Mercedes RochelleCritiques

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I really wanted to love this book because reading anything about the Plantagenets is my favorite subject. However, I found myself skimming through much of it. There are some very good parts but just not enough dialogue for me. I will read the second book in the series now.

I enjoyed this book much more than the first one. I read the entire book and did not skip through like I did the first book. Great story of Richard II and his cousin Henry and one's fight to keep his crown and the other to acquire it. I would recommend reading both books as they do compliment each other well and you will get a complete story that way.

Some of my favorite historical novels are retellings of famous literary works, or stories surrounding supporting characters from those works. So Heir to a Prophecy was a book that intrigued me from my first reading of the synopsis. Centering around the (short) life of Banquo, his son, Fleance, and the three witches, and mainly their prophecy concerning Banquo and his descendants, from Shakespeare's MacBeth, the book is an exciting incite into what Shakespeare intended...that Banquo was the founder of the royal Stewart (Stuart) line.

This is an interesting and engaging story surrounding the history of Scotland, England and Wales in the 11th century. There is a lot of war and battles, but not overwhelmingly so. The character of Walter, his complexity, balances out the big action parts. As the grandson of Banquo, and son of Fleance, Walter has a lot of revenge on his plate. As the story progresses, we get to see what moves Walter and what makes him the man he becomes.

This being her first book of fiction, I am very impressed. It's obvious that Rochelle is passionate about history and knows her stuff to boot. The historical accuracy and detail in this book is amazing. Her next book is titled, Godwine Kingmaker, and I can't wait to read it!

Richard II is one of those kings that I honestly don’t know a lot about. In all of my historical fiction reading I have only had the opportunity to read one other book about him. As is noted in the author’s note at the end of the book, much of how Richard II is perceived by history is thanks to Shakespeare who doesn’t exactly have a strong track record of representing his subjects accurately. As it is always said, history is written by the victors and they often distort the records of those they have defeated.

I don’t know if this is going to be two books or three but this first book is really good read. Anyone who loves history will enjoy this trip back in time to the court of a man far too young to to be king surrounded by nobles who were more concerned with going to war and their own interests rather than the governing of the kingdom. Richard had no strong well of support so he leans on his friends. These friends are hated by the lords of the land for they think they are giving him bad advice. Richard feels his uncles and the other Lords are trying to control him.

It’s a well researched and fascinating look at this enigmatic king. Ms. Rochelle brings Richard to life as a young man who was taught that he was King and that he was in charge. When he wanted to pursue peace with France instead of continuing wars there was uproar. Despite the fact that the taxes that were necessary to pay for the wars caused an uprising that almost cost Richard his reign. Soldiers want to fight and that is that.

It’s the kind of a book that I found myself lost in. Despite knowing what would be I still read each page with hope that history had somehow changed. That will have to wait for the next volume of the book as this one ended with Richard asserting his authority. It was a powerful ending and a perfect place to begin the next chapter.½

This book is well written and well researched. It could be a very good book but some elements are lacking in the characters that seemed to be more a historical book description that coming alive on the page.
Many thanks to Top Hat Books and Netgalley

This is the last in a three-part series about the sons of Earl Godwine. It takes place in the time period when William the Conqueror was preparing to invade England. Told in the first person, it alternates among Harold, Tostig, and their brothers as well as sister, Editha.
It is a very detailed book with a lot of description, sometimes too much. I found it slowed the story-telling down for me. It's a historic time period I like, and the author is very knowledgeable. I'd give the book 3 1/2 stars.½

The story of the early years of the life of the father of the last Anglo-Saxon King of England, is convincingly re-imagined by author, Mercedes Rochelle. Godwin lived in a perilous time - Anglo-Saxon England was invaded by the Vikings; political alliances constantly fluctuated between native ruler and invader, and survival depended solely on one's political acumen and sword-arm. Though often maligned, Godwin was a survivor and a man of his times, and a man who would come to take a prominent role in the changing political direction of Anglo-Saxon Egland. I cannot recommend this book enough as I enjoy history's "villains" being brought to light, and look forward to the next installment.

This was the first book I read that has Godwine as the main character and it was great to see things from his perspective. We see how he manages to rise from a commoner to one of the most influential men in England.

I’m in two minds how I felt about this book and probably the biggest reason is that I couldn’t relate to Godwine. He’s like I met this total stranger in the forest, he seems like a nice fellow so why don’t I join him and turn traitor to my country? Simple as that. And off to kill your countymen you go. Hmm…

He falls in love with Gytha, who refuses his proposal and acts all haughty anyway, and king gives permission to marry her after Gytha’s brother is killed. She suspects Godwine is involved in the murder. Does it surprise that the marriage starts bit rocky? I just couldn’t understand why he wanted to marry her in the first place. I did like to see how they could turn that into a love match later on.

Godwine was a good hero for the book and it was fascinating to see how he manages to maneuver between difficult political times and different alliances. Later in the book we get another view of him when Edward the Confessor comes into picture.

I do love early English history. Many of the books I’ve read from that time period focus more on the kings and many have told the tale of Harold, Godwine’s son and the last Anglo Saxon king of England but this is the first book I’ve read that has told the story of Godwine. And told that story for the sake of Godwine not as a back drop to Harold’s tale.

It starts when Godwine is just a young boy and finds a warrior lost in his woods. Even at such a young age he figures out how to take the best advantage of a situation which shows off the sharp wit and intelligence that would carry him through his life as he befriends and becomes important to the Danish King Canute and ultimately becomes the first Earl of Wessex. He walks a fine line throughout his life making decisions that sometimes seem questionable.

I dove right in to Godwine’s tale – in fact I read this book in a day. Ms. Rochelle does an excellent job of bringing the reader into Godwine’s world whether he is in that forest with a lamb or on a ship at sea. A great man has been create and brought to life from the scraps left to history. I will eagerly await the next installment in this series½

I have not read MacBeth but that did not cause any problems with my enjoyment of Heir to a Prophecy. I had in fact, minimal knowledge about the story; I knew the main characters and the basics of the story but that was it. What I’m trying to impart is to not let a lack of knowing that story stop you from reading this one. If you do you will miss out on a really good book.

What you are getting in this story is a little bit of fantasy, a lot of war (blood and guts and all but it was a brutal time.) a little bit of romance and a ripping good tale of how the Stuart line came to be. It’s a period in history that I have not read much about so it was fascinating to me. Ms. Rochelle really knows how to bring a period to life and this was one of those books where I didn’t want to put it down and I truly felt as if I was living the story.

It starts with the murder of Banquo and moves through his son, Fleance’s life but really focuses on Banquo’s grandson, Walter, for it is through Walter that the witches prophecy will come true. Walter is at times a reluctant participant in his own life but he is a smart man who learns to control his temper and ultimately follows his path. I loved this character. Of course it’s all a mash up of fiction and fact but it is done so well that i was lost in the story and didn’t care. I followed up afterward to sort what was what as I always do.

The book is a page turner, well researched and just a fascinating look at a lost time in the history of Scotland and Wales. The record that is left is woven together with the bits from MacBeth and the author’s imagination to take the reader on a trip through time that won’t be forgotten.