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The Chosen Man #2
A Turning Wind
LUDO DA PORTOVENERE,ONE TIME CORSAIR, SOMETIME MERCHANT, SECRET AGENTS OF MONARCHS, SERVANT OF NONE.
From the trading colony of Goa to the royal courts of England and Spain, Ludo da Portovenere completes difficult and dangerous secret commissions on his own terms and for his own reasons. But, as these tasks bring him closer to success, Ludo is forced to confront dangerous secrets of his own. While Ludo pursues a delicate mission for the English queen in the Spanish royal court, Alina, Baroness Metherall, faces new challenges and dangers while trying to come to terms with what it means to be married to one person and love another.
Ultimately, Ludo and Alina must decide who they really are, and to what extent their shared past should influence their future.
“Harlond's brilliantly realized portrait of the sea-trade in 17th century is a gem...Ludo is a great character with wit, intelligence and daring. Exploiting his position as an envoy between Charles I and the Spanish court results in a seafaring novel of danger and double-dealing. Highly recommended.” Deborah Swift, author of Pleasing Mr Pepys
From the trading colony of Goa to the royal courts of England and Spain, Ludo da Portovenere completes difficult and dangerous secret commissions on his own terms and for his own reasons. But, as these tasks bring him closer to success, Ludo is forced to confront dangerous secrets of his own. While Ludo pursues a delicate mission for the English queen in the Spanish royal court, Alina, Baroness Metherall, faces new challenges and dangers while trying to come to terms with what it means to be married to one person and love another.
Ultimately, Ludo and Alina must decide who they really are, and to what extent their shared past should influence their future.
“Harlond's brilliantly realized portrait of the sea-trade in 17th century is a gem...Ludo is a great character with wit, intelligence and daring. Exploiting his position as an envoy between Charles I and the Spanish court results in a seafaring novel of danger and double-dealing. Highly recommended.” Deborah Swift, author of Pleasing Mr Pepys
356 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 23, 2018
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 29, 2019
Following The chosen Man this book is as riviting as the first. A great blend of love, adventure and treachery. Set in the early 1600's the queens of Spain and England are sisters involved in secret missives to each other. Ludo is still wheeling and dealing, Alina is married into the aristoracy and their worlds again collide. Rome is still trying to interfere in both countries affairs.
An awesome read and looking forward to reading the next book.
An awesome read and looking forward to reading the next book.
July 1, 2019
An interesting continuation of the story of Ludo as he embarks on a different adventure.
There is a lot of attention given to details like the trade and the goods traded etc which reveals the research done and the author's knowledge of those things.
An interesting read.
There is a lot of attention given to details like the trade and the goods traded etc which reveals the research done and the author's knowledge of those things.
An interesting read.
October 5, 2018
Lethal snakes and glittering ladders, with a dash of romance
Ludo is even more attractive in the second book featuring this Genosese pirate, a cynical rogue with a well-protected heart. Alina is a worthy partner – or would be if they weren’t pitted against each other in a tangle of 17th Century politics. I love stories where fictional characters lead adventurous lives in authentic historical events and settings. This is just such a book.
I enjoyed discovering the Machiavellan European court goings-on (some things don’t change!) as much as the twists bringing the lovers together and parting them. This is not a period I know well so it was fun to look up some of the historical background and find that every jewel J G Harlond describes with such love, really did exist and can be seen in painting of the period. What a history those emeralds had and ‘A Turning Wind’ adds fictional detail to that with consummate skill. Whenever I see crown jewels now, I think of Ludo up to mischief with them.
The story was as exuberant as a cross between ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’ and ‘The Three Musketeers’, with details that linger after last page is read. The game of snakes and ladders becomes an image of the grander scale game of lethal snakes and glittering ladders being played out in the courts of Spain and England. Highly recommended!
Ludo is even more attractive in the second book featuring this Genosese pirate, a cynical rogue with a well-protected heart. Alina is a worthy partner – or would be if they weren’t pitted against each other in a tangle of 17th Century politics. I love stories where fictional characters lead adventurous lives in authentic historical events and settings. This is just such a book.
I enjoyed discovering the Machiavellan European court goings-on (some things don’t change!) as much as the twists bringing the lovers together and parting them. This is not a period I know well so it was fun to look up some of the historical background and find that every jewel J G Harlond describes with such love, really did exist and can be seen in painting of the period. What a history those emeralds had and ‘A Turning Wind’ adds fictional detail to that with consummate skill. Whenever I see crown jewels now, I think of Ludo up to mischief with them.
The story was as exuberant as a cross between ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’ and ‘The Three Musketeers’, with details that linger after last page is read. The game of snakes and ladders becomes an image of the grander scale game of lethal snakes and glittering ladders being played out in the courts of Spain and England. Highly recommended!
April 22, 2024
A Turning Wind - Book II of The Chosen Man Trilogy by J.G. Harlond is a wonderful, adventurous, swashbuckling read. Set in the 1640 period of Europe, we continue the story of Ludo da Portovenere, an entrepreneurial merchant who not only travels to distant lands and back and trades his goods, but who uses his position, his special wares, his charisma, moreover, following his own agenda, strikes ties with the British and Spanish monarchies to pursue this agenda, all the while being hunted down by a man who wants to see him dead. This is a wonderfully written story, full of romance, adventure, danger, and intrigue. Ludo is a fascinating character, mysterious, yet principled, an outsider who is riding the edge between life and death in a time when the Spanish Inquisition is looking for any provocation to stake those who wander from the Vatican's mandates, and warring states, pirates, thieves and more. The author takes great care to paint virtual images of life in that period, and in doing so, she animates the story with another dimension of color and vitality. If you like thrilling adventure - this is a great series to sink your teeth into. Highly recommended.
July 11, 2018
This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review:
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs
" ...a thoroughly good read .. The author has an impressive knowledge of not only the politics of the time but also of trade and trade goods."
Shortlisted for Book of the Month
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs
" ...a thoroughly good read .. The author has an impressive knowledge of not only the politics of the time but also of trade and trade goods."
Shortlisted for Book of the Month
August 21, 2020
In 2014 I read The Chosen Man by J.G. Harlond. I really loved the book and was looking forward to a continuation. Well, now there is. The one book has developed into a trilogy, with 'A Turning Wind' and 'By Force of Circumstance'.
The 17th century is a very interesting century in many ways. The powers of Europe fighting for religion, new worlds, money, silks, spices, and more. Seafaring is big business, luxury commodities from the east are imported to Europe to please the upper classes. Not to talk about diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and other precious stones. In the center of activity stands Italian businessman and adventurer Ludovico da Portovenere, "one-time corsair, sometime merchant, secret agent of monarchs, servant of none".
With Portovenere, J.G. Harlond has created an exciting character, not without faults, but always with a charming twist to his actions. Alina, a one-time runaway young lady, rescued by Portovenere, and Spanish wine merchant Marcos Alonzo Almendro are his brothers in arms.
A Turning Wind
"From the trading colony of Goa to the royal courts of England and Spain, Ludo da Portovenere completes difficult and dangerous secret commissions on his own terms and for his own reasons. But, as these tasks bring him closer to success, Ludo is forced to confront dangerous secrets of his own. While Ludo pursues a delicate mission for the English queen in the Spanish royal court, Alina, Baroness Metherall, faces new challenges and dangers while trying to come to terms with what it means to be married to one person and love another.
Ultimately, Ludo and Alina must decide who they really are, and to what extent their shared past should influence their future."
By Force of Circumstance
Ludo da Portovenere, now a settled merchant is thrust back into his former profiteering ways when the Queen of England commissions him to sell priceless gems to raise money for the Royalist cause during the Civil War.
Will Ludo keep, or sell on the English Crown Jewels? There are many who would like to prevent him from doing either by removing him permanently from the stage.
Ludo plans to make a very significant profit - mostly for himself - but these plans are set awry when Alina, Baroness Metherall, becomes involved. Meanwhile, Marcos Alonso Almendro now a successful merchant in Plymouth is charged with acquiring the jewels to prevent them being sold at all. What none of them know is that the evil-minded Vatican agent Rogelio, who is pursuing a personal vendetta against Ludo, has been commissioned to acquire the very same jewels by the Vatican. Events move into perilous territory as it comes time for old scores to be settled, one way or the other.
Caught up in the violence of conflicts not of their own choosing, Ludo, Alina and Marcos have to decide where their loyalties lie, where they want to be, and ultimately, with whom."
All three books are very well researched. Harlond knows her history and even venture into little known events. She is doing a marvelous job of incorporating her fictional characters into real-life events. It is an exciting time in Europe and East India. With Ludo, Alina, and Marcos she has created unforgettable characters, who take us from the courts of England to the courts of France, Spain, and Portugal, to exciting harbours, dark alleys, and mysterious avengers, as well as 17th-century sea-trade. It is exciting, thrilling, and packed with action from beginning to end. Historical fiction does not get better than this.
If you are interested, J.G. Harlond's web-site provides you with interesting background information about her books and her research. It also makes for exciting reading.
The 17th century is a very interesting century in many ways. The powers of Europe fighting for religion, new worlds, money, silks, spices, and more. Seafaring is big business, luxury commodities from the east are imported to Europe to please the upper classes. Not to talk about diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and other precious stones. In the center of activity stands Italian businessman and adventurer Ludovico da Portovenere, "one-time corsair, sometime merchant, secret agent of monarchs, servant of none".
With Portovenere, J.G. Harlond has created an exciting character, not without faults, but always with a charming twist to his actions. Alina, a one-time runaway young lady, rescued by Portovenere, and Spanish wine merchant Marcos Alonzo Almendro are his brothers in arms.
A Turning Wind
"From the trading colony of Goa to the royal courts of England and Spain, Ludo da Portovenere completes difficult and dangerous secret commissions on his own terms and for his own reasons. But, as these tasks bring him closer to success, Ludo is forced to confront dangerous secrets of his own. While Ludo pursues a delicate mission for the English queen in the Spanish royal court, Alina, Baroness Metherall, faces new challenges and dangers while trying to come to terms with what it means to be married to one person and love another.
Ultimately, Ludo and Alina must decide who they really are, and to what extent their shared past should influence their future."
By Force of Circumstance
Ludo da Portovenere, now a settled merchant is thrust back into his former profiteering ways when the Queen of England commissions him to sell priceless gems to raise money for the Royalist cause during the Civil War.
Will Ludo keep, or sell on the English Crown Jewels? There are many who would like to prevent him from doing either by removing him permanently from the stage.
Ludo plans to make a very significant profit - mostly for himself - but these plans are set awry when Alina, Baroness Metherall, becomes involved. Meanwhile, Marcos Alonso Almendro now a successful merchant in Plymouth is charged with acquiring the jewels to prevent them being sold at all. What none of them know is that the evil-minded Vatican agent Rogelio, who is pursuing a personal vendetta against Ludo, has been commissioned to acquire the very same jewels by the Vatican. Events move into perilous territory as it comes time for old scores to be settled, one way or the other.
Caught up in the violence of conflicts not of their own choosing, Ludo, Alina and Marcos have to decide where their loyalties lie, where they want to be, and ultimately, with whom."
All three books are very well researched. Harlond knows her history and even venture into little known events. She is doing a marvelous job of incorporating her fictional characters into real-life events. It is an exciting time in Europe and East India. With Ludo, Alina, and Marcos she has created unforgettable characters, who take us from the courts of England to the courts of France, Spain, and Portugal, to exciting harbours, dark alleys, and mysterious avengers, as well as 17th-century sea-trade. It is exciting, thrilling, and packed with action from beginning to end. Historical fiction does not get better than this.
If you are interested, J.G. Harlond's web-site provides you with interesting background information about her books and her research. It also makes for exciting reading.
September 24, 2018
Being an avid follower of Ludo da Portovenere and having enjoyed The Chosen Man, I was very happy to find the return of this devious and profit hungry Genoese merchant. Harlond is an exceptional storyteller, excelling in historical detailing and gifted with that rare ability to successfully transport her readers back in time. I always think her books are as educational as they are fun. From dialogue to intricate examples of sea trade, you can’t help but soak up the sights and sounds of the 17th Century. If you've yet to read any of these books, all I have to say is: you're in for a treat!
Harlond's skillful blend of historical fact and fiction - along with European politics, romance and treachery - comprise a book well worth reading. I was so sorry it wasn’t longer. I would gladly live in Ludo’s world for a few more hours. A great escape!
Harlond's skillful blend of historical fact and fiction - along with European politics, romance and treachery - comprise a book well worth reading. I was so sorry it wasn’t longer. I would gladly live in Ludo’s world for a few more hours. A great escape!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews