The Fallen Kings

Morland Dynasty #32

by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

Continuing the addictive saga of the Morland family, now with its many branches spread across  the Empire and the new world   1918: German troops flood back from the Russian front for an all-out assault in France, before the Americans can join the war. The under-strength British retreat; and for the first time the real possibility of defeat comes home to a shocked nation. At the front, Bertie struggles to bring his battered battalion out safely; at home Jessie, carrying his child, faces her family’s censure. Thomas follows the Romanovs to Ekaterinburg as Russia descends into bloody civil war. Emma drives an ambulance in the FANY, and Jack is shot down. In the last, terrifying year of the war, the Morlands are more than ever in the thick of it, and only love, faith, and compassion will keep the family safe until the longed-for days of peace.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Romance

640 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2009

About the author

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (aka Emma Woodhouse, Elizabeth Bennett)

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles was born on 13 August 1948 in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, where was educated at Burlington School, a girls' charity school founded in 1699, and at the University of Edinburgh and University College London, where she studied English, history and philosophy.

She had a variety of jobs in the commercial world, starting as a junior cashier at Woolworth's and working her way down to Pensions Officer at the BBC.

She wrote her first novel while at university and in 1972 won the Young Writers' Award with The Waiting Game. The birth of the MORLAND DYNASTY series enabled Cynthia Harrod-Eagles to become a full-time writer in 1979. The series was originally intended to comprise twelve volumes, but it has proved so popular that it has now been extended to thirty-four.

In 1993 she won the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Novel of the Year Award with Emily, the third volume of her Kirov Saga, a trilogy set in nineteenth century Russia.

Reviews

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

"THE FALLEN KINGS" begins in France in January 1918. Bertie, at a formal investiture ceremony, is awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) by George V for bravery and is promoted to the rank of colonel. The war grounds on relentlessly. There is an anticipation that the Germans, now that Russia is out of the war and has more troops at its disposal, will launch a spring offensive in the West aimed at defeating the British (and, by extension, crushing an already tired and bloodied France) before the Americans can arrive in strength.

Before the year is out, the lives of the Morlands (men and women alike) and their families will be radically changed. Some of these changes, alas, will be tragic. War, influenza, unrest in Russia, the search for love --- these separate, yet interconnected, factors figure prominently throughout the novel. And in the denouement, set in a restaurant of a London hotel in 1919, the reader is treated to a mind-blowing cliffhanger, which may have unforeseen consequences for the Morlands.


For the Morland Dynasty series fan (like me), this novel is a savory treat that will grab and hold you from start to finish. And for those readers new to the series, you will want to learn more about this incredibly resilient family.

[Cate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers 1918 & ends with the Armistice in November. Jessie & Bertie finally succumb to the UST that has been building between them since before Jessie was barely legal. As a result Jessie returns to England pregnant and unwed with a married lover, albeit that Maude & Bertie separated in Dynasty 31 with Maude demanding a divorce. But these are the days of matrimonial causes and divorces weren't so easy to come by! Jessie & her sister-in-law, the ever practical & pragmatic Helen, go back to Wiltshire to hid the pregnancy, which Helen easily guesses is the cause of Jessie's withdrawn state. I guess from a modern perspective unmarried pregnancy has lost its shock & stigma. And while CHE is prepared to instigate great narrative conflict with this story line, she AGAIN takes the easy way out by having Maud killed in a car accident when, of all things, a branch falls on her head, leaving Bertie & Jessie free to marry before the baby is born & all is, again, right with the world. I'm deeply critical of that plot development which I put in the same basket as Laidislaw being killed as well: both are narrative cop-outs that deny the truely interesting places the story could have gone. Interestingly, socialite Emma joins the FANYs & ends up in France as well. Her fiancee Feniman is killed, her next potential love interest, Wentworth is also killed & she really doesn't want to go back to her life in England which she percieves now in light of her War experience as being somewhat empty & futile. Jack Morland is shot down & captured by the Germans. Thomas is m.i.a in Russia in the chaos & aftermath of the Revolution and really isn't heard of again. There is a lot happening in this book & CHE writes some great battle scenes. But it remains disappointing the CHE backs away from her best plot twists all the time.

[Sam Still Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Morland Dynasty series is one of the longest running series I’ve read in my life (Sweet Valley High and The Babysitters Club don’t count). Set in England, this series covers centuries of the one family, the Morlands of Morland Place, near York.

As the series has progressed, the time period for each book as become shorter. The Fallen Kings covers 1919 only, the last year of World War I. The book covers the war from the British perspective (both the air force and the army), as well as the roles women played (FANYs, nurses and other work). It also covers the fall of the Russian tsar, Spanish‘flu, votes for women and the immediate aftermath of the war.

I don’t want to give away the character developments to anyone reading the series around this time period, but as is usual with the Morlands, there is tragedy as well as some happy plot developments.

If you’re interested in English history, I highly recommend the Morland Dynasty series. Great stories tied in with real history.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad poor Jessie and Bertie are together finally, Emma's story is so sad - her character reminds me of Vera B. a bit.

August 2012 - Have just finished re-reading volumes 1 - 33. It took me slightly over a month. I hear that 34 has gone to the publisher and am glad that CHE is still plugging away.

[John Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morland Dynasty #32, covering 1918, 577 pages. This book runs helter skelter from start to finish, with its cast of thousands and their goings on. It's a very busy book, which is both a positive and a negative. I guess the least interesting part was the bit about Russia, which I certainly skimmed through.
The big event was Jessie falling pregnant to Bertie, who is married to someone else. It seems a bit like the nursery rhyme. "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe, she had so many children - SHE didn't know what to do." After a lot of faffing about and Bertie showing what a Wonderful Guy he is, a deus ex machina sees everything settled.
There's quite a lot about life at the front, especially Emma in the FANY. There are love affairs, and that includes some not so traditional ones. There's a win for women's suffrage as they are granted the vote (well, some of them are).
As usual, historical events, people and social mores are cleverly woven into the fictional story. I have certainly found myself seeking out history books covering some of the periods in this series.
It isn't perfectly satisfactory reading the books out of order, but needs must when the devil drives.
Rating 4.1.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

1918. The last year of the war, but those involved have no idea that it will end so soon. So they battle on, in hopes that the Americans, soon to join the battle, can help to turn the tide. Members of the Morland family are involved in various ways: as soldiers, nurses, ambulance drivers, doctors, diplomats, and more. And not all of them will return home. But even those at home are not safe, especially not after the Spanish Influenza epidemic arrives there. Extremely moving, and hard to put down — I read hoping against hope that my favorite characters would survive. Highly recommended (but start at the beginning).

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

All though this is the first Moreland Dynasty story I have read, I have to say, it is another beautifully written and researched book by Cynthia HE. The end of the First World War was the backdrop, but the book deals more with the domestic cause and effect on the home front. The only bit that seemed to lose its way was the Russian side of the story, which might be because I haven't read the earlier books in the series.

[Teresa “Teri” · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

Only a few more books to go with “my make-believe family” -The Moreland’s. Why couldn’t Cynthia Harrod-Eagles’ have written at least through the end of WWII??!! I just can’t seem to read slower to make the books last longer.

[E S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series .... and can't believe that I wasn't acquainted with this author before.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally returned to this after DNF-ing it ten years ago. Five very dense books devoted to WWI wore me down. That said, it’s good to get back to a series I fell in love with so long ago. There’s a surprise twist at the end of this one. Now on to the remaining 3 books and the next 10 Morland-time years. Good news: the author is finally continuing the series with Book 36 to be released later in 2024

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, you will want to read the preceding 31 books in this series before reading The Fallen Kings. The Morland Dynasty series, begun by prolific author Cynthia Harrod-Eagles as a painless way of teaching British history, began with The Founding in which a young woman on the fringes of the aristocracy is married off to a wealthy Yorkshire sheepfarmer's son. This takes place around the time of the Wars of the Roses (1400s). Through the trials and triumphs of this imaginary family, members of which eventually join the nobility as others emigrate to America or become prosperous businessmen and landed gentry, Harrod-Eagles imparts a good deal of knowledge. Some people will think she imparts too much, but since I like to read history I don't mind even when, as in the most recent books dealing with World War I, the history goes on for several pages at a time.

The Fallen Kings covers the last year of the war, the Armistice, and, through one of the characters, the fate of the Romanovs. There is plenty of melodrama and the book ends with a great shock which I confess I did see coming. I would not recommend reading this as a stand-alone; go back and read The Founding and if you like it, you will have years of reading pleasure ahead.

[The Library Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read this entire series, hunting down used copies because my library only had the most recent books, and generally enjoying it. I've found that the earlier books weren't as good as the more recent ones and that the Morlands of the 19th and now 20th centuries have been the realest and the most engaging.

I might have rated this a 3, or even a 3 1/2 bumped up to a 4 save for the fact the Cynthia Harrod-Eagles has chosen to revise history, and as someone who wrote a whole trilogy (the Anna books) set in Czarist Russia, she should be ashamed of herself.

Yes, I know, since the Morlands are connected to nobility, etc, etc, it makes lots of sense for them to brush sleeves with lots of historical characters. But dragging the Romanovs into it was gratuitous, to say the least. And NOW in this book she has gone, so to speak, "Anastasia" on her readers and changed what happened to the Romanov family in 1918.

I don't know where she's going with this. But in an age where so many people glean their knowledge of history from bad movies, it does a disservice for an author writing "historical fiction" to twist history to suit their own plot lines. And it tends to piss off people like me who DO study history!

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent book, this one having to do with 1917 to 1918 World War I. Once again I am amazed at the research that goes into these books. There is one incident that involves a small town called Perm, Russia and I could find no reference to it until I spent an hour on the internet and finally found enough information to back what I was thinking was all in her mind. It is an extraordinary look into the problems of the social upheaval, the diseases, the influenza epidemic, the Romanovs, and too many other things to list. I am only sad that there are only three books left. I hope someone can convince her to write a number 36. And what did happen to those black pearls?

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Morland Dynasty series is my favorite historical fiction series ever! But this book was probably my least favorite so far. The first 2/3 of the book was really slow and I skimmed through many of the battle parts. The last 1/3 was good though and I got through that quickly. I am glad for WWI to be over for the series! I can't imagine how glad real people were for that war to be over at the time. Excited to read the next of the series!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've just read this for the second of third time in preparation for reading The Dancing Years - I can't remember whether I've read that one before or not. I found this series while reading H authors from the library, and then had to start at the beginning. I've so much enjoyed the combination of English history, real life details, and the characters in the Morland dynasty. The problem occurs when you catch up with the author and have to wait for the next installment!

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this book, like almost all the others in the series 4-5 stars, but had to take one off for the Romanov parts of the books. With the bodies accounted for and the DNA evidence in, there just isn't room for playing with history any more. That said, I loved the rest of it. Few writes can describe war and the feelings of the soldiers involved as CHE can. And Emma's development as a character is interesting.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

WWI is finally over. Harrod-Eagles does an incredible job with the historical details in her books. In the volumes that have covered WWI, she has made the war feel all too real. As always, I like the way the women fight the stereotypes and take on unusual roles.

[Karoline · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad the war is over. It was getting really overwhelming. On another note, the surprise twist at the end was great!

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I had started this series at the beginning...like 32 books ago...but I didn't....I may though. I loved this book. Huge book but took me less than 4 days to read.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Good addition to the Morland family books. I thought the sections set actually in the war dragged a bit otherwise would have given the book 4 stars.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. The blend of the family stories and the history works really well.

[Veronica Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

In-depth historical set during WWI.Deals with loss and perseverance.