Falcons of Montabard [Paperback]

Elizabeth Chadwick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2004

In the aftermath of tragedy and scandal, Sabin FitzSimon, illegitimate son of a Norman earl, leaves England for the Holy Land in search of a new beginning. At first it seems impossible as the demons from his past life return to haunt him. There is more scandal and banishment, and Sabin finds his back to the wall. In the heat and dust, magnificence and danger of Northern Syria, he must either face himself, or be vanquished. Annais, daughter of Edmund Strongfist is a quiet, convent-raised young woman when she accompanies her father to their new life in the Holy Land. Her encounters with Sabin FitzSimon leave her bewildered, desirous, and more than a little hostile. Bravely facing up to heartache, an arranged marriage, war and death, she falls deeply in love with the country and its people. But it will take more than love to secure what she holds dear, including Sabin FitzSimon. It will take courage, endurance and raw determination to succeed...

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Readers will immediately be swept away by a masterful telling of a story spanning the borderlands of Scotland across the desert to the courts of twelfth-century Jerusalem. Sabin FitzSimon, an amorous knight in King Henry's court, loses his powerful position when discovered in a dalliance with the king's favorite mistress. Attached to Sir Edmund Strongfist, FitzSimon will accompany the aging knight and his convent-educated daughter, Annais, on a crusade to the Holy Land. In the glittering and intriguing courts of Jerusalem, they will meet the seductive predatoress,^B Mariamne, who will lust for Sabin and take Edmund for a husband; the courtly widower Gerbert, smitten with Annais; and the fearless King Baldwin and his courageous queen, Morphia.^B Soon all the characters find themselves caught up in border skirmishes leading to kidnappings, ransoms, and a daring rescue (based in fact) from a Saracen fortress. The author expertly twines factual details through the page-turning action. All characters, fictional and historical, are fully realized. An engrossing read for fans of medieval fiction; suggest also to readers of historical romance. Kaite Mediatore
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

'Set in the early 12th century, the story is a neat mixture of fact and fiction. The marrying of the two is seamless. Absorbing and page-turning, I thoroughly recommend it' - HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW

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Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown P/B (May 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075153272X
• ISBN-13: 978-0751532722
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 1.4 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #298,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elizabeth Chadwick is a best selling, award winning author of historical fiction. A born storyteller, her first novel The Wild Hunt won a Betty Trask Award in 1990. She has been four times shortlisted for the RNA Award in the UK for the best mainstream romantic novel. Her book The Scarlet Lion was selected as one of the top ten works of historical fiction of the decade by Richard Lee, founder of The Historical Novel Society.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Simply a Good Read, November 12, 2004

By 

J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Falcons of Montabard (Hardcover)

Sabin FitzSimon has a reputation for trouble, but when he seduces one of the King's mistresses not even his fighting skills can save him from the King's soldiers. When he returns to England from abroad he is given the chance to rebuild his career and salvage his reputation. The knight Edmund Strongfist is leaving for the Holy Land and Sabin leaves with him and his daughter.
Just a taste, read the rest yourself.
When I read Elizabeth Chadwick's books I always wonder as a man whether I really should be, as they could be construed as love stories. But she has such a feel for the period (twelfth century), a part of history I am particularly fond of that I cannot put them down.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!, March 22, 2006

By 

Misfit (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Falcons of Montabard (Hardcover)

Elizabeth Chadwick is an amazing author. This is the first of her books I have read and it will not be the last. The scenes are well written, right down to the smells -- you can picture every thing in your mind. A wonderful, exciting love story and a refreshing change to read about Outremer (Israel) during the crusades.

It was wonderful seeing Sabin grow and mature from a young hellion and womanizer into a caring, loving husband and father, while at the same time being a fierce and noble warrior. The fight between Sabin and the Arab where all Sabin had to defend himself was a wooden shield was heartstopping.

The final chapters were some of the most thrilling page turners I have ever read. An incredible rescue, and according to the author based upon true events, except that Sabin and Anais are fictional. An excellent read, I cannot recommend it enough.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Medieval bad boy turns into a great man, May 5, 2008

By 

LCW - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Falcons of Montabard (Hardcover)

This is the story of Sabin FitzSimon, the illegitimate son of a deceased Earl, who has earned himself quite a reputation for his bad boy ways. Having never had the love of a mother and with the only parent he has ever know dead, he is left in an awkward situation in a family in which he is basically an outsider. He covers his pain with his outlandish behavior causing his step-mother, who never showed him any warmth to begin with, and her new husband to expect the worse of him...and he is happy to oblige.

Sabin tests his luck one too many times by bedding the King's favorite mistress. This earns him a severe beating, gets him thrown out of the King's service, and off the ship that is bound for home. Ironcially, this turns out to be a good thing as the ship ends up sinking killing all on board. Arriving home in disgrace, it is decided that he will accompany a family friend on a crusade to Outremer (part of the middle east that today includes Israel, Palestine, and a few other countries)to give him one last chance to straighten out. He ends up in service to Baldwin, the King of Jerusalem and in charge of Montabard, a great fortress in an unstable part of the region and charged with protecting Annais, the daughter of the man he came to Outremer with. Given this new start, Sabin decides to make the best of it and proves that there is more to this bad boy than an uncanny ability to seduce women and get himself in trouble.

This was an exciting novel to read. There were lots of battle scenes, harrowing moments, and many touching ones too. I appreciated the exotic setting and the way Ms. Chadwick describes daily life from the food, the heat, the pests, the clothes, to the music makes the reader feel as if they were right there in the story.

Sabin's character was beautifully written as he transforms from boy to man before the reader's eyes. I didn't think Annais, the heroine's character was as good. For a heroine, she seemed rather run of the mill. I did love Mariamne, a wealthy widow who is given by the King to Annais's father in exchange for his service. She was complex and multi-faceted. It would've been nice if her character had been included in more of the story.

While this wasn't my favorite Chadwick, it was still an amazing book with lots of excitement, very well written, and I highly recommend it to any lovers of historical fiction.