THE ROSE & THE SHIELD

Author: Elaine Barbieri ISBN: 9780843960143 3/2009 HISTORICAL Publisher: DORCHESTER
Time Period: Medieval

His love could heal her heart. After Norman raiders killed her family and confiscated their holdings, Rosamund of Hendsmille dressed as a lad and dreamed of revenge. But even roughly chopped hair and breeches could not disguise her extraordinary beauty. Soon she was in a more urgent kind of danger—until an injured stranger rode into her life and taught her to trust again. Her tears could bring him to his knees. He became her shadow, her fierce protector, her lover, but even as he won her heart, Dagan feared that he could never keep it. As a warrior, he would fight to have the woman he’d claimed as his own. But when she realized that the loyalty he’d sworn to her belonged equally to the king she loathed, would she relinquish her hatred to save their love?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I waited a couple of days before I wrote up this review, because I wanted to allow myself some time to let the story sink in a bit. I was trying to decipher the main idea of what the story was about. Of course, there was a story in this book, but it was not strong enough to make me say, "Wow, this is a great book; you have to go out and buy it." But, what I would say is that it’s just okay; it has its moments, and if you like to read stories from this era, then yeah, here’s one for you. But THE ROSE & THE SHIELD is lacking that certain something to draw you in and wrap you up in the year 1075.

All of the building going on and the workers traveling back and forth became boring and monotonous; it was mentioned way too much. I just never really connected with this book like I expected I would when I read the jacket blurb. There was no real drama or action; everything was just day-to-day comings and goings with the same people. Right down to the fighting in the end, the scene was written like everyone was going out to a dance rather than preparing for a battle. And for de Silva to be the villain of the story I was very disappointed, to say the least, with how his story was written in the end. As for the jealous ex-lover, I thought she was going to cause drama; but nope, she just changed sides like she was changing a dress.

In the end, I have to say it was a drink that just didn’t quench my thirst. I wanted more. I have read other books from Ms. Barbieri, and I have nothing but respect for her writings, but I am sad to say that I was a bit disappointed with THE ROSE & THE SHIELD.

Sheila Smith