Review: Five Books for the Price of Three. What's not to love?
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 9, 2014
Book One: Winter's Heat is the story of Rannulf and Rowena. I love their story, so be sure to read it first. 5 stars for Winter's HeatBook Two: Summer's Storm is the story of Rannulf's older brother Temric and Rowena's older sister, Phillipa, both of whom are bastards. As much as I looked forward to Temric's story, I thought it lacking primarily because I didn't really find Phillipa very likeable. So I would say 3 stars for Summer's Storm.Book Three: Spring's Fury is the story of the youngest FitzHenry brother, Gilliam and Nicola Ashby. Nicola is John Ashby's daughter that you meet in Book One. She becomes Rannulf's "ward" after Gilliam kills her father after her father imprisons Rannulf and Rowena. This is my FAVORITE of the series. I absolutely LOVED Gilliam and his wicked wit. Nicola is one that you don't really like at first but soon come to love as well. Plus you meet Geoffrey, Gilliam's true full-blooded brother and Jocelyn of Freyne whose mother, Elyssa, becomes the heroine in Autumn's Flame.Book 4: Autumn's Flame is the story of Geoffrey and Elyssa. I really enjoyed this book. It would be my third favorite of the series behind Spring's Fury and Winter's Heat. At first I didn't like Elyssa. She was too clingy with her son Jocelyn and she cried way too much, but she eventually comes around and defends her castle during a siege like a truly resilient heroine. Geoffrey is just beautiful. Scarred and tortured by his past, unfeeling and cold, he mourns that his daughter is terrified of him and rumors of his being the Devil's spawn abound. He is the sheriff of his shire and by default becomes Elyssa's and Jocelyn's warden after her husband is killed by a boar in a hunting accident. Since Elyssa is newly pregnant, he is also warden to her unborn child and must be present during the birthing process to ensure the rightful child is given the deceased father's lineage and heritage. The fact that he falls in love with Elyssa while she grows great with another man's child is of itself, lovable. There's just something about the tortured, scarred, hero whose physical imperfections house a beautiful soul. The tortured and scarred hero is so very relevant today with so many of our soldiers coming home scarred from IED's in Afghanistan and Iraq.Book 5: A Love For All Seasons is the story of another FitzHenry, bastard son Rob of Blacklea and Johanna. In this book we travel back to Stanrudde, the merchant town of Temric, Jehan, and Peter of Book 2 Summer's Storm. It was a bit disconcerting as the chapters of this book go back and forth between the years when they are kids and those of adulthood. When Rob's mother dies and his "father" discovers he is the bastard son of Henry of Graistan, his father beats him and sells him to a merchant, Johanna's father. What ensues is that Johanna is already promised to Katel, another of her father's apprentices. In secret, Johanna and Rob exchange marriage vows. Her father and Katel convince her that Rob was offered payment to leave her. Sixteen years later Rob returns as Katel announces to Stanrudde's council that his wife hasn't been in a convent for the past months but has instead been in an adulterous relationship with Rob. Rob knows that Katel has committed crimes worthy of death and if discovered Johanna will suffer the same penalty. Katel just wants Johanna's property that is entrusted for her son Peter. But the only way he can get it is to prove she has been unfaithful. There are plenty of twisty plots in this storyline that keep you hooked in spite of not really liking Johanna and that Rob refuses to admit he another FitzHenry bastard. Temric, aka Richard of Graistan, also plays a major role in setting things right for his newly found half-brother. The only thing I didn't like about the story was that Temric hadn't yet told Rannulf, Geoffrey, or Gilliam of his their new sibling by the books end. Since Rob is described as looking more like Rannulf with gray eyes but excessively tall like Gilliam, the introductory meeting would have been worth reading instead of being left to one's imagination. I would give this book 4 stars. It would be 5 if it weren't for the back and forth between the then and now.