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Gisborne: Book Of Pawns (2012)

by Prue Batten(Favorite Author)
3.92 of 5 Votes: 3
languge
English
genre
publisher
Darlington Press
series
The Gisborne Saga
review 1: By far most of the historical fiction that I read is full of the twang of many bowstrings and ballista, the thrust of gladius and spear, the tromping of hobnailed caligae, however at the behest of my Twitterverse friend SJA Turney and after reading her blog posts I finally succumbed and decided to read Gisborne Book of Pawns by Prue Batten. A wise choice as it turned out.The author has given us a wonderful re-telling of the story of Sir Guy Gisborne and the Lady Ysabel of Moncrief. The story is set during the beginning of Richard the Lionheart's reign. It begins with the arrival of Gisborne in Aquitaine to escort Ysabel back to her home at Moncrief as her mother has died and her father is in dire straits. This sets up one of the main story lines; the tension between Si... morer Guy and Lady Ysabel. Other plots and sub plots are also evident bringing to the reader a sublime set of surprises and twists. The two main characters are beset with emotions, Gisborne's arising from his past and his desire for his future and Ysabel's awakening to reality.The turmoil of Ysabel's soul and the conflicts in her heart and mind are presented in such a way as to make it seem like Ysabel's thoughts seep through the pages and enters the hearts and minds of the readers. This exquisitely compelling style of prose is what kept me entranced through the entire book. As an example I include this excerpt(no spoiler):I dared him – so help me as I gazed at that severe face, I dared him. And it seemed as though we clashed close in our duel, our hilts jamming, our breath dragging in and out. He shook off my weapon and felled me with one blow. ‘Yes,’ he said.The supporting cast of characters are also fascinating from the redoubtable Lady Cecilia, the various nuns and priests to the main antagonists, Halsham and de Courcey. I am now a fan of Prue Batten and heartily agree with another fan who once told me that she could write a phone book and make it compelling. I look forward with great anticipation to the rest of these saga. 5 stars indeed.
review 2: This book was very easy to read. The story was not cluttered with excess words or characters, but the grammatical errors were disconcerting. In general the hero and heroine gave and received mixed messages resulting in perils that rivaled those of Pauline. To be fair to Adam of Eden, the Lady Ysabel caused most of the trouble she and Guy of Gisborne encountered because she would not heed Guy's advice and instruction. I sense that in the sequel to be published next year, this author might have a surprise or two in store for readers. less
Reviews (see all)
crada
A mistake... Not a historical novel, but a romance. I hope the ladies don't really think this way.
Cricketman
bit slow, very detailed though and good character development
sarah632
*This* is how I always imagined Guy of Gisborne to be :-D
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