The Irish Bride

Gareth & Gwen Medieval Mysteries #12

by Sarah Woodbury

August 1148. The wedding of Godfrid and Cait promises to be the event of the year, and even Gwen has made the journey across the Irish Sea to celebrate. Weddings can be moments around which tensions and resentments pivot, however, so when a monk turns up dead within moments of Gareth and Gwen's arrival in Ireland, the pair put on their sleuthing hats and get to work, racing to solve the mystery before it ruins Godfrid's big day.

Join Gareth & Gwen and their friends and companions for murder and mayhem in medieval Dublin in The Irish Bride, the 12th Gareth & Gwen Medieval Mystery.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery

343 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2022

About the author

With over a million books sold to date, Sarah Woodbury is the author of more than forty novels, all set in medieval Wales. Although an anthropologist by training, and then a full-time homeschooling mom for twenty years, she began writing fiction when the stories in her head overflowed and demanded that she let them out. While her ancestry is Welsh, she only visited Wales for the first time at university. She has been in love with the country, language, and people ever since. She even convinced her husband to give all four of their children Welsh names.

Sarah is a member of the Historical Authors Fiction Cooperative (HFAC), the Historical Novel Society, and Novelists, Inc. (NINC).


She makes her home in Oregon.

Reviews

[PR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this one...

Would have loved this one to include a whole lot more about Godfrid and Cait, Conell , and Gareth and Gwen, their sons and smaller children...and murder and mayhem are the rule of the day...ah, well. Am more confused each book by the complicated politics of this region of the world in this period in history...makes it hard to understand all that transpired in these stories. Love the character studies and the feeling I get that I am a fly on the wall or a minor participant in the lives of these characters and their everyday activities. She writes characters and plots very very well. Cannot wait for the new series by this prolific author and cannot wait for the next Gareth and Gwen mystery. Have to try the one series I have not yet read...the time travel one...while I wait! And maybe a couple of her stand alone books that may get me more up to speed on the intricacies of the politics of the era! Happy Reading...

[Bron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always preorder the kindle version of the next book in the Gareth and Gwen series, I want to be sure I don't miss one! It is getting to be quite a long series with 12 books now and although each one has a self-contained detective story, there is an ongoing story too concerning the political situation in 12th century Britain and the personal lives of the main characters so it is good to read them in order. However, you should at least read the immediate prequel The Viking Prince before embarking on this one.
Prince Hywel of Gwynedd has been invited to Viking Dublin to celebrate the wedding of Godfrid the Danish king's brother to Caitriona, the niece of the king of Leinster (you find out how they first met in The Viking Prince). Travelling along in Prince Hywel's retinue are his steward Gareth with his wife Gwen and his family. It should be a pleasant interlude but they have barely landed when a death is announced. The bishop of Dublin cathedral has found a dead monk lying on a chapel altar dressed in full armour including a well worn sword.
Gareth and Gwen's fame as investigators has travelled ahead of them and they are asked to help solve this mystery. With only three days to go before the wedding, and no initial clue beyond a scrap of paper with a biblical quote, they unpick a dark story of deceit and betrayal which puts Gareth's young son Dai into a various dangerous position.
The story is fast paced and extremely readable, it's hard to put down because there is never a paragraph where nothing is happening. You also get some interesting glimpses into medieval life which I am sure are accurate because the author is a historian as well as a novelist.

[Voirrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a pleasure when I got the notification to let me know my pre-ordered copy was now on my Kindle - and it certainly didn't disappoint.

The political machinations of the period continue to provide a backdrop to Gareth and Gwen investigating another death. This time mainly the politics of Ireland. As someone who knows a good deal about the Dublin vikings, especially with regard to their relationship to the Manx vikings, the feelings within their community, especially, fascinated me - and rang very true.

Good to see more of Dai and Llelo here, too; growing up and finding their own roles in life.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the series of medieval mysteries that I have read. This is the 12th in the series and the author provides little glimpses into the character's 11 previous adventures. I felt these additions did not enhance the current story.
The mystery is quite complicated and intriguing. The author successfully weaves fiction with a historical atmosphere and politics of the time period.
I will definitely read more of this series and would like to start at the beginning.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

1148 Gwen and Gareth have arrived in Dublin for the wedding of Godfrid and Caitriona. But they are met by a request from Bishop Gregory to view a dead body. That of monk Harald Ranulfson. But the wedding has brought political intrigue to the front and so more deaths.
An enjoyable and well-wriiten historical mystery.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gareth (now Hywel’s seneschal), Gwen, Llelo, Dai, Tangwen, Taran, Hywel and the Dragons have come to Dublin to attend the wedding of Prince Godfrid to Caitriona, Conall’s sister and King Diamant’s niece. And as happens frequently to Gareth and Gwen, they are asked to attend Bishop Gregory, who has discovered a body. During the investigation, there are more deaths and the discovering of a plot.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Woodbury's writing skills get better with every book! I've read everything she has written so far, and this book was a pleasure to read. Her characters are great, and her plots roll out in genuine ways.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winner! This one is a one sitting book. So many twists and turns in Dublin that you can't be sure at first who the villains are - and then there are surprises. As always, this is a keeper.

[Jeri L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Irish, Danes and of course Welsh

Well done Sarah Woodbury. I absolutely loved all of the Gareth and Gwen stories. This series is one of the few that I’ve read more than once.

[Susanna Shipman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series

I love these characters who feel like family. These novels are always well written & full of intrigue. I hope another Gareth & Gwen series comes back soon!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always a pleasure reading a Gareth and Gwen Mystery. They keep getting better and better.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is the best book by far in this series! A true 6+ stars. I cannot wait for the next book to come out in July 2020. I have it preordered!

[Nance Roepke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number 12 in the series and it hasn't gotten old for me. I do like Gareth and Gwen so much.

[Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

More growth and bigger roles for family and friends. I like that the books don't always depend on Gareth and Gwen. Lots of political intrigue to keep me interested in the time frame as well.

[Alayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A continuation of the last book, The Viking Prince, this one did feature Gareth and Gwen and was a thoroughly enjoyable adventure from start to finish. Highly recommended.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good story.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great historical mystery.