Customer Reviews

Beguiled (Nova Audiobooks)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Alice Borchardt once again proves that she's the one who received all of the writing talent in the family, not her sister Anne Rice. With this second novel she has her faithful fans once again wrapped up in the world of medieval France, barely out of the dark ages. Her feminist herione Elin must this time face the possible loss of her improbably lusty bishop husband, this time to another woman. Anyone who likes their historical novels loaded with tons of sex and battle scenes, as well as betrayals, witchcraft, and the like, will love this book. And if you don't, you need to read it again.

I simply loved this book. The secondary characters make this book great. The only flaw is I wish there could have been more of these characters. And much more of Rosamund. Try to find the book anyway you can.

I just loved this book,it so romantic how owen and elin are so much in love,that in the book owen refused to take Gynneth when she lied almost naked on her bed,and told Elutides that he could not take her because he had a wife,and that she pleases him well. Also how owen says to himself of how much he misses,and loves elin. I turly hope that you countiue this tale of the two lovers,because I just think this book is so great! I read it over and over agin,I couldnt put it down. You turly are a great storyteller.

This sequel to "Devoted" is every bit as wonderful. The characters seem to come alive, and what characters they are too! This novel has almost everything. Action (great battle scenes), love (very tasteful sex scenes), and humour in good doses. I found myself laughing out loud more than once. And there is also magic and fantasy, although not enough to make it a fantasy novel. Just enough to make those times seem very magical and mystical. There is also the clash of religion, pagan and Christian, but what shows through in the end is that good will always prevail over evil, and through love and kindness, evil can be turned into good. This is a wonderfully engrossing book....recommended.

This is the sequel to Devoted, Alice Borchardt's historical novel set in medieval France. In this installment, Elin is left to defend a the city of Chantilon which is besieged by Vikings while her common-law husband Owen (A bishop), seeks help from his family. Can Owen save his city or is it doomed to fall into the hands of Haakon and his band of evil raiders?

I really enjoyed the audio narration of Beguiled. Borchardt really made early France come alive in this surprising narration of murder/mystery/and romantic suspense. In particular, I like how she handles such a large cast of characters, and still manages to keep things interesting. There are precisely three main story plots going on in this book. Owen's Quest. Haakon and Elspeth (the pseudo-villains), and Elin and her group. Somehow, Borchardt manages to keep all three stories interesting (although I admit I was less interested in Owen's issues than in the other two). I also thought Borchardt did an excellent job of portraying the redemption of a few of the most evil characters (such as the berserker).

My only peeve? I felt that Owen, was a little boring. Thank god for his Saxon sidekick or I might've fast-forwarded his scenes. He was a good character... But a trifle wooden. I highly recommend the audio version which was quite well narrated. Well worth the price as there are MANY hours of listening.

When I look over some of these reviews, I wonder if I read the same book. Yes there's sex and passion, but there's so much more. There are Viking invasions; heroic journeys that encompass the mythical and the psychological realms; there's the alliance of the town's people against the invaders; and the growth of a young woman from being the respected mate of bishop Owen to an effective and strong leader.
Owen and Elin aren't a two-dimensional romantic couple, they're a historical representation of the blending of indigenous pagan culture with the unfamiliar organization of the church. The world they inhabit requires that this young couple develop leadership, diplomacy, and discernment about the people around them. The era in which Borchardt set her story is 9th century northern France, a time when France was a confusing collection of numerous kingdoms. The Viking invasions occur because the Vikings' lands were being flooded and there was a pressing need to settle elsewhere. Borchardt makes one of her Viking chiefs one of the most interesting and comprehensible historical characters I've encountered. The large cast of characters is well-developed and realistic. Borchardt has done excellent research about the lives of people then, and the way everyone every day negotiated a complicated social structure. To put this book in the same category as "bodice-rippers" is ludicrous. This is excellent historical fiction with a bit of the mystical, and is still well-grounded in the realities of the time. Please don't pass this up due to prudishness from some readers about the "passion quotient." There's so much more to this book than some love scenes.

I WAS CAPTURED AND OVERWHELMED BY THIS STORY OF EVIL,LOVE,HATE AND PURE HONESTY OF ROMANCE. I WISH I LIVED IN A TIME SO PROFOUND AND TRUE. I'M WAITING FOR THE SERIES TO CONTINUE.

The author draws you into the story like a bard of old. Fans of Mists of Avalon and Diana Gabaldon's sagas will love this

...By a panoply of mundane charactors, cliche ridden sex/battle scenes and boring leads.

Sure the Strong Women of The Middle Ages theme is okay, but pick up a bio of Eleanor of Aquitaine or Joan of Arc.

This book is a dog of a bore.

The drug induced scenes of self discovery by the lead char. Owen of Chantalon make the reader wish they would just make the TV movie already and insert some funky editing, because Borchardt positively plods along with description.

When I read this I did not know this was a sequel to _Devoted_, though I have little taste for wading through the missteps of poor historical fact to end up reading what amounts to an Medievel Soap Opera.

Oh well, live and learn. If you feel you must read this, try looking in the thrift store bins, at 65 cents I don't feel too bad about this one.

There are a couple of supporting charactors which are good enough to be remembered. All char. are listed with the hubris of shakespearean drama. All blend away into a fog of scenery.

As usual, Limpid eyes, dark hair and sexy body parts prevail, typical of the genre.

Final note: The Middle Ages spans approx 1000 years from 500 to 1500. The Dark Ages is a misnomer. It is a dark age, though, when this kind of book uses history so fast and loose that one wonders if it isn't a comedy.