Customer Reviews

The Running Vixen

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The Running Vixen is the second novel by English author Elizabeth Chadwick and the second in her Welsh or Ravenstow trilogy (The Wild Hunt is the first; The Leopard Unleashed is the third). She went on to write many acclaimed historical novels most of which are not romances and not all of which are available in the US. The novels in the Ravenstow trilogy are romances but not typical of the genre. Be prepared for a different pace and different story elements as you'll see from my review.

Like The Wild Hunt, this sequel takes place in the Welsh Marches (in England on the border of Wales) and in London. The story begins about 24 years after The Wild Hunt, in 1126. It tells the story of Heulwen, Guyon's daughter by Rhosyn, his Welsh mistress who was killed in The Wild Hunt, and Adam de Lacey, who is Guyon's ward. It was Adam's father who was responsible for Heulwen's mother's death and after he is killed, Guyon takes the young child into his home. Adam and Heulwen are raised together like brother and sister but when Heulwen turns 15, Adam realizes he loves her as a woman. By that time, however, Heulwen has fallen for and married Ralf le Chevalier, who turns out to be a charming cad who is unfaithful to her. When he is killed by the Welsh in a raid, Heulwen comes home to live with her father. But she and Judith do not get along and Guyon is anxious to see her wed soon. Adam, who has been away on King Henry's business for several years comes back to find a now single Heulwen and the chemistry between them is evident. But Heulwen does't want another passionate disappointment so when her father wants her to wed Warrin de Mortimer, an enemy of Adam's, though she does not love him, she consents to a betrothal. The whole family travels to London at King Henry's command and the betrothal is to take place there assuming the King's approval for the match. That is how the story begins.

Chadwick does a great job of integrating history into the story so that you get a real feel for the time period. Once again she does a great job with the hero...Adam was a man to love. But like her stepmother before her (Judith, Guyon's wife) I found Heulwen irritating at times. By the way, Judith remained irritating in this sequel, still a shrew. The pace of this novel is measured and it won't keep you up at night as some romances will (I like being kept up late reading one I can't put down). What really disappointed me in this otherwise great tale was the last part of the book. [spoiler alert] In what romance does the heroine get raped AFTER she has married the hero and then gets pregnant to deliver a male child, her husband's heir, that could very well be the rapist's child? Yuck! I'm not sure I want to read the third one...

I love Elizabeth Chadwick. This is my favorite author as well as Jean Plaidy. Her books bring a lot of joys and pleasures, when I read them.

This is one is unique as a sequel to "Wild Hunt"

I want to get that book like this one as well from you.

thanks a lot