My Lady Gisborne: A Gisborne Novel (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Set a number of years after The Tempest, the Gisbornes are still living in France, and they have several children, all of which are now roundabout 20. My Lady Gisborne focuses on one of these children, Evelyn, who meets a handsome rogue, René. However, she's promised to a Marquis, Simon, and the story is about her struggle to decide between the two of them.Well, sort of, anyway. One, she fancies, the other one, she's supposed to get married to, and she fancies him too. And I think therein lies my problem with the story.Okay, first things first: it's well-written, I like the characters and having read a couple of the author's books (this is my third), I've come to expect no less from her - especially since I really loved the other two novels. I think that's why I was a little disappointed by this one.To start with, we get an introduction - a bridge between The Tempest and the story we're about to be presented with, so that those who haven't read the previous novel don't feel left out. Thing is, the introduction is way too long. If it's to set the scene and to introduce the characters as children, and give an insight into the Gisborne parents, it could've been done a lot quicker. Instead, it's more of a novella in length before we get to the actual story. Shouldn't an introduction be just that, an introduction to what we're about to read, not a big story itself?Then finally, we get to the main feature ... and that's where it gets a little confused. As a reader, I'm never sure if I'm meant to believe Evelyn is meant to live happily ever after with René or Simon. It feels as if it's two stories forced into one, and they don't work very well together. It's as if either the story should have been about Evelyn and René or Evelyn and Simon, but it's not even Evelyn and René and Simon. As a reader, I'm scratching my head a bit wondering what sort of a romance this is, because there was a conflict, and then there sort of wasn't anymore.If it's meant to be an atypical romance, then ... well, in my opinion, this isn't the way to do it. The payoff of a romance is that the couple fall in love but are kept apart for one reason or another, and then finally, get together at the end. Not "let's get married half-way through and live happily ever after".There's also a side story about one of Evelyn's brothers that felt very rushed, but I think that is a story being written separately, so will be interesting to find out more when that's done to fill in the gaps.Sometimes I also felt as if the story was set more in the late 1700s or early 1800s than 1200s. The big manor, for instance, sounds more like a mansion rather than the dingy castles that served as manors back in the day. But that's by the by, because the story is about people and their relationships, not big houses.My Lady Gisborne is obviously focused on Evelyn rather than her dad, and I miss Guy. There's no real way around it, though, because this novel isn't meant to be about him, it's about his daughter, and the (I presume) series isn't called "Guy of Gisborne", it's "The Gisbornes", meaning that yes, the focus will not just be on the former lackey of the Sheriff of Nottingham, but also his family. That said, both Guy and Cassia of course feature in My Lady Gisborne, and it's nice to see them again. They've both matured a lot since The Tempest, but that's what 20-odd years will do to you. Guy as a protective father is quite funny to read about, because when he's protective ... he's very protective. :DAnd that's one of the things I really liked about the novel - good characters. Evelyn showed a spirit worthy of her mother at times. It's well-written too, which I definitely expected it to be, and it's funny in parts too. For those who thought The Tempest was too racy, there's less sex in My Lady Gisborne. There's a bit of it, still, so if you're really not into sex scenes one bit, you might want to skip those parts, or at least skim over them.Overall, I enjoyed the novel. It might not sound like it, but I did. I perhaps sympathised more for Simon than Evelyn at times, but that's by the by. It's a decent read and I'm happy to have read it, and would recommend it as well, but in an "it has some problems, but yeah, it's alright" type way rather than "OMG, you have GOT to read this, it's freakin' AWESOME!!" I like the setting of Medieval southern France, even though the Cathars don't get as much as a mention, and I love Guy of Gisborne. Just wish there was more of him. But there you go. 3 out of 5 wailing babies. When I heard there was a sequel to Charlotte Hawkins book "The Tempest," I jumped at the chance to read it. THAT story was hot and spicy. It was all about the passionate physical relationship between the two main characters, which is what I like in my romance novels. This new story has a much softer tone to it, but I still enjoyed it.In "My Lady Gisborne," the love scenes are few, but there was plenty of sexual tension and loads of romance. It's a sweet story, and what makes it great are the characters. There are a lot of names to remember, but I didn't get lost because the author gives each character a unique personality, and they all play off of each other perfectly. There is a lot of humor and conflict exchanged, and it's wonderful.The heroine, Evelyn, is the typical "Good girl." Some readers might accuse her of being a Mary-Sue type, but I liked her. She's only fifteen, which might seem a little shocking to some. But this is a story set in the 13th century, so it's right for the time. Evelyn is betrothed, like other women of her time. Her intended is a Marquis named Simon, and I have to say, it took me a while to warm up to him. He's a soldier, and good-looking of course. (What kind of hero isn't good-loooking, right?) But he's kind of cold at the start. His life is the knighthood. That's what he does. A warrior can't be all smiles and hugs, right? But of course, there's another side to him...Enter...Rene, the third part of the love triangle. Rene was by far my favorite character. I love a rogue, especially one as delightful as Rene Jean-Bastien. He's naughty, he's charming, he's clever. Sometimes, I wanted to slap him silly. But I couldn't help but adore him, despite his sometimes bad behavior. I won't give anything away, but I'll just note that not every rogue can be entirely reformed. I gave this story 4 stars out of 5 because I was hoping for more details about certain characters, but that's a minor quibble. This was a charming and lovely story. Two days well spent.
What do You think about My Lady Gisborne: A Gisborne Novel (2011)?
Sweet story of how undying love can make a family strong.
—usman
Loved it! Can't wait to read another Gisborne story!
—cheyenne
took a while to get going but very sexy and tense
—Frede
