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Roses Series #1
A Shield Of Roses
Lady Eve MacMurrough, fairest of Erin's fair flowers, her flashing emerald eyes held secrets no man could resist. Defiant daughter of one king and willful ward of another, she would bring the purity of true love to her marriage bed.
Sir Richard FiztGilbert deClare, sitting astride his great black war horse Taran, no English knight was bolder. To the tempestous Lady Eve he had pledged his troth, but he longed to posses in timeless ecstasy her wild, resisting heart.
Born in a fierce, feudal world as cruel as it was courtly, theirs was the rapturous love destined to change the face of the Irish nation forever.
Sir Richard FiztGilbert deClare, sitting astride his great black war horse Taran, no English knight was bolder. To the tempestous Lady Eve he had pledged his troth, but he longed to posses in timeless ecstasy her wild, resisting heart.
Born in a fierce, feudal world as cruel as it was courtly, theirs was the rapturous love destined to change the face of the Irish nation forever.
499 pages, Paperback
First published January 7, 1984
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100 people want to read
About the author
Mary Pershall
13 books6 followersMary Pershall, who writes under the pen name "Susan Shelley," is an author of a number of historical romances, including a series about the family of William Marshal.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 16, 2023
Abandoned @ 31%. I intensely dislike both MCs; their petty bickering & hypocrisy (both toward themselves & others) is obnoxious, while their endless, contrived Big Misunderstandings—mostly wedged in for the sake of being labeled as “Irish Pride” or “Manly Stubbornness” rather than actual character development—are exhausting to read. He’s oblivious & insensitive to her lack of real-world exposure, not to mention callous in his dismissal of her juvenile, inexperienced feels…but in all fairness, *nothing* he says or does satisfies her even when he’s making an effort to be understanding or kind; she’s a shrewish, screeching harpy who’d be given a wide berth but for her dowry & fabulous beauty that entices men to put up with her continual bitching. Ugggggh. 🙉
…So, yeah. These two blockheads deserve each other. But I love myself too much to suffer their bullshit, especially when alternated with “As you know, Bob” & confusing political discussions that meander unto the point of dozing. It’s a no-win read—every time it focused on the romance, I wished for the political shenanigans, but once the Stephen/Henry discussions returned I would zone out & await the juvenile, soapy bickerfests. Ugggggh (again). 😴
Standard 2-star DNF…but please take a moment to admire that gorgeous cover. It’s another Pino masterpiece, even if Eve is supposedly auburn-haired rather than Targaryen blonde.
(NB: 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.)
…So, yeah. These two blockheads deserve each other. But I love myself too much to suffer their bullshit, especially when alternated with “As you know, Bob” & confusing political discussions that meander unto the point of dozing. It’s a no-win read—every time it focused on the romance, I wished for the political shenanigans, but once the Stephen/Henry discussions returned I would zone out & await the juvenile, soapy bickerfests. Ugggggh (again). 😴
Standard 2-star DNF…but please take a moment to admire that gorgeous cover. It’s another Pino masterpiece, even if Eve is supposedly auburn-haired rather than Targaryen blonde.
(NB: 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.)
July 15, 2015
Since this is a somewhat fanciful take on the lives of Eve (Aoife) MacMurrough and Richard de Clare, the 2nd Earl of Pembroke, I’ll give a brief run-down on their history first. In 1168 or there abouts Eve’s father, Dermot MacMurrough, sought assistance from King Henry II for aid in recapturing his kingdom in Ireland, and Richard was the one to take up the task. Richard married Eve sometime after he arrived in Ireland, not years before as this novel has it. Henry became King of England upon the death of Stephen, who usurped the crown from Henry’s mother Maude, which began a long and bloody civil war. A civil war that was over and done with and Henry solidly on the throne when Richard went to Ireland.
****************SPOILERS AHEAD********************
Now that you’ve got the basic run-down, this story begins during the latter part of Stephen’s reign and Eve’s father fears for her safety at the hand of Irish rebels and sends her to England for protection. On the way she’s captured from her room at the inn by some of Stephen’s evil soldiers and nearly raped (all of Stephen’s people are evil), but she’s rescued in the nick of time by Richard and his men. Richard has no idea she’s a princess, but he’s hot for her - although only if she’s willing (which she’s not). Any who, our Independent Medieval Miss manages to slink away from Richard and get back to Hertford Castle and under the care of her English guardian. I think I was dozing off but I completely missed how her disappearance was explained. Or maybe it wasn’t. Onward….
Richard is arrives at Hertford as a soon to-be-knighted-squire, but he is also in the thick of a top-secret conspiracy to usurp Stephen’s crown and put Maude’s son Henry on the throne. Meanwhile Eve settles herself into castle life and makes herself at home helping the servants in the kitchen (I am not kidding). Richard and Eve continue to suffer through a terrible case of the Big Misunderstanding, but finally wed at his family’s castle (odd, history says they were wed in Ireland). The wedding is a ruse by his father to get the English Barons together so that they too can plot against Stephen’s plan to abdicate in favor of his son, the hated Eustace. OK…..
Oh, but there’s more. Upon the death of his father Richard sets sail for Normandy (with Eve in tow) and pledges fealty to young Henry. Tension builds between the pair as Richard is off with Henry making war more than seeing to her *needs* and they finally break as the Pope annuls their marriage and she’s convinced to leave France without Richard’s knowledge. Richard and Eve finally go to Ireland to regain her father’s lands in the last 100 or so pages of the book, and there’s lots of making up and battles and stuff. *yawn*
While I don’t expect a romance to be historically accurate, and despite the author’s notes in the beginning admitting she condensed a twenty year period into three years, I can and do expect some semblance of realism in a novel and trust me, you’re not going to find it here. Over and above reinventing history and bringing Eve over to England during Stephen’s reign, Eve is just too much the thoroughly Modern Medieval Miss for my tastes. She comes and goes when and where she pleases, jumps on a horse and rides right out of the castle with no attendant (where are the grooms anyway?) and searches Richard out in a questionable tavern without batting an eyelid. Wanting to escape marriage to Richard she sneaks off from the camp on the way to Chepstow and heads out into the scary dark forest alone, and it never even enters her pretty head that she might run into more of Stephen’s evil soldiers and possibly getting raped. Let alone the lions and tigers and bears….
Lol at the *job* she gets as kitchen maid at a local inn and this Irish lass is able to speak so well with the locals they’d never know she wasn’t one of them, let alone when Richard finds her (I was howling). Oh, and you’d think a Princess of Ireland would be well cared for and suitably chaperoned, right? No indeedy, before they’re married (or even betrothed mind you) Richard comes and goes from her bedchamber without anyone batting an eyelid, and they have no problems finding time alone to suck face. And instead of behaving like any well bred lady of the period and be dutiful and respectful to your husband (among others), our Eve just stamps her feet and insists on having everything her way – although she did mature a tad at the end. Just a tad.
If Eve hadn’t been so darned self righteous, self centered and TSTL and if Richard hadn’t been such a *let’s sit down and talk about our feelings kind of guy* the author might have been able to pull off the story of these star crossed lovers, but as it’s written I recommend giving it a wide berth. This is the first of a quartet written by Pershall and next up is the story of their daughter Isabelle and William Marshall. Please, oh please I hope the daughter is not like the mother. My walls would not be able to take it.
****************SPOILERS AHEAD********************
Now that you’ve got the basic run-down, this story begins during the latter part of Stephen’s reign and Eve’s father fears for her safety at the hand of Irish rebels and sends her to England for protection. On the way she’s captured from her room at the inn by some of Stephen’s evil soldiers and nearly raped (all of Stephen’s people are evil), but she’s rescued in the nick of time by Richard and his men. Richard has no idea she’s a princess, but he’s hot for her - although only if she’s willing (which she’s not). Any who, our Independent Medieval Miss manages to slink away from Richard and get back to Hertford Castle and under the care of her English guardian. I think I was dozing off but I completely missed how her disappearance was explained. Or maybe it wasn’t. Onward….
Richard is arrives at Hertford as a soon to-be-knighted-squire, but he is also in the thick of a top-secret conspiracy to usurp Stephen’s crown and put Maude’s son Henry on the throne. Meanwhile Eve settles herself into castle life and makes herself at home helping the servants in the kitchen (I am not kidding). Richard and Eve continue to suffer through a terrible case of the Big Misunderstanding, but finally wed at his family’s castle (odd, history says they were wed in Ireland). The wedding is a ruse by his father to get the English Barons together so that they too can plot against Stephen’s plan to abdicate in favor of his son, the hated Eustace. OK…..
Oh, but there’s more. Upon the death of his father Richard sets sail for Normandy (with Eve in tow) and pledges fealty to young Henry. Tension builds between the pair as Richard is off with Henry making war more than seeing to her *needs* and they finally break as the Pope annuls their marriage and she’s convinced to leave France without Richard’s knowledge. Richard and Eve finally go to Ireland to regain her father’s lands in the last 100 or so pages of the book, and there’s lots of making up and battles and stuff. *yawn*
While I don’t expect a romance to be historically accurate, and despite the author’s notes in the beginning admitting she condensed a twenty year period into three years, I can and do expect some semblance of realism in a novel and trust me, you’re not going to find it here. Over and above reinventing history and bringing Eve over to England during Stephen’s reign, Eve is just too much the thoroughly Modern Medieval Miss for my tastes. She comes and goes when and where she pleases, jumps on a horse and rides right out of the castle with no attendant (where are the grooms anyway?) and searches Richard out in a questionable tavern without batting an eyelid. Wanting to escape marriage to Richard she sneaks off from the camp on the way to Chepstow and heads out into the scary dark forest alone, and it never even enters her pretty head that she might run into more of Stephen’s evil soldiers and possibly getting raped. Let alone the lions and tigers and bears….
Lol at the *job* she gets as kitchen maid at a local inn and this Irish lass is able to speak so well with the locals they’d never know she wasn’t one of them, let alone when Richard finds her (I was howling). Oh, and you’d think a Princess of Ireland would be well cared for and suitably chaperoned, right? No indeedy, before they’re married (or even betrothed mind you) Richard comes and goes from her bedchamber without anyone batting an eyelid, and they have no problems finding time alone to suck face. And instead of behaving like any well bred lady of the period and be dutiful and respectful to your husband (among others), our Eve just stamps her feet and insists on having everything her way – although she did mature a tad at the end. Just a tad.
If Eve hadn’t been so darned self righteous, self centered and TSTL and if Richard hadn’t been such a *let’s sit down and talk about our feelings kind of guy* the author might have been able to pull off the story of these star crossed lovers, but as it’s written I recommend giving it a wide berth. This is the first of a quartet written by Pershall and next up is the story of their daughter Isabelle and William Marshall. Please, oh please I hope the daughter is not like the mother. My walls would not be able to take it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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August 19, 2022Lovely cover and on KU!!!
August 7, 2022
DNF 47%
May 15, 2019
The historical aspect of this book is great - I love the medieval period, and this fits right in. But man, that romance stuff was just too over the top. I originally bought this book back in 1984 shortly after it was published, and I used to read it a lot back then. But I was only in my early to mid 20s, very naive and wide eyed to reality. Now that a few decades have gone by, I'm able to read this with a clearer eye and I just have to laugh.
June 15, 2013
One of the first romance books that I ever read, the first that I had purchased with my own money (allowance). These books coupled with "Flesh & Blood" starring Rutger Hauer forever ruined me.
September 28, 2022
This is my favorite romance book. Lovely cover.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews