Customer Reviews

The Raven and the Rose

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

At the heart of this story is the `rose', otherwise known as Roseanna Castlemaine, stunningly beautiful daughter of Joanna and Neville Castlemaine but in reality, the illegitimate daughter of King Edward IV. Were it known, it would cause her life to be in danger. She has been betrothed since the age of 11 to Baron Ravenspur, who should have claimed her at the age of 15 but now, all of 17 and having never met the man, she scoffs at the idea that they will ever wed and has fallen in love with the handsome Byron FitzHugh, friend of her brother Jeffrey.

Her mother Joanna has high hopes for her daughter making a good marriage, and a landless Knight, does not fit in with her plans. Roseanna hearing that her betrothed is staying at a nearby hunting lodge determines that she will go there and beg the Baron to break the betrothal. Mishaps along the way, cause her to lose her horse, get drenched in a pouring rain so that when Ravenspur's brother, Tristan, finds her he mistakes her for a peasant and decides to make a gift of her to his brother Roger, who along with his men-at-arms are all having an orgy at the hunting lodge. Ravenspur is stunned to realize that this is no peasant but his betrothed and having sworn never to marry again, initially agrees to break the betrothal but the more she provokes him he decides to go through with the marriage anyhow.

Roseanne, not one to take being lied to lightly, tries all sorts of escapades to escape the impending marriage and subsequent bedding, but would her feelings of, could it be lust, whenever Ravenspur is near betray her. She can't quite understand how she could `love' Sir Bryan, yet her body react with Ravenspur.

This story was the first I've read by this author. I found it extremely rich in the historical background of King Edward IV - with references to the intrigues and betrayals of the treasonous plots during that period. The dog and cat fight romance between Ravenspur and Roseanna was delightful, although through the first half of the book, you'd like to have this vain, spoiled brat, thrown over someone's knee and spanked. It is not until she realizes the difference between infatuation and love does she come to appreciate the strong, handsome, virile husband she is wed over the pale facsimile she thinks she loves. I thoroughly enjoyed the dialog and the fast pace movement of the story making it a very difficult book to put down. Good read and one I can definitely recommend.

This was the first Virginia Henley book I read. It touched my heart. It was so amazing. I adored Roger and how much he loved Roseanna. Ms. Henley also put in the history in there that made me want to learn more about the time period. I laughed at some of the comments Roger made and I cried at that one part (whoever read it will know what I mean). All in all I recommend this book to any one who loves romance novels. This is my favorite book!!!!!!!!!!

I love historical romance novels and I picked up this book expecting a good read. I got that and more. The plot felt a little rushed at times, but nonetheless, made for a very interesting book.

The characters were likeable although Roseanna is extremely vain and headstrong. Ravenspur on the other hand is strong and determined to win her love, but willing to do so patiently.

They deal with the typical issues you find in an historical romance novel, such as first fighting any feelings for each other and then one having to wait patiently for the other to realize they're in love. But they also deal with issues that I'd never expected to see written about in an historical novel. These additional issues added spice, danger, and tension and made the book even more interesting.

And just when you think all is well and you're going to read about a happy ending, something else happens.

I very much enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to any who like this genre.

This was the first book I read and it was pretty good but I hated the ending (or at least what comes just before) and I probably wouldn't recommend this book to my friends for that reason. Luckily I bought another book by this author or I may not have read anything else after this one.

The book was great, I loved Roger! He was such a good guy but at the same time he was real. And Roseanna, well she was a bit spoiled, but remember she was raised this way. It was a very good book and I just started reading it today for the 2nd time. That's how much I love it!

The Raven & The Rose by Virginia Henley

I am a fan of Virginia Henley and have read most of her books. In general, her main characters are partially fictionalized people who once actually lived. Although well-known characters in this book, such as Edward IV, George, Duke of Clarence, and Warwick are real, the main characters are wholly fictitious. Without biography driving the plot and characterization, Henley seems to falter. This book is a typical, fun but rather trite romance. The characters are stereotypes. The fast-moving plot is often silly.

The book, however, is not a total loss. It takes place during the reign of Edward IV, who was a powerful king and a complex character. Unlike most kings, he married for love. He was, however, notoriously unfaithful. The graves of his Queen and his favorite mistress are adjacent to his grave in Westminster Abbey - the only such arrangement of which I am aware.

Edward IV reigned toward the end of the turbulent period of The War of Roses (1455-1487) in England. His reign encompassed many years of peace. But there were periods of turbulence. This book takes place during such a time (1469-71). In general, Heneley's descriptions of the period are accurate and interesting. However, she makes some careless errors. For example, she mentions the heroine's "panties". Women didn't start wearing underpants until the 19th century! Because of the vivid portrayal of the time period and the somewhat amusing plot, I don't regret reading this book. But if you primarily enjoy Henley as biographical-historical romance, you will probably be disappointed.

At first, I had problems with the heroine. She was a horribly spoiled brat. I couldn't stand her. She was childish, stubborn, vain, shallow, coward, deceitful, didn't keep her word. All she did was choosing clothes so that she would look beautiful. The hero... well, he had some good points, but he married her, so he obviously wasn't very smart. He 'loved' her because she was beautiful - so beautiful every man stared at her, and he enjoyed it. She was some kind of prize for him, like a nice horse other people envied. There was nothing likable about her, and I really don't know how he could fall in love with her. Or in lust - every time he saw her, he started thinking with his second head. He was supposed to be a hard, cynical man - yet in just a few days, he started calling her 'my love' and confessing love to her, begging her to make love to him and doing nothing to put her in her place. He simply put up with her wiles. Sometimes I wished he would just spank her!
Then, after a while, she got to her senses and for a few pages the story was actually quite good. Then suddenly ***spoiler warning, don't read on if you didn't read the book yet*** he is supposed to be dead, she is raped and then she marries another man. And all this happens in the last 30 pages or so. WTF??? I was totally shocked. It was just too horrible. I really don't want to read about a heroine being raped and married to someone else - especially this late in the book. And the hero just accepted that, and everything was supposed to be fine? How? What about her? Didn't she feel bad abut everything? She just went on with her life? Come on! At that point, the book really could use some more pages. Maybe all the whining in the beginning should be shortened and the ending should be a bit longer... I don't know, it just left me wanting... something more, something different. A different book, preferably. This one was not very satisfying.

I am so guilty of this and am getting burned.

I read The Pirate and the Pagan which is by far one of my most favorite books of all time. I also read reviews saying that the series of novels with the "and the" in the titles were just as good so I bought them inspite of reading many other reviews that did not recommend them.

Well the Raven and the Rose started off like her other books and I was sure I was going to absolutely LOVE it. I felt positive that I was going to be the one who understood Henley when all the other reviewers didn't and I was going to be blown away. BUT UGH!!! I couldn't stand these two by page 200.

When an author drags out resistance between two characters it gets old fast. If this book was reality I would feel the same way and fight just as savagely as the heroine did, but it isn't...its fantasy and I either want a the reading high you get from an intense fast moving plot...or I am moving on.

I always should trust my instincts with books. A tightly packed book with small type shows thought and care of the finished product (as in the Pirate and the Pagan) A book with large type and fewer pages shows formula following and writing for a paycheck instead of passion.

I not giving up on Henley....I just need a break.

I am a big fan of Virginia Henley so I was very disappointed in this book. I had to force myself to finish reading it. The characters are not likeable at all especially the heroine. And how can a book be good if you can't even find something likable about the characters. Rose is a spoiled, headstrong brat and not much more can be said about her. This really was not a very good effort. If you have not read any Virginia Henley books I suggest reading a different one. If this had been my first I am sorry to say it may have been the last and that would have been a shame as she has written several others that I like and have kept for my own personal library. This story will not be one that I keep!

This was a good one time read. I would not want to read it again because I found myself annoyed with the main characters. All the problems she found herself in were her own doing. Granted, there was a lot of action and romance, I still found the book silly and trite. Reade it once, then give it to a friend. This one is not a keeper.