrast to the majority of romances that focus on conventions of beauty and desire. These conventions are certainly there in the novel but they are wonderfully overlaid by more complex ideas about what makes a woman and a man desirable. I decided in the end that allowing Eluned to shine was actually a sign of Robert's own strength, and I ultimately loved him so much for it.
It’s hard not to contrast this book with the first in the series, as they seem to bookend each other in important ways around constructions of female desirability. While Gwenllian reigns over men as a warrior, she is also deemed “unwomanly” in her world. Eluned scoots around that problem by faking “womanly” behavior but secretly scheming brilliantly and constantly in private. She is a bit of a Rorschach test for most of the men in the book who see what they expect to see in her. Robert is the exception in that he is depicted many times waiting for Eluned to reach out to him. I had to think a bit too about the flaws in Eluned that made her an unlikely heroine, particularly her selfishness in molding Gwenllian into a warrior out of her own desires for power. Part of this flaw in Eluned’s character is mitigated by a clearer explanation in the second book that Eluned feared for her daughter’s safety and wanted her to be a woman who feared no man. However, Gwenllian was still also meant to be a savior for Wales, and that mother-daughter struggle rendered Eluned by far the selfish one. I wanted so much to like Eluned unreservedly but in this respect, she remains flawed and complex, and I ended up deciding that it’s okay for a main character to be complicated, even when some complications are negative.
There were two aspects of the book I did not particularly care for, though they might speak more to my own preferences as a reader. The first is that Eluned is consumed by a thirst for revenge, and that is a negative motivation that drives much of the novel. (I really feared for her at one point in the book, and if I had been reading this in paper rather as an e-book, I know I would have flipped ahead for reassurance!) Also, the second-chance romance aspect was the other issue that I did not enjoy nearly as much as the romance of The King’s Man. Second-chance romances carry so much weight, and it takes a good part of the novel for Eluned and Robert to find their way to each other. So, slight deductions on what is otherwise a beautifully written book. I admire Kingston for tackling tough themes. Our world continues to struggle with acceptance for powerful women, especially women who are politically ambitious, and so I especially have to applaud the author for creating such a dynamic heroine that asks readers to think about what expectations and biases we bring to this story.
The companion novel to The King's Man is every bit as well-written and absorbing as the first in the series and shares similar concerns in its examination of iconoclastic women surviving and even thriving in such a hostile historical period. While both novels are heroine-centric, Fair, Bright, and Terrible is probably even more so given Eluned's larger-than-life persona as well as Robert's fairly astonishing desire for her to be the hero of this story. There are plenty of romances today that foreground equality as a central feature of a romance, but few and far between are those that feature a hero so utterly comfortable standing to the side. I had my own biased moments that really forced me to think about constructions of gender when I wondered if Robert was too weak for Eluned, too lacking in ambition and drive even. The novel flips gender expectations in many ways by constructing Eluned as ambitious, to the point of ruthlessness at times, while creating a cheerful and somewhat passive man who is more content pondering what makes a fine wine than he is scheming over territorial acquisitions. I thought it was particularly striking that early in the novel in flashback we witness Robert falling in love with Eluned at the moment when Eluned challenges him in public to find a passion worth dying for. That Robert falls in love with her inner strength is such a stark contrast to the majority of romances that focus on conventions of beauty and desire. These conventions are certainly there in the novel but they are wonderfully overlaid by more complex ideas about what makes a woman and a man desirable. I decided in the end that allowing Eluned to shine was actually a sign of Robert's own strength, and I ultimately loved him so much for it.
It’s hard not to contrast this book with the first in the series, as they seem to bookend each other in important ways around constructions of female desirability. While Gwenllian reigns over men as a warrior, she is also deemed “unwomanly” in her world. Eluned scoots around that problem by faking “womanly” behavior but secretly scheming brilliantly and constantly in private. She is a bit of a Rorschach test for most of the men in the book who see what they expect to see in her. Robert is the exception in that he is depicted many times waiting for Eluned to reach out to him. I had to think a bit too about the flaws in Eluned that made her an unlikely heroine, particularly her selfishness in molding Gwenllian into a warrior out of her own desires for power. Part of this flaw in Eluned’s character is mitigated by a clearer explanation in the second book that Eluned feared for her daughter’s safety and wanted her to be a woman who feared no man. However, Gwenllian was still also meant to be a savior for Wales, and that mother-daughter struggle rendered Eluned by far the selfish one. I wanted so much to like Eluned unreservedly but in this respect, she remains flawed and complex, and I ended up deciding that it’s okay for a main character to be complicated, even when some complications are negative.
There were two aspects of the book I did not particularly care for, though they might speak more to my own preferences as a reader. The first is that Eluned is consumed by a thirst for revenge, and that is a negative motivation that drives much of the novel. (I really feared for her at one point in the book, and if I had been reading this in paper rather as an e-book, I know I would have flipped ahead for reassurance!) Also, the second-chance romance aspect was the other issue that I did not enjoy nearly as much as the romance of The King’s Man. Second-chance romances carry so much weight, and it takes a good part of the novel for Eluned and Robert to find their way to each other. So, slight deductions on what is otherwise a beautifully written book. I admire Kingston for tackling tough themes. Our world continues to struggle with acceptance for powerful women, especially women who are politically ambitious, and so I especially have to applaud the author for creating such a dynamic heroine that asks readers to think about what expectations and biases we bring to this story.
December 24, 2022
4.5 Stars
This was an unexpectedly quick read. After what was the final conflict, I had expected more intrigue and contention to come between Eluned and Royalist Mortimer. While I was surprised by what felt like a swift storyline, I wasn't at all disappointed. The romance was heartrending and lovely, full of angst and longing. Eluned earned her place as a respected heroine after her backhanded machinations in the previous book. Robert was the ever-loyal hero to Eluned after 18 years of separation and no prospects of a reunion. They were both written perfectly and I was entirely wrapped up in their story.
March 23, 2020
This was pretty goddamned spectacular.
Elizabeth Kingston has some serious writing chops and yet again (as with book one in this series -The King’s Man) she’s managed to write something which feels authentically medieval. It’s a classic example of a book which, if it just had a tragic ending and less sex, would be lauded as ‘literature’ or ‘women’s fiction’ and as a result find a much bigger audience. A lot of historical romance feels recycled and derivative (not necessarily a criticism - therein lies much of the comfort) - but Kingston’s writing is completely unique.
The story here is remarkable as well. Somehow Kingston has managed to write a romance which is all at once a marriage of convenience - lovers reunited - slow burn.
She manages to make the reader believe in the magic of the first love between our H/h, then she manages to turn it into a marriage of convenience with which neither party is very happy and then she manages to make the reader positively keen for these two to work their shit out and get back to each other. Most writers cannot get one of these tropes correct - she does all three and she does them really well.
There’s a strong plot laying behind all of that as well. I thought the first book had some flabby plot issues but this was very smooth.
The star of the show is our heroine, Eluned. I mean, first off, she’s 40 - which, praise be! She’s a mother of two grown children, one who she barely knows and the other who she shaped to become a warrior only to see her choose an entirely different path (the heroine of book one in this series). She’s widowed and about to lose the place she’s ruled alone for many years. Her country is lost to the English and she’s seen nothing but death. In short, she’s At The End Of Her Tether. She’s had one too many battles and has one mission left. That mission isn’t romance - it’s revenge. This story is really about watching Eluned come back to herself - not go back to who she was when she first met and loved our hero, Robin - but rather to recognise that she can take control of her future and become a version of that young woman, with his help. She also makes all of these changes and positive decisions whilst still being an absolute badass. She rescues the hero at the end of this book and it’s fist-pumpingly awesome.
Then there’s Robin. Let’s face it, Robin has less going on than Elunad. He’s a less complex character. But it doesn’t matter because he’s obsessed with our heroine. He’s made strong by his love for her and he never gives up on her. He has to reconcile his memories with the inevitable changes wrought by the passage of time but he does so without any malice or blame. He’s inherently and wonderfully likeable.
Together the romance between these two is just a marvellous conflagration of longing and nostalgia. They’re hopeful and then they’re lost. They muddle along and then they have these moments of perfect connection. It was angsty and delicious and wonderful.
So, I suppose after all that praise the question must be asked and answered: Why on earth isn’t this five stars? It feels wholly unfair to say it’s too clever, but that is kind of the reason. I don’t see myself ever rereading it, or holding parts of it with me, so I cannot give it the elusive five stars.
Elizabeth Kingston has some serious writing chops and yet again (as with book one in this series -The King’s Man) she’s managed to write something which feels authentically medieval. It’s a classic example of a book which, if it just had a tragic ending and less sex, would be lauded as ‘literature’ or ‘women’s fiction’ and as a result find a much bigger audience. A lot of historical romance feels recycled and derivative (not necessarily a criticism - therein lies much of the comfort) - but Kingston’s writing is completely unique.
The story here is remarkable as well. Somehow Kingston has managed to write a romance which is all at once a marriage of convenience - lovers reunited - slow burn.
She manages to make the reader believe in the magic of the first love between our H/h, then she manages to turn it into a marriage of convenience with which neither party is very happy and then she manages to make the reader positively keen for these two to work their shit out and get back to each other. Most writers cannot get one of these tropes correct - she does all three and she does them really well.
There’s a strong plot laying behind all of that as well. I thought the first book had some flabby plot issues but this was very smooth.
The star of the show is our heroine, Eluned. I mean, first off, she’s 40 - which, praise be! She’s a mother of two grown children, one who she barely knows and the other who she shaped to become a warrior only to see her choose an entirely different path (the heroine of book one in this series). She’s widowed and about to lose the place she’s ruled alone for many years. Her country is lost to the English and she’s seen nothing but death. In short, she’s At The End Of Her Tether. She’s had one too many battles and has one mission left. That mission isn’t romance - it’s revenge. This story is really about watching Eluned come back to herself - not go back to who she was when she first met and loved our hero, Robin - but rather to recognise that she can take control of her future and become a version of that young woman, with his help. She also makes all of these changes and positive decisions whilst still being an absolute badass. She rescues the hero at the end of this book and it’s fist-pumpingly awesome.
Then there’s Robin. Let’s face it, Robin has less going on than Elunad. He’s a less complex character. But it doesn’t matter because he’s obsessed with our heroine. He’s made strong by his love for her and he never gives up on her. He has to reconcile his memories with the inevitable changes wrought by the passage of time but he does so without any malice or blame. He’s inherently and wonderfully likeable.
Together the romance between these two is just a marvellous conflagration of longing and nostalgia. They’re hopeful and then they’re lost. They muddle along and then they have these moments of perfect connection. It was angsty and delicious and wonderful.
So, I suppose after all that praise the question must be asked and answered: Why on earth isn’t this five stars? It feels wholly unfair to say it’s too clever, but that is kind of the reason. I don’t see myself ever rereading it, or holding parts of it with me, so I cannot give it the elusive five stars.
January 10, 2026
3.5/5.
Eluned has spent a significant part of her life ruling Ruardean with a firm and shrewd hand, using everything and everyone to further her aim, including her children. Now that her half-mad and zealous absentee husband has finally died while fighting his imaginary demons in the Holy Land, she finds herself in the unfamiliar position as the pawn on someone else's chess board. Her sixteen year old son, now the lord of Ruardean, has plans for her to serve Ruardean one last time, not as ruler but as bride in an advantageous marriage. Eluned as always is five moves ahead, calculating and computing strategies for her own last strike and the proposed marriage to Robert de Lascaux suits her plans quite well. What is most inconvenient is that fact that Robert and Eluned had a history together. He knew her when she was still young and relatively guileless, openly passionate about ideology and love before experience taught her harshly to keep her every thought under lock and key. But an inconvenience should be no match for Eluned's single-minded thirst for vengeance for Wales and her slaughtered kinsmen. Except this time, master-schemer Eluned miscalculates big time in her dismissal of Robert's effect on her as well as her effect on him, which has not waned these eighteen years since they parted as thwarted ill-fated lovers.
I read this series completetely out of order with #3 first, then #1 and then this one. I waited more than a year before getting to this one, Eluned's story. because she was such a cold and ambitious character in #1 and I needed time to distance myself from that impression of her. Unfortunately, despite my best intention to start with a bank canvas, that initial impression returned back to me within the first few chapters. At least Kingston remains consistent in her portrayal of Eluned, icy and calculating in her role as as a woman leader at a time when most other females were helpless properties for men to use any way they deem fit. I understand her character for the most, but it doesn't mean I like or sympathise with her. I definitely do not understand why she distanced herself from her son, when she allowed herself to love her daughter - albeit in the limited way she knew how. Her love for Gwen did not prevent her from using Gwen and risking her life to save Wales. I also don't understand why loving Robert was an "impossible thing" for her especially when her plans for revenge was aborted? His love had been offered to her for the taking and the only barrier was one she inexplicably created in her mind.
"Whatever your reasons in the past, I cannot escape the truth that if you wanted me now there is naught to stop you having me. Yet you shun me, and flee our bed, and stand there stiff in every limb. I will live no longer in hope and dread, Eluned.”
I also hesitated reading this book because I feared, that no man would be able to match Eluned's strength of character and my fear was proven correct. Robert definitely was the beta to Eluned's alpha in this book. While she always had a focus and had strong beliefs and loyalty to Wales and her people, Robert was wishy-washy from the start. She had grown and changed a lot in their eighteen years apart, but he was still the same unambitious person, ignorant of politics and still reluctantly under his father's order. The only time he exerted his will was when he played rebellious games with his sire which seemed quite frivolous next to her experiences. In a way, he remained untainted and naive to her jaded self.
“You have held that summer as a treasure,” she said, her gray eyes fixed on the hearth and the button forgotten in her open palm. “You have hidden it away for safekeeping, to be taken out only rarely, to savor or to venerate. But I have laid the days of it before me like playing cards upon a table, one after the other. I took them out and examined them over and over again, until there was no mystery to them. Until the shine wore off them and I could see them clearly.”
I found the beginning especially slow. There was a lot reminiscence of their youthful doomed affair which got somewhat repetitive as his memories and hers reconciled. I was reminded of Balogh's style. There was a lot of internalisation and self-reflections with a very slow moving plot action-wise. The prose as always is sublime, but ultimately the characters failed to win me over. Robert was too weak and passive throughout the book, being acted upon rather than contributing to the actions himself. He really did little to contribute to Eluned's epiphany and change of heart. There's nothing wrong with an alpha female but like with an alpha male, she must be matched by one equal to her in mental strength. Being nice just isn't enough especially in their cut-throat world. Her sixteen year old son was more astute than Robert.
“Forgiveness is for God,” she told him. “I am but a woman.”
To prove Kit wrong about his jealous nature, he urged his friend and his wife to dance together while he sat and watched and was mad with jealousy.
“Tell me what I was. I cannot remember.”
"There was such a fire in you, Eluned, that I have never seen its like.” He leaned closer, pulled their joined hands to his heart. “I would swear on my life it burns still.” She looked at her fingers in his, pressed lightly to his chest. “Aye, it has burned and burned. Until I am left with naught but ashes.”
“I have only ever wanted you, but you wanted all the world.”
“If I have made a great man of myself, it is because I knew you then.” His mouth tried to form that half-smile, but failed. He abandoned his well-worn irony and all his charm, and spoke so plainly that it caused a burning in her throat. “To love you was the making of me. But now it is only my undoing.”
“You said that loving me was the making of you. But it was losing you that was the making of me.”
I ask you will not forget the woman who loved you with abandon, lest I forget her too.
“I dreamed of this,” he said. He curled a handful of her hair around his fist, looking at it transfixed. “For so long, I dreamed of it.” She smiled a little wistfully. “Too long. In your dreams there was no silver in my hair, or yours.” “There was,” he said, pressing his lips to it, pulling her gently down to him. “That was the dream even then, that we would grow old together.”
Eluned has spent a significant part of her life ruling Ruardean with a firm and shrewd hand, using everything and everyone to further her aim, including her children. Now that her half-mad and zealous absentee husband has finally died while fighting his imaginary demons in the Holy Land, she finds herself in the unfamiliar position as the pawn on someone else's chess board. Her sixteen year old son, now the lord of Ruardean, has plans for her to serve Ruardean one last time, not as ruler but as bride in an advantageous marriage. Eluned as always is five moves ahead, calculating and computing strategies for her own last strike and the proposed marriage to Robert de Lascaux suits her plans quite well. What is most inconvenient is that fact that Robert and Eluned had a history together. He knew her when she was still young and relatively guileless, openly passionate about ideology and love before experience taught her harshly to keep her every thought under lock and key. But an inconvenience should be no match for Eluned's single-minded thirst for vengeance for Wales and her slaughtered kinsmen. Except this time, master-schemer Eluned miscalculates big time in her dismissal of Robert's effect on her as well as her effect on him, which has not waned these eighteen years since they parted as thwarted ill-fated lovers.
I read this series completetely out of order with #3 first, then #1 and then this one. I waited more than a year before getting to this one, Eluned's story. because she was such a cold and ambitious character in #1 and I needed time to distance myself from that impression of her. Unfortunately, despite my best intention to start with a bank canvas, that initial impression returned back to me within the first few chapters. At least Kingston remains consistent in her portrayal of Eluned, icy and calculating in her role as as a woman leader at a time when most other females were helpless properties for men to use any way they deem fit. I understand her character for the most, but it doesn't mean I like or sympathise with her. I definitely do not understand why she distanced herself from her son, when she allowed herself to love her daughter - albeit in the limited way she knew how. Her love for Gwen did not prevent her from using Gwen and risking her life to save Wales. I also don't understand why loving Robert was an "impossible thing" for her especially when her plans for revenge was aborted? His love had been offered to her for the taking and the only barrier was one she inexplicably created in her mind.
"Whatever your reasons in the past, I cannot escape the truth that if you wanted me now there is naught to stop you having me. Yet you shun me, and flee our bed, and stand there stiff in every limb. I will live no longer in hope and dread, Eluned.”
I also hesitated reading this book because I feared, that no man would be able to match Eluned's strength of character and my fear was proven correct. Robert definitely was the beta to Eluned's alpha in this book. While she always had a focus and had strong beliefs and loyalty to Wales and her people, Robert was wishy-washy from the start. She had grown and changed a lot in their eighteen years apart, but he was still the same unambitious person, ignorant of politics and still reluctantly under his father's order. The only time he exerted his will was when he played rebellious games with his sire which seemed quite frivolous next to her experiences. In a way, he remained untainted and naive to her jaded self.
“You have held that summer as a treasure,” she said, her gray eyes fixed on the hearth and the button forgotten in her open palm. “You have hidden it away for safekeeping, to be taken out only rarely, to savor or to venerate. But I have laid the days of it before me like playing cards upon a table, one after the other. I took them out and examined them over and over again, until there was no mystery to them. Until the shine wore off them and I could see them clearly.”
I found the beginning especially slow. There was a lot reminiscence of their youthful doomed affair which got somewhat repetitive as his memories and hers reconciled. I was reminded of Balogh's style. There was a lot of internalisation and self-reflections with a very slow moving plot action-wise. The prose as always is sublime, but ultimately the characters failed to win me over. Robert was too weak and passive throughout the book, being acted upon rather than contributing to the actions himself. He really did little to contribute to Eluned's epiphany and change of heart. There's nothing wrong with an alpha female but like with an alpha male, she must be matched by one equal to her in mental strength. Being nice just isn't enough especially in their cut-throat world. Her sixteen year old son was more astute than Robert.
“Forgiveness is for God,” she told him. “I am but a woman.”
To prove Kit wrong about his jealous nature, he urged his friend and his wife to dance together while he sat and watched and was mad with jealousy.
“Tell me what I was. I cannot remember.”
"There was such a fire in you, Eluned, that I have never seen its like.” He leaned closer, pulled their joined hands to his heart. “I would swear on my life it burns still.” She looked at her fingers in his, pressed lightly to his chest. “Aye, it has burned and burned. Until I am left with naught but ashes.”
“I have only ever wanted you, but you wanted all the world.”
“If I have made a great man of myself, it is because I knew you then.” His mouth tried to form that half-smile, but failed. He abandoned his well-worn irony and all his charm, and spoke so plainly that it caused a burning in her throat. “To love you was the making of me. But now it is only my undoing.”
“You said that loving me was the making of you. But it was losing you that was the making of me.”
I ask you will not forget the woman who loved you with abandon, lest I forget her too.
“I dreamed of this,” he said. He curled a handful of her hair around his fist, looking at it transfixed. “For so long, I dreamed of it.” She smiled a little wistfully. “Too long. In your dreams there was no silver in my hair, or yours.” “There was,” he said, pressing his lips to it, pulling her gently down to him. “That was the dream even then, that we would grow old together.”
May 7, 2017
Very interesting note from the author why she wrote this story. Thank you Kathie for pointing this to me. http://www.elizabethkingstonbooks.com...
What worked for me:
1. The vivid atmosphere that the author created. The history in this book is not just some theatrical prompt, or endless recital of historical facts but living, breathing, and ever changing stormy surrounding.
2. Characterization of the heroine that stayed consistent with her portrayal in book #1 The King's Man.
What didn’t work for me:
1. Romance.
2. See #2 above.
I loved The King’s Man. When I learned that the mother of the heroine from The King’s Man is the heroine of this story, I was both excited and apprehensive. Excited because how many medieval romances are out there with a 40-year-old heroine? What a revolutionary concept! My apprehension was for a simple fact that I didn’t like Eluned in the previous book. I was hoping to change my mind. Well, it didn’t happen. Even though I understood Eluned’s actions and motivations, she didn’t endure me to herself as a person and, for sure, not as a heroine of romance.
The novel starts where the previous one ended -a final Welsh rebellion in 1282, during which Edward I conquered Wales definitively.
A fiercely patriotic Eluned is numb as she sees her countrymen being captured and killed by Edward’s troops. Her hope for independent Wales is lost forever. Her numbness didn’t last long. It was replaced by a single-minded thought of revenge and she would stop at nothing to have it. And revenge is a driving force, main motivation to everything she does and to everyone who stands in her way pretty much throughout the entire story.
You noticed I didn’t mention a hero of the story, Robert. It is because his star-power is dimmed in comparison to Eluned. Her strength and determination is so powerfully portrayed that it left Robert in a supporting role despite his POV being well represented. Where the previous story also featured a strong female character, it pared her with an equally strong male. It didn’t happen here. This is one of the number of reasons why romance didn’t work for me. The other reasons?
Overall, I think this book would be better characterized as a study on evolution of revenge than a historical romance.
What worked for me:
1. The vivid atmosphere that the author created. The history in this book is not just some theatrical prompt, or endless recital of historical facts but living, breathing, and ever changing stormy surrounding.
2. Characterization of the heroine that stayed consistent with her portrayal in book #1 The King's Man.
What didn’t work for me:
1. Romance.
2. See #2 above.
I loved The King’s Man. When I learned that the mother of the heroine from The King’s Man is the heroine of this story, I was both excited and apprehensive. Excited because how many medieval romances are out there with a 40-year-old heroine? What a revolutionary concept! My apprehension was for a simple fact that I didn’t like Eluned in the previous book. I was hoping to change my mind. Well, it didn’t happen. Even though I understood Eluned’s actions and motivations, she didn’t endure me to herself as a person and, for sure, not as a heroine of romance.
The novel starts where the previous one ended -a final Welsh rebellion in 1282, during which Edward I conquered Wales definitively.
A fiercely patriotic Eluned is numb as she sees her countrymen being captured and killed by Edward’s troops. Her hope for independent Wales is lost forever. Her numbness didn’t last long. It was replaced by a single-minded thought of revenge and she would stop at nothing to have it. And revenge is a driving force, main motivation to everything she does and to everyone who stands in her way pretty much throughout the entire story.
You noticed I didn’t mention a hero of the story, Robert. It is because his star-power is dimmed in comparison to Eluned. Her strength and determination is so powerfully portrayed that it left Robert in a supporting role despite his POV being well represented. Where the previous story also featured a strong female character, it pared her with an equally strong male. It didn’t happen here. This is one of the number of reasons why romance didn’t work for me. The other reasons?
Overall, I think this book would be better characterized as a study on evolution of revenge than a historical romance.
dnf
October 18, 201853% dnf
I was really hoping for more of Gwenllian and Ranulf from book 1. No such luck. I'm also found this installment of the series incredibly boring and the heroine very unlikeable.
I was really hoping for more of Gwenllian and Ranulf from book 1. No such luck. I'm also found this installment of the series incredibly boring and the heroine very unlikeable.
June 11, 2017
Review written June 6, 2017
5 Stars - Terrific! I'm stunned and thankful
Book #2
The second in Elizabeth Kingston medieval romance series Welsh Blades. — Fair, Bright, and Terrible is the second book in this series and this time is it about Eluned, the mother of the warrior heroine Gwenllian of Ruardean in the first book, The King's Man (4.4 stars). Back then a novel I was both touched, stunned and very fascinated by. (Not a plot spoiler: )
The always excellent narrator then, and here also, is Mr Nicholas Boulton. He did it simply fantastic in the first book. (Don't miss to try some of the audiobooks he narrates, for example Laura Kinsale's). ~ I've so much looked forward to start this pretty newly published 8:24 hours audiobook.
... And? I LOVED it.
**********************************************
A second chance love topic is usually great for me ... even better when with older mature main characters.
1283, Wales is conquered...
« When Robert de Lascaux is asked to marry the woman he has loved for eighteen years, he never hesitates. No wealth has ever mattered to him as much as Eluned has. But she, it seems, does not want him at all. Trapped in a web of intrigue, revenge, and desire, they cannot forget their past - but can they dare to share a future? »
Fair, Bright, and Terrible is about a man and a woman (~ 40-45) living their lives nearly 750 years. Characters who gets a second chance for marital love and happiness in a time when honor, the power of Good's word, the church, the kings and who ruled land was most important.
... A dark time when we get to know two strong characters with suffered souls, since long broken hearts and too little true chances to romantic moments in their daily lives.
... Two adults who've seen and experienced too much blood, death, war and people's suffering.
... A man and a woman that never really had the opportunity to choose what they themselves wanted.
**********************************************
**********************************************
Wow!! Just wow, this author- narrator combo is hereafter on my highest wish-for-more audiobooks list.
In my opinion was Fair, Bright, and Terrible a PERFECT audiobook listening. Absolutely formidable nicely written and told. Also impressively great performed by the narrator Nicholas Boulton.
You'll get grand "lovers meet" moments. Heat, steam and intense emotions. The best of best kind of interesting characters, the once you can't but care and feel for. Add a historical drama set in a old fascinating dark time you don't visit that often. I wished it to never end (even if I wanted and urged for a wonderful heartbreaking HEA scene). I cross my fingers it will be more books like this one in this series (more or less standalone stories with new love couples) by Elizabeth Kingston.
Of course a "high-five" and many stars from me.
Oh! — My heart is still pounding after all those intense feelings in this medieval drama. Higly recommended for admirers of fictional romances that leave you with much much more than just sweet wonderful never ending grand love. Fair, Bright, and Terrible gave me exactly that.
**********************************************
I LIKE - marvelous good audiobook narrators doing good books even better
5 Stars - Terrific! I'm stunned and thankful
Book #2
The second in Elizabeth Kingston medieval romance series Welsh Blades. — Fair, Bright, and Terrible is the second book in this series and this time is it about Eluned, the mother of the warrior heroine Gwenllian of Ruardean in the first book, The King's Man (4.4 stars). Back then a novel I was both touched, stunned and very fascinated by. (Not a plot spoiler: )
The always excellent narrator then, and here also, is Mr Nicholas Boulton. He did it simply fantastic in the first book. (Don't miss to try some of the audiobooks he narrates, for example Laura Kinsale's). ~ I've so much looked forward to start this pretty newly published 8:24 hours audiobook.
... And? I LOVED it.
**********************************************
A second chance love topic is usually great for me ... even better when with older mature main characters.
1283, Wales is conquered...
« When Robert de Lascaux is asked to marry the woman he has loved for eighteen years, he never hesitates. No wealth has ever mattered to him as much as Eluned has. But she, it seems, does not want him at all. Trapped in a web of intrigue, revenge, and desire, they cannot forget their past - but can they dare to share a future? »
‘Even more amusing was how she had once fervently believed she would never forget a single moment of those six months, two weeks, and two days. ... And thirteen hours.’
Fair, Bright, and Terrible is about a man and a woman (~ 40-45) living their lives nearly 750 years. Characters who gets a second chance for marital love and happiness in a time when honor, the power of Good's word, the church, the kings and who ruled land was most important.
... A dark time when we get to know two strong characters with suffered souls, since long broken hearts and too little true chances to romantic moments in their daily lives.
... Two adults who've seen and experienced too much blood, death, war and people's suffering.
... A man and a woman that never really had the opportunity to choose what they themselves wanted.
**********************************************
‘Eluned stared at the cold stars and tried to remember that brief moment in time, so long ago, when her world was a song. For six months, she had lived in that song. Six months, two weeks, and two days. “And about thirteen hours, I think,” she said to the stars. How amusing, that she could remember such a thing.’
“I ask you will not forget the woman who loved you with abandon, lest I forget her too. I ask…”
Her breath caught as she looked at him and saw the careful reserve on his face. “I ask too much, because you are right when you say I dream no small dreams. I am greedy beyond reason, that I should ask to be your lover as well as your wife.”
**********************************************
Wow!! Just wow, this author- narrator combo is hereafter on my highest wish-for-more audiobooks list.
In my opinion was Fair, Bright, and Terrible a PERFECT audiobook listening. Absolutely formidable nicely written and told. Also impressively great performed by the narrator Nicholas Boulton.
You'll get grand "lovers meet" moments. Heat, steam and intense emotions. The best of best kind of interesting characters, the once you can't but care and feel for. Add a historical drama set in a old fascinating dark time you don't visit that often. I wished it to never end (even if I wanted and urged for a wonderful heartbreaking HEA scene). I cross my fingers it will be more books like this one in this series (more or less standalone stories with new love couples) by Elizabeth Kingston.
Of course a "high-five" and many stars from me.
Oh! — My heart is still pounding after all those intense feelings in this medieval drama. Higly recommended for admirers of fictional romances that leave you with much much more than just sweet wonderful never ending grand love. Fair, Bright, and Terrible gave me exactly that.
**********************************************
I LIKE - marvelous good audiobook narrators doing good books even better
July 6, 2020
This was difficult to read, and at times I wanted to put it down and walk away. I’ve been taking it easy, emotionally speaking, with my reading choices for months. And this thing packs quite a punch.
Eluned is raw and agonized and difficult. Her loss is palpable. At first robert’s sweetness (this book was suggested to me Bc I tire of he-man heroes doing foolish things) was a balm - and he offered a break from the tough parts.
With perfect balance, though, things were made both tougher and easier. Characters evened out - both Robert and eluned grew - and it was painful and lovely.
I cried for the last 23%. It’s a beautiful book, and I was overwhelmed.
Now I wish I hadn’t been such an asshole about the first book in the series.
Eluned is raw and agonized and difficult. Her loss is palpable. At first robert’s sweetness (this book was suggested to me Bc I tire of he-man heroes doing foolish things) was a balm - and he offered a break from the tough parts.
With perfect balance, though, things were made both tougher and easier. Characters evened out - both Robert and eluned grew - and it was painful and lovely.
I cried for the last 23%. It’s a beautiful book, and I was overwhelmed.
Now I wish I hadn’t been such an asshole about the first book in the series.
November 14, 2017
When I finished listening to the audiobook of The King’s Man by Elizabeth Kingston, an enthralling tale of medieval Wales, I was immediately ready to dive into the next story in the Welsh Blades series. Fair, Bright, and Terrible, while having a separate standalone romance, continues where the King’s Man left off so this review may contain some spoilers if you haven’t read it first. (Go now and read it, then come back). Fair, Bright and Terrible is the story of Eluned, mother of Gwenllian who found a fitting partner in Ranulf, King Edward’s hired mercenary, in The King’s Man. It’s also the story of a forbidden love affair, revenge, reckonings and second chances.
Wales is lost. Eluned is numb with all the grief she’s experienced in the last several months, from the desertion of her daughter, to the failed uprising against King Edward and the gruesome and public deaths of her friends and allies leading the rebellion. Her husband’s bones have been returned to her from the Holy Land, proof that his years long crusade was no match for the gods of war. Her teenaged son is ready to assume his rightful place as leader of Ruardean under Edward’s watchful eye. She has two choices – join a nunnery to live out her days, or marry again. And when a marriage match between her and Robert de Lascaux is proposed, she accepts.
Robert can’t believe that after 18 long years his dreams of reuniting with Eluned will come true. Their love affair had been a secret one. Everything about Eluned had enchanted Robert and even though they had known nothing good would come of it, they hadn’t stopped themselves from indulging in their passion for each other. The ending had been bitter, and eventually Robert had taken himself off to France to nurse his broken heart. Eluned had kept up the fight for Wales, until there was nothing left to fight for.
Now Eluned and Robert are together again. But their motivations for the marriage are very different. Eluned had exorcised Robert from her heart, and her only goal is to use her new position and Robert’s alliances to gain revenge on the English Lords who had done her Welsh countrymen grievous harm. Robert, a romantic at heart, wants to recapture what they’ve lost. But the woman who is his wife now is nothing like the one he knew before. Is this really a second chance for them, or a cruel trick of fate?
Once again, I’m left quite in awe of the historical details that flavor this story with intensity and drama. Like The King’s Man, the audiobook of Fair, Bright, and Terrible is narrated by Nicholas Boulton and his superb voice acting makes it come alive (plus, let’s be honest, it means I don’t have to try to pronounce any Welsh words in my head).
There is a good portion of the story that details what happened when Eluned and Robert first met and how they fell in love, as well as the fallout of their relationship and the consequences of their actions. Even though you know that they won’t stay together, it’s hard not to be drawn into their romance. During their many years apart, Robert stayed relatively the same. He’s an easygoing, smart and affable man with a big heart. He put Eluned on somewhat of a pedestal in his memory, but he soon realizes that his memories of their relationship are not as accurate as he’d like them to be. It makes him question everything about their time together, especially when Eluned behaves towards him like a stranger.
Eluned is the one most changed during their separation for many valid reasons. She’s the one who was married and had to deal with a religious fanatic for a husband. She’s the one who had to protect her daughter at all costs. And she’s the one who ran Ruardean on her own for years, mistress of the estate, while helping plot the Welsh rebellion. She had no time for foolish dreams. Now, being with Robert again makes her aware that she could find some modicum of happiness with him, if she’ll only break open the case around her heart. I loved seeing her and Robert work through the challenges that separate them until they finally get their happy ending. But it’s not without a lot of heartache first.
Of course, their story is told amid the broader history of the time, and the workings of the English court, the loyalties and betrayals all move the plot towards a dramatic and gripping conclusion. This is one of those stories that will keep you up late at night as you won’t want to stop reading (or listening) until the end. The King’s Man and Fair, Bright and Terrible are equally compelling, and both will be on my favorite reads list this year.
This review also appears at https://straightshootinbookreviews.co...
Note: a copy of this story was provided by the author for review.
Wales is lost. Eluned is numb with all the grief she’s experienced in the last several months, from the desertion of her daughter, to the failed uprising against King Edward and the gruesome and public deaths of her friends and allies leading the rebellion. Her husband’s bones have been returned to her from the Holy Land, proof that his years long crusade was no match for the gods of war. Her teenaged son is ready to assume his rightful place as leader of Ruardean under Edward’s watchful eye. She has two choices – join a nunnery to live out her days, or marry again. And when a marriage match between her and Robert de Lascaux is proposed, she accepts.
Robert can’t believe that after 18 long years his dreams of reuniting with Eluned will come true. Their love affair had been a secret one. Everything about Eluned had enchanted Robert and even though they had known nothing good would come of it, they hadn’t stopped themselves from indulging in their passion for each other. The ending had been bitter, and eventually Robert had taken himself off to France to nurse his broken heart. Eluned had kept up the fight for Wales, until there was nothing left to fight for.
Now Eluned and Robert are together again. But their motivations for the marriage are very different. Eluned had exorcised Robert from her heart, and her only goal is to use her new position and Robert’s alliances to gain revenge on the English Lords who had done her Welsh countrymen grievous harm. Robert, a romantic at heart, wants to recapture what they’ve lost. But the woman who is his wife now is nothing like the one he knew before. Is this really a second chance for them, or a cruel trick of fate?
Once again, I’m left quite in awe of the historical details that flavor this story with intensity and drama. Like The King’s Man, the audiobook of Fair, Bright, and Terrible is narrated by Nicholas Boulton and his superb voice acting makes it come alive (plus, let’s be honest, it means I don’t have to try to pronounce any Welsh words in my head).
There is a good portion of the story that details what happened when Eluned and Robert first met and how they fell in love, as well as the fallout of their relationship and the consequences of their actions. Even though you know that they won’t stay together, it’s hard not to be drawn into their romance. During their many years apart, Robert stayed relatively the same. He’s an easygoing, smart and affable man with a big heart. He put Eluned on somewhat of a pedestal in his memory, but he soon realizes that his memories of their relationship are not as accurate as he’d like them to be. It makes him question everything about their time together, especially when Eluned behaves towards him like a stranger.
Eluned is the one most changed during their separation for many valid reasons. She’s the one who was married and had to deal with a religious fanatic for a husband. She’s the one who had to protect her daughter at all costs. And she’s the one who ran Ruardean on her own for years, mistress of the estate, while helping plot the Welsh rebellion. She had no time for foolish dreams. Now, being with Robert again makes her aware that she could find some modicum of happiness with him, if she’ll only break open the case around her heart. I loved seeing her and Robert work through the challenges that separate them until they finally get their happy ending. But it’s not without a lot of heartache first.
Of course, their story is told amid the broader history of the time, and the workings of the English court, the loyalties and betrayals all move the plot towards a dramatic and gripping conclusion. This is one of those stories that will keep you up late at night as you won’t want to stop reading (or listening) until the end. The King’s Man and Fair, Bright and Terrible are equally compelling, and both will be on my favorite reads list this year.
This review also appears at https://straightshootinbookreviews.co...
Note: a copy of this story was provided by the author for review.
May 20, 2019
If you read THE KING'S MAN by this author, you're already acquainted with the heroine of this second book of her Welsh Blades series. Eluned is the mother of Gwenllian, the Welsh warrior woman of Book One. Eluned came across as rather cold and single-minded in the first book and there's little warmth and cuddliness about her here either, but Kingston develops her character so that we understand why she is the way she is.
It's somewhere around 1283 and the last of the Princes of Wales (the *real* ones, not the fake ones like Prince Charles, who get the title just for being the firstborn son of the ruling English monarch) have been killed by the English and Wales has lost its independence as a sovereign nation. Welshwoman Eluned is not at all happy about this and secretly vows to avenge the deaths of her countrymen by murdering one particular Marcher lord she feels has egregiously betrayed Wales.
Eluned is resolute and almost obsessed about this. She has learned over the years of her marriage to a mostly absent-at-the-Crusades husband she did not love to be a strong, independent woman. She also believes that emotions and love will make her weak. But 18 years ago Eluned had loved. She fell for Robert de Lascaux and had carried on a short, secret affair with him.
Now she is a widow. Her son and King Edward I both believe she should marry again and an expedient marriage of convenience to Robert de Lascaux, of all people, is suggested. She agrees. Robert is full of hope that he will finally find happiness with the love he had never forgotten in 18 years. But Eluned is not the true love he remembers. She's cold and bitter and shut-off emotionally. What will happen? Will her coldness, bitterness and secret determined drive for vengeance shatter Robert's hopes for a chance at love and happiness?
As you read this, you may not, at times, like Eluned, but I believe you will understand her and feel empathy for her. Kingston does a great job of developing her conflicted character. You can feel her yearning and longing for love while she puts up emotional barriers so that she can carry out her plans for revenge.
Actually, all the characters, both main and secondary, are well developed, as is the plot and the historical component. This is a 5-star story for me b/c of the complexity of the plot and the excellent writing. There is a plot development at about the 94% mark which is dramatic and exciting and emotionally impacting that deserves 6 stars in my book. And the love, oh, the love. When Eluned says things such as "You are my heart, Robert. If they kill you, they make me heartless," they are sigh-worthy moments.
It also doesn't hurt that I love Sharon Penman's Welsh trilogy HERE BE DRAGONS, FALLS THE SHADOWS and THE RECKONING and this book by Kingston is set at the time period after the end of Penman's third book of the trilogy. (BTW, if you ever feel ambitious enough to read that trilogy [and it's so worth it if you enjoy history], the first book, HERE BE DRAGONS, tells the story of the political marriage of English King John I's daughter Joanna to Welsh prince Llewelyn Fawr, my very favorite Prince of Wales and the grandfather of the very last two Princes. What a love story that is. The "burning bed" scene cannot be beat.)
It's somewhere around 1283 and the last of the Princes of Wales (the *real* ones, not the fake ones like Prince Charles, who get the title just for being the firstborn son of the ruling English monarch) have been killed by the English and Wales has lost its independence as a sovereign nation. Welshwoman Eluned is not at all happy about this and secretly vows to avenge the deaths of her countrymen by murdering one particular Marcher lord she feels has egregiously betrayed Wales.
Eluned is resolute and almost obsessed about this. She has learned over the years of her marriage to a mostly absent-at-the-Crusades husband she did not love to be a strong, independent woman. She also believes that emotions and love will make her weak. But 18 years ago Eluned had loved. She fell for Robert de Lascaux and had carried on a short, secret affair with him.
Now she is a widow. Her son and King Edward I both believe she should marry again and an expedient marriage of convenience to Robert de Lascaux, of all people, is suggested. She agrees. Robert is full of hope that he will finally find happiness with the love he had never forgotten in 18 years. But Eluned is not the true love he remembers. She's cold and bitter and shut-off emotionally. What will happen? Will her coldness, bitterness and secret determined drive for vengeance shatter Robert's hopes for a chance at love and happiness?
As you read this, you may not, at times, like Eluned, but I believe you will understand her and feel empathy for her. Kingston does a great job of developing her conflicted character. You can feel her yearning and longing for love while she puts up emotional barriers so that she can carry out her plans for revenge.
Actually, all the characters, both main and secondary, are well developed, as is the plot and the historical component. This is a 5-star story for me b/c of the complexity of the plot and the excellent writing. There is a plot development at about the 94% mark which is dramatic and exciting and emotionally impacting that deserves 6 stars in my book. And the love, oh, the love. When Eluned says things such as "You are my heart, Robert. If they kill you, they make me heartless," they are sigh-worthy moments.
It also doesn't hurt that I love Sharon Penman's Welsh trilogy HERE BE DRAGONS, FALLS THE SHADOWS and THE RECKONING and this book by Kingston is set at the time period after the end of Penman's third book of the trilogy. (BTW, if you ever feel ambitious enough to read that trilogy [and it's so worth it if you enjoy history], the first book, HERE BE DRAGONS, tells the story of the political marriage of English King John I's daughter Joanna to Welsh prince Llewelyn Fawr, my very favorite Prince of Wales and the grandfather of the very last two Princes. What a love story that is. The "burning bed" scene cannot be beat.)
May 15, 2023
Re-read on 26th of April, 2023:
I'm upping this one to 4.5 stars upon re-read. This book is worth reading just for Ranulf and Gwen's appearance (albeit a small, but still, gosh, I love this couple!).
I love how Ms Kingston wrote Eluned, the heroine of this story who happens to be Gwen's mother. Eluned is a very complex, multi-layered person. I get how and why she became the way she is. Her situation is very realistic. I love the bit where she mentioned what would happen to her if she ran away with Robert (the infamy, the insecurity, etc) and what if Robert changed his mind about her because feelings come and go. She's pragmatic about the whole thing, and what made me respect her more would be the fact that she put Gwen's well-being above hers. To me, that's what being a parent is all about.
Robert is a slightly less interesting character compared to Eluned. Maybe because he didn't have to go through what Eluned had to go through. Sure, he had to let Eluned go the first time around, but he was titled, had properties, and was free to love and marry someone else. Eluned, on the other hand, was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She had no recourse but to bear it. My 21st centuries sentiment completely rebelled against this notion.
The best bit would be that Ranulf was the one who kept Eluned from committing murder. Ranulf knew what he was talking about because he killed his foster father, and well, as the saying goes, revenge never pays.
Overall, a fantastic read.
I'm upping this one to 4.5 stars upon re-read. This book is worth reading just for Ranulf and Gwen's appearance (albeit a small, but still, gosh, I love this couple!).
I love how Ms Kingston wrote Eluned, the heroine of this story who happens to be Gwen's mother. Eluned is a very complex, multi-layered person. I get how and why she became the way she is. Her situation is very realistic. I love the bit where she mentioned what would happen to her if she ran away with Robert (the infamy, the insecurity, etc) and what if Robert changed his mind about her because feelings come and go. She's pragmatic about the whole thing, and what made me respect her more would be the fact that she put Gwen's well-being above hers. To me, that's what being a parent is all about.
Robert is a slightly less interesting character compared to Eluned. Maybe because he didn't have to go through what Eluned had to go through. Sure, he had to let Eluned go the first time around, but he was titled, had properties, and was free to love and marry someone else. Eluned, on the other hand, was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She had no recourse but to bear it. My 21st centuries sentiment completely rebelled against this notion.
The best bit would be that Ranulf was the one who kept Eluned from committing murder. Ranulf knew what he was talking about because he killed his foster father, and well, as the saying goes, revenge never pays.
Overall, a fantastic read.
October 26, 2021
4.5 STARS rounded up because this medieval romance series just keeps getting better!
'Who is she that looketh forth, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set with banners?' Song of Solomon, 6:10
Eluned, Lady fo Ruardean, showed incredible potential in book 1 of the series, 'The King's Man', and I couldn't wait to see such a self-possessed character grappling with a romantic entanglement. On top of that, second chance romance is my personal catnip, and I was curious to find out how Kingston would develop this storyline. I wasn't disappointed in the least.
This trope is usually best handled by those authors who know how to weave past and present storylines together without dragging the narrative down with lengthy flashbacks.
This author managed to tell us about Eluned and Robert's past with a few well-drawn trips down memory lane that our couple takes on the eve of their marriage of convenience, eighteen years since their life-altering, all-consuming affair. Yes, Eluned cheated on her boring, overzealous husband back in the day, and I didn't feel like blaming her in the least. (but then again, I personally don't mind when the hero or heroine cheat on their spouse with their love interest!)
Kingston portrayed Eluned and Robert's dynamic with a lot of nuance, both in the idyllic past and in the uncertain present. Every great second change romance allows its main couple to shine through the strength of their bond, and it's certainly true in this case: despite how they've changed through the years they've spent apart, Robert and Eluned's love for one another has remained steadfast. Robert, easy-going and reliable, was the perfect foil to Eluned's sanguine and ambitious personality. He showed incredible patience while she remained torn between committing herself fully to revenge or her feelings for him, but also came to know the less savoury aspects of her character and wholeheartedly embraced those as well. These two balanced each other out incredibly well, and I liked the general storyline much better than the first book, despite this one featuring my least favourite plotline: a revenge plot against one bloodthirsty nobleman who thwarted the last Welsh uprising by betraying its leader.
This is a character-driven novel, and if there's one thing Kingston does masterfully is writing truly complex and unique heroines. Eluned's character was endlessly intriguing and made rich by all the complex relationships in her life: her children, her husband, her servants, her kinsmen, and of course Robert. This was a remarkable character study and one I will be coming back to in the future when I'm in the mood for something relatively short but smart.
'Who is she that looketh forth, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set with banners?' Song of Solomon, 6:10
Eluned, Lady fo Ruardean, showed incredible potential in book 1 of the series, 'The King's Man', and I couldn't wait to see such a self-possessed character grappling with a romantic entanglement. On top of that, second chance romance is my personal catnip, and I was curious to find out how Kingston would develop this storyline. I wasn't disappointed in the least.
This trope is usually best handled by those authors who know how to weave past and present storylines together without dragging the narrative down with lengthy flashbacks.
This author managed to tell us about Eluned and Robert's past with a few well-drawn trips down memory lane that our couple takes on the eve of their marriage of convenience, eighteen years since their life-altering, all-consuming affair. Yes, Eluned cheated on her boring, overzealous husband back in the day, and I didn't feel like blaming her in the least. (but then again, I personally don't mind when the hero or heroine cheat on their spouse with their love interest!)
Kingston portrayed Eluned and Robert's dynamic with a lot of nuance, both in the idyllic past and in the uncertain present. Every great second change romance allows its main couple to shine through the strength of their bond, and it's certainly true in this case: despite how they've changed through the years they've spent apart, Robert and Eluned's love for one another has remained steadfast. Robert, easy-going and reliable, was the perfect foil to Eluned's sanguine and ambitious personality. He showed incredible patience while she remained torn between committing herself fully to revenge or her feelings for him, but also came to know the less savoury aspects of her character and wholeheartedly embraced those as well. These two balanced each other out incredibly well, and I liked the general storyline much better than the first book, despite this one featuring my least favourite plotline: a revenge plot against one bloodthirsty nobleman who thwarted the last Welsh uprising by betraying its leader.
This is a character-driven novel, and if there's one thing Kingston does masterfully is writing truly complex and unique heroines. Eluned's character was endlessly intriguing and made rich by all the complex relationships in her life: her children, her husband, her servants, her kinsmen, and of course Robert. This was a remarkable character study and one I will be coming back to in the future when I'm in the mood for something relatively short but smart.
February 15, 2025
Truly, I don't understand why Elizabeth Kingston isn't more well known. Her writing is up there with Kinsale, who mentored her, and the depth of her characterization is close to Judith Ivory's. Plus, I love a medieval romance, and she brings the era to life without over-engineering the historical detail. In the author's note, we learn that real-life history (and characters) are present in the story, and I had no idea until then, because Kingston wove them in so effortlessly.
This book is best read after the first in the series, The King's Man. The FMC is Eluned, mother of previous FMC Gwenllian, and the MMC is Robert, with whom Eluned had an intense affair when they were young adults. When Eluned's husband dies, her son, the new lord of the manor, proposes she marry Robert to secure Eluned and the family's place in post-Wales England. Robert agrees instantly, having carried a torch for Eluned for 18 years. Eluned agrees, too--but her reasons are more strategic.
And that's their relationship in a nutshell: Robert is the same unserious man he's been for two decades (dare I say... a bit of a himbo?), and Eluned has long since cast off her girlish hopes and instead become icy and calculating, nursing deep wounds from seeing her beloved Wales conquered by King Edward and losing many of those she loved deeply. She tells him over and over again: I'm not the same girl I used to be. Don't expect anything from me in the way of affection or love.
And he... respects that. As he gradually realizes that he has loved a memory for 18 years, rather than the flesh-and-blood woman in front of him, she blows hot and cold, sometimes letting herself remember what they had back then, and other times shunning him in pursuit of her single-minded goal (no spoilers). There are many deliciously excruciating moments in their relationship, rest assured.
It all comes right in the end, of course, but I finished the book feeling slightly underwhelmed by their relationship. My buddy readers completely disagree with me (which is FINE. FINE, I tell you), but I wanted to be shown more of Eluned realizing she was allowed to love him. They are apart for so much of the book--if not physically, then emotionally--that I needed to see more of them reconnecting, rather than being told that, of course, she loved him all along.
In the hands of another writer, this would have been a straight four stars, but the whole thing is so exquisitely written and wonderfully complex that it's a 4.5 for me. I wonder if a reread (I bought the audio after finishing) would reveal more of what I wanted to see from their love story.
This book is best read after the first in the series, The King's Man. The FMC is Eluned, mother of previous FMC Gwenllian, and the MMC is Robert, with whom Eluned had an intense affair when they were young adults. When Eluned's husband dies, her son, the new lord of the manor, proposes she marry Robert to secure Eluned and the family's place in post-Wales England. Robert agrees instantly, having carried a torch for Eluned for 18 years. Eluned agrees, too--but her reasons are more strategic.
And that's their relationship in a nutshell: Robert is the same unserious man he's been for two decades (dare I say... a bit of a himbo?), and Eluned has long since cast off her girlish hopes and instead become icy and calculating, nursing deep wounds from seeing her beloved Wales conquered by King Edward and losing many of those she loved deeply. She tells him over and over again: I'm not the same girl I used to be. Don't expect anything from me in the way of affection or love.
And he... respects that. As he gradually realizes that he has loved a memory for 18 years, rather than the flesh-and-blood woman in front of him, she blows hot and cold, sometimes letting herself remember what they had back then, and other times shunning him in pursuit of her single-minded goal (no spoilers). There are many deliciously excruciating moments in their relationship, rest assured.
It all comes right in the end, of course, but I finished the book feeling slightly underwhelmed by their relationship. My buddy readers completely disagree with me (which is FINE. FINE, I tell you), but I wanted to be shown more of Eluned realizing she was allowed to love him. They are apart for so much of the book--if not physically, then emotionally--that I needed to see more of them reconnecting, rather than being told that, of course, she loved him all along.
In the hands of another writer, this would have been a straight four stars, but the whole thing is so exquisitely written and wonderfully complex that it's a 4.5 for me. I wonder if a reread (I bought the audio after finishing) would reveal more of what I wanted to see from their love story.
December 21, 2021
2021 Winter Bingo (#SnowInLoveBingo❄️): All The Tropes
Probably not the best place to start the series (I gather Eluned was villainous in a prior book?), but enjoyable nonetheless.
Probably not the best place to start the series (I gather Eluned was villainous in a prior book?), but enjoyable nonetheless.
July 25, 2017
There are a lot of books I could've chosen for July's TBR Challenge, "Series Catch-Up," given how prevalent series are in the romance genre (and, well, given my well-known penchant for reading entire series in order regardless of how much I want to read individual books). However, it was an easy decision to go with this book. The preceding book, The King's Man is hands-down one of the best historical romances I've read in a very long time. While I didn't like this book quite as much as the previous one, that's not to detract from how good the writing is here. It's just that I loved it so much.
This book is described by the author as a "companion novel" (rather than a sequel), but chronologically, it does take place after The King's Man. I think this can be read as a standalone, but I wouldn't recommend it because Eluned is a very memorable secondary character there, and it made this reading experience much richer for me. Others may disagree; she is such a polarizing character that I could understand the appeal of not coming into this book with preconceived opinions. I suppose the ultimate question for readers who have read both books is: Did Kingston pull off making Eluned the main character of her own book? In my opinion, the answer is a resounding "yes!"
Over the years, I've really come to value complex female characters in their many different forms. Kingston writes wonderfully multilayered female characters. This is equally true of Gwenllian and Eluned, and it's even more impressive with the latter. The reformed rake-turned-hero is a longstanding archetype in romance. But turning a completely unlikable female character into a heroine is much rarer.
Eluned, who is Gwenllian's mother, could safely be called an antagonist in The King's Man. The way she behaves towards her daughter is so difficult to read, and it takes a lot of skill to turn that type of character into the protagonist of her own book. Kingston managed to do this without turning her into an unrecognizable character. If I go back and read The King's Man now (which I plan to do at some point), I suspect I may feel more empathy for Eluned, but it won't change my disgust at her behavior or the way she treated Gwenllian.
This book picks up after the final conquest and annexation of Wales by Edward I. Eluned has been completely demoralized by the long rebellion. She is no longer close to her daughter, who is living with her Norman husband, a favorite of Edward I; her favorite uncle and cousin are dead; and she cannot even grieve the dead or show too much anger over the fate of Wales. She has already clashed with Edward I when her daughter married Ranulf (the other protagonist in The King's Man and an anti-hero himself), and despite being married to a Norman, Eluned could easily come under suspicion for aiding the Welsh cause if she makes one wrong move.
As the book opens, she's staring at the severed head of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, full of anguish and rage but not able to show it outwardly. Her son, raised by his uncle as a favorite of the hated king, returns to her home to report that her husband (a religious fanatic who has been off in the Crusades) has died. Although her husband has been absent for so long, this still produces a very strong reaction in Eluned. In one of my favorite scenes, she spits on her husband's bones, the ultimate final act of contempt for him.
But with Walter's death come changes. Eluned has managed the estate in her husband's absence, but she realizes now that she must hand it over. Her son gives her a choice: marry again or go to a convent and live out the rest of her life. Enter Robert, our hero. (I thought he was a great character, but honestly, Eluned is such a strong presence that he sort of pales in comparison to her.) We learn that Robert and Eluned had an affair one summer 18 years ago when staying at the same estate. Eluned, who married when she was 13(?) was already mother to a young girl when they met in their 20s. Given life expectancy in this time period (late 13th century), meeting and marrying again at/around 40 is pretty remarkable. (I also love protagonists who are a bit older, so this was refreshing.) They intended to keep the affair going after Eluned returned to her own estate, but when Robert came to visit, she ended it abruptly because her husband unexpectedly returned (having heard rumors about her affair, despite how discreet they thought they had been).
Robert is a romantic and never stopped loving Eluned. He has never shown any inclination to marry partly because of this, even though no one in his family knows about this affair in his youth. Though he was heartbroken when Eluned ended it, and bitter when he learned that she bore a son a couple of years later--meaning she would've slept with her husband again--he still romanticizes that summer together. He remembers Eluned as full of life: passionate, intelligent, outspoken. When he learns about the marriage offer to Eluned, he cannot help but feel optimistic that they can rekindle their romance again.
But this isn't to be. Eluned appears to him physically very much the same, but emotionally completely different. She treats him as if he's a stranger and doesn't want to talk about their affair. She basically makes him believe she never really loved him--that it was just infatuation. And the thing is--Eluned has made herself believe this. I would say she's cynical, but it's more than that. She has internalized a lot of ugly experiences and let these make her very bitter. This is the Eluned we met in The King's Man and the Eluned Robert meets when they are married.
As the book unfolds and we see flashbacks to their affair, we learn how much Eluned appears to have changed and what caused this before her estrangement from her daughter, which also gives more context to her behavior in the previous book (beyond just being loyal to Wales, which seems to be the motivating factor in all of her decisions). Eluned's late husband was cruel and abusive--not just physically but emotionally. Even though Eluned didn't admit to the affair, Walter (her husband) made Eluned believe her soul was damned and forced her to spend days repenting. She came to view that affair as both her worst and her best sin. Given this, it's understandable that in the present day she is impatient with Robert when he wants to relive the past, basically calling him naive and foolish.
But though Eluned appears cold and emotionless when Robert first meets her again, we know she's not. Eluned is full of anger over the events leading to the annexation of Wales, leaving little room in her heart for Robert. Her motivation for marrying Robert is to get close to some of her enemies at the king's court. One in particular, Roger Mortimer (a real historical figure), Robert also hates because his family holds Robert's best friend's son hostage. Eluned spends a good portion of this book plotting to kill Mortimer. She is very calculated about this, revealing her plans to no one, going over the various methods in her mind whenever she starts to have any tender feelings for Robert, because those feelings are a distraction for her.
This book is rich with historical detail, and it almost reads as historical fiction in parts (I can easily see Kingston writing in that genre). It is a unique and well-researched historical setting. It would be easy for the romance to take a backseat to this, especially since so much of Eluned's mental energy is devoted to revenge, not love. But even though Eluned is the more interesting, well-drawn character, I still felt her relationship with Robert was integral to bringing her peace again. She doesn't magically change overnight. It's a slow process, gut-wrenching at times. And Robert doesn't "save" her.
What I loved about their relationship is Robert's belief in Eluned's innate goodness. He still believes the Eluned he once knew is buried deep inside, and no matter how many times she rebuffs him, he holds out hope that she'll come around. This was one of the most compelling parts of the book for me. As Robert tells her:
If this book and the preceding one are anything to go by, Kingston is a force to be reckoned with in the romance genre. (And that's saying something, because I feel like a lot of romance's best writers mostly write historical romance.) I really look forward to future releases from her!
This book is described by the author as a "companion novel" (rather than a sequel), but chronologically, it does take place after The King's Man. I think this can be read as a standalone, but I wouldn't recommend it because Eluned is a very memorable secondary character there, and it made this reading experience much richer for me. Others may disagree; she is such a polarizing character that I could understand the appeal of not coming into this book with preconceived opinions. I suppose the ultimate question for readers who have read both books is: Did Kingston pull off making Eluned the main character of her own book? In my opinion, the answer is a resounding "yes!"
Over the years, I've really come to value complex female characters in their many different forms. Kingston writes wonderfully multilayered female characters. This is equally true of Gwenllian and Eluned, and it's even more impressive with the latter. The reformed rake-turned-hero is a longstanding archetype in romance. But turning a completely unlikable female character into a heroine is much rarer.
Eluned, who is Gwenllian's mother, could safely be called an antagonist in The King's Man. The way she behaves towards her daughter is so difficult to read, and it takes a lot of skill to turn that type of character into the protagonist of her own book. Kingston managed to do this without turning her into an unrecognizable character. If I go back and read The King's Man now (which I plan to do at some point), I suspect I may feel more empathy for Eluned, but it won't change my disgust at her behavior or the way she treated Gwenllian.
This book picks up after the final conquest and annexation of Wales by Edward I. Eluned has been completely demoralized by the long rebellion. She is no longer close to her daughter, who is living with her Norman husband, a favorite of Edward I; her favorite uncle and cousin are dead; and she cannot even grieve the dead or show too much anger over the fate of Wales. She has already clashed with Edward I when her daughter married Ranulf (the other protagonist in The King's Man and an anti-hero himself), and despite being married to a Norman, Eluned could easily come under suspicion for aiding the Welsh cause if she makes one wrong move.
As the book opens, she's staring at the severed head of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, full of anguish and rage but not able to show it outwardly. Her son, raised by his uncle as a favorite of the hated king, returns to her home to report that her husband (a religious fanatic who has been off in the Crusades) has died. Although her husband has been absent for so long, this still produces a very strong reaction in Eluned. In one of my favorite scenes, she spits on her husband's bones, the ultimate final act of contempt for him.
But with Walter's death come changes. Eluned has managed the estate in her husband's absence, but she realizes now that she must hand it over. Her son gives her a choice: marry again or go to a convent and live out the rest of her life. Enter Robert, our hero. (I thought he was a great character, but honestly, Eluned is such a strong presence that he sort of pales in comparison to her.) We learn that Robert and Eluned had an affair one summer 18 years ago when staying at the same estate. Eluned, who married when she was 13(?) was already mother to a young girl when they met in their 20s. Given life expectancy in this time period (late 13th century), meeting and marrying again at/around 40 is pretty remarkable. (I also love protagonists who are a bit older, so this was refreshing.) They intended to keep the affair going after Eluned returned to her own estate, but when Robert came to visit, she ended it abruptly because her husband unexpectedly returned (having heard rumors about her affair, despite how discreet they thought they had been).
Robert is a romantic and never stopped loving Eluned. He has never shown any inclination to marry partly because of this, even though no one in his family knows about this affair in his youth. Though he was heartbroken when Eluned ended it, and bitter when he learned that she bore a son a couple of years later--meaning she would've slept with her husband again--he still romanticizes that summer together. He remembers Eluned as full of life: passionate, intelligent, outspoken. When he learns about the marriage offer to Eluned, he cannot help but feel optimistic that they can rekindle their romance again.
But this isn't to be. Eluned appears to him physically very much the same, but emotionally completely different. She treats him as if he's a stranger and doesn't want to talk about their affair. She basically makes him believe she never really loved him--that it was just infatuation. And the thing is--Eluned has made herself believe this. I would say she's cynical, but it's more than that. She has internalized a lot of ugly experiences and let these make her very bitter. This is the Eluned we met in The King's Man and the Eluned Robert meets when they are married.
As the book unfolds and we see flashbacks to their affair, we learn how much Eluned appears to have changed and what caused this before her estrangement from her daughter, which also gives more context to her behavior in the previous book (beyond just being loyal to Wales, which seems to be the motivating factor in all of her decisions). Eluned's late husband was cruel and abusive--not just physically but emotionally. Even though Eluned didn't admit to the affair, Walter (her husband) made Eluned believe her soul was damned and forced her to spend days repenting. She came to view that affair as both her worst and her best sin. Given this, it's understandable that in the present day she is impatient with Robert when he wants to relive the past, basically calling him naive and foolish.
But though Eluned appears cold and emotionless when Robert first meets her again, we know she's not. Eluned is full of anger over the events leading to the annexation of Wales, leaving little room in her heart for Robert. Her motivation for marrying Robert is to get close to some of her enemies at the king's court. One in particular, Roger Mortimer (a real historical figure), Robert also hates because his family holds Robert's best friend's son hostage. Eluned spends a good portion of this book plotting to kill Mortimer. She is very calculated about this, revealing her plans to no one, going over the various methods in her mind whenever she starts to have any tender feelings for Robert, because those feelings are a distraction for her.
This book is rich with historical detail, and it almost reads as historical fiction in parts (I can easily see Kingston writing in that genre). It is a unique and well-researched historical setting. It would be easy for the romance to take a backseat to this, especially since so much of Eluned's mental energy is devoted to revenge, not love. But even though Eluned is the more interesting, well-drawn character, I still felt her relationship with Robert was integral to bringing her peace again. She doesn't magically change overnight. It's a slow process, gut-wrenching at times. And Robert doesn't "save" her.
What I loved about their relationship is Robert's belief in Eluned's innate goodness. He still believes the Eluned he once knew is buried deep inside, and no matter how many times she rebuffs him, he holds out hope that she'll come around. This was one of the most compelling parts of the book for me. As Robert tells her:
“The first thing ever you said to me was that it mattered less which belief I held, than that I believed in a thing enough to die for it. And I chose then, in the moment you said it, what I believed...It is you I believe in, Eluned. Even when you do not."
If this book and the preceding one are anything to go by, Kingston is a force to be reckoned with in the romance genre. (And that's saying something, because I feel like a lot of romance's best writers mostly write historical romance.) I really look forward to future releases from her!
May 17, 2017
In my opinion, Elizabeth Kingston is one of the best - if not THE best - newly published author writing in the historical genre. Fair, Bright and Terrible, the second in her Welsh Blades series ticks every single box on my list of requirements for a stimulating, entertaining and engrossing read/listen. With narrator Nicholas Boulton added into the mix I was quite literally in book heaven - enthralled from beginning to end. This story follows directly on from The King's Man and covers the true and bloody period in Welsh/English history where the last Welsh Prince Llewelyn is ruthlessly disposed of in the most barbaric of medieval methods.
In book one of the series, we met Eluned of Ruardean who was a strong driving force in the life of her daughter, Gwenllian whom she relentlessly controlled. I disliked Eluned intensely and she didn't grow on me one iota, so when I realised that Fair, Bright and Terrible was Eluned's story, I approached it with trepidation and some pre-conceived prejudices. I carried on disliking her, especially after she marries the compellingly likeable and adorable hero of the story, Robert de Lascaux. How, I wondered, could this gorgeous man have loved this woman for eighteen years? And this is where Elizabeth Kingston shows her immense talent for character development - because by the end of the story I understood, respected, and actually liked and admired Eluned.
As the story begins, Eluned's dreams of a successful uprising to bring independent sovereignty back to Wales is in tatters following King Edward I's ruthless suppression of the recent rebellion. Coming hard upon the heels of this defeat is the news that her long absentee husband has died in the Holy Land and her son is eager for her to remarry in order to augment his lands and standing. Her husband-to-be is none other than Robert de Lascaux, with whom she had a passionate affair some eighteen years earlier. She put this behind her long ago, but Robert is delighted and immediately agrees to the match, hoping to take up where they left off. Throughout the story, Eluned appears as a woman who does nothing without good reason; she always comes across as cold, calculating and controlling, and her marriage to Robert is no different. Overjoyed at being re-united with his former love, he is destined to be disappointed as he quickly realises that the love he has nurtured is not returned. It quickly becomes apparent that Eluned has a hidden agenda, her goal being admittance to the court of Edward and his inner circle.
I continued to dislike Eluned, especially as she treats the sweet natured and utterly honourable Robert with such cold disdain. But, slowly and cleverly over the course of the story, Ms. Kingston peels away, layer by layer, Eluned's prejudices and shows her reluctant and hidden love for Robert, well buried under the baggage her life has acquired over the past eighteen years. Ironically it is the appearance and actions of her despised Norman son-in-law, Ranulf (The King's Man), which finally knocks down the walls she has erected and we are finally allowed to see the woman she really is. Bravo Elizabeth Kingston - what a compelling, clever story and the fact that you persuaded me to like and admire this woman whom I had disliked for the best part of two books is quite remarkable.
As to the narration - what can I say other than that as usual, Nicholas Boulton gives a faultless performance and shows what a first rate actor he is? His voice is smooth, pleasing and utterly addictive to the listener; anything with his name on it is always going to get my attention. My initial dislike for Eluned was perpetuated by the exceptional manner in which he portrays her cold disdain, the emptiness and hopelessness she feels and can't change... but then, as her defences begin to crumble, he effects a subtle softening of tone; her voice still recognisable but transformed from cold disdain into loving warmth. Mr. Boulton is one of only a handful of narrators who is equally good at portraying men and women. I particularly enjoyed his rendition of Robert - at first buoyant and happy as he meets his beloved after eighteen years apart, but then as he realises his love is not returned, quiet, wary and subdued. And of course, a particular favourite of mine is the fierce Norman lord, Ranulf Ombrier - a fierce man brought to his knees by the love of his warrior wife, Gwenllian and their two little boys. I can't recommend this book highly enough and I hope that this isn't the last in the series. Hopefully we may get to see what happens to William, Eluned's sixteen year old son.
In book one of the series, we met Eluned of Ruardean who was a strong driving force in the life of her daughter, Gwenllian whom she relentlessly controlled. I disliked Eluned intensely and she didn't grow on me one iota, so when I realised that Fair, Bright and Terrible was Eluned's story, I approached it with trepidation and some pre-conceived prejudices. I carried on disliking her, especially after she marries the compellingly likeable and adorable hero of the story, Robert de Lascaux. How, I wondered, could this gorgeous man have loved this woman for eighteen years? And this is where Elizabeth Kingston shows her immense talent for character development - because by the end of the story I understood, respected, and actually liked and admired Eluned.
As the story begins, Eluned's dreams of a successful uprising to bring independent sovereignty back to Wales is in tatters following King Edward I's ruthless suppression of the recent rebellion. Coming hard upon the heels of this defeat is the news that her long absentee husband has died in the Holy Land and her son is eager for her to remarry in order to augment his lands and standing. Her husband-to-be is none other than Robert de Lascaux, with whom she had a passionate affair some eighteen years earlier. She put this behind her long ago, but Robert is delighted and immediately agrees to the match, hoping to take up where they left off. Throughout the story, Eluned appears as a woman who does nothing without good reason; she always comes across as cold, calculating and controlling, and her marriage to Robert is no different. Overjoyed at being re-united with his former love, he is destined to be disappointed as he quickly realises that the love he has nurtured is not returned. It quickly becomes apparent that Eluned has a hidden agenda, her goal being admittance to the court of Edward and his inner circle.
I continued to dislike Eluned, especially as she treats the sweet natured and utterly honourable Robert with such cold disdain. But, slowly and cleverly over the course of the story, Ms. Kingston peels away, layer by layer, Eluned's prejudices and shows her reluctant and hidden love for Robert, well buried under the baggage her life has acquired over the past eighteen years. Ironically it is the appearance and actions of her despised Norman son-in-law, Ranulf (The King's Man), which finally knocks down the walls she has erected and we are finally allowed to see the woman she really is. Bravo Elizabeth Kingston - what a compelling, clever story and the fact that you persuaded me to like and admire this woman whom I had disliked for the best part of two books is quite remarkable.
As to the narration - what can I say other than that as usual, Nicholas Boulton gives a faultless performance and shows what a first rate actor he is? His voice is smooth, pleasing and utterly addictive to the listener; anything with his name on it is always going to get my attention. My initial dislike for Eluned was perpetuated by the exceptional manner in which he portrays her cold disdain, the emptiness and hopelessness she feels and can't change... but then, as her defences begin to crumble, he effects a subtle softening of tone; her voice still recognisable but transformed from cold disdain into loving warmth. Mr. Boulton is one of only a handful of narrators who is equally good at portraying men and women. I particularly enjoyed his rendition of Robert - at first buoyant and happy as he meets his beloved after eighteen years apart, but then as he realises his love is not returned, quiet, wary and subdued. And of course, a particular favourite of mine is the fierce Norman lord, Ranulf Ombrier - a fierce man brought to his knees by the love of his warrior wife, Gwenllian and their two little boys. I can't recommend this book highly enough and I hope that this isn't the last in the series. Hopefully we may get to see what happens to William, Eluned's sixteen year old son.
October 30, 2020
A Rich Tapestry of Emotions in this Story of Love after England Conquered Wales
Set in the late 13th century, this is the second in a wonderful series, a story of love between a Welsh noblewoman and an English knight after Wales has been brutally conquered by Edward I.
Eluned has lost her country and her hope. But she intends to have her vengeance on Mortimer, the English nobleman who was responsible for the death of the Welsh leaders. She has a calculating mind and plans carefully how she will do it. When her husband dies and she has the chance to marry Robert de Lascaux, the man she fell in love with 18 years earlier, she takes it as it will give her access to the English nobility.
When Robert is asked to marry the woman he loves but has been denied, he gladly accepts thinking he will at last have the woman he wants. But the lady who greets him at the altar has so little in common with the girl he adored that he begins to doubt that there is anything left of her.
Kingston weaves a rich tapestry of intrigue, treachery, stalwart love and lost dreams realized. Medieval Wales is brought to life. The story will draw you in as you eagerly hope for love to at last to be regained. A beautifully told tale, one not to be missed!
I recommend reading the series in order as they are closely related.
The Welsh Blades:
The King’s Man
Fair, Bright and Terrible
Desire Lines
Set in the late 13th century, this is the second in a wonderful series, a story of love between a Welsh noblewoman and an English knight after Wales has been brutally conquered by Edward I.
Eluned has lost her country and her hope. But she intends to have her vengeance on Mortimer, the English nobleman who was responsible for the death of the Welsh leaders. She has a calculating mind and plans carefully how she will do it. When her husband dies and she has the chance to marry Robert de Lascaux, the man she fell in love with 18 years earlier, she takes it as it will give her access to the English nobility.
When Robert is asked to marry the woman he loves but has been denied, he gladly accepts thinking he will at last have the woman he wants. But the lady who greets him at the altar has so little in common with the girl he adored that he begins to doubt that there is anything left of her.
Kingston weaves a rich tapestry of intrigue, treachery, stalwart love and lost dreams realized. Medieval Wales is brought to life. The story will draw you in as you eagerly hope for love to at last to be regained. A beautifully told tale, one not to be missed!
I recommend reading the series in order as they are closely related.
The Welsh Blades:
The King’s Man
Fair, Bright and Terrible
Desire Lines
July 10, 2019
No time to write a review, but wanted to make note this is a second-chance romance for a couple in their 40s. Historical romance in the aftermath of the last Welsh uprising.
January 26, 2025
"How long does love live on, when it goes unfed?"
"Valor and honor. Unnatural and heartless. Choose which you call it and I will tell you the sex you describe."
Listen. The last thing I thought I would do as I was fairly well into this book was rate it five stars. Kingston is so brilliant in her approach to the story, and does such a meticulous job of explaining Eluned, her mind and motivations that she achieves the impossible and brought me completely around. When last we met Eluned, she had fashioned Gwenllian into a sword for Wales, and Gwen chose Ranulf and love over a doomed rebellion. "The sword that might have defended [the Welsh leader], the sword that I put in her hand, she yielded it to you." She had spent book one on a single-minded pursuit of independence for Wales, until the last minute, where she saved her family and herself, and watched the rebellion crumble. She's at a deficit with the reader before her book even starts, as the scheming mother who takes her daughter away from her love. And for most of this book she's worse. A woman who has stripped all emotion and softness from herself, and is using her husband to enact revenge on the family that humiliated Wales.
I felt for her new husband for most of the book, his poor heart! Robert and Eluned have a passionate love affair over a long summer season 18 years ago, and mean to continue it as her much older husband travels. They are discovered, and her already religiously fevered/mad husband though a combo of abuse and forced penitent behavior and fear for her daughter's future have her cutting things off with Robert for good. Kingston shows the conscious process Eluded takes to go from being a pawn of men with no power to a political machinator who moves the pieces herself (this is the woman we meet in Gwen and Ranulf's book). It's heartbreaking and practical and sometimes all a woman can do to survive. "'Love' she murmured to herself. Begin with that, find where she was vulnerable. 'What love is alive in my heart?' Eluned closed her eyes and thought of her heart, and saw only a smoking ruin."
Meanwhile Robert has loved the memory of her for 18 years, and when a marriage between them is suggested for Strategic Court Politics Reasons he can't believe his luck. However he soon realizes that the woman he loves is gone, or buried under a shell "She was a perfectly agreeable bride, pleasant and bland. In his direst imaginings, he could not have envisioned this." She refuses to love him, focused on her revenge plot. He refuses to stop loving her, convinced that she will come to him, that they will find each other again. Honestly MY heart broke as she painstakingly told him how little the summer meant, how she got over their love, and then walks away again after what could have been a rapprochement until he's had enough. "I will no longer live in hope and dread [...] to love you was the making of me. But now it is only my undoing."
Even once they both have given up on their love (with much mutual regret and pining of course) it finds a way. Her revenge plot is thwarted, her situation is reframed for her (mansplained) by a family member, and she chooses love. And again, just as Kingston showed us the process and work Eluned did to harden her heart, she shows us the thought and path she has to take to release the past and move forward. Her character motivations are so clear and so well done, that even if a reader has a difficult time liking or empathizing or admiring a character, the reader understands them.
Kingston shines in the moments where characters declare their love, these scenes are unmatched. Robert and Eluned are so vulnerable with each other, and work so hard to give each other what they need. That's the dream, isn't it? To tell someone about the worst things we've done or thought, our weaknesses and sins, and have them love us anyway? There's a scene late on where Eluned deploys all the plotting and manipulation abilities she has on behalf of love, her "woman's weapons." She loves with all her strength, and Robert is everything to her. It's a second chance at love that *almost* brings me around to second chance romance, Kingston does it so well.
"Valor and honor. Unnatural and heartless. Choose which you call it and I will tell you the sex you describe."
Listen. The last thing I thought I would do as I was fairly well into this book was rate it five stars. Kingston is so brilliant in her approach to the story, and does such a meticulous job of explaining Eluned, her mind and motivations that she achieves the impossible and brought me completely around. When last we met Eluned, she had fashioned Gwenllian into a sword for Wales, and Gwen chose Ranulf and love over a doomed rebellion. "The sword that might have defended [the Welsh leader], the sword that I put in her hand, she yielded it to you." She had spent book one on a single-minded pursuit of independence for Wales, until the last minute, where she saved her family and herself, and watched the rebellion crumble. She's at a deficit with the reader before her book even starts, as the scheming mother who takes her daughter away from her love. And for most of this book she's worse. A woman who has stripped all emotion and softness from herself, and is using her husband to enact revenge on the family that humiliated Wales.
I felt for her new husband for most of the book, his poor heart! Robert and Eluned have a passionate love affair over a long summer season 18 years ago, and mean to continue it as her much older husband travels. They are discovered, and her already religiously fevered/mad husband though a combo of abuse and forced penitent behavior and fear for her daughter's future have her cutting things off with Robert for good. Kingston shows the conscious process Eluded takes to go from being a pawn of men with no power to a political machinator who moves the pieces herself (this is the woman we meet in Gwen and Ranulf's book). It's heartbreaking and practical and sometimes all a woman can do to survive. "'Love' she murmured to herself. Begin with that, find where she was vulnerable. 'What love is alive in my heart?' Eluned closed her eyes and thought of her heart, and saw only a smoking ruin."
Meanwhile Robert has loved the memory of her for 18 years, and when a marriage between them is suggested for Strategic Court Politics Reasons he can't believe his luck. However he soon realizes that the woman he loves is gone, or buried under a shell "She was a perfectly agreeable bride, pleasant and bland. In his direst imaginings, he could not have envisioned this." She refuses to love him, focused on her revenge plot. He refuses to stop loving her, convinced that she will come to him, that they will find each other again. Honestly MY heart broke as she painstakingly told him how little the summer meant, how she got over their love, and then walks away again after what could have been a rapprochement until he's had enough. "I will no longer live in hope and dread [...] to love you was the making of me. But now it is only my undoing."
Even once they both have given up on their love (with much mutual regret and pining of course) it finds a way. Her revenge plot is thwarted, her situation is reframed for her (mansplained) by a family member, and she chooses love. And again, just as Kingston showed us the process and work Eluned did to harden her heart, she shows us the thought and path she has to take to release the past and move forward. Her character motivations are so clear and so well done, that even if a reader has a difficult time liking or empathizing or admiring a character, the reader understands them.
Kingston shines in the moments where characters declare their love, these scenes are unmatched. Robert and Eluned are so vulnerable with each other, and work so hard to give each other what they need. That's the dream, isn't it? To tell someone about the worst things we've done or thought, our weaknesses and sins, and have them love us anyway? There's a scene late on where Eluned deploys all the plotting and manipulation abilities she has on behalf of love, her "woman's weapons." She loves with all her strength, and Robert is everything to her. It's a second chance at love that *almost* brings me around to second chance romance, Kingston does it so well.
February 12, 2017
Fair, Bright, and Terrible is a companion to The King's Man, the first of Elizabeth Kingston’s Welsh Blades books. It’s not absolutely necessary to have read that book first, although I found it helpful and would certainly suggest doing so to anyone interested in reading this one. Fair, Bright, and Terrible tells the story of Eluned of Ruardean, who has lived a life of compromise and sacrifice in service of her beloved Wales. With the country now conquered by the English, and her daughter, Gwenllian (heroine of the previous book) happily married and expecting a child rather than fulfilling Eluned’s dreams of leading the Welsh people to freedom, Eluned is consumed by bitterness and a desire for vengeance.
Fair, Bright, and Terrible opens with Eluned emotionally devastated by King Edward’s ruthless suppression of the Welsh rebellion and learning shortly afterwards of her death of her husband, who spent most of their married life crusading in the Holy Land. When her son, William, visits her at Ruardean and asks her to marry Robert de Lascaux in order to strengthen William’s position at King Edward’s court, Eluned sees it as a last chance for vengeance on her enemies. William’s intention to claim Ruardean – after Eluned has spent the whole of her married life as its de-facto leader – leaves her with limited options.
When Robert de Lascaux is asked by his scheming father to marry Eluned of Ruardean for her lands and connections, he barely hesitates before agreeing to the union. Eighteen years earlier, Robert had fallen desperately in love with Eluned, and despite knowing she was married to the volatile and powerful Walter of Ruardean, Robert found he could not stay away from her. Flirtation gave way to stolen kisses and it wasn’t long before they were sneaking away for passionate afternoons alone together. Months later, when Eluned was compelled to return to Ruardean and her husband, she and Robert finally confessed their love for each other but parted in anger. Robert begged Eluned to come away to France with him, and Eluned argued that she couldn’t leave her husband, but that she would find a way from them to be together at Ruardean, if only Robert would follow her. Robert, still hopeful Eluned would leave Walter and unable to stay away, arrived at Ruardean a few short days later. But instead of the happy reunion he hoped for, Eluned abruptly ended the affair and implored him to stay away. Bewildered and devastated, he honored her request, though he never stopped loving her or dreaming of the chance to be with her once again. Marriage to Eluned is an answer to his most fervent prayers.
Up until Robert and Eluned marry, Fair, Bright, and Terrible is mostly a dark, sombre and bitter reflection of all Eluned feels she’s lost in her pursuit of an independent Wales. Now a closed off, cold stranger – even to herself – Eluned’s entire focus is on vengeance, and there’s no room for happy reminiscing about Robert or the bright, beautiful love and desire they shared long ago. The mood is dismal and the narrative chilling as we learn of the choices and sacrifices she’s been forced to make in her life since turning Robert away years ago.
But once Ms. Kingston introduces us to Robert – happy, eager, thrilled to be with Eluned again – small sparks of light start to glimmer through the story, despite Eluned’s anger and remoteness. This is a long, fraught middle stretch, with Eluned and Robert at a court filled with intrigues and gamesmanship, married – yet strangers to one another – and overwhelmed by memories of their doomed, youthful love affair. These romantic and sensual flashbacks, juxtaposed against Robert’s naïve and frustrated hopefulness and Eluned’s profound unhappiness, are bittersweet. Robert clings to the memory of the passionate Eluned he never stopped loving; Eluned struggles to resist her desire and her memories, and remain committed to her plans for vengeance. Oh reader! This love story will break your heart.
Ms. Kingston wisely doesn’t rush the middle section, instead using these chapters to gently fan the embers of love between Robert and Eluned, and detail the intrigue and scheming behind Eluned’s murderous plans for revenge. Her plans are complicated by her long suppressed love for Robert, his relationships at court, and the repercussions of her actions on his future. I admit I found keeping up with the large cast of characters and all the scheming/plotting a bit difficult at times, and I struggled along with both principals to recognize friend or foe – but Ms. Kingston rewards the effort. Just when all the intricate plotting seems to coalesce, and I was convinced all hope for Eluned and Robert was also lost, an unlikely savior makes a surprise appearance and the story abruptly moves out of the dark and into the light.
I fell hard for Robert (Robin to his closest friends, and deep in Eluned’s heart). He’s a wonderfully nuanced hero whose enduring love for Eluned (and his friends) is a pleasure to read. Gentle, affectionate and oh, so vulnerable to her and her affections (or lack thereof), I just wanted to spend...
Read the rest of my DIK review here: Fair, Bright and Terrible.
Fair, Bright, and Terrible opens with Eluned emotionally devastated by King Edward’s ruthless suppression of the Welsh rebellion and learning shortly afterwards of her death of her husband, who spent most of their married life crusading in the Holy Land. When her son, William, visits her at Ruardean and asks her to marry Robert de Lascaux in order to strengthen William’s position at King Edward’s court, Eluned sees it as a last chance for vengeance on her enemies. William’s intention to claim Ruardean – after Eluned has spent the whole of her married life as its de-facto leader – leaves her with limited options.
When Robert de Lascaux is asked by his scheming father to marry Eluned of Ruardean for her lands and connections, he barely hesitates before agreeing to the union. Eighteen years earlier, Robert had fallen desperately in love with Eluned, and despite knowing she was married to the volatile and powerful Walter of Ruardean, Robert found he could not stay away from her. Flirtation gave way to stolen kisses and it wasn’t long before they were sneaking away for passionate afternoons alone together. Months later, when Eluned was compelled to return to Ruardean and her husband, she and Robert finally confessed their love for each other but parted in anger. Robert begged Eluned to come away to France with him, and Eluned argued that she couldn’t leave her husband, but that she would find a way from them to be together at Ruardean, if only Robert would follow her. Robert, still hopeful Eluned would leave Walter and unable to stay away, arrived at Ruardean a few short days later. But instead of the happy reunion he hoped for, Eluned abruptly ended the affair and implored him to stay away. Bewildered and devastated, he honored her request, though he never stopped loving her or dreaming of the chance to be with her once again. Marriage to Eluned is an answer to his most fervent prayers.
Up until Robert and Eluned marry, Fair, Bright, and Terrible is mostly a dark, sombre and bitter reflection of all Eluned feels she’s lost in her pursuit of an independent Wales. Now a closed off, cold stranger – even to herself – Eluned’s entire focus is on vengeance, and there’s no room for happy reminiscing about Robert or the bright, beautiful love and desire they shared long ago. The mood is dismal and the narrative chilling as we learn of the choices and sacrifices she’s been forced to make in her life since turning Robert away years ago.
But once Ms. Kingston introduces us to Robert – happy, eager, thrilled to be with Eluned again – small sparks of light start to glimmer through the story, despite Eluned’s anger and remoteness. This is a long, fraught middle stretch, with Eluned and Robert at a court filled with intrigues and gamesmanship, married – yet strangers to one another – and overwhelmed by memories of their doomed, youthful love affair. These romantic and sensual flashbacks, juxtaposed against Robert’s naïve and frustrated hopefulness and Eluned’s profound unhappiness, are bittersweet. Robert clings to the memory of the passionate Eluned he never stopped loving; Eluned struggles to resist her desire and her memories, and remain committed to her plans for vengeance. Oh reader! This love story will break your heart.
Ms. Kingston wisely doesn’t rush the middle section, instead using these chapters to gently fan the embers of love between Robert and Eluned, and detail the intrigue and scheming behind Eluned’s murderous plans for revenge. Her plans are complicated by her long suppressed love for Robert, his relationships at court, and the repercussions of her actions on his future. I admit I found keeping up with the large cast of characters and all the scheming/plotting a bit difficult at times, and I struggled along with both principals to recognize friend or foe – but Ms. Kingston rewards the effort. Just when all the intricate plotting seems to coalesce, and I was convinced all hope for Eluned and Robert was also lost, an unlikely savior makes a surprise appearance and the story abruptly moves out of the dark and into the light.
I fell hard for Robert (Robin to his closest friends, and deep in Eluned’s heart). He’s a wonderfully nuanced hero whose enduring love for Eluned (and his friends) is a pleasure to read. Gentle, affectionate and oh, so vulnerable to her and her affections (or lack thereof), I just wanted to spend...
Read the rest of my DIK review here: Fair, Bright and Terrible.
January 20, 2025
Living in this time period sounds hard.
It took me some time to warm up to the heroine, but I eventually got there as I understood her grief. The hero was a nice foil in that he was less cautious to begin with, but became more introspective by the end.
Having a couple with gray in their hair is a nice change of pace. I am in the same age range and it is nice to see love stories can happen at any time in one’s life.
It took me some time to warm up to the heroine, but I eventually got there as I understood her grief. The hero was a nice foil in that he was less cautious to begin with, but became more introspective by the end.
Having a couple with gray in their hair is a nice change of pace. I am in the same age range and it is nice to see love stories can happen at any time in one’s life.
February 6, 2017
A realistic, emotionally powerful historical romance set in a turbulent past.
This novel was a surprise for me. It's nothing like the first book in this series, THE KING'S MAN (which I also really enjoyed). This story is one of 'second chance romance'. A man and woman, both around forty years of age, who rekindle their relationship 18 years after it ended. It's certainly not a tale for those who prefer lighthearted romance, but if you're ready to tackle a few heavy topics, and deal with a embittered heroine bent on revenge, it's a really rewarding story.
Elizabeth Kingston writes beautifully. She captures the regret, bitterness and hope of Eluned and Robert. One of my favorite quotes in the book was this one - it sums up the conflict between the hero and heroine perfectly:
“To love you was the making of me. But now it is only my undoing.”
I love bittersweet moments.
Eluned isn't an easy woman to like. She's proud, manipulative and scheming. She had an affair with Robert many years earlier when her husband was away but is forced to give up her lover when the realities of life intrude on their private world. The author does a really good job is showing the moment Eluned turns bitter. The heroine can't accept the fact that life isn't hers for the taking, that she cannot have everything she wants - and as a result shuts down her feelings and focuses on political ambition, in schooling her daughter to fight for the Welsh cause.
In contrast, Robert is a truly good man. However, he doesn't let Eluned boss him around or manipulate him. I enjoyed the scenes when he stood up to her. After their marriage - organised by Eluned's son - he is shocked to discover that the carefree, fiesty young woman he remembers is gone. He has spent years loving a woman who only existed in his memory.
The novel is well researched, and gives you a real sense of the political turmoil of the Welsh Marches, and how the Welsh would have felt after years of persecution and bloodshed. It's an intense read, and I believe many women of Eluned's age (which I am!) can relate to some of what she struggles with. Many women (and men!) never get over the disappointment that life hasn't worked out as they had hoped - and Elizabeth Kingston portrays this theme bravely and realistically.
This novel was a surprise for me. It's nothing like the first book in this series, THE KING'S MAN (which I also really enjoyed). This story is one of 'second chance romance'. A man and woman, both around forty years of age, who rekindle their relationship 18 years after it ended. It's certainly not a tale for those who prefer lighthearted romance, but if you're ready to tackle a few heavy topics, and deal with a embittered heroine bent on revenge, it's a really rewarding story.
Elizabeth Kingston writes beautifully. She captures the regret, bitterness and hope of Eluned and Robert. One of my favorite quotes in the book was this one - it sums up the conflict between the hero and heroine perfectly:
“To love you was the making of me. But now it is only my undoing.”
I love bittersweet moments.
Eluned isn't an easy woman to like. She's proud, manipulative and scheming. She had an affair with Robert many years earlier when her husband was away but is forced to give up her lover when the realities of life intrude on their private world. The author does a really good job is showing the moment Eluned turns bitter. The heroine can't accept the fact that life isn't hers for the taking, that she cannot have everything she wants - and as a result shuts down her feelings and focuses on political ambition, in schooling her daughter to fight for the Welsh cause.
In contrast, Robert is a truly good man. However, he doesn't let Eluned boss him around or manipulate him. I enjoyed the scenes when he stood up to her. After their marriage - organised by Eluned's son - he is shocked to discover that the carefree, fiesty young woman he remembers is gone. He has spent years loving a woman who only existed in his memory.
The novel is well researched, and gives you a real sense of the political turmoil of the Welsh Marches, and how the Welsh would have felt after years of persecution and bloodshed. It's an intense read, and I believe many women of Eluned's age (which I am!) can relate to some of what she struggles with. Many women (and men!) never get over the disappointment that life hasn't worked out as they had hoped - and Elizabeth Kingston portrays this theme bravely and realistically.
September 20, 2024
I think I have fallen hard for this author and would love to give her a big ole' cwtch! The heroines in the first 2 books of this series have really unique characters & voices. A rare thing for fictional characters set in this time and among actual people/events. It feels like a real homage to the spirit of Welsh women. The historical period is well researched and made a vital part of the conflicts in the story. (Audible) Nicholas Boulton's narration is stellar, as always - his talent shines through. Looking forward to book #3 when the time comes.
February 15, 2025
Eluned is reeling from loss: Wales is conquered and everything she has hoped and fought for is under siege. The only good news is that her husband - who spent much of the last two decades in the Holy Lands - has finally died. When her son suggests she remarry, Eluned is skeptical, until he names Robert de Lascaux as her suitor. Robert is the only man she ever loved, and she hasn't seen him in 18 years. Robert, too, is eager to wed Eluned (to the shock of his father, whom he has denied and thwarted at every turn). But people change in two decades, and Eluned and Robert are different people, hardened by war and circumstance, and will need to fight to find middle ground and rekindle long buried emotions.
So rarely does the sequel to a book contain the parent of a main character from a previous read, but book two in the Welsh Blades series features the 40-year-old mother of the heroine from book one. Much of what Eluned sacrificed was for the love of her daughter Gwenllian.
Elizabeth Kingston utilizes excellent worldbuilding to portray 13th century Wales and England - she doesn't dwell on description, but weaves it into the actions of every character. Her plot is well researched, relying on historical events and practices in her writing. Beyond that, the romance is incredible. It's a mature second chance romance where the MCs were once fully in love, and separated by circumstance, and now brought back together almost by luck. Exquisite.
So rarely does the sequel to a book contain the parent of a main character from a previous read, but book two in the Welsh Blades series features the 40-year-old mother of the heroine from book one. Much of what Eluned sacrificed was for the love of her daughter Gwenllian.
Elizabeth Kingston utilizes excellent worldbuilding to portray 13th century Wales and England - she doesn't dwell on description, but weaves it into the actions of every character. Her plot is well researched, relying on historical events and practices in her writing. Beyond that, the romance is incredible. It's a mature second chance romance where the MCs were once fully in love, and separated by circumstance, and now brought back together almost by luck. Exquisite.
January 17, 2025
Nobody is doing it like her.
September 3, 2020
Pining? Eighteen entire years of pining + the subsequent angst of faulty memory & change across time?? Arranged marriage trope??? Women in their forties, in a het romance???? Nary an alpahole in sight????? All this and this book featured one of my favorite pairing dynamics; the cherry on top of the sundae was that the woman got to be the stone cold killer willing to Burn Everything. *clutches heart*
Even better, as light as the plotting in romances usually is, there was a fairly solid story in here with court intrigues and whatnot; the historical setting felt solid and not just window dressing. In fact - and I felt this when I was reading another book by this author - I kind of almost... didn't care about the romantic bits at all? Like, Robert was fine, the sex scenes were thankfully short & vaguely described and you know, it's nice that Eluned was having a good time and all, but honestly I just wanted to read more about her and not so much about the typical romance novel beats, if that makes any sense. Four stars because most of my complaints were of that I-wish-this-were-another-genre variety, plus having to read about who I guess is 1/2 of the pairing in the first book (ensuring I won't read it, alas, because Eluned is in that one too), fuck you Ranulf. Half a star because it is so so rare for me to read het that doesn't make me want to throw hands. I am awarding this five stars for PINING, basically; my rating system is objective like that.
Even better, as light as the plotting in romances usually is, there was a fairly solid story in here with court intrigues and whatnot; the historical setting felt solid and not just window dressing. In fact - and I felt this when I was reading another book by this author - I kind of almost... didn't care about the romantic bits at all? Like, Robert was fine, the sex scenes were thankfully short & vaguely described and you know, it's nice that Eluned was having a good time and all, but honestly I just wanted to read more about her and not so much about the typical romance novel beats, if that makes any sense. Four stars because most of my complaints were of that I-wish-this-were-another-genre variety, plus having to read about who I guess is 1/2 of the pairing in the first book (ensuring I won't read it, alas, because Eluned is in that one too), fuck you Ranulf. Half a star because it is so so rare for me to read het that doesn't make me want to throw hands. I am awarding this five stars for PINING, basically; my rating system is objective like that.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews