Customer Reviews

Roselynde

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
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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.

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.

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.

This series of books is amazing. The historical detail and excellent character development make this entire series a must read. I think these books appeal to me because I love both history and romance! I did note that in the reprinted version of Alinor - (Ian and Alinor's story) the author chose not to murder the king's messenger!

Long ago, back in the '70's, I was a fan of what was then called 'women's fiction,' and in some cases, "bodice-rippers."* My favorites of this sort of thing were the ones that were set in some sort of historical setting, where I could happily escape for several hours into a world of knights, fair maidens and plenty of derring-do. Most of these novels were rather forgettible, with little research being done, dialogue and manners being cribbed from various Hollywood films, or such outrageous scenarios that would inspire giggles rather than sighs.

But there was one author that stood out from the pack. Roberta Gellis not only did her work in finding out the actual history of the time and place she was writing about, but made her heroines and the gallant men that loved them, not just interesting, but also right for the time and place. They viewed their world more as people that grew up and matured in a tough, violent society, rather than as twentieth century folks that were transposed into medieval times.

At the opening of this, the first book in the Roselynde Chronicles, we meet Alinor for the first time. She's a young, raven haired woman who is guarding her estates with a fierce determination to keep them. England is in transistion with old king Henry II dead, and his widow freed from imprisonment. Alinor knows that the new king, Richard the Lionhearted, wishes to raise money for his crusade in the Holy Land, and she knows that she's tempting fate if she doesn't find someone to protect her -- and soon.

Coming to Roselynde is Queen Alinor, free at last, and delighted to see her favorite son, Richard, on the throne. She's not too pleased to see him departing so quickly to go on crusade, and his younger, very ambitious brother, John is already plotting mischief. The Queen needs every loyal landholder on her side. She also takes a liking to her young namesake, and takes the young woman with her to London.

Among the soldiers protecting the Queen is Sir Simon Lemagne, grown old -- at least in medieval eyes -- and possessed of a fierce honor and pride of his own. He finds the young Alinor quite beautiful and enchanting, but also knows that he isn't in the running to marry her either. He's a landless knight, and his own self-pride keeps him from declaring his feelings for her.

But then, he never counted on young Alinor deciding on him as the man for her either. We follow their courtship from England to Italy and the Holy Land and back again. There's plenty of adventure, battle, romances -- not just Alinor and Simon's -- and historical figures such as William Marshall, Richard the Lionheart and his queen, Berengaria. Gellis keeps them all within what is known of history, and while the story has become a little dated since it was published back in the seventies, it's still an excellent read.

While those who are concerned with political correctness might find parts of this book objectionable -- the depicition of the Saracens and the very gory outcomes of the wars of the Crusades are rather vivid -- Gellis tries not to move too far away from the attitudes of the time either. This was one of the first romance novels that had sex that was somewhat graphic, and while some may take the use of euphemisms for various parts of the body as silly, it's not quite as stupid as most later novels got to be. Fortunately, she also avoids the use of rather vulgar English for body parts as well, which I find a relief, as they tend to break the mood of the novel for me.

Gellis gives this story a great blend of historical storytelling, and a sexy mature romance that proves it still has legs after all these years. It's close to the perfect historical romance for me, and while it's not completely perfect, it's still far far better than most of the stuff that is getting cranked out these days. What's even better is that the story is continued over several novels, all of which are being rereleased over the next few years.

The publishers, Harlequin Signature Select, have included several additional features into this reissue. There's an forward by author Margaret Moore, an author's note that goes into further detail of the history and times, along with the sources that she used. As with the novel Desiree, there is an adaptation of a medieval recipe, Honey and Egg Loaf with Sweet Wine Syrup as a special little treat. Excerpts from the novel Alinor and Margaret Moore's novel Hers to Command wind up the book.

I had a copy of this book when it was first published and loaned it out and of course never got it back. Alinor and her lover are a perfect May and December romance. She is strong and authorative and he is mature and honorable. The descriptions of medieval life and society are entertaining and educational. This book set me off on my long journey into English historical romances.

I really enjoyed this book allthough it took me forever to get around to it. Gellis has really created a great story without sacrificing historical detail - by the same token, she hasn't gone into too much detail making it boring for the readers. The characters were great; very believable, and, if the stoory was a little "quaint" - well, thats a romance novel for you! But I did find myself wishing for bygone days when men were men, and women were ladies!!!

I'm not quite as enthusiastic about this book as fours stars would lead you to believe, I'd like to be able to give it 3.5 stars. I liked this book and very much liked the story between the main characters Alinor and Simon but sometimes it was a little too much history for me.

Alinor Devaux is one of the wealthiest women in England. Unmarried at sixteen years old she has been well provided for and protected. She is capable of running her many estates with a strong but compassionate hand. Queen Alinor of Aquitaine, according to the wishes of her son, soon to be King Richard I, has placed young Alinor under the wardship of the King. Sir Simon Lemange, the king's judiciar, has been assigned as her warden. Sir Simon is surprised and not pleased by his new duties, Alinor is willful, quick tempered and manipulative. Surprisingly each stirs something in the other, they fall in love and wish to marry. However an arrangement of marriage between the two will not benefit the monarchy. They will travel a difficult journey before marriage is even a possibility.

The history woven through their story is somewhat complicated. This was the first time I can recall reading about this period in history. I found it very interesting but a little overwhelming at times. Someone who has knowledge about this period in time would probably find the detailed history more enjoyable than I did. I would have done better if I'd had some basic understanding of the Welsh conflict and the Crusades.

I thought Gellis did an excellent job of describing Medieval times with details on clothing, buildings, battle, customs, and traditions including how women were sometimes taken as wives against their will.

There were a few leaps of emotion that I would have preferred to have had drawn out. The relationship between Alinor and Simon is full of attraction and repulsion, misunderstanding and confusion with each not knowing how the other truly feels. Some of which felt just a little too contrived for my tastes. But I did grow to care for these characters and enjoyed the way their relationship resolved itself.

I really enjoyed the author's note which puts this period in history in perspective and offers insights to some of King Richard's behavior. I thought the writing was very good the characters were well drawn and I enjoyed the story

ROSELYNDE is the first book in a series called THE ROSELYNDE CHRONICLES. While the cover art and publisher make it look like a bodice-ripper, it's not. It's historical romance with so much accurate history in the background, it's almost a disservice to categorize it as such.

The main characters - Alinor and Simon - are fictional. But many of the supporting characters actually lived. These include King Richard I, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (spelled "Alinor" in this story), John (Richard's brother), and William Marshal to name a few.

When the story opens, England is in transition following the death of Henry II. The fictional Alinor is 17. Orphaned at a young age, she lived with her grandfather until his death. She now controls and manages his vast estate.

Queen Alinor, who awaits the return of her son, Richard, to take the throne, appoints Simon as the young Alinor's warden. While Alinor certainly does not appear to need a warden - she is independent and capable - she works with him, more or less. And, yes, you guessed it. She grows to trust, and eventually, love him.

Meanwhile, Richard isn't much interested in running the country. He prepares to go on crusade. In addition to Queen Alinor, Simon and Alinor go with him. Simon serves Richard and Alinor is a wealthy landowner, who assigns men to serve under Simon. The story provides a detailed account of the Third Crusade, including Richard's capture of the island of Cyprus as related by the chroniclers of the times.

**SPOILER.** As reward for his service, King Richard reluctantly grants Simon permission to marry Alinor. His reluctance stems in part from the bad experience of the king's own marriage to Berengaria, and, we are given to believe, because of Richard's own lack of interest in women. The first scene typical of a historical romance takes place almost at the end, after Simon and Alinor marry. It's tame and rather anti-climatic.

I thoroughly enjoyed ROSELYNDE, especially because of the accurate portrayal of the times and the Third Crusade. Had it been just another boy-meets-girl story, I wouldn't have read it. (Or, I wouldn't admit it if I did. <g>) But a beautiful sweeping saga of Richard I's reign, told from the viewpoint of the chroniclers of the times, comes along too infrequently to miss.

Highly recommended for lovers of adventurous historical fiction.

A wonderful read by an excellent authoress.
This book sets one up for the rest of the series ( which can stand alone) I confess to enjoying the part of the book set in England more ( which is why the BROTHER CADFAEL Chronicles by Ellis Peters are my all time favourite) but this is an excellent read too. Characters are full and believable, situations and the history of the time well described.....a wonderful book to take to bed on a cold winters night!!!