This novel was- in a sense, fairly typical of the Genre in terms of the central love story between protagonists who initially cannot stand each other. The plotline of the feuding between three noble families was interesting and original, but overall I was disappointed, as the story could have been so much better.

The name of the male protagonist, Bayard, really did not work for me. I read recently that it was a popular name given to horses on the Middle Ages- so I thought of as a horses’ name rather than one suited to a person. Aside from that, my main issue was that I considered a lot of the major details to be implausible and historically inaccurate. I have said many times before (and may say many times the future) that forced marriage WAS ILLEGAL under church law from about the 1100s onwards, so I have a real issue with it being such a central feature of so many Medieval Romances.

This book was no exception. The forced marriage demanded Bayard by the King was something that featured prominently, and was often complained about. Yet, it was entirely inaccurate- not least in the scene when the marriage ceremony takes place and the priest asks Elianor if she willingly makes her vows. He responds for her by saying ‘She has no choice’. NO NO NO! That would be like announcing in the public square that your marriage was invalid and illegal- the church clearly taught and enforced the rule tha BOTH parties had to give their free consent for a marriage to be considered valid.

Considering that the validity of the marriage was so important, this just seemed totally illogical. It was stated (wrongly) that the marriage just had to be consummated with the free consent of both parties for it to be valid- but this seems like nonsense. Furthermore, the King could not technically force anyone to marry- he could encourage them, even pressurize them into marrying the person he wanted, but he could not make them if they were against it. To do so would be openly defying church law, and few Kings would have dared to do such a thing.
Also, the simple fact is that there exists evidence of noblewomen who did refuse to marry the person the King wanted, and chose to wed someone else.

I also didn’t agree with the vilification of King Edward III for using the noble families as ‘pawns’ by forcing them into marriage alliances. Medieval Kings HAD TO keep the nobility in check, those who did not usually came to a very bad end. What was the King supposed to do- just let them do what they wanted and let the anarchy and feuding continue? This seems suggested a lack of understanding for the socio-political background of this period, and a very modern, individualistic outlook on the part of the characters. Their circumstances also seemed a little- extreme- I notice that many of the female protagonists in Mrs Leigh’s medieval stories seem to be the victim of some kind of abuse- whether at the hands of a spouse or relative. I understand that there must be drama, and tension in the background of the characters to make things more interesting, but does it have to be made out that rape and domestic violence were simply normal and acceptable at this time and there was nothing any woman could do?

There was some good characterisation, the story did seem to improve about halfway through from the characters initial preoccupation with avoiding or having sex (though this still persisted to some degree). Yet t I am almost incline to think this would have been better as fantasy- i.e. not set in a real country or time period but an invented one, rather than historical fiction.
It was readable and enjoyable some level, and I found myself flitting over the non-graphic bedroom scenes. It should be stated that nothing was described in detail- but the characters just seemed to preoccupied with sex – with it consuming much of their time, thought and conversation in some parts of the book- and I really did not want to read about it.
Too many clichés and inaccuracies, a little hard to follow at times, and the changes of heart with some of the characters seemed too quick and easy. It seemed like one moment Bayard’s ex hates him, and the next she is asking for forgiveness- yet it did not seem genuine- more self-serving. Another reviewer has said that the books in the Age of Faith series by the same author seemed too melodramatic, and I am inclined to agree in this case.
Far too much ill-circumstance thrown at the characters before they could get their happy ending. What's wrong with a little more of the ordinary difficulties and challeges posed by everyday life?

There was a meaningful Christian theme about forgiveness and overcoming bitterness and mistrust, but, this story was really not my cup of tea, and I fear the message did not redeem to shortcomings of the story entirely.

I loaned a copy of this book for free and by personal request. I was not given a copy and was not required to write a review. ( )