I have just finished reading the first part of this delightful and gripping historical omnibus and loved it. Not my usual crime fiction but a very satisfying and enjoyable historical romance.
The story starts in 1069 three years after the Norman Conquest of Britain. It follows the relationship between Avis, an young Anglo-Saxon noble woman and Melville, a brave Norman warrior rewarded by King William with a lordship and a wife. Both have suffered family losses and hardship, although it is Avis’s circumstances that the reader gets to know about first. The first part of the omnibus is told from the two perspectives of Anglo-Saxon Avis and Norman Melville as they both try to survive and make sense of their marriage that neither wanted. The historical detail is realistic and the reader soon learns of the different cultures of these two nations forced to live together amid a background of insecurity and war. Both lead characters are interesting and convincing and as the reader gets to know more of their inner thoughts and previous experiences it is hard not to think what they would do in similar circumstances. The story is told at a lively pace compelling you to turn the page to find out what happens next. A very satisfying read.
C J Browne 