Customer Reviews

The Swan Maiden

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 1286 Gabhan MacDuff was 100-proof Scottish until his father died and his mother remarried an English noble. Traveling with his mother and stepfather to England, Gabhan becomes Gawain once they cross the border. For the next several years, he is raised under the English chivalry system and ultimately pledges loyalty to the King of England.

In 1300, Gawain returns to his homeland for the first time since his mother remarried. Though he travels as a member of King Edward's dragon banner, Gawain secretly remembers his grandfather stories and wants to help his fellow Scots. At a nearby loch, he persuades the English that a woman apparently drowned and flew out of the water as a swan. When Gawain finds the woman, Juliana Lindsay, he keeps her safe and calls her THE SWAN MAIDEN. Not long afterward, Juliana becomes a rallying cry for the Scottish rebels who are supporting THE SWAN MAIDEN. Gawain and Juliana fall in love, but they support different sides of the fight, testing loyalty, honor, and love.

The key to THE SWAN MAIDEN is Susan King's ability to interweave the typical medieval romantic story line within a Scottish legend, leading to an invigorating tale. The story line never slows down, and Gawain and Juliana are a delightful star-crossed duo struggling to overcome the usual problems of dysfunctional fealties and treachery. However, the myth takes on a persona of its own as it turns the novel into an enchanting historical romance and Ms. King comes closer to legendary status as one of the genre's leading rulers.

Harriet Klausner

I don't normally read romances, but I'm so glad I picked this one up! Susan King is an excellent writer with a good grasp of both history and ancient Celtic folklore. Her heroine is strong and independent, and her hero is honorable and admirable. She writes with feeling and the reader easily sympathizes with her characters' plights. Walter De Soulis is a believably wicked villain, and the corrupt nature of King Edward I's court is depicted extremely well. Susan King has definitely earned herself a new fan. I'm interested to read her novel "Laird of the Wind" now to get the "backstory" behind Sir Gawain.

If you want to spend some time being swept away to another time and world, experience deep love and devotion between a strong/handsome/gentle/sexy male and a strong willed, sensible female and meet lively supporting characters, if you want to laugh and cry, if you want to be pulled in deeply between the covers of the book and emerge at the end with a smile on your face read Swan Maiden or any of Susan King's books. I am an avid reader and I have never found an author better than Susan King at creating worlds and people you cherish long after the book is closed. She is a very gifted author. Don't cheat yourself and pass her by. You won't regret the time spent.

I was afraid I wasn't going to like this book because I just wasn't crazy about the Stone Maiden. (It was soooo slow.) I will simply say that the Swan Maiden is heartwarming and genuine and I really enjoyed it. The only drawback is that you should read Laird of the Wind before you read this one so you can understand the hero's history with some of the characters. I love the main characters and think that the supporting characters were very well written into the story. I love that Gawain isn't fake, macho, or too perfect to be real. (So many medivals do this to the hero and it gets really stale.) Juliana isn't so stubborn or headstrong that she ruins their relationship when something goes wrong. She is also not a twit, for which we can all be thankful. I am relatively new to Susan King, but I think she is a promising writer and I will probably continue to buy her books. Don't miss this one.

This is a wonderful read, mixing adventure, romance, history, and old legends. (I am so excited about this author that I wrote to her, and I have never done that before!) King writes romance like a poet, she knows medieval Scotland thoroughly, and her characters are caring, loyal, believable people. She does her research, and in this book, uses archery and legends in an original way. I have read almost all of her books, and she is now one of my favorite authors (I would love to find her earlier titles). Some images and scenes in The Swan Maiden are so beautiful that I will always remember them (like the woman held captive in a golden chain, or the tense scene when a single arrow must strike a bell). The hero and heroine come to love and respect each other in a believable, wonderful way, and they soon felt like friends to me. I am an English professor who admits that she loves romance, and who craves a detailed, emotional story, and appreciates fine writing. This is high quality historical romance. Don't miss it.

The Swan Maiden Another beautiful love story from the magical pen of Susan King.

This is the story of Gawain Avenel an English knight born in Scotland and a beautiful Scottish rebel Juliana Lindsay. After saving her life when the english set fire to her families castle and calling her the Swan Maiden they met up again at the English court after Juliana had been captured and taken to London in chains dressed as the legendary Swan Maiden.

Gawain once again saved her life and they were married by order of the King. Having been forced into a marriage neither wanted they agreed to work together and fell deeply in love. They both have secrets and the unveiling of those secrets makes for very interesting reading

It is wonderfully written and historically accurate. This book is a must for readers of historical romance

I want to thank all of you who gave great reviews for this book. I bought it. I loved it. And now I have another favorite writer. The book holds you from cover to cover, you can't put it down.

I guess some books click with readers while others don't. As much as I loved THE STONE MAIDEN, and WAKING THE PRINCESS (her 2 best works) I found this book to be SO boring. S.K. has given us dull spots before in novels but they are often saved by the characters, but not in this case. The entire book was dull. I tried and tried to get into this book in deference to the author but it never drew my interest. This one dragged AND was boring. (Sorry)

It got lost along the way. It was great 2/3's of the way into it and then I lost interest. The characters were perfect and well defined, but Ms. King tends to turn her romance novels into historical action thrillers near the end. She lets go of the romance and completes the tale of Scotland vs. England. I gave it 3 stars because the first half of the book deserves it.
I wouldn't buy this one - look for it in the library.

Susan King is an amazingly gifted writer. The love story of Gawain and Juliana is richly told. Ms. King brings great depth to her characterizations. I loved every single page - and did not want the book to end. She also gives a clear picture of the tangled politics of love and war in Scotland and England. Intensely romantic, wonderfully written, this is the best book set in medieval times that I have read in some time. Ms. King's "The Angel Knight" and "Laird of the Wind" are also two equally stunning stories.