Roselynde Chronicles, Book OneBlush: This is a suggestive romance (loves scenes are not graphic).Alinor Devaux is beautiful and very rich. She is also an orphan, but her grandparents had not left her defenseless. She has been trained to manage her estates and to rule her vassals. But then the old king dies and Alinor becomes the ward of Richard Coeur de Lion. Alinor knows that her safety and the well-being of her precious lands rest on her ability to make her warden, Sir Simon Lemagne, her willing slave.Sir Simon has known many women, but never one like Alinor. He is an easy victim. But Alinor tumbles into love. Soon Sir Simon is the only man she will take as a husband. But Simon is no suitable matchhe is poor and has no political power. The king would make no profit by permitting Simon to marry Alinor. In their struggle to be united despite the obstacles in their path, Lady Alinor and Sir Simon are swept from the Royal Court in England into King Richards Crusade, through the kings conquest of Cyprus and into the Holy Land. They endure bloody battles and heartrending separations before Simon convinces King Richard to allow their love fruition in marriage.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
In this classic historical romance, author Roberta Gellis spins an unforgettable tale of honorable knights and beautiful ladies, political intrigue in the royal court, and a daring crusade through exotic Byzantium into the Holy Land. Lady Alinor Devaux of Roselynde is a wealthy heiress. At 16 years old, she is well past marriageable age and as willful as she is beautiful. When her beloved father dies, the queen appoints Sir Simon Lemagne as the Warden of Alinor and her estates. But the Queen didn't bargain on Alinor and Simon falling in love. Simon knows that Alinor could attract a richer and more powerful lord as her husband, but Alinor has set her heart and mind on having only Simon--and what Alinor wants, Alinor gets. Through political intrigue and daring battles, this noble knight and strong lady hold fast to each other and to their determination to stay together. This first book in the Roselynde Chronicles is a marvelous story and beloved by romance fans everywhere.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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More About the Author
Roberta Gellis has a varied educational background--a master's degree in biochemistry and another in medieval literature--and working history--10 years as a research chemist, many years as a free-lance editor of scientific manuscripts, and more than 40 years as a writer. She is married--to the same man for over 60 years (no mean feat in these days) and lives in Lafayette, Indiana, with her husband Charles and a lively Scottish terrier called Zoe. She has one child, Mark, who teaches Rhetoric (a fancy name for expository writing) at Kettering University in Michigan. Mark is married to Sandra and they have a lovely daughter, Elizabeth.
Gellis has been a successful writer of historical fiction, publishing over 25 meticulously researched historical novels since 1964. The best known of these are The Roselynde Chronicles (ROSELYNDE, ALINOR, JOANNA, GILLIANE, RHIANNON, and SYBELLE). The series has been reprinted many times since its first appearance in 1979, most recently in 2006. Gellis has also been the recipient of many awards, including the Silver and Gold Medal Porgy for historical novels from West Coast Review of Books, the Golden Certificate and Golden Pen from Affaire de Coeur, The Romantic Times Award for Best Novel in the Medieval Period (more than once) and Lifetime Achievement Award for Historical Fantasy, as well as Romance Writers of America's Lifetime Acheivement Award.
More recently Gellis has ventured into other genres, starting with mythological fantasy (DAZZLING BRIGHTNESS, SHIMMERING SPLENDOR, ENCHANTED FIRE, BULL GOD, and THRICE BOUND). Most recently she has written historical fantasy, with a series of book coauthored by Mercedes Lackey set in Elizabethan times (THIS SCEPTER'D ISLE, ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT, BY SLANDEROUS TONGUES, and AND LESS THAN KIND). Before that she was writing historical mysteries, a four-book series set in London and Oxford in 1139 (A MORTAL BANE, A PERSONAL DEVIL, BONE OF CONTENTION and CHAINS OF FOLLY) and one set in the Italian Renaissance in Ferrara (LUCREZIA BORGIA and the MOTHER OF POISONS).
Since Gellis is one of the early addicts to electronic readers---she purchased a RocketeBook way back in 1999---it is no surprise that she was eager to get her own out of print historical romances into electronic format. Cerridwen Press (http://www.cerridwenpress.com) has published the Heiress Series (THE ENGLISH HEIRESS, THE CORNISH HEIRESS, THE KENT HEIRESS, FORTUNE'S BRIDE, and A WOMAN'S ESTATE) as well as the Royal Dynasty Series (don't ask me about that, there isn't a royal or a dynasty in any of the four books---it was a notion of a long-ago agent) SIREN SONG, WINTER SONG, FIRE SONG, and A SILVER MIRROR. Cerridwen offers a variety of formats, one of which can be read by the Kindle and for those too firmly addicted to paper, the books are also available in a very nice Trade edition (but those are rather expensive).
I'm sorry I don't have any amusing anecdotes to relate, as recommended by the Profile, but a writer's life is really very quiet. Sometimes my neighbors ask my husband what has happened to me because they haven't seen me in such a long time. Depending on his humor of the moment, sometimes Charles tells them that I can't come outside because he keeps me chained to my computer---but that isn't true. He lets me get up once in a while.
Roberta Gellis
Gellis has been a successful writer of historical fiction, publishing over 25 meticulously researched historical novels since 1964. The best known of these are The Roselynde Chronicles (ROSELYNDE, ALINOR, JOANNA, GILLIANE, RHIANNON, and SYBELLE). The series has been reprinted many times since its first appearance in 1979, most recently in 2006. Gellis has also been the recipient of many awards, including the Silver and Gold Medal Porgy for historical novels from West Coast Review of Books, the Golden Certificate and Golden Pen from Affaire de Coeur, The Romantic Times Award for Best Novel in the Medieval Period (more than once) and Lifetime Achievement Award for Historical Fantasy, as well as Romance Writers of America's Lifetime Acheivement Award.
More recently Gellis has ventured into other genres, starting with mythological fantasy (DAZZLING BRIGHTNESS, SHIMMERING SPLENDOR, ENCHANTED FIRE, BULL GOD, and THRICE BOUND). Most recently she has written historical fantasy, with a series of book coauthored by Mercedes Lackey set in Elizabethan times (THIS SCEPTER'D ISLE, ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT, BY SLANDEROUS TONGUES, and AND LESS THAN KIND). Before that she was writing historical mysteries, a four-book series set in London and Oxford in 1139 (A MORTAL BANE, A PERSONAL DEVIL, BONE OF CONTENTION and CHAINS OF FOLLY) and one set in the Italian Renaissance in Ferrara (LUCREZIA BORGIA and the MOTHER OF POISONS).
Since Gellis is one of the early addicts to electronic readers---she purchased a RocketeBook way back in 1999---it is no surprise that she was eager to get her own out of print historical romances into electronic format. Cerridwen Press (http://www.cerridwenpress.com) has published the Heiress Series (THE ENGLISH HEIRESS, THE CORNISH HEIRESS, THE KENT HEIRESS, FORTUNE'S BRIDE, and A WOMAN'S ESTATE) as well as the Royal Dynasty Series (don't ask me about that, there isn't a royal or a dynasty in any of the four books---it was a notion of a long-ago agent) SIREN SONG, WINTER SONG, FIRE SONG, and A SILVER MIRROR. Cerridwen offers a variety of formats, one of which can be read by the Kindle and for those too firmly addicted to paper, the books are also available in a very nice Trade edition (but those are rather expensive).
I'm sorry I don't have any amusing anecdotes to relate, as recommended by the Profile, but a writer's life is really very quiet. Sometimes my neighbors ask my husband what has happened to me because they haven't seen me in such a long time. Depending on his humor of the moment, sometimes Charles tells them that I can't come outside because he keeps me chained to my computer---but that isn't true. He lets me get up once in a while.
Roberta Gellis
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Exraordinary Beginning Of A Great Historical Series!,
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This review is from: Roselynde (The Roselynde Chronicles, Book One) (Paperback)
Roberta Gellis' "Roselynde," is Book One of "The Roselynde Chronicles," a series of six extraordinary novels of historic fiction. This epic saga of the heirs of the English land holdings, Roselynde, begins with the story of Alinor Devaux.Lord Richard, later to be called King Richard, Coer de Leon, is soon to be crowned. The year is 1189 AD and Alinor is sixteen years old. Her grandfather, and sole guardian, died recently, leaving her the wealthy heiress of Roselynde, Mersea, Kingsclere, Iford and many other estates, including a busy port to France, making Alinor a marriage prize many coveted. She had been raised by her grandparents to read, write and use her ample intelligence to manage the estates that would be hers someday. Most woman of this period were not taught to be literate, let alone to manage estates and accounts, vassals and serfs, to maintain discipline and be judge and jury. Since her guardian's death, Alinor performed these responsibilities successfully. She and her vassals had been in training for many years - Alinor to lead and rule, and her people to respect, protect and follow her. Queen Alinor of Aquitaine, Dowager Queen of England and Richard's mother, visits the Roselynde holdings to determine what is to become of the wealthy heiress. On the one hand the Queen believes that Alinor should be wed and have her husband take responsibility for her wealth. On the other hand, she identifies and sympathizes with her namesake. The elderly Queen had been raised to be freethinking and independent, and as a young woman had given many of the great men of Europe and Byzantium a run for their money. Alinor, who is determined to wed for love or not at all, persuades the monarch to allow her to remain single and to accept, in the name of the Crown, the annual estate income that would normally go to a husband. Sir Simon Lemagne, a knight and warrior who has been the Queen's loyal liegeman for much of his forty-five years, is appointed warden to Alinor and her holdings. What begins as a friendship between warden and ward, turns into respect and great love. The difference in ages does not matter to Alinor. She finds a soulmate in Simon, and he loves for the first time...not the courtly love and allegiance he feels for the Queen, but with earthy passion and the desire to settle down and raise a family. The new King, however, does not want the match, thinking to wed the young heiress to someone who would more benefit the Crown. Ms. Gellis sweeps the reader through the pageantry of the Royal Court and the world of knightly love with great accuracy. She details the political treacheries of the time; the rivalries that exist between Richard and his brother John, the intrigues of the despised William Longchamp, Chancellor and Chief Justiciar of England...and favorite of the King, and the ambitions of the King of France who wants to reclaim his land on the continent, now owned by Richard. She transports us along with Richard and his legions to Byzantium and Jerusalem on the Crusades, while England is left in the hands of scoundrels. Roberta Gellis is superb storyteller of great talent. She weaves a wonderful tapestry of romance, passion and power, and tells a tale of a love that endures separation and hardship, in defiance of a King.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Your one-stop shop for entertainment, action, love, history.,
By
This review is from: Roselynde (The Roselynde Chronicles, Book One) (Paperback)
This, the first of what would become the "Roselynde Chromicles", introduces us to Alinor, named after Alinor of Aquitaine, whom we also spend time with, and Alinor's nely appointed warden, Simon. Alinor is a 21st century woman in a 12th century setting, as far as independence and intelligence goes. She sees a man she can trust, who her men can also trust, and she works to make him her own. We follow the court of Richard the Lionheart as he marries and leaves on crusade. We see the lengths Alinor will go to to remain near and perhaps win the hand of the man she has chosen. We see a queen mother who, while undoubtedly fiercely loyal to her son, is equally loyal to the man who remained steadfast to her during her years of imprisonment. A truly delightful book, with truly delightful characters, some of whom were real people, although this book does not attempt to portray their every flaw or quality truly. But an enjoyable read, allowing for that literary license.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely fabulous!!! A great read!!!,
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This review is from: Roselynde (The Roselynde Chronicles, Book One) (Paperback)
The Roselynde Chronicles are top of the line for Ms. Gellis. Her knowledge of medieval history and its social mores is unsurpassed. Her portrayel in "Roselynde" of the tempestuous Alinor is marvelous and a good time. What impresses me about Ms. Gellis' work is her attention to detail. She is truly an author for the woman with a brain. Her romance sparkles with humor. Her knowledge of history is beyond compare. I have gone through several sets of the Roselynde Chronicals and still pick them up whenever I see them, which is all too seldom. I only wish there were more of them and look forward to the release of her new historical this summer.
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