Title: In the Shadow of the Storm Series: The King's Greatest Enemy
Author: Anna Belfrage
Read copy: eBook (Kindle)
Published: October 28, 2015
Publisher: SilverWood Books
ASIN: B017BUF02E
Adam de Guirande owes his lord, Roger Mortimer, much more than loyalty. He owes Lord Roger for his life and all his worldly goods, he owes him for his beautiful wife—even if Kit is not quite the woman Lord Roger thinks she is. So when Lord Roger rises in rebellion against the king, Adam has no choice but to ride with him—no matter what the ultimate cost may be.
England in 1321 is a confusing place. Edward II has been forced by his barons to exile his favourite, Hugh Despenser. The barons, led by the powerful Thomas of Lancaster, Roger Mortimer and Humphrey de Bohun, have reasons to believe they have finally tamed the king. But Edward is not about to take things lying down, and fate is a fickle mistress, favouring first one, then the other.
Adam fears his lord has over-reached, but at present Adam has other matters to concern him, first and foremost his new wife, Katherine de Monmouth. His bride comes surrounded by rumours concerning her and Lord Roger, and he hates it when his brother snickers and whispers of used goods.
Kit de Courcy has the misfortune of being a perfect double of Katherine de Monmouth—which is why she finds herself coerced into wedding a man under a false name. What will Adam do when he finds out he has been duped?
Domestic matters become irrelevant when the king sets out to punish his rebellious barons. The Welsh Marches explode into war, and soon Lord Roger and his men are fighting for their very lives. When hope splutters and dies, when death seems inevitable, it falls to Kit to save her man—if she can.
My rating:
***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***
DNF @ 20%
This is supposed to be a historical novel with a romantic undertone, but except for it being set in the Medieval times and featuring a female and male protagonists, there wasn't much "history" happening.
There was an arranged marriage, a switch of bride with a husband not being very gentle on the wedding night because he thought his new wife wasn't a virgin, some wife-beating, jealousy coming out of the left field, inability to communicate, silent treatment...All in the first 20% of the book with the supposed historical environment and background conspicuously absent.
The hero was an asshole, most of the heroine's family were hypocritical bastards, the heroine was quite a shrinking violet, both protagonists were suddenly in love...And I was bored.
There was nothing really wrong with the narrative style (except for the rather jagged feeling in some scenes; it looked like there were pieces missing like they were ruthlessly edited without bothering to smooth out the edges), it were the characters and the story itself that were the problem, so I threw in the towel.
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