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Love, Loss and Honor #1
Love, Loss, and Honor
This is a tale of two women, separated by over four hundred years, whose lives are inexorably intertwined.
Karen is a goal-driven pre-med student pursued by two men. Well-bred and wealthy, Martin aligns with her upward ambitions. Peter, her virtuous but poor blue-collar study partner, is loyal and kind but socially inept. After a series of relationship stumbles, an accidental pregnancy forces vacillating Karen to choose Peter. She tries to commit to him, however, after a decade of marriage, nurse practitioner Karen is depressed. Convinced her blue-collar trailer park life has become a mausoleum of mediocrity, she makes some bad decisions which place her in grave danger.
Mariken awakens with amnesia in 1572 Antwerp during the early stages of the Eighty Years' War. Taken in by kind Mennists, she discovers she has a physician's gift for healing. She meets and falls in love with Pieter, an injured blacksmith with a mysterious past of his own. Unfortunately, her haunting history, inability to remain quietly obscure, and the rising violence against Mennists combine to threaten her safety. Soon, Mariken and her friends, Maeyken Wens, Lijsken, and Janneken van Munstdorp are suspected of heresy and witchcraft.
How are these two women connected? Will either survive the situations they've placed themselves in?
Karen is a goal-driven pre-med student pursued by two men. Well-bred and wealthy, Martin aligns with her upward ambitions. Peter, her virtuous but poor blue-collar study partner, is loyal and kind but socially inept. After a series of relationship stumbles, an accidental pregnancy forces vacillating Karen to choose Peter. She tries to commit to him, however, after a decade of marriage, nurse practitioner Karen is depressed. Convinced her blue-collar trailer park life has become a mausoleum of mediocrity, she makes some bad decisions which place her in grave danger.
Mariken awakens with amnesia in 1572 Antwerp during the early stages of the Eighty Years' War. Taken in by kind Mennists, she discovers she has a physician's gift for healing. She meets and falls in love with Pieter, an injured blacksmith with a mysterious past of his own. Unfortunately, her haunting history, inability to remain quietly obscure, and the rising violence against Mennists combine to threaten her safety. Soon, Mariken and her friends, Maeyken Wens, Lijsken, and Janneken van Munstdorp are suspected of heresy and witchcraft.
How are these two women connected? Will either survive the situations they've placed themselves in?
319 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2021
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 6, 2023
Herbert Wiens writes well, and crafts compelling characters, however I felt that Love, Loss, & Honor was a novel struggling to decide what it wanted to be about.
The first half of the book was the troubling tale of a woman with no moral center blaming all her problems on a husband who has been nothing but supportive and loving. The second half was a period piece set 400 years earlier with no apparent connection between the two stories.
Is this book supposed to be a romance tale? Perhaps, but the first ten chapters of the book feel like background and character building rather than a compelling story, with the main character choosing to step out on her marriage again and again, with no real struggle or conflict to carry the reader along. In the end, she only manages to hold onto her husband through lies rather than any meaningful struggle to correct her past behavior.
Is this a murder mystery? The first murder occurs halfway through the book and appears so abruptly I was left wondering if I had accidentally picked up the wrong book. Two more murders happen in quick succession, and then there is nothing mentioned about them again until the very end of the novel when the murderer is discovered. There is no intervening hunt or investigation to explain why murder is part of the story.
Is this a time traveling book? Two completely different tales are told in the novel. The first occurs today, while the second is about events 400 years in the past. The only explanation given for the time jump is a reference to time travel at the very end of the book. I was left with no understanding as to how or why time travel may have been involved, other than as a vague attempt to link two otherwise unconnected stories.
While I do think the author is a fine writer and shows some real talent for the craft, this novel felt fragmented and barely held together by unbelievable story elements that could easily have been left out. If I had read only the final three chapters, I believe I would have had as complete an understanding of the story while also saving myself several hours of frustration and confusion.
The first half of the book was the troubling tale of a woman with no moral center blaming all her problems on a husband who has been nothing but supportive and loving. The second half was a period piece set 400 years earlier with no apparent connection between the two stories.
Is this book supposed to be a romance tale? Perhaps, but the first ten chapters of the book feel like background and character building rather than a compelling story, with the main character choosing to step out on her marriage again and again, with no real struggle or conflict to carry the reader along. In the end, she only manages to hold onto her husband through lies rather than any meaningful struggle to correct her past behavior.
Is this a murder mystery? The first murder occurs halfway through the book and appears so abruptly I was left wondering if I had accidentally picked up the wrong book. Two more murders happen in quick succession, and then there is nothing mentioned about them again until the very end of the novel when the murderer is discovered. There is no intervening hunt or investigation to explain why murder is part of the story.
Is this a time traveling book? Two completely different tales are told in the novel. The first occurs today, while the second is about events 400 years in the past. The only explanation given for the time jump is a reference to time travel at the very end of the book. I was left with no understanding as to how or why time travel may have been involved, other than as a vague attempt to link two otherwise unconnected stories.
While I do think the author is a fine writer and shows some real talent for the craft, this novel felt fragmented and barely held together by unbelievable story elements that could easily have been left out. If I had read only the final three chapters, I believe I would have had as complete an understanding of the story while also saving myself several hours of frustration and confusion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2025
This story was an emotional rollercoaster. It took me awhile to understand what time period I landed in. But it was definnetly a great mystery. The constant cheating of the wife was what hurt me the most in the story. To have a man that would give up the world for you and you treat him like he was a back up option to your desires is what broke my heart.
But great story.
But great story.
January 1, 2023
Psychological Twister
This novel was much different than expected. I would go into detail but it would contain spoilers and you don’t want anything revealed. I can say that this book puts a different spin on happily ever after. Cleverly intertwines history with modern day.
This novel was much different than expected. I would go into detail but it would contain spoilers and you don’t want anything revealed. I can say that this book puts a different spin on happily ever after. Cleverly intertwines history with modern day.
September 1, 2024
My thoughts:
Very interesting and not at all what I expected.
I do not like Karen as Karen. I wanted to, but she's so focused on what doesn't matter that what does matter is about to be lost. She is goal-driven, but lacking in self-control.
Karen as Mariken is more likable but still lacking in self-control.
Peter is very likable and relatable and it seemed to me that his battle wounds were incurred in an attempt to leave this life in an honorable way because he felt betrayed by the wife he loved so very much but did not appreciate him and his sacrifices.
I'm curious as to what role Lamont plays in the future and really wish that Karen would be completely honest with Peter.
Lastly, the dialogue in the 1500s portion of the story was far too modern. I would expect Marien/Karen to have a modern way of speaking, but not every character from that time.
Very interesting and not at all what I expected.
I do not like Karen as Karen. I wanted to, but she's so focused on what doesn't matter that what does matter is about to be lost. She is goal-driven, but lacking in self-control.
Karen as Mariken is more likable but still lacking in self-control.
Peter is very likable and relatable and it seemed to me that his battle wounds were incurred in an attempt to leave this life in an honorable way because he felt betrayed by the wife he loved so very much but did not appreciate him and his sacrifices.
I'm curious as to what role Lamont plays in the future and really wish that Karen would be completely honest with Peter.
Lastly, the dialogue in the 1500s portion of the story was far too modern. I would expect Marien/Karen to have a modern way of speaking, but not every character from that time.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews