Customer Reviews

Thief: A Novel (The Brides of Alba Series)

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With themes of forgiveness and restoration, Thief by Linda Windsor unfolds a redemptive love story. Sorcha, a fiery heroine, survives as a songstress and thief in sub-Roman Britain after the death of her adoptive parents. Caden, a villain in Healer, book one in The Brides of Alba series, has come to regret his previous actions. Stricken with remorse, he hopes to die in battle, and he almost accomplishes his goal. But God seems to have other plans for Caden, who emerges from priestly intervention to search for Sorcha on behalf of her birth mother, from whom she was taken as a young child.

But there are complications. For one thing, Sorcha is engaged to be married, although her fiancé is an old man she doesn't desire. For another, she holds bitterness against the mother she believes abandoned her. She also doesn't trust Caden, especially when his past returns to haunt him.

When Sorcha is summoned to the royal palace of Din Guardi (now Northumberland's Baumburgh Castle) to tend Princess Eavlyn during her wedding ceremony, new events lead to a life-or-death confrontation.

Thief is at once a rousing adventure and a love story between two people who match one another in stubbornness and intelligence. The interplay between Sorcha and Caden is entertaining. Linda Windsor's writing style blends lyricism and practicality in a pleasing combination to color her portrait of life in Alba (early England) with truth and charm.

The cover art is stunning. The book contains maps and an Afterwards with a glossary, author's notes and a brief biography for Linda Windsor.

I recommend Thief for readers who enjoy historical romance.

© 2011 Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books

My thanks to the author and publisher for a complimentary copy of this book, provided for purposes of review.

This was in my top three books I've read so far this year...an amazing work of fiction. The story of Sorcha's search for her roots--who she is, where she belongs, and who she loves, drew me in and held me captive. The characters are beautifully drawn, the plot and dialogue never drag, and I loved the interaction between the variety of characters. Good action, adventure, and a glimpse into an era not often written about. I didn't know there was a "book 1" when I read this one, and while I did miss a little background and would recommend you DO read book 1, I still thoroughly enjoyed this one. I've read very little of this author's work in the past, but am now a die-hard fan. I bought the first book in this series and plan to read it and the one that comes after. I HIGHLY Recommend this series, this book and this author!!

After a failed coup -- orchestrated by his witchcraft-practicing wife -- Caden O'Bryne is banished from his homeland and family. Alone and disgraced, he survives as a mercenary soldier of fortune, longing for the day when death will grant him a hoped-for oblivion from the sins of past. Serving under Mordred, King Arthur's nephew, Caden wins royal favor when he saves the high king from death by a Saxon's blade. Brought back from the brink of death and demonic visions by a desperate call for mercy on the name of Christ, Caden resolves to make the most of his undeserved reprieve. Hoping to repay the kindness and hospitality of the woman who nursed him back from the brink of death, Caden travels deep into Saxon-held territory in search of her lost daughter Sorcha, kidnapped as a child. Caden finds Sorcha faster than he'd dared to hope, but the flame-haired scop (entertainer) is loathe to leave the only life she's ever known, saddled with commitments and a convenient, though undesired, betrothal. Caden and Sorcha are forced to join forces in order to survive when common enemies frame the pair for murder, sending them fleeing for their lives. With only a fledgling faith between them and a desperate hope for redemption, Caden and Sorcha soon realize that accepting the gift of grace, freely given, may be their greatest challenge in their fight for a future free from fear and regret.

Healer, Windsor's first novel in The Brides of Alba series, was one of my favorite reads of 2010 and with Thief she's surpassed herself. Simply put, I love everything about this book! Here Windsor continues the thesis she set forth in Healer -- shining a light into the Dark Ages of history and revealing the vibrant faith of the early Christian church in sixth-century Scotland under the rule of Arthur of Dalraida, the only historically documented Arthur of legend. As is per the norm in Windsor's historical fiction of this ilk, Thief is saturated with rich historical detail and research, lending everything from the setting, clothing, customs, and speech the ring of authenticity resulting in a wholly absorbing reading experience. Where Healer focused on the tension between the Christian church and still widely prevalent pagan belief systems, Thief delves deeper into the Church's attempts at peaceweaving or arranged marriages between Christian princesses and pagan princes, fostering peace between warring factions and planting churches in previously unreachable territory. Through Eavlyn, the princess in question in this case, Windsor explores a secondary aspect of her thesis -- reclaiming the history of the study of the stars within the context of Christian faith.

In conjunction with this rich dose of history, Windsor once again spins an unforgettable love story against the backdrop of a time of danger and turbulent social and political change. Through Caden's association with Mordred, and the latter's interest in Scotland's historical pagan religions vs. dictates from a far-off Roman Church, Windsor hints at the discord of Arthurian legend. Like her best couples, Caden and Sorcha are passionate, wounded souls in desperate need of redemption -- what sets this pair apart are the sparks that fly whenever they meet. Caden and Sorcha are two of Windsor's most passionate creations, their love all the more powerful thanks to a simmering realization that it is a gift from the God who saw them through their darkest hours. Windsor is a master at penning a swoon-worthy love story, but what sets Thief apart is the completely organic, authentic manner in which she incorporates faith, proving the two are most definitely not mutually exclusive -- indeed it is a passionate illustration that faith is the bedrock that enhances relationships, romantic or otherwise.

Thief is a rollicking, non-stop adventure, a romance stitched together with a thread of faith that speaks to the author's passionate confidence in the transformative power of a life whole-heartedly sold-out on the promises of a God who never fails to answer when we call. I cannot wait for the next volume in this series -- Rebel -- coming this summer!

I love Linda Windsor's books. She writes with attention to historical detail and with such feeling that it amazes me. I loved Healer, now Thief and I can barely wait for Rebel. I love this time period also and her other series in this time was also super. I always buy her books, never even bothering to read the synopsis on the back cover.