Wonderful Medieval Love Story with Masonry and Pottery Making Superbly IncorporatedSet in 14th century England, when a young King Edward reigned, but was still controlled by his mother, Queen Isabella and her lover, Mortimer, Earl of March, this is book 2 in Hunter’s wonderful medieval series of historical romances (see list below), though it can be read as a “stand alone.” It is the story of a freemason, Rhys, who longs to create beautiful cathedrals and buildings but is forced to appear to act the spy for Mortimer, all the while feeding information to his friends who are loyal to the young king. Rhys encounters the lovely Joan in the marketplace where she is selling her beautifully crafted clay figurines and encourages her to value them at a higher price. Later he saves her from the town stocks where she is has been punished for another’s wrong. He cares for her bruised body and finds he is very attracted to the girl. When he learns she is an indentured servant, he buys her freedom and brings her to his home. Though he would have her as his leman, she holds him at bay never revealing her identity (which is only hinted at)—a highborn lady who was robbed of her family and her birthright by a dastardly knight affiliated with Mortimer.This is a well-crafted tale, with some insightful reflections on life and love (an example is Rhys’s reflection on his life before Joan: “A man who has nothing worth fighting for is not really alive.”). Rhys is a noble hero who seeks to do the right thing. He cannot understand Joan and her fears until he discovers her past and the sacrifice she made to save her younger brother.Hunter’s depiction of the crafts of stone masonry and pottery is nothing short of brilliant. She not only conveys interesting information on the craft, but also the emotion and the feelings of the artist as that person looks not only at their art, but at the world. It is truly beautiful. As with the others in the series, Hunter has an authentic medieval voice, so hard to achieve, and tells the story very well. A wonderful, well-researched historical romance from medieval England with superbly written love scenes—I recommend it!If you like to read things in date order, as I do, here is the medieval historical series (two trilogies) in chronological order:BY POSSESSION (1326)BY DESIGN (1328)STEALING HEAVEN (1341)BY ARRANGEMENT (1346)THE PROTECTOR (1348-49)LORD OF A THOUSAND NIGHTS (1350’s)The hero and heroine in BY POSSESSION appear in BY DESIGN; and the two trilogies are linked by the character David de Abyndon, who is a secondary character in STEALING HEAVEN and the hero in BY ARRANGEMENT.
This is a very good book! I am usually wary of books taking place before 1800 or so, as they seem to fudge history far more than necessary. This book is an exception. While there are, of course, fudges, nothing stood out to me as being so completely anachronistic that it ruined the book for me (like one 11th century book I read where apparently they were familiar with penicillin and germ theory). In addition, the characters in this book are well developed, sympathetic, and the reader feels a real empathy with them. This book has a strong plot, but the plot aids the romance rather than overwhelming it. A very good book!
What do You think about By Design (2004)?
I was surprised that a book of Madeline Hunter's, an author I really enjoy, was such a miss for me. Maybe it's that I don't particularly care for medievals. Maybe it was that the supporting characters (the main characters, not so much) were acting in historically accurate ways, and I didn't enjoy it. Maybe it's that the main characters did NOT act in historically accurate ways, and that irritated me. I don't know. In short, Rhys was a male Mary Sue, and Joan hit the TSTL mark with a resounding THUD. Joan was the most irritating heroine I have read about in a long time: she is supposed to be strong and fierce and independent (unrealistic in medieval times, but, okay), but really, she's just stubborn. Stubborn, argumentative, hard when she should be soft (maybe you could say THANK YOU to Rhys once in a while?), and soft when she should be hard (if you're such a badass, why do you let your TEENAGE brother Mark boss you around like a champion?). Meh. Addis and Moira's story was okaaaaaay, and this one wasn't much better. (view spoiler)[The HFN ending didn't help, either. (hide spoiler)]
—Minna
Gave up on this one when the psycho Guy Leighton comes into the story. It was already a grim story before that, but reading about a psychopath who happens to be obsessed with the heroine and keeps her in his clutches by threatening to kill her brother (he's already slaughtered her father in cold blood) is just not my idea of a romantic read.Madeline Hunter depicts 14th century England in her medieval novels as a time of bloodshed and extreme lawlessness, where only might makes right. Her main characters have to literally survive not only the general brutality but also overcome almost insurmountable differences of class and nationality (where the 2 nations are deadly enemies). If you enjoy that type of thing, then you'll enjoy Madeline Hunter's medieval books. The writing is very good, and her knowledge of the way people lived and worked in that era is excellent.
—Ilze
This is the first romance novel I have ever read, and I must say, the historical relevance was rather over my head when I was twelve and reading this kind of book for the first time alone and hiding it from my family.That aside, this is a tremendously written novel with a very full plot. I haven't read it in quite some time, but I can say that the hero and heroine Rhys and Joan have stayed with me through every other romance I have read and I will always compare other's to this book. If you like romance from an era less written in, I'd pick this up immediately. Madeline Hunter is a superb writer.
—Jes Lyons
