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BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated Dauntless (Valiant Hearts, #1) in Books

Jan 2, 2019

Medieval England, the ruthless King John sits on the throne. And Lady Merry Ellison has but one mission: To see to the safety of her “men”.

Set in the year 1216, England is in ruin. The nation is divided, scores of outlaws live in the forest and they do what they must to survive. Lady Merry will do anything to protect the orphans that make up their band known as “The Ghosts of Farthingale Forest”. Timothy Grey longs to become someone of power and authority. So he sets out to capture the ghosts, not knowing who their leader is. Will he turn in the ghosts and earn approval from his master? Or will he follow his heart and the leading of God?

Dauntless is the first book that I have read by Dina Sleiman, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was very engaging and quite the page turner. I loved how she used older English, but not so “olde” that I couldn’t understand the book. The “Historical Notes” were very informative and helpful to read. I wish I would have read it first, even thought there are a few spoilers in it. Her portrayal of the supernatural was very vivid. I liked it a lot! This story was a good reminder that things happen in our lives that we don’t always understand. But we must remember that God has a purpose for everything. Although we may never know why, we must trust Him and know that He truly knows best. Yes, I know, easier said than done. But in this story, the journey of reestablishing faith in God was amazing to behold and I pray that it brings you hope.

I received a free digital edition of Dauntless from Bethany House Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Kudos

Deborah (162 KP) rated Fatal Colours in Books

Dec 21, 2018

Overall I thought this was a good book written in a very readable style. I've only given it 3 stars, however, as it does fall down in a number of ways.

First and foremost, the title of the book is a bit misleading. The Battle of Towton itself accounts for probably no more than a quarter of the text. I'm not saying the the rest of the book is bad, because it deals with the whole 'first half' of the Wars of the Roses and looks at how Henry VI's incapacity to rule (and the reasons for this) where in some degree responsible for the conflict, but it might be disappointing if you were expecting a full on coverage of Towton. You could try Andrew Boardman's book instead if you were interested in the battle.

My second disappointment was the introduction. Why would you ask Starkey, a well known Tudor historian, with a typical Tudor historian rabid anti-Yorkist views to write an introduction to a book ostensibly about one of the great Yorkist victories? This was one reason I held off buying this book for quite some time, not helped by the fact that the Kindle download sample was just part of this introduction, which wasn't helpful at all.

Goodwin delivered his own Coup de Grace in my eyes right at the end where he almost offhandedly accused Richard III of both the murder of his nephews (hotly debated, I admit, but without a shred of solid evidence) and then saying he 'probably' murdered Henry VI!!! Unless you take Shakespeare as gospel, there is absolutely no evidence at all for this and it's most unlikely. These couple of throwaway comments severely undermined Goodwin's credibility, which was a shame, as I felt that the book overall was good, but it makes me wonder if there was other sloppy research in there?