Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (2007)

Mystery,18th Century,Gay men

3.5 stars
Lord John Grey is still no Jamie Fraser, but it is interesting to read more of this world, and of the way things worked in the 1850's. ( )

Summary: Lord John Grey's mother is getting remarried, but that's not the only thing that's stirring up the memory of his father's death. Seventeen years ago, right before his apparent suicide, Lord John's father was accused of being a Jacobite traitor, an accusation which still weighs heavily on Lord John's mind, and which he and his brother have spent their lives denying. Now, pages from their father's journal - the same journal that might either exculpate or damn their father - are resurfacing, which means that someone involved in his death is still alive. But before Lord John can uncover the person behind the pages and finally put his father's ghosts to rest, life intervenes, in the form of a budding new relationship with his stepbrother that he must keep secret at all costs, and the perils that come with being an officer in the British Army.

Review: If it weren't for the fact that I already had Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade sitting on my shelf when I read Lord John and the Private Matter, I'd think that Gabaldon wrote it specifically to address my main issues with the first book. Specifically, I'd complained that the Lord John books pale in comparison to the Outlander series, because Lord John is just not as lively and compelling of a character as Jamie and Clare. But, after finishing Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade: I take it back! I take it all back!

In this installment, Lord John is just about the opposite of weak tea. Brotherhood of the Blade is very much a character-driven novel, and we get to see some of his inner fire that he usually keeps locked up pretty tightly. Over the course of the book, he has to wrestle with a lot of issues about family and honor and love and responsibility, and Gabaldon is not shy about putting him through the emotional wringer - and about giving the readers a close-up view of the process, instead of keeping her characters at a more staid and proper 18th century distance. My heart broke for Lord John more than once over the course of this book, and while he might never quite match Jamie's magnetism, he's certainly become a fascinating character in his own right.

Speaking of Jaime, he does show up several times in this book (which takes place in the gap between Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager in the Outlander series chronology). I was particularly struck by how different Lord John's Jamie is than Claire's Jaime, very hard-edged and tightly-wound and almost harsh. If this had been the first time I'd met him as a character, I doubt I'd have liked him much; and I'm impressed that Gabaldon was able to so effectively present such a different view of such a well-loved character.

The one downside to having such a character-focused novel is that the mystery plot - who is sending the pages and what do they know about Lord John's father - is put on the backburner for a lot of the novel. I found the mystery/politics/conspiracy subplot a little hard to follow, because most of the people involved appear on-screen very briefly (if at all), so it was hard to keep them all and their motivations (and their motivations of 20 years ago) straight in my head. But because the emotional heart of the story is in the repercussions of Lord John's father's death, rather than its causes, I don't think I missed much, and the bulk of the book was totally engrossing. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: This book could stand alone fairly well, but of course it will appeal most to Outlander fans who have read at least through Voyager. ( )

I quite enjoyed this book, I love any time I get to spend with Diana Gabaldon’s characters, and the more I read about Lord John the more I like him.

This book was pretty action packed – war, conspiracy, injuries, secret affairs, babies, marriages…what more do you need? The only thing I really want to know by the end is: What on earth is the Brotherhood of the Blade? That being said, everything else in the book is so beautifully tied up that you honestly don’t even notice the size of the book, which is over 500 pages.

To read the rest of my review, please visit:
http://www.dorolerium.com/?p=2377 ( )

Lord John is once again in the midst of a mystery. However, this time it is a mystery that has haunted his family since his childhood. Lord John's father, the late Duke of Pardloe, was found dead in his home, a gun in his hand and his reputation sullied with rumours of being a Jacobite sympathizer. Did the Duke kill himself? Lord John knows he didn't and is desperate to prove it and in the process, reclaim his father's honour.

I liked this book more than the first installment in the Lord John series. As the story moves between John investigating his father's mysterious death, John's love affair with Percy Wainwright and his preparations for war, the reader learns a great deal more about this nobleman. A large part of the book focuses on the growing relationship between Lord John and Percy, with well-written, tender love scenes as well as some rough and raunchy ones too. If you are a homophobic fool, this is not the book for you. Although Lord John finds himself growing more and more fond of Percy, he cannot dispel the feelings he still holds for Jamie Fraser. Lord John's unrequieted love for the Outlander Scotsman makes me feel sympathy for him, for it is a deeply felt love, one within his soul, one he cannot forget, even in the arms of another lover.

Once again, Diana Gabaldon is amazing in her descriptions of historical accounts, with gripping battle scenes that make you feel the explosions of the cannons as they tear through the air. I did find the story to be a bit convoluted at times, with many names and connections to be remembered. However, I truly enjoyed the personal insights into Lord John's life...his relationship with his older brother Hal, his growing love for another man, and his sense of honour. This is an interesting and engaging book, written with wit and humour and full of details of 18th century London society. I will surely be reading the third and final installment. ( )