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Black Wolf #1
Through a Dark Mist
An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.
RISING ABOVE AN EAGLE'S EYRIE, THE SOARING PASSION OF FORBIDDEN LOVE
As the misty forest quivers with the deadly flight of arrows, a tale of revenge and fated passion unfolds. An outlaw known as the Black Wolf of Lincoln dares to stand before the slender, golden loveliness of Lady Servanne de Briscourt—and in one swift, trembling moment, the future of a kingdom is changed.
Betrothed to Prince John's champion, the Dragon Lord of Bloodmoor Keep, Servanne becomes the unwilling pawn in a treacherous game...and the defiant love of a dangerous rogue whose secrets can rock a throne. Together they will be swept into the rich pageantry of royal power, throwing wide the huge gates of Bloodmoor to unleash the fury of a thousand armored knights. All the ancient hatreds spawned by a family's sins are revealed, threatening the lives—and the reckless love—of the Black Wolf and the only woman who can tame his bold, wild heart.
RISING ABOVE AN EAGLE'S EYRIE, THE SOARING PASSION OF FORBIDDEN LOVE
As the misty forest quivers with the deadly flight of arrows, a tale of revenge and fated passion unfolds. An outlaw known as the Black Wolf of Lincoln dares to stand before the slender, golden loveliness of Lady Servanne de Briscourt—and in one swift, trembling moment, the future of a kingdom is changed.
Betrothed to Prince John's champion, the Dragon Lord of Bloodmoor Keep, Servanne becomes the unwilling pawn in a treacherous game...and the defiant love of a dangerous rogue whose secrets can rock a throne. Together they will be swept into the rich pageantry of royal power, throwing wide the huge gates of Bloodmoor to unleash the fury of a thousand armored knights. All the ancient hatreds spawned by a family's sins are revealed, threatening the lives—and the reckless love—of the Black Wolf and the only woman who can tame his bold, wild heart.
482 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1991
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June 1, 2021
“Wounds of betrayal hurt far more than any wounds of the flesh"
It was plain to see she had once again become the pawn, the expendable stakes in a game of rivalry and revenge.
“Bloodmoor belongs to me. You will not find a man in all of England willing to challenge my possession.” “One stands before you now,” said the Wolf. “It is my intention to reclaim what is mine.”
Lots of thoughts. I'm going to do my best to try to make this a cohesive review. This is such a hard book to rate! This is my first book by Marsha Canham and she is no doubt a talented writer. I will be reading more books by her. Elements of this book were 5 stars, other 4 stars, and some 3 stars. Ultimately 2 factors lead me to round down to 3 stars: 1) This was originally published in the 90s (I'll expand upon this later) & 2) I felt the urge to skim the last 30%. I can't justify rating a book 4 stars if it loses my attention & I feel the urge to skim more than 10% of the book. With that said, this is highly subjective. I absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical romance (& doesn't mind a little bit of a bodice ripper influence via purple prose & forced seduction). The good news is that I own the original copy and also downloaded the copy from KU. The version on KU is uncensored and unaltered . It matches the original and I noticed no differences. The most controversial parts in the original are in the current version on KU. I have no idea if Marsha Canham reads her reviews, but if so, Thank You for leaving this unaltered. You have lost readers by self-censoring Bound by the Heart. It's a loss of trust, and insulting to your original fanbase who loved what you originally wrote. While I love supporting authors, especially authors who have converted their bodice rippers to ebooks to try to get a slice of the current market--I do not want a watered down, self-censored version of the books. I'm not alone. I know several others who won't purchase any of Canham's books on Amazon Kindle because of what she did to Bound by the Heart. Which is a shame, if she hasn't self-censored her other books that are available for sale and they're unaltered.
Stepping off that soapbox. I'm going to start with the good elements of this book.
1) It was wonderfully atmospheric. I grew up on a farm surrounded by woods. Some of my earliest, fondest memories were of exploring the woods. When I was a little girl, I loved watching the animated Disney movie Robin Hood and would pretend I was Maid Marian while playing in our back pasture and woods. There was a lovely nostalgia I felt while reading this, except a bit more fun, since it had adult scenes :D The abandoned abbey, descriptions of Lincolnshire woods, Bloodmore Keep were perfect. While there is no Maid Marian & Robin Hood in this retelling, I felt Servanne & Lucian amazingly fit the mold.
2) The chemistry between the two MCs. Servanne and Lucian were HOT together. I think my favorite type of sex (to read :P) is cave sex. Holy Sh!t Marsha Canham delivered with a smokin' hot scene...the lead up to it was everything. So much banter between these two, palpable chemistry in the smallest exchanges *fans self* It was all done very well by the author.
3) The dialogue was good. This can make or break a bodice ripper for me. There are cheesy moments to this book, but there's only a few of them, and they're charmingly cheesy. The good dialogue helps balance out the cheese. Plus there was loads of wit & humour to the dialogue, which not all authors can pull off. Is it to the level of authors like Jan Cox Speas? Not quite. But still up there.
Random Note:
Now for the elements that lead me to round down from 4 stars to 3.
Roughtly 20%-69% of this book wavered between 4 to 5 stars for me. At one point I really thought I'd rate this 4.5 stars and round up to 5. Around 70%, when the bad guy got the lead and there was clearly going to be sequences of action for the last 30 percent leading to the HEA I felt the urge to skim. It became slightly predictable, and reminded me that this is typical of bodice rippers/historical romances published in the 90s.
While I'm still relatively new to reading bodice rippers, I've learned that I tend to prefer the bodice rippers written in the 70s & early 80s. The style started to change by the 90s. The content became more tame and less likely to cover decades of the main characters' lives. For instance, the timeline in this story only covers several weeks.
The rest of this review is about to go into spoilers. If you're someone who likes old school historical romance and you're subscribed to KU - don't read this part & give this book a try! This is a v. positive 3 star rating for me. I'm finicky and simply about to go into my own preferences, but will be detailing significant plot spoilers.
It was plain to see she had once again become the pawn, the expendable stakes in a game of rivalry and revenge.
“Bloodmoor belongs to me. You will not find a man in all of England willing to challenge my possession.” “One stands before you now,” said the Wolf. “It is my intention to reclaim what is mine.”
Lots of thoughts. I'm going to do my best to try to make this a cohesive review. This is such a hard book to rate! This is my first book by Marsha Canham and she is no doubt a talented writer. I will be reading more books by her. Elements of this book were 5 stars, other 4 stars, and some 3 stars. Ultimately 2 factors lead me to round down to 3 stars: 1) This was originally published in the 90s (I'll expand upon this later) & 2) I felt the urge to skim the last 30%. I can't justify rating a book 4 stars if it loses my attention & I feel the urge to skim more than 10% of the book. With that said, this is highly subjective. I absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical romance (& doesn't mind a little bit of a bodice ripper influence via purple prose & forced seduction). The good news is that I own the original copy and also downloaded the copy from KU. The version on KU is uncensored and unaltered . It matches the original and I noticed no differences. The most controversial parts in the original are in the current version on KU. I have no idea if Marsha Canham reads her reviews, but if so, Thank You for leaving this unaltered. You have lost readers by self-censoring Bound by the Heart. It's a loss of trust, and insulting to your original fanbase who loved what you originally wrote. While I love supporting authors, especially authors who have converted their bodice rippers to ebooks to try to get a slice of the current market--I do not want a watered down, self-censored version of the books. I'm not alone. I know several others who won't purchase any of Canham's books on Amazon Kindle because of what she did to Bound by the Heart. Which is a shame, if she hasn't self-censored her other books that are available for sale and they're unaltered.
Stepping off that soapbox. I'm going to start with the good elements of this book.
1) It was wonderfully atmospheric. I grew up on a farm surrounded by woods. Some of my earliest, fondest memories were of exploring the woods. When I was a little girl, I loved watching the animated Disney movie Robin Hood and would pretend I was Maid Marian while playing in our back pasture and woods. There was a lovely nostalgia I felt while reading this, except a bit more fun, since it had adult scenes :D The abandoned abbey, descriptions of Lincolnshire woods, Bloodmore Keep were perfect. While there is no Maid Marian & Robin Hood in this retelling, I felt Servanne & Lucian amazingly fit the mold.
2) The chemistry between the two MCs. Servanne and Lucian were HOT together. I think my favorite type of sex (to read :P) is cave sex. Holy Sh!t Marsha Canham delivered with a smokin' hot scene...the lead up to it was everything. So much banter between these two, palpable chemistry in the smallest exchanges *fans self* It was all done very well by the author.
3) The dialogue was good. This can make or break a bodice ripper for me. There are cheesy moments to this book, but there's only a few of them, and they're charmingly cheesy. The good dialogue helps balance out the cheese. Plus there was loads of wit & humour to the dialogue, which not all authors can pull off. Is it to the level of authors like Jan Cox Speas? Not quite. But still up there.
Random Note:
Now for the elements that lead me to round down from 4 stars to 3.
Roughtly 20%-69% of this book wavered between 4 to 5 stars for me. At one point I really thought I'd rate this 4.5 stars and round up to 5. Around 70%, when the bad guy got the lead and there was clearly going to be sequences of action for the last 30 percent leading to the HEA I felt the urge to skim. It became slightly predictable, and reminded me that this is typical of bodice rippers/historical romances published in the 90s.
While I'm still relatively new to reading bodice rippers, I've learned that I tend to prefer the bodice rippers written in the 70s & early 80s. The style started to change by the 90s. The content became more tame and less likely to cover decades of the main characters' lives. For instance, the timeline in this story only covers several weeks.
The rest of this review is about to go into spoilers. If you're someone who likes old school historical romance and you're subscribed to KU - don't read this part & give this book a try! This is a v. positive 3 star rating for me. I'm finicky and simply about to go into my own preferences, but will be detailing significant plot spoilers.
August 12, 2025
4.5 stars
Marsha Canham writes action/adventure like nobody’s business. It’s enthralling, it’s heart-pounding, it’s deadly, it’s addictive. And the villains don’t get whacked on the backside and sent to bed without supper at the end: cue the vultures.
Lady Servanne de Briscourt has been sold in marriage—again—by England’s crown. The first time, 15-year-old Servanne was given to a man 50 years her senior, who was at least kind to her. This time she’s an 18-year-old widow being sold to a wealthy blond god of a baron known as The Dragon, so she’s counting herself lucky as she heads to the wedding at his hold, Bloodmoor Keep, guarded by her men and his. Until, that is, arrows start flying from the surrounding forest and her guards are no match forRobin Hood and His Merry Men The Black Wolf and his group of loyal foresters, and Lady Servanne is taken for ransom. The Black Wolfe is less interested in the ransom, though, than in using Servanne as a pawn in his plan to exact revenge against The Dragon. Servanne’s quick mind and sharp tongue—and her pretty face and golden blond hair—complicate matters that are already too complicated.
Servanne is occasionally annoying and naive, but no dummy. The Black Wolfe is no simple ruffian, stealing from the rich to give to the poor. He’s a fearsome warrior come to England to exact a price for a wrong done to him and his father fourteen years ago, and to handle another small matter for Dowager Queen Eleanor in Brittany. The two villains are so reptilian, so filthily and gleefully evil they almost steal the book. Almost. The side characters are so fully written they’re more than side characters, and I’m still grieving over the ones who didn’t make it out alive.
Why not 5 stars? Simply too much description. Don’t get me wrong: the descriptive passages were beautifully written and sensually planted the reader firmly in each scene, describing the sights, smells, tastes, and textures in great detail. But they were sooo long and sooo detailed and so many in number that they slowed the story too much. Did we really need two separate sections of the book describing Bloodmoor Keep in great detail? Did we really need that much information about the forest? And yes, I’m embarrassed to be complaining about an overabundance of excellent writing, but this was too much of a good thing and I did eventually resort to skimming to get to the meaty parts.
The last 25% was the filet mignon of the meaty parts, and I definitely didn’t skim any of it. What an ending! Whew!
Marsha Canham writes action/adventure like nobody’s business. It’s enthralling, it’s heart-pounding, it’s deadly, it’s addictive. And the villains don’t get whacked on the backside and sent to bed without supper at the end: cue the vultures.
Lady Servanne de Briscourt has been sold in marriage—again—by England’s crown. The first time, 15-year-old Servanne was given to a man 50 years her senior, who was at least kind to her. This time she’s an 18-year-old widow being sold to a wealthy blond god of a baron known as The Dragon, so she’s counting herself lucky as she heads to the wedding at his hold, Bloodmoor Keep, guarded by her men and his. Until, that is, arrows start flying from the surrounding forest and her guards are no match for
Servanne is occasionally annoying and naive, but no dummy. The Black Wolfe is no simple ruffian, stealing from the rich to give to the poor. He’s a fearsome warrior come to England to exact a price for a wrong done to him and his father fourteen years ago, and to handle another small matter for Dowager Queen Eleanor in Brittany. The two villains are so reptilian, so filthily and gleefully evil they almost steal the book. Almost. The side characters are so fully written they’re more than side characters, and I’m still grieving over the ones who didn’t make it out alive.
Why not 5 stars? Simply too much description. Don’t get me wrong: the descriptive passages were beautifully written and sensually planted the reader firmly in each scene, describing the sights, smells, tastes, and textures in great detail. But they were sooo long and sooo detailed and so many in number that they slowed the story too much. Did we really need two separate sections of the book describing Bloodmoor Keep in great detail? Did we really need that much information about the forest? And yes, I’m embarrassed to be complaining about an overabundance of excellent writing, but this was too much of a good thing and I did eventually resort to skimming to get to the meaty parts.
The last 25% was the filet mignon of the meaty parts, and I definitely didn’t skim any of it. What an ending! Whew!
January 5, 2015
All that is left of Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire
★★★★✩ If you want the ambience of the Medieval Ages, with all its swashbuckling, pageantry and brutality, as well as a historical with a good plotline, plenty of twists and a bit of a “tongue-in-cheek” nod to an oft told – but great – legend, then this is the book for you. Ms. Canham is the master at writing these scenes and her books are obviously well researched.
Through a Dark Mist is her salute to Robin Hood; consequently, she dubbed the series by the same moniker. This is the first in her marvelous trilogy; a wonderful blend of all those things, plus a sensuous romance. But don’t expect Robin to show up in this one. He doesn’t. Not sure when he does, but I believe that is part of the surprise in this wonderful tale of old.
That doesn’t mean this novel isn’t without its faults. Though written in 1991, and far enough out of the eighties for me to shake my head, it had a couple of “old school” man/woman relationship scenes that would not have appeared in a book written nowadays. Not when they were
Note: A few of us in the Nothing But Reading Challenged Group did a “buddy read” of this book for September, 2011, taking turns posting brief discussion questions. At the beginning we posted a glossary of “Words We Admit We Looked Up” which might help, since there are pictures of some of the medieval items found in this book. Here’s the link: NBRC “Buddy Read” of TaDM.
January 27, 2021
Through A Dark Mist is a perfect marriage of fantasy and medieval romance. The inside cover painting of Lucien and Servanne in the grotto with the tagline "a time of kings, dragons" is not merely marketing. I am happy to report the sex grotto puts in a meaningful appearance and while there are no literal dragons breathing fire in the air, there are other no less sinister dragons fighting with black wolves.
Through a Dark Mist is not only my favourite Marsha Canham read so far, but my favourite medieval romance, to date. It captures what draws our imagination to the time of King Richard the Lionheart, Prince John, and Robin Hood - I want jousting tournaments, ladies and bandits in idyllic forests, gross and gore-y things to happen to secondary characters, arrows, mist, political intrigue with power-hungry royals + barons, golden-haired villains with their dark-haired mistress.
Ok that last one was pretty specific but the villains are great. In fact, one point *very, VERY early on* I was much more intrigued by "Lord Lucien" and Nicolaa than Lucien and Servanne.
Lucien and Servanne are good as the leading hero and heroine. They are epic, and I find that epic heroes and heroines are not always the most interesting to talk about so this review will mostly rave about the ace job Canham did with her world-building, action sequences, and secondary characters.
The atmosphere, the action set-pieces, and the care given to all the characters were what impressed me about Through A Dark Mist. I also loved that the Prologue dropped the reader in medias res and ended on a literal cliffhanger.
Some of my favourite characters are the villains. Nicolaa and "Lucien" tho. Nicolaa is literally the patriarchy's fear of women - she is said to bathe in blood to stay youthful, is sexually insatiable, and power-hungry where everyone is scared of her except for "Lucien" because he's crueler and scarier than her and she digs that. Nicolaa is wicked. And of course she has black hair, which I feel like signifies witch vibes (unearthly beauty, magnetism and power etc). Any vulgar, unfiltered thought she has, she will say it out loud with as much vinegar and malice she can, and it's only "Lucien" that is not scared by her, but recognizes her as an adversary as well as ally. At one point, Nicolaa says they should have been married but "Lucien" says that they would have killed each other a long time ago. And I can definitely believe it, and I would pay some good money to see it too.
Lucien's band of merry bandits are so fascinating. Gill and Alaric are great together. Thank you Canham for writing a female warrior! I actually can't wait to read the final book that includes a female archer. Even the death scene for some members of the crew you can't quite remember is poignant. Sparrow the dwarf who seems to fly through the forest. Biddy, Servanne's mother hen lady-in-waiting.
Oh, Onfroi, Nicolaa's husband and sheriff of Lincoln - the sweaty guy who only applied for the promotion since his wife badgered him to do it, and corrupt Prince John. Ok now I'm just listing characters...
This is the medieval sweet spot for me. My one regret is reading this series out of order since I feel like Book 1 would have been even more of a thrill. Book 2 gives a quick plot summary of Book 1 that was a bit confusing due to the various names and identities that are meaningless to the reader.
Through a Dark Mist is not only my favourite Marsha Canham read so far, but my favourite medieval romance, to date. It captures what draws our imagination to the time of King Richard the Lionheart, Prince John, and Robin Hood - I want jousting tournaments, ladies and bandits in idyllic forests, gross and gore-y things to happen to secondary characters, arrows, mist, political intrigue with power-hungry royals + barons, golden-haired villains with their dark-haired mistress.
Ok that last one was pretty specific but the villains are great. In fact, one point *very, VERY early on* I was much more intrigued by "Lord Lucien" and Nicolaa than Lucien and Servanne.
Lucien and Servanne are good as the leading hero and heroine. They are epic, and I find that epic heroes and heroines are not always the most interesting to talk about so this review will mostly rave about the ace job Canham did with her world-building, action sequences, and secondary characters.
The atmosphere, the action set-pieces, and the care given to all the characters were what impressed me about Through A Dark Mist. I also loved that the Prologue dropped the reader in medias res and ended on a literal cliffhanger.
Some of my favourite characters are the villains. Nicolaa and "Lucien" tho. Nicolaa is literally the patriarchy's fear of women - she is said to bathe in blood to stay youthful, is sexually insatiable, and power-hungry where everyone is scared of her except for "Lucien" because he's crueler and scarier than her and she digs that. Nicolaa is wicked. And of course she has black hair, which I feel like signifies witch vibes (unearthly beauty, magnetism and power etc). Any vulgar, unfiltered thought she has, she will say it out loud with as much vinegar and malice she can, and it's only "Lucien" that is not scared by her, but recognizes her as an adversary as well as ally. At one point, Nicolaa says they should have been married but "Lucien" says that they would have killed each other a long time ago. And I can definitely believe it, and I would pay some good money to see it too.
Lucien's band of merry bandits are so fascinating. Gill and Alaric are great together. Thank you Canham for writing a female warrior! I actually can't wait to read the final book that includes a female archer. Even the death scene for some members of the crew you can't quite remember is poignant. Sparrow the dwarf who seems to fly through the forest. Biddy, Servanne's mother hen lady-in-waiting.
Oh, Onfroi, Nicolaa's husband and sheriff of Lincoln - the sweaty guy who only applied for the promotion since his wife badgered him to do it, and corrupt Prince John. Ok now I'm just listing characters...
This is the medieval sweet spot for me. My one regret is reading this series out of order since I feel like Book 1 would have been even more of a thrill. Book 2 gives a quick plot summary of Book 1 that was a bit confusing due to the various names and identities that are meaningless to the reader.
September 3, 2025
Overall it was ok, but I can’t help comparing it unfavorably to some of my own Sherwood/Crusade favorites.** The MCs irritated me with their constant bickering, & Servanne in particular tapdanced on my nerves with her ~FiEsTy~ foot-stomping idiocy & constant insulted sensibilities. Meanwhile the prose—already veering dangerously close to overstuffed purpleness—soared into ultraviolet wavelengths whenever Servanne & The Wolf were angsty or horny,*** which was often. 🙄 It’s always frustrating when an otherwise decent epic romance is weighed down by a dull primary couple (her moreso than him; I could’ve tolerated Lucien if Servanne hadn’t cheesed me off on a regular basis).
…That said, it wasn’t all bad. Nicolaa & Etienne were delightfully OTT villains & stole the show whenever they appeared on-page, while side characters like Alaric, Gil, Sparrow, & various grizzled knights were endearing in their own rights (though I still wish Gil hadn’t been a lady in disguise); the action scenes were also well done, with plenty of violence & a flamboyant medieval ambiance.
So…not a fave (or a keeper), but it had its moments. I think 3 stars is fair. 😶
**Thinking specifically of GLYNDA, LADY OF THE FOREST, & RAIN MAIDEN, all of which are dense, lengthy epics featuring this same era or similar plots/character types.
***Please note I say that as a hardened veteran of Old Skool rapey bodice rippers. I’m not afraid of flowery, purple’y sex in the vintage style, but this stretched even my tolerance beyond endurance.
{Note: This book is part of my ongoing quest to pluck tomes I’ve had unread for 7+ years & either love-and-keep or DNF-and-donate.}
…That said, it wasn’t all bad. Nicolaa & Etienne were delightfully OTT villains & stole the show whenever they appeared on-page, while side characters like Alaric, Gil, Sparrow, & various grizzled knights were endearing in their own rights (though I still wish Gil hadn’t been a lady in disguise); the action scenes were also well done, with plenty of violence & a flamboyant medieval ambiance.
So…not a fave (or a keeper), but it had its moments. I think 3 stars is fair. 😶
**Thinking specifically of GLYNDA, LADY OF THE FOREST, & RAIN MAIDEN, all of which are dense, lengthy epics featuring this same era or similar plots/character types.
***Please note I say that as a hardened veteran of Old Skool rapey bodice rippers. I’m not afraid of flowery, purple’y sex in the vintage style, but this stretched even my tolerance beyond endurance.
{Note: This book is part of my ongoing quest to pluck tomes I’ve had unread for 7+ years & either love-and-keep or DNF-and-donate.}
March 3, 2021
An enjoyable read of a Robin Hood retelling.
While the “hero” is not the typical shining knight (not above forcing himself on maidens who by the end are loving it....eeek! Hell no!)...the heroine (although prone to swooning) actually is quite smart, which was refreshing.
But it was actually the villains who stole the show. 🙌
While the “hero” is not the typical shining knight (not above forcing himself on maidens who by the end are loving it....eeek! Hell no!)...the heroine (although prone to swooning) actually is quite smart, which was refreshing.
But it was actually the villains who stole the show. 🙌
March 4, 2018
Robin Hood-themed adaptation. Bodice ripper era. Purple prose. Quite interesting and plentiful historical details (yes, Lisa Kay, I had to look up a lot of words). Other woman drama. Widowed heroine. Great cast of secondary characters. I plan to read the sequels.
Book source: Borrowed.
Book source: Borrowed.
January 19, 2016
This was a really good old fashion read. It was wrote back in the early 90s, but felt older than that. It is an almost 500 page read, so this is a book where there is plenty of time for the h/h to get to know one another and good character development. I felt at times like I was reading Garwood or McNaught, but more epic...or something.
Servanne, a recent widow has been promised as hand in marriage to the handsome Lucien, the Dragon of Bloodmoor. In the middle of her journey she is kidnapped by the Black Wolf, also claiming to be Lucien. She can only imagine what kind of horrors are in store for her person as she gazes into his silver eyes that hold no remorse.
The problem with Servanne is she never knows she to hold her tongue and that gets her into more trouble as she fights her attraction to the Dark Lucien. He is having some troubles of his own, as he swore he wasn't going to take any liberties with his captive, he just wanted to make her think he was going to. You know what road is paved with good intentions...
But by a twist of fate, Servanne is back into the hands of the Blond Lucien and as his mask begins to slowly crumble under anger and madness, Servanne realizes who the true master of her heart is. If you are wanting a long satisfying read then this may be for you. There are some rough scenes of torture and abuse, but you will have to read which Lucien did it. ;-)
Servanne, a recent widow has been promised as hand in marriage to the handsome Lucien, the Dragon of Bloodmoor. In the middle of her journey she is kidnapped by the Black Wolf, also claiming to be Lucien. She can only imagine what kind of horrors are in store for her person as she gazes into his silver eyes that hold no remorse.
The problem with Servanne is she never knows she to hold her tongue and that gets her into more trouble as she fights her attraction to the Dark Lucien. He is having some troubles of his own, as he swore he wasn't going to take any liberties with his captive, he just wanted to make her think he was going to. You know what road is paved with good intentions...
But by a twist of fate, Servanne is back into the hands of the Blond Lucien and as his mask begins to slowly crumble under anger and madness, Servanne realizes who the true master of her heart is. If you are wanting a long satisfying read then this may be for you. There are some rough scenes of torture and abuse, but you will have to read which Lucien did it. ;-)
September 23, 2013
Through a Dark Mist Young and recently widowed Lady Servanne de Briscourt has been sold by Prince John, regent of England, into marriage to Lucien Wardieu, Baron de Gournay. Not that she’s complaining too much about it. Her groom-to-be is tall, fair, and extremely handsome—though she’s seen him only once and from afar—and she’s rather curious as to what more a marriage bed might bring. Her much older and ailing husband had been rather perfunctory and the rumors of the prowess of the Dragon of Bloodmoor Keep are rather loud and explicit. So, yeah, she’s not complaining on the way through Lincoln Forest toward Bloodmoor Keep. And her surroundings are quite breathtaking as well...As are the whispers of outlaws hanging out in the forest...
Whispers that are soon turned into reality when their riding party is ambushed by a hulking beast of a man wearing wolf pelts, killing a few of the knights in Lady Servanne’s escort, frightening her Abigail half to death and making Lady Servanne very, very angry. How dare he?! How dare he accost them in this rude manner?! How dare he speak to her like that?!And how dare he introduce himself as Lucien Wardieu, Baron de Gournay?!
Once upon a time (no, I’m not narrating a fairytale) medievals were my favorite subgenre of historical romance (until I discovered Ms. Quick and her Victorian era novels). There’s just something about the charm and pageantry of that time. The damsels in her modest wimples, the armored knights on their hulking war horses, the tournaments, the broadsword fighting, the feuds, the intrigue, the deceits, the secrets...Knowing very little about those times, keeping most of the ‘era’ shrouded in a veil of mystery, somehow makes it all seem (at least to me) that much more intriguing, that much more romantic. I just love how a hardened knight, swathed in bulky, movement constricting armor, can be brought down to his knees by a dainty damsel (wimple and all).And this story, the first in the Robin Hood Trilogy is a prime example of everything I love about historical romances set in medieval times. It had it all. Intrigue, secrets, deceits, stolen identities, rivalry and feuds, a tournament, broadsword fighting, good and honest outlaws, villainous villains, a few bastards, a viper in human disguise, the damsel in her modest wimple, and an armored knight on his hulking war horse who was brought down like a fallen tree by the aforementioned damsel. ;) And it was also a retelling of my favorite medieval legend—the legend of Robin Hood.
The Robin Hood in this story wasn’t named Robin of Locksley, Robin Longstride or any kind of Robin there is, and he didn’t immediately return home from the Crusade, having spent more than a decade in France, earning his reputation under another name...Anyway, he wasn’t the “Robin Hood” we all know from the other books, animated pictures and movies. And because he wasn’t that character, maintaining the ‘outlaw’ persona without the usual fare that comes with it, this retelling sounded fresh and new despite the done-already theme.
The Black Wolf and Lady Servanne were a fantastic leading couple and I cannot wait to read about them in the rest of the trilogy. The antagonism between them was exhilarating, the passion explosive, the attraction obvious almost from the get-go.
What surprised me was the beginning. The prologue started somewhere toward the end of the story, throwing the reader back through time to the beginning in the first chapter. And that prologue revealed the Black Wolf and Lady Servanne were completely in love (well, she was, since the prologue is narrated somewhat from her point of view). Yes, this is a romance, so we all know the hero and heroine are bound to end up together, so the prologue cannot be declared a spoiler when there’s nothing actually to be spoiled, but it served as an added incentive to keep reading to get to the ‘good stuff’. ;)
And, this being a romance, it’s natural the romance part was the main element of the story, of the plot, but that doesn’t mean, as in other novels might, that the romance, the love story of the two leads, overshadowed the rest. Quite the contrary. It was intricately woven with the other elements of the novel, the other ‘sub-plots’, if I could call them that. The dramatic element of Black Wolf’s true reason for returning to England, his ‘interactions’ with his men, the additional ‘romance’ in the story, the intrigue, the drama, the revenge plot, Servanne being used as bait and distraction...It all, all those elements, all those different ‘genres’, led to one point, to the end of the prologue and the climax of the novel in the last chapter...Read the blurb, if you want a sneak peek.
The prose was quite purple at times, which I haven’t noticed in the two books (The Pride of Lions and The Blood of Roses) I read recently, but I like purple, so I didn’t mind. It actually seemed to underline the mystique, the charm, and the pageantry of the era. The purplish prose rather fit as a narrative style. It certainly wouldn’t fit a contemporary romance, but medievals are made to be purple, if you ask me. ;)
Well, to bring this rant/review to a close, the entire book worked for me. On every level. The characters were well-defined, flawed, and with enough depth to make them real, the plot was nicely structured and tight, the narrative, though purplish at times, flowed nicely and well, and combined with the aforementioned elements, gave this story a feel of a page-turner for me, the pace quickening with each chapter, hurtling toward that cliff of a climax at the end.
I love these kinds of books. The kind that, despite knowing (or at least imagining) what will happen next, you keep turning the pages, wanting to know, wanting to explore, wanting to discover, living the tale alongside the characters, feeling their emotions, seeing their surroundings with them...And you want to keep on reading. These are the keepers for me. And this is definitely one of them.
Whispers that are soon turned into reality when their riding party is ambushed by a hulking beast of a man wearing wolf pelts, killing a few of the knights in Lady Servanne’s escort, frightening her Abigail half to death and making Lady Servanne very, very angry. How dare he?! How dare he accost them in this rude manner?! How dare he speak to her like that?!And how dare he introduce himself as Lucien Wardieu, Baron de Gournay?!
Once upon a time (no, I’m not narrating a fairytale) medievals were my favorite subgenre of historical romance (until I discovered Ms. Quick and her Victorian era novels). There’s just something about the charm and pageantry of that time. The damsels in her modest wimples, the armored knights on their hulking war horses, the tournaments, the broadsword fighting, the feuds, the intrigue, the deceits, the secrets...Knowing very little about those times, keeping most of the ‘era’ shrouded in a veil of mystery, somehow makes it all seem (at least to me) that much more intriguing, that much more romantic. I just love how a hardened knight, swathed in bulky, movement constricting armor, can be brought down to his knees by a dainty damsel (wimple and all).And this story, the first in the Robin Hood Trilogy is a prime example of everything I love about historical romances set in medieval times. It had it all. Intrigue, secrets, deceits, stolen identities, rivalry and feuds, a tournament, broadsword fighting, good and honest outlaws, villainous villains, a few bastards, a viper in human disguise, the damsel in her modest wimple, and an armored knight on his hulking war horse who was brought down like a fallen tree by the aforementioned damsel. ;) And it was also a retelling of my favorite medieval legend—the legend of Robin Hood.
The Robin Hood in this story wasn’t named Robin of Locksley, Robin Longstride or any kind of Robin there is, and he didn’t immediately return home from the Crusade, having spent more than a decade in France, earning his reputation under another name...Anyway, he wasn’t the “Robin Hood” we all know from the other books, animated pictures and movies. And because he wasn’t that character, maintaining the ‘outlaw’ persona without the usual fare that comes with it, this retelling sounded fresh and new despite the done-already theme.
The Black Wolf and Lady Servanne were a fantastic leading couple and I cannot wait to read about them in the rest of the trilogy. The antagonism between them was exhilarating, the passion explosive, the attraction obvious almost from the get-go.
What surprised me was the beginning. The prologue started somewhere toward the end of the story, throwing the reader back through time to the beginning in the first chapter. And that prologue revealed the Black Wolf and Lady Servanne were completely in love (well, she was, since the prologue is narrated somewhat from her point of view). Yes, this is a romance, so we all know the hero and heroine are bound to end up together, so the prologue cannot be declared a spoiler when there’s nothing actually to be spoiled, but it served as an added incentive to keep reading to get to the ‘good stuff’. ;)
And, this being a romance, it’s natural the romance part was the main element of the story, of the plot, but that doesn’t mean, as in other novels might, that the romance, the love story of the two leads, overshadowed the rest. Quite the contrary. It was intricately woven with the other elements of the novel, the other ‘sub-plots’, if I could call them that. The dramatic element of Black Wolf’s true reason for returning to England, his ‘interactions’ with his men, the additional ‘romance’ in the story, the intrigue, the drama, the revenge plot, Servanne being used as bait and distraction...It all, all those elements, all those different ‘genres’, led to one point, to the end of the prologue and the climax of the novel in the last chapter...Read the blurb, if you want a sneak peek.
The prose was quite purple at times, which I haven’t noticed in the two books (The Pride of Lions and The Blood of Roses) I read recently, but I like purple, so I didn’t mind. It actually seemed to underline the mystique, the charm, and the pageantry of the era. The purplish prose rather fit as a narrative style. It certainly wouldn’t fit a contemporary romance, but medievals are made to be purple, if you ask me. ;)
Well, to bring this rant/review to a close, the entire book worked for me. On every level. The characters were well-defined, flawed, and with enough depth to make them real, the plot was nicely structured and tight, the narrative, though purplish at times, flowed nicely and well, and combined with the aforementioned elements, gave this story a feel of a page-turner for me, the pace quickening with each chapter, hurtling toward that cliff of a climax at the end.
I love these kinds of books. The kind that, despite knowing (or at least imagining) what will happen next, you keep turning the pages, wanting to know, wanting to explore, wanting to discover, living the tale alongside the characters, feeling their emotions, seeing their surroundings with them...And you want to keep on reading. These are the keepers for me. And this is definitely one of them.
August 20, 2008
Swashbuckling good fun! A bit of a bodice ripper, but the plot moves, the secondary characters are wonderful, a perfectly EVIL villain and villainess. The author has her tongue planted firmly in her cheek. All in all an enjoyable read, a nice piece of fluff to spend the weekend with.
September 12, 2008
The one where the beautiful and highborn Servanne is kidnapped by a Robin Hood-style outlaw on her way to a political marriage.
The writing is so purple that I had to read very slowly to figure out what was going on. The POV shifts, while clearly done on purpose, are very distracting; at one point, you're in a guard's POV until the middle of the paragraph, when you're told, "He couldn't know this, for by then he was dead."
And when Servanne finally meets her outlaw, it turns out that this is going to be one of those romances where she's haughty and delights in insulting him, and he responds by crushing her against him and disabling her with lust -- not a dynamic that I read with any pleasure.
The writing is so purple that I had to read very slowly to figure out what was going on. The POV shifts, while clearly done on purpose, are very distracting; at one point, you're in a guard's POV until the middle of the paragraph, when you're told, "He couldn't know this, for by then he was dead."
And when Servanne finally meets her outlaw, it turns out that this is going to be one of those romances where she's haughty and delights in insulting him, and he responds by crushing her against him and disabling her with lust -- not a dynamic that I read with any pleasure.
July 12, 2022
This was an excellent long book. A new twist to kinda a Robin Hood theme. Well written. Plot 9 (1-10) steaminess 7.5(1-10)
November 14, 2011
This was not at all what I expected. I finished it because I thought she was clever and somewhat inventive with her plot twists. It was very adventurous and I love all things about that time period and all these twists on the Robin Hood Legend.
What I didn't like ... the author switches POV in the middle of paragraphs. It's sometimes hard to follow who you're "in" and feels a little like a movie where the director is just spinning the camera around the room willy nilly. It makes you mad and more than a little dizzy.
Also there was the way things were described. One time the hero lifts his arms (I can't remember if it was with a sword, or to reach for her - or maybe it happened multiple times) forward towards the heroine and she admires the way the movement causes his muscles to ripple across his back. She couldn't have seen it from her perspective - and it was about the thousandth time we'd been told about rippling or bulging muscles. It just felt like overkill.
Also I wasn't really sold on the romance between our hero and heroine. It's more like "I hate you" (her) and "I want to use you/make you submit to me" (him). Then, suddenly lust turns to love. Right ... She was totally smitten with his brother and leaves our hero hating him (again). After a couple days, mostly polite - but a few callous actions (on the part of his brother), and one night of dreams of our hero and her lovemaking in the forest, she is ready to believe him again? Can you say love (oops) lust triumphs again?
Then there are the villains. They get hot and bothered over violence, torture, and blood - often.
As far as creating a rich story world - I think she did a great job. I think her characters fit a certain genre -- way bigger than life men with seemingly perfect bodies - that can fight after they've been tortured and chained down - and have trained themselves to ignore pain ... undefeated against their enemies ... you know the type. The women are beautiful, smart, feisty, able to fight nearly as well as a man ... perfect as well.
In the end, this was perfect for fans of bodice rippers and it had a clever plot as well. I just wasn't a huge fan of the writing style. Unfortunately I think this is one Robin Hood trilogy I'll have to skip - as intrigued as I am about how she would have worked it all out.
What I didn't like ... the author switches POV in the middle of paragraphs. It's sometimes hard to follow who you're "in" and feels a little like a movie where the director is just spinning the camera around the room willy nilly. It makes you mad and more than a little dizzy.
Also there was the way things were described. One time the hero lifts his arms (I can't remember if it was with a sword, or to reach for her - or maybe it happened multiple times) forward towards the heroine and she admires the way the movement causes his muscles to ripple across his back. She couldn't have seen it from her perspective - and it was about the thousandth time we'd been told about rippling or bulging muscles. It just felt like overkill.
Also I wasn't really sold on the romance between our hero and heroine. It's more like "I hate you" (her) and "I want to use you/make you submit to me" (him). Then, suddenly lust turns to love. Right ... She was totally smitten with his brother and leaves our hero hating him (again). After a couple days, mostly polite - but a few callous actions (on the part of his brother), and one night of dreams of our hero and her lovemaking in the forest, she is ready to believe him again? Can you say love (oops) lust triumphs again?
Then there are the villains. They get hot and bothered over violence, torture, and blood - often.
As far as creating a rich story world - I think she did a great job. I think her characters fit a certain genre -- way bigger than life men with seemingly perfect bodies - that can fight after they've been tortured and chained down - and have trained themselves to ignore pain ... undefeated against their enemies ... you know the type. The women are beautiful, smart, feisty, able to fight nearly as well as a man ... perfect as well.
In the end, this was perfect for fans of bodice rippers and it had a clever plot as well. I just wasn't a huge fan of the writing style. Unfortunately I think this is one Robin Hood trilogy I'll have to skip - as intrigued as I am about how she would have worked it all out.
August 6, 2011
This book was for the medieval/western group read on Goodreads. A good read, but more about battles and revenge than romance. I did enjoy it, but I found myself skimming some of the details of the battle scenes to get to the dialog.
The book had a lot of intrigue in the story line, not as much romance as I usually like, but it had a good plot with tons of unique characters which I thought were wonderful. I didn't like the hero at the beginning, but I did like him in the end. The villains were nasty and deserved a lot more harshness, death wasn't good enough for me.
I didn't see how the H&h had a love connection in the book, it is sort of the style where they hate each other, he wasn't really nice to her- heck he kidnapped her-, and then they are in love. I guess I didn't buy it initially because she was excited and wanted to marry the one she was betrothed to- she didn't know what a scumbag he really was. In the end the H&h were beautiful together both very strong. There was lots of detail in the battle scenes, I did end up skimming some of the ending because it was so much detail, but it was a very vivid portrayal of the final climax. There was also a lot of brutal death and some friendly casualties in the book, which made me sad. Loved the epilogue, it caught you up on everyone. Looking forward to seeing others thoughts in the group.
I have read another book by this author,The Pride of Lions, and from what I remember the style is definitely similar more detail of the plot and characters and not as heavily on the romance, always a good story though if you like that style.
January 16, 2020
Wanted to re-read the series from the beginning after reading Ms. Canham's latest book ("The Mark of the Rose," published 12/17/19). "The Mark of the Rose" referenced a lot of the characters that were present in the early series and re-reading the series again adds to my enjoyment of "The Mark of the Rose."
Initial review from first read: I first read this book back in 2011. I see now that it has SOME elements of the 80's bodice-ripping old books. However, there were not many. Having said that, I want to preface this review with the following statement. I LOVE the old, romantic, swashbuckling movies made in the 30's and 40's. They almost always contained a smart, strong, admirable hero and a stubborn, smart, and feisty heroine. There was always plenty of romance, adventure, gripping, edge-of-your seat battle/fight scenes, really clever, snappy dialogue, wonderful and quirky supporting characters and a fabulous story line. Oh, and the villains were always really bad guys that you could not wait to see get their just rewards. And, those old movies always had a happily-ever-after ending. Well, Ms. Canham consolidated all those elements into one book, so reminiscent of my favorite old movies that held me so captivated (and happily still do). The twist to the Robin Hood legend is just being hinted at in this book and will be developed further in the next two books.
Initial review from first read: I first read this book back in 2011. I see now that it has SOME elements of the 80's bodice-ripping old books. However, there were not many. Having said that, I want to preface this review with the following statement. I LOVE the old, romantic, swashbuckling movies made in the 30's and 40's. They almost always contained a smart, strong, admirable hero and a stubborn, smart, and feisty heroine. There was always plenty of romance, adventure, gripping, edge-of-your seat battle/fight scenes, really clever, snappy dialogue, wonderful and quirky supporting characters and a fabulous story line. Oh, and the villains were always really bad guys that you could not wait to see get their just rewards. And, those old movies always had a happily-ever-after ending. Well, Ms. Canham consolidated all those elements into one book, so reminiscent of my favorite old movies that held me so captivated (and happily still do). The twist to the Robin Hood legend is just being hinted at in this book and will be developed further in the next two books.
December 22, 2020
THE GOOD: extremely detailed, precise depictions of costume and setting. the author would be like "he pulled on his linsey-woolsey tunic" and i'd be like, oh my god, you're right, it WAS made of linsey-woolsey.
THE BAD: having to read one hundred descriptions of every man's vast steaming muscles forcibly moved me over a slot on the kinsey scale. this is body horror, to me.
THE UGLY: objectively it is ? bad ? when the only significant woman in a book other than the fair and fainting heroine is THE WICKED MISTRESS, WHO BATHES IN THE BLOOD OF HER MAIDS, but the volume is cranked past ten to ten thousand and un for tu nate ly you will pry my delight in campy femmes fatales from my dead and shriveled fingers. the author would be like "wow can you believe it? she beat ten women to death this morning just because they walked past her, which btw is internalized misogyny :(, and then she had to be carried out of the feasting hall bc she would NOT stop having public orgasms" and i'd be like ha ha oh man what a CARD, you can't take her anywhere
tl;dr category romance and i want foundationally different things but i am once again asking you to send me your foulest genre sluts
THE BAD: having to read one hundred descriptions of every man's vast steaming muscles forcibly moved me over a slot on the kinsey scale. this is body horror, to me.
THE UGLY: objectively it is ? bad ? when the only significant woman in a book other than the fair and fainting heroine is THE WICKED MISTRESS, WHO BATHES IN THE BLOOD OF HER MAIDS, but the volume is cranked past ten to ten thousand and un for tu nate ly you will pry my delight in campy femmes fatales from my dead and shriveled fingers. the author would be like "wow can you believe it? she beat ten women to death this morning just because they walked past her, which btw is internalized misogyny :(, and then she had to be carried out of the feasting hall bc she would NOT stop having public orgasms" and i'd be like ha ha oh man what a CARD, you can't take her anywhere
tl;dr category romance and i want foundationally different things but i am once again asking you to send me your foulest genre sluts
May 19, 2010
What a Ride!
This book would make an excellent movie. It has the perfect mix of romance, danger, betrayal, secrets, revenge, and friendship. It has the storyline of Robin Hood mixed with the jealousy and betrayals we saw in the movie Gladiator. The characters are bigger than life, and the plot moves along swiftly and entertainingly.
I don't want to give too much away, but I'll say this. Not all is what it seems, and not everyone is who they say they are. I loved the Wolf. He was tough but tender at the same time. I loved the banter between him and Servanne, who I thought was a very likable heroine. The Dragon and Nicolaa were evil incarnate and I loved seeing them meet their fate in the end.
This is a graphic novel. It is violent and some horrific battle and torture scenes are described. They were not offensive to me and were true to the tone and time of the novel.
I went ahead and ordered the entire "Robin Hood" series....Through a Dark Mist, In the Shadow of Midnight, and The Last Arrow. This talented author and great book deserve much praise.
This book would make an excellent movie. It has the perfect mix of romance, danger, betrayal, secrets, revenge, and friendship. It has the storyline of Robin Hood mixed with the jealousy and betrayals we saw in the movie Gladiator. The characters are bigger than life, and the plot moves along swiftly and entertainingly.
I don't want to give too much away, but I'll say this. Not all is what it seems, and not everyone is who they say they are. I loved the Wolf. He was tough but tender at the same time. I loved the banter between him and Servanne, who I thought was a very likable heroine. The Dragon and Nicolaa were evil incarnate and I loved seeing them meet their fate in the end.
This is a graphic novel. It is violent and some horrific battle and torture scenes are described. They were not offensive to me and were true to the tone and time of the novel.
I went ahead and ordered the entire "Robin Hood" series....Through a Dark Mist, In the Shadow of Midnight, and The Last Arrow. This talented author and great book deserve much praise.
September 1, 2016
DNF
This is no Pride of the Lions.
Got about 30% in and just had to stop.
I'm not usually tolerant if the hero is a rake, but I was somehow able to put that aside, what stopped me is the discovery of a bastard and the whole past thing the wolf had with Nicolaa.
Yes she is evil, yes I'm sure the hero doesnn't care about her anymore, but she was his first and he loved her and was going to marry her. I was even ok with this, but to have his past thrown up all the time was too much. I also didn't like all the constant reminders of all the women he had after her and he non chalant talk about rape. AND the fact he has raped before!
I know this is what was common in the past, but I don't care for this type of mentioning in my reads. I don't like the hero and at this point there is no redemption for him in my eyes.
I gave 3 stars because the writing is good.
This is no Pride of the Lions.
Got about 30% in and just had to stop.
I'm not usually tolerant if the hero is a rake, but I was somehow able to put that aside, what stopped me is the discovery of a bastard and the whole past thing the wolf had with Nicolaa.
Yes she is evil, yes I'm sure the hero doesnn't care about her anymore, but she was his first and he loved her and was going to marry her. I was even ok with this, but to have his past thrown up all the time was too much. I also didn't like all the constant reminders of all the women he had after her and he non chalant talk about rape. AND the fact he has raped before!
I know this is what was common in the past, but I don't care for this type of mentioning in my reads. I don't like the hero and at this point there is no redemption for him in my eyes.
I gave 3 stars because the writing is good.
July 28, 2020
I gave Through a Dark Mist a B+ at All About Romance.
I’m currently having a love affair with medieval romances, and two recent blog posts (here and here) only fueled the fire. Friends, I’m also squarely in the Shana Abe camp:
After EXTENSIVE research (wink), I recently spent a small fortune on medievals and made a false start with a major dud. Since I’ve read a few of Marsha Canham’s pirate-themed historical's (which I enjoyed for many of the same reasons I love medievals), I had high hopes for her 1990s twist on Robin Hood. However, let me quickly disabuse you of a similar thought. This trilogy (which includes versions of the characters central to the mythology: Robin Hood, Little John, Maid Marian, the Friar, the Sheriff of Nottingham. Prince/King John), is a prequel of sorts to the Robin Hood legend, and the last novel (The Last Arrow) eventually leads to Sherwood Forest. If you’re looking for the Disney version of Robin Hood stealing from the rich to feed the poor, it’s there – vaguely.
Through a Dark Mist opens with a prologue set in the future in which Lady Servanne de Briscourt is an exhausted, hungry, dirty and cold prisoner of the Baron de Gournay. Desperate and convinced she’s going to die, she wishes she’d heeded her lover Lucien’s warnings about de Gournay. Her despair is interrupted by the sound of laughter outside the cell, and convinced it’s yet another trick by de Gournay to strip her of her sanity, she retreats to the corner. But when an intruder enters and removes his hood, she recognizes her savior – Lucien. Their passionate reconciliation ends when Lucien’s friend Alaric hisses a reminder that they’re in the middle of an escape attempt. The trio flee, but spot the guards heading to intercept them. Alaric remains behind to watch their flank and Lucien rushes Servanne down the cliff to a boat waiting to whisk them away to safety. When the scene ends, it appears all is lost; Servanne is pinned by an arrow to the boat, Lucien has been hit by a bolt from a crossbow, and Alaric is on his knees on the beach.
Then we go back in time to the beginning of the story. Orphaned as a young girl, Servanne was made a ward of King Richard. When she was only fifteen years old, the King left to fight the Holy Wars, and married her off to the aging Sir Hubert de Briscourt for a substantial consideration. When Hubert died, Servanne inherited his vast fiefdom of arable land holdings in Lincolnshire. Now Servanne is betrothed to Lord Lucien Wardieu, Baron de Gournay, the Dragon of Bloodmoor Keep. In Servanne’s imagination, Lord Lucien is –
Mon Dieu! Who is the real Lucien Wardieu?! Ms. Canham is deliberately vague in the prologue, and Lady Servanne daydreams about a blond Lucien. Fortunately, the author doesn’t belabor the subterfuge for long. The Black Wolf delivers his ransom demand while his outlaws claim the weapons and anything of value, and then the group (with the female captives) retreats deeper into the forest. Servanne refuses to believe the handsome villain could possibly be the true Sir Lucien and ignores his attempts to engage her (alternately cajoling and bullying her), but we know better! He struggles not to take any liberties with his beautiful, fiery captive, and reader, the struggle is real. He’s plotting to use her as a pawn and he doesn’t have time for love. Ahem. When his feelings for Servanne begin to make him doubt their revenge plans, Alaric convinces Lucien to stay the course despite his misgivings.
Meanwhile, we’re introduced to the actual villains. Etienne Wardieu is Lucien’s vicious and sadistic younger bastard brother. He attacked and left Lucien for dead while on Crusade and then assumed his identity. His mistress is the perverted and brutal Nicolaa de la Haye (married to the Sheriff of Lincoln, and a former lover of Lucien’s). Villains through and through, they’re a match made in hell. Turns out, Servanne is a pawn in their nefarious plans, too! When Nicolaa (who knows her lover is an imposter) uses her ‘skills’ (the naughty kind) to try and discover what the Black Wolf is up to, things take a turn.
Oh, friends. Look, this is popular fiction – not literary fiction – and escapism at its best. Everyone in romancelandia knows the Black Wolf is the hero of this story, and that Servanne is destined to be his lady. They can barely resist their attraction to each other, and they give into their lust shortly after declaring their mutual disdain. Servanne struggles to resist the smoldering, handsome outlaw, and Lucien keeps forgetting she’s his captive and a pawn in his dastardly plot (plus, there’s another super secret rescue mission in play). There’s lust and purple prose and improbable meetings under waterfalls and it’s all ridiculous and wonderful. While they’re falling in love, we’re also introduced to Lucien’s band of outlaws, including former monk Alaric FitzAthelstan (our friar), the mischievous dwarf Sparrow, and secretly female Gillian “Gil” Golden (a deadly, vengeance-driven female archer subbing in for Will Scarlet), who play significant roles in the future stories, too.
If you’re looking for a hero to sweep you off your feet (and maybe chain you up when you speak your mind), THIS is your book. Need an escape from our depressing world? Read...
The rest of this review is available at All About Romance. I reviewed each of the books in this trilogy, and you can find reviews of book 2, In the Shadow of Midnight, and book 3, The Last Arrow, here and here.
I’m currently having a love affair with medieval romances, and two recent blog posts (here and here) only fueled the fire. Friends, I’m also squarely in the Shana Abe camp:
… if you insist upon immersing yourself in the nitty-gritty of everyday medieval life (and let me warn you, it isn’t pretty), go buy a history book. I, for one, would rather focus on the magic of the story, the slow and inevitable intertwining of the lives of the hero and heroine: their troubles, frustrations, attractions and their ultimate mutual joy in each other against a backdrop of great, sweeping ideals.Me too. I want swashbuckling heroes, damsels in distress, knights, sword fights, lust, betrayal, murder, adventure, and smoldering sensuality. Yes, these Medievals frequently find me wincing at the treatment of women (among other things), and are way beyond politically incorrect. Reader, they’re wildly different from Regencies, my life, and the depressing reality on the news every day, and I can’t quit them. They’re fun and totally addictive.
After EXTENSIVE research (wink), I recently spent a small fortune on medievals and made a false start with a major dud. Since I’ve read a few of Marsha Canham’s pirate-themed historical's (which I enjoyed for many of the same reasons I love medievals), I had high hopes for her 1990s twist on Robin Hood. However, let me quickly disabuse you of a similar thought. This trilogy (which includes versions of the characters central to the mythology: Robin Hood, Little John, Maid Marian, the Friar, the Sheriff of Nottingham. Prince/King John), is a prequel of sorts to the Robin Hood legend, and the last novel (The Last Arrow) eventually leads to Sherwood Forest. If you’re looking for the Disney version of Robin Hood stealing from the rich to feed the poor, it’s there – vaguely.
Through a Dark Mist opens with a prologue set in the future in which Lady Servanne de Briscourt is an exhausted, hungry, dirty and cold prisoner of the Baron de Gournay. Desperate and convinced she’s going to die, she wishes she’d heeded her lover Lucien’s warnings about de Gournay. Her despair is interrupted by the sound of laughter outside the cell, and convinced it’s yet another trick by de Gournay to strip her of her sanity, she retreats to the corner. But when an intruder enters and removes his hood, she recognizes her savior – Lucien. Their passionate reconciliation ends when Lucien’s friend Alaric hisses a reminder that they’re in the middle of an escape attempt. The trio flee, but spot the guards heading to intercept them. Alaric remains behind to watch their flank and Lucien rushes Servanne down the cliff to a boat waiting to whisk them away to safety. When the scene ends, it appears all is lost; Servanne is pinned by an arrow to the boat, Lucien has been hit by a bolt from a crossbow, and Alaric is on his knees on the beach.
Then we go back in time to the beginning of the story. Orphaned as a young girl, Servanne was made a ward of King Richard. When she was only fifteen years old, the King left to fight the Holy Wars, and married her off to the aging Sir Hubert de Briscourt for a substantial consideration. When Hubert died, Servanne inherited his vast fiefdom of arable land holdings in Lincolnshire. Now Servanne is betrothed to Lord Lucien Wardieu, Baron de Gournay, the Dragon of Bloodmoor Keep. In Servanne’s imagination, Lord Lucien is –
young, handsome, virile … the kind of husband one dreamed about and envisioned behind tightly closed eyelids…He’s also a stranger.
Servanne was under no illusions as to why he had petitioned the king for her hand— indeed, she thanked God with every breath that a portion of the vast fiefdom she had inherited upon Sir Hubert’s death, was coveted arable adjoining the baron’s own landholdings in Lincoln.She’s making her way to Bloodmoor under heavy escort, via the Lincoln forest, when her happy daydreaming is interrupted by the whonk of an arrow and the agonized cry of a nearby guard. After a brief skirmish, the caravan is trapped and the escort forced to lay down their weapons. A dark-haired villain emerges from the woods introducing himself as the Black Wolf of Lincoln… and Lucien Wardieu, Baron de Gournay.
Mon Dieu! Who is the real Lucien Wardieu?! Ms. Canham is deliberately vague in the prologue, and Lady Servanne daydreams about a blond Lucien. Fortunately, the author doesn’t belabor the subterfuge for long. The Black Wolf delivers his ransom demand while his outlaws claim the weapons and anything of value, and then the group (with the female captives) retreats deeper into the forest. Servanne refuses to believe the handsome villain could possibly be the true Sir Lucien and ignores his attempts to engage her (alternately cajoling and bullying her), but we know better! He struggles not to take any liberties with his beautiful, fiery captive, and reader, the struggle is real. He’s plotting to use her as a pawn and he doesn’t have time for love. Ahem. When his feelings for Servanne begin to make him doubt their revenge plans, Alaric convinces Lucien to stay the course despite his misgivings.
Meanwhile, we’re introduced to the actual villains. Etienne Wardieu is Lucien’s vicious and sadistic younger bastard brother. He attacked and left Lucien for dead while on Crusade and then assumed his identity. His mistress is the perverted and brutal Nicolaa de la Haye (married to the Sheriff of Lincoln, and a former lover of Lucien’s). Villains through and through, they’re a match made in hell. Turns out, Servanne is a pawn in their nefarious plans, too! When Nicolaa (who knows her lover is an imposter) uses her ‘skills’ (the naughty kind) to try and discover what the Black Wolf is up to, things take a turn.
Oh, friends. Look, this is popular fiction – not literary fiction – and escapism at its best. Everyone in romancelandia knows the Black Wolf is the hero of this story, and that Servanne is destined to be his lady. They can barely resist their attraction to each other, and they give into their lust shortly after declaring their mutual disdain. Servanne struggles to resist the smoldering, handsome outlaw, and Lucien keeps forgetting she’s his captive and a pawn in his dastardly plot (plus, there’s another super secret rescue mission in play). There’s lust and purple prose and improbable meetings under waterfalls and it’s all ridiculous and wonderful. While they’re falling in love, we’re also introduced to Lucien’s band of outlaws, including former monk Alaric FitzAthelstan (our friar), the mischievous dwarf Sparrow, and secretly female Gillian “Gil” Golden (a deadly, vengeance-driven female archer subbing in for Will Scarlet), who play significant roles in the future stories, too.
If you’re looking for a hero to sweep you off your feet (and maybe chain you up when you speak your mind), THIS is your book. Need an escape from our depressing world? Read...
The rest of this review is available at All About Romance. I reviewed each of the books in this trilogy, and you can find reviews of book 2, In the Shadow of Midnight, and book 3, The Last Arrow, here and here.
March 15, 2016
In my binge of romance novels featuring characters called "Randulf" I went with a variation to spice things up, and ended up with "Randwulf" instead. Yes. This novel features a case of mistaken identities, or taken-by-force identities, and one of them is a "Randwulf".
Normally, I find Marsha Canham in the pirate or highwayman swashbuckling adventure romance genre, which regardless of prejudice is rather hard to resist. I also quite rated her "The Dragon Tree" historical medieval romance (which Goodreads insists on renaming to its previous title as "My Forever Love", but "The Dragon Tree" is a rewritten, re-edited edition). In any case, this bolstered my confidence enough that I splashed out something like 6€ on her Robin Hood trilogy, which as of half way into book 2 hasn't seen anything of Robin Hood, but more of Randwulf.
It also features a stroppy, highstrung heroine who overall is pretty useless. After finishing the novel, I got the distinct feeling the hero was magicked by her long, blonde hair and fell madly in love with it, at which point he smoldered a lot and everything else, including potentially dying friends, sort of fell out of his sphere of interest. The politics and family drama are initially quite interesting, but the two villains are so supremely over the top evil it just beggars belief and becomes totally ridiculous as the story goes on. It also features women who want power as nothing than complete harridans and sadistic harpies.
Further, it also contains a lot of old-skool romance tropes, with a smoldering super awesome rake hero and the innocent twinkling blonde foot-stomping heroine who gets totally seduced by the awesome smoldering virility of the hero's mighty thews. Tiresome. I also felt like smacking my forehead every time the hero "smoldered" at inopportune moments. Luckily I didn't, or I would have a large bruise.
The historical details are this novel's saving grace really. You can tell Canham has written pure historical novels as well, as the details blend seamlessly into the story and you don't get the feeling she is name dropping "barbican", ""chainmail coif" or "wimple", they fit solidly within the story. Also: wimples. More medieval novels should use wimples.
Normally, I find Marsha Canham in the pirate or highwayman swashbuckling adventure romance genre, which regardless of prejudice is rather hard to resist. I also quite rated her "The Dragon Tree" historical medieval romance (which Goodreads insists on renaming to its previous title as "My Forever Love", but "The Dragon Tree" is a rewritten, re-edited edition). In any case, this bolstered my confidence enough that I splashed out something like 6€ on her Robin Hood trilogy, which as of half way into book 2 hasn't seen anything of Robin Hood, but more of Randwulf.
It also features a stroppy, highstrung heroine who overall is pretty useless. After finishing the novel, I got the distinct feeling the hero was magicked by her long, blonde hair and fell madly in love with it, at which point he smoldered a lot and everything else, including potentially dying friends, sort of fell out of his sphere of interest. The politics and family drama are initially quite interesting, but the two villains are so supremely over the top evil it just beggars belief and becomes totally ridiculous as the story goes on. It also features women who want power as nothing than complete harridans and sadistic harpies.
Further, it also contains a lot of old-skool romance tropes, with a smoldering super awesome rake hero and the innocent twinkling blonde foot-stomping heroine who gets totally seduced by the awesome smoldering virility of the hero's mighty thews. Tiresome. I also felt like smacking my forehead every time the hero "smoldered" at inopportune moments. Luckily I didn't, or I would have a large bruise.
The historical details are this novel's saving grace really. You can tell Canham has written pure historical novels as well, as the details blend seamlessly into the story and you don't get the feeling she is name dropping "barbican", ""chainmail coif" or "wimple", they fit solidly within the story. Also: wimples. More medieval novels should use wimples.
August 5, 2013
In my Marsha Canham rampage, I got to Through a Dark Mist where, even if characters do not have Robin Hood names, it's pretty clearly a Robin Hood story - we have 'Friar' instead of 'Friar Tuck,' 'Gil Golden' instead of 'Will Scarlet' (who is a woman in this story) etc. Also noble outlaws in Lincoln forest, evil Sheriff, Prince John blahblah.
It's a hybrid of a period novel and romance one - too little romance and too much history and plot for a 'proper' romance novel. As someone who prefers the romance:plot ratio in her romance novels change in favor of the latter, I was happy.
Anyway, the plot is as follows: Savanne is a recently widowed young woman who is quite happy to be married off to Lucien Wardieu, a famous good-looking knight, king's champion, powerful baron blah blah. Problem is, as she rides through Lincoln forest on her way to her betrothed (who she's barely seen), her group is ambushed by outlaws who kill the guards and take Savanne hostage. Their leader makes the insane claim that he's the real Lucien Wardieau and he wants nothing more than to kill Servanne's betrothed. It's a really fun, intense read. I'd prefer the villains to be a little less evil (I mean, fake Lucien and Sheriff's wife had zero redeeming qualities between them) but other than that, it is way entertaining - and probably the only version which gets me to ship Friar Tuck/Will Scarlet. Do be warned - I believe every main character gets tortured or similar at least once.
It's a hybrid of a period novel and romance one - too little romance and too much history and plot for a 'proper' romance novel. As someone who prefers the romance:plot ratio in her romance novels change in favor of the latter, I was happy.
Anyway, the plot is as follows: Savanne is a recently widowed young woman who is quite happy to be married off to Lucien Wardieu, a famous good-looking knight, king's champion, powerful baron blah blah. Problem is, as she rides through Lincoln forest on her way to her betrothed (who she's barely seen), her group is ambushed by outlaws who kill the guards and take Savanne hostage. Their leader makes the insane claim that he's the real Lucien Wardieau and he wants nothing more than to kill Servanne's betrothed. It's a really fun, intense read. I'd prefer the villains to be a little less evil (I mean, fake Lucien and Sheriff's wife had zero redeeming qualities between them) but other than that, it is way entertaining - and probably the only version which gets me to ship Friar Tuck/Will Scarlet. Do be warned - I believe every main character gets tortured or similar at least once.
August 7, 2011
The book starts off with one of my romance pet peeves. The hero is a complete jerk and the heroine, after he abuses her, falls panting into his arms, overcome by the attraction between them. Worse, he dumps her afterward and deliberately exposes her to shame. But before they meet again she has persuaded herself that she loves him. By then, she's learned a few things that justify SOME of his actions, and he does offer an apology of sorts, but it is the additional twist, the secret mission she learns about and is honor bound to support that really justifies her falling in with him. If not for that I would have wanted her to hold out for a bit better than the lame apology before she forgave him. From there the story does work better for me but I'm never entirely in love with the couple, so the HEA is more about the end to two vile villains than about the love story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2007
OK, so I'm outing myself to you peeps. I totally read the ROMANCE NOVEL. It's true. And the fact that I do is probably the leading contributor to the fact that I am not married. Still, I have to give Marsha Canham big ole snaps because this book (and all of her books, really), moves far beyond mere tawdry bits of female escapist fantasy and actually tells a story that is fun to read. Though, come on, who doesn't like a little tawdriness now and then?
December 6, 2014
I read this when I first starting reading romances, and I don't remember much, but I do remember what a wonderful romance it was...definitely on my list to read again. Definitely want to read this author again.
July 22, 2014
Marsha Canham is an excellent storyteller taking you back into the days of Robin Hood.
January 3, 2023
Through a Dark Mist is a bit of fantasy and historical/medieval romance in the style of a Robin Hood retelling. I actually found myself enjoying this kind of retro throw back. You felt like you were watching an old movie. It had a pretty good plot line, lots of action and adventure and your classic secrets, betrayals and villains. But you know what sort of ruined the book for me? And I can’t believe I’m saying this 🙄. The romance. This was definitely a very typical 90’s vibe romance. I’m picturing David Hasselhoff running on the beach. Tom Selleck with his copious amount of chest hair. You get my drift 🤣. For those too young to get those references, consider yourself lucky or perhaps you missed out on some great cheese. But, this is an older book and I’m not knocking it. I actually really enjoyed some nostalgic feels and I was thoroughly entertained. This is simply a case where I would have preferred just the action and adventure and none of the swooning. And no lie, I had no idea what a swashbuckler was 😮 so it’s a win when I learn something new. 3.25 ⭐️
August 24, 2019
GR has recommended this book to me more than once, and I certainly understand why! A new GR friend rated Marsha Canham’s Through a Dark Mist (Robin Hood #1) 5 stars, and I absolutely agree. Being an extremely avid Anglophile who has an extreme fondness the medieval era, I began his book and had much difficulty putting it down. Robin Hood has always held an intriguing fascination for me. The author approaches this theme from a new direction for me, and I enjoyed her writing style; the characters are well-written; the setting is perfect for the author’s storyline; and her depiction of the medieval era is spot on. I thoroughly enjoyed everything. It has made me homesick for England, and I am American! 5 stars. I am sorry that I did not read Through a Dark Mist sooner! Beautifully done!
April 13, 2020
As a romance, this would be 3 stars, but as an intense and dark thriller in the era of Robin Hood, it is a solid 4 stars. The bad guys are very bad, and the good guys are only slightly better. Cruelty is the currency of the day. Although some of the characters are a bit over the top, they mesh well in this story. The dialog is quick, and the various fight scenes are fast and furious. The romantic parts are somewhat constricted by the era, but even so, the level of righteous indignation is too high much of the time. The sex scenes are hampered by too many layers and constrained language. However, our loving couple is quite endearing and a couple of their scenes are steamy - literally.
If you like historical romance, with lots of swords and arrows, you'll like this one.
Note that this is set in the era of Robin Hood, but per the author, he doesn't appear until the 3rd book.
If you like historical romance, with lots of swords and arrows, you'll like this one.
Note that this is set in the era of Robin Hood, but per the author, he doesn't appear until the 3rd book.
Read
January 31, 2023DNF at 51%
I have tried so hard to like this book. Someone said it was an epic love story and I wanted some of that but I didn't get it here. I found myself disliking the leading lady a lot. I have no opinion about the male lead at all. I just do not like it no matter how hard I try. The writing style and the chapter structure reads somehow off to me. The POVs jump and start in the middle of the paragraph then follow with historical info dumping. I do not feel the connection between the MCs. Basically, they argue themselves into $*x and his magical lance makes everything okay. Mmmmm. I can't get into the story nor do I want to by this point. I guess this author is not for me.
I have tried so hard to like this book. Someone said it was an epic love story and I wanted some of that but I didn't get it here. I found myself disliking the leading lady a lot. I have no opinion about the male lead at all. I just do not like it no matter how hard I try. The writing style and the chapter structure reads somehow off to me. The POVs jump and start in the middle of the paragraph then follow with historical info dumping. I do not feel the connection between the MCs. Basically, they argue themselves into $*x and his magical lance makes everything okay. Mmmmm. I can't get into the story nor do I want to by this point. I guess this author is not for me.
July 4, 2017
Oh my goodness, I never thought I'd finish this book! It is an epic chunkster, that's for sure! Two months, two different groups and a buddy read is what it took for me to finish, but ultimately I'm glad I did. There were a lot of things I didn't like about this book but I think there was more to like, once I got past a few things.
First, I think I've decided to take Ms. Canham out of the historical romance category and put her in the dramatic saga with a HEA category. I would liken her book to Gone With the Wind, but with a happy ending. You are swept into a completely different world entirely. I never once felt the book sounded modern, in fact, it's one of the reasons I had such a hard time with it. Not only are you in this other era, but it's being described to you in such detail, about so many things I've never heard of, much less know what they look like. Lots of word-searching the dictionary feature on my nook, thank goodness for that! If you're the sort of reader who can skim over the details you don't know, this might be no problem for you then. But I'm the sort who likes to see the whole picture, and if the author is going to use all these words I don't know, how can I get the full picture? So I have to look up, which does take me out of the story. Fortunately, I began to get the medieval-speak, and terms were re-used, so I no longer needed to check as much. For the life of me I never knew what a wimple was, until I realized, I did, I just didn't know it's proper name.
And okay, this is suppose to be a romance, right? And there is one, well, actually three, sort of. There's the main romance between Servanne and Lucien. Then there's Alaric and Gil, and I'm sorta disappointed more wasn't delved into as to their story, I would have really liked that. And finally, Etienne and Nicolaa, if you can call that a romance, blech! But they sure do get a lot of face time in the books, of course they are the villains, so they're going to. I felt more towards them than Servanne and Lucien, even if it was disgust. There was something missing between them, like a reason why they liked each other. I really didn't get why they fell in love, besides they liked the way the other looked, and they awesome sex in a very cool grotto that would probably put Playboy's to shame. I felt like Lucien was a very well developed character, but Servanne, besides her attitude, well, I don't know much else about her. I know she was married before to an old geezer, and that she has an annoying nursemaid, but that's about it. I really wish we could have gotten to know more about her.
I do think this book is very good for the many many layers within. I was surprised at the surprised parts, that's for sure. The knight I thought was bad, wasn't, there's a secret baby, heck, even a secret person in plain sight, wait, make that two different people who have alter-egos or disguise their identity. Er, make that three! Geez, so many secrets to keep track of, but it all makes for a very fun read! The middle part of the book was probably the best for me, as every chapter either revealed something new, or shed a different light on what I thought was going on. I love it when books do this!
The ending did sort of disappoint. It seemed rushed, or slapped together and sort of dashed together, whereas the rest of the book was very well planned out, it felt like a different book at the end. Alaric, who is known for being a planner and strategist, has no plan to get Lucien free, and somehow miraculously Lucien remembers a secret passage no one else knew. Right. And before that, Lucien does something exceedingly dumb . After that, the book started to go downhill for me, but fortunately, the rest of the book itself goes fast afterward as well.
If you're looking for strictly romance, you should probably skip this. But if you like to be immersed in a completely different world, meet many great characters, actually be surprised, and don't mind books a little light on the romance section, this would be a great one to tackle.
First, I think I've decided to take Ms. Canham out of the historical romance category and put her in the dramatic saga with a HEA category. I would liken her book to Gone With the Wind, but with a happy ending. You are swept into a completely different world entirely. I never once felt the book sounded modern, in fact, it's one of the reasons I had such a hard time with it. Not only are you in this other era, but it's being described to you in such detail, about so many things I've never heard of, much less know what they look like. Lots of word-searching the dictionary feature on my nook, thank goodness for that! If you're the sort of reader who can skim over the details you don't know, this might be no problem for you then. But I'm the sort who likes to see the whole picture, and if the author is going to use all these words I don't know, how can I get the full picture? So I have to look up, which does take me out of the story. Fortunately, I began to get the medieval-speak, and terms were re-used, so I no longer needed to check as much. For the life of me I never knew what a wimple was, until I realized, I did, I just didn't know it's proper name.
And okay, this is suppose to be a romance, right? And there is one, well, actually three, sort of. There's the main romance between Servanne and Lucien. Then there's Alaric and Gil, and I'm sorta disappointed more wasn't delved into as to their story, I would have really liked that. And finally, Etienne and Nicolaa, if you can call that a romance, blech! But they sure do get a lot of face time in the books, of course they are the villains, so they're going to. I felt more towards them than Servanne and Lucien, even if it was disgust. There was something missing between them, like a reason why they liked each other. I really didn't get why they fell in love, besides they liked the way the other looked, and they awesome sex in a very cool grotto that would probably put Playboy's to shame. I felt like Lucien was a very well developed character, but Servanne, besides her attitude, well, I don't know much else about her. I know she was married before to an old geezer, and that she has an annoying nursemaid, but that's about it. I really wish we could have gotten to know more about her.
I do think this book is very good for the many many layers within. I was surprised at the surprised parts, that's for sure. The knight I thought was bad, wasn't, there's a secret baby, heck, even a secret person in plain sight, wait, make that two different people who have alter-egos or disguise their identity. Er, make that three! Geez, so many secrets to keep track of, but it all makes for a very fun read! The middle part of the book was probably the best for me, as every chapter either revealed something new, or shed a different light on what I thought was going on. I love it when books do this!
The ending did sort of disappoint. It seemed rushed, or slapped together and sort of dashed together, whereas the rest of the book was very well planned out, it felt like a different book at the end. Alaric, who is known for being a planner and strategist, has no plan to get Lucien free, and somehow miraculously Lucien remembers a secret passage no one else knew. Right. And before that, Lucien does something exceedingly dumb . After that, the book started to go downhill for me, but fortunately, the rest of the book itself goes fast afterward as well.
If you're looking for strictly romance, you should probably skip this. But if you like to be immersed in a completely different world, meet many great characters, actually be surprised, and don't mind books a little light on the romance section, this would be a great one to tackle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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