Denise Domning

This is the first historical romance novel I have come across that primarily illustrates the medieval merchant class citizen. The unusual subject matter is a pleasant surprise. The book itself though, is more like a slap in the face, or a jolt to your senses. A light-hearted, whimsical read will be the last thing you will find among these pages. Denise Domning drags you through an emotional ringer in this unsettling and often harsh story. The story is told in flashbacks:

PAST: Johanna is the show more wide-eyed young daughter of the merchant of Stanrudde. She befriends Robert of Blacklea, a gangly youth, abandoned by his family and now living the life of a servant/apprentice for Johanna’s father. The two form an instant bond and forge together a beautiful young love. Katel is a mean-spirited bully; constantly tormenting Robert in fits of jealously. Unfortunately, Johanna is betrothed to Katel. In time, Robert believes he has no choice but to reluctantly step aside. When Robert does leave, Katel is delighted to see him go because it will leave the devastated Johanna under his power. Katel does finally get his betrothed but he never gets her love and for that perceived insult, his hatred begins to grow...

PRESENT: Johanna of Stanrudde would have preferred to stay in the convent where she sought refuge from her vindictive husband, Katel el Espicer. Katel summons Johanna home; unbeknownst to her, to start the wheels turning on his insanely, intricate plot for revenge. Robert, now of Lynn, is a successful merchant in his own right. Katel lures Robert back to the home of his youth and back to Johanna for the unrelenting struggle of his life.

Domning’s descriptions are painfully realistic. The mob scenes alone were extremely disturbing. Also disturbing, were Johanna and Roberts’s seemingly hopeless situation. This is not a happy book. Circumstances in the past forced the two apart and circumstances in the present brought them back together. However, being together, doesn’t solve their problems; it only makes matters worse. Johanna has her son to consider. Plus, she is furious that Robert had abandoned her in the first place to suffer as Katel’s wife. Robert for his part, doesn’t want to destroy her husband, which in turn would destroy Johanna. Even so, theirs is a strong, enduring love, despite their years of separation. Now neither Robert nor Johanna is willing to forgo the second chance they’ve been given to be together. Even if that second chance costs them everything.

The story is filled with the regrets of youth and the fervent wishes for a new and fulfilling future. The flashbacks were different, but didn’t bother me too much. It was the raw, agonizing, intensity of the story that had me racing to get to the end so I could put the book away and relax. Whew! show less

It is the year 1194 and Sir Faucon de Ramis has barely had time to accept his appointment as the new Keeper of the Pleas or Crowner (Latin: custos placitorum coranae from which the word ‘coroner’ was derived) when he has been called to the scene of what looks like an accident. However, the victim, the local miller, was very unpopular and there were many who had reason to kill him. There are also some who are not happy with Sir Faucon’s appointment and his lack of experience and he must show more tread softly if he is to uncover the truth. To make matters worse, he has been assigned a very troublesome monk as his assistant whose insistence on questioning every decision Faucon makes could jeopardize the investigation.

Season of the Raven is the first historical mystery by author Denise Domning who is known for her historical romances. Happily, at least for me, there is no romance here. Instead, the story is concerned primarily with introducing the reader to the main characters (this is clearly the first in a series) and with the methods used to solve the crime. There was not a lot of action here and character development is minimal. However, these issues didn’t detract from the story or mean I didn’t enjoy it. I did…a lot - it is both intelligent and well written and it kept my interest from beginning to end. I look forward to the next book in the series. Author Domning adds a bit of a teaser to the plot and, if it’s anything to go by, the next book will be even better than this one. Definitely one for fans of Ellis Peters or Paul Doherty. show less

I purchased [b:The Seasons Series|16126646|The Seasons Series|Denise Domning|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352753881s/16126646.jpg|21950460], but I'll rate these guys one at a time, because, damn, they are 5 entire, actual books.

Winter's Heat was a nice romance, definitely not erotica or overly smutty, but the classic historical bodice ripper.

What was great about this book? The female lead wasn't "broken." She hadn't been beaten and abused, a victim of rape or some sort of other character show more that needed "saving" by the male lead. Which would have gotten this book 4 stars for me, except...

Baby drama. The female lead does, in fact, get pregnant quickly and we spend entirely too much time worrying about her and her baby which she does lose at a dramatic moment, of course. It's just annoying and something I don't enjoy in a romance book.

The author did a great job of balancing romance and plot with historical details. This clearly takes place in the dark ages, life isn't overly pretty for a minor noble, and I do have a liking for historical settings.

The female lead is all kinds of fiery and stubborn. She has her life set before her when she's stuck into a marriage she doesn't want because her father wants to get back at her mother (whose firstborn is a bastard). He marries her off to a lord better off than he, and of course the lord in question is all about her huge tracts of land (no really ;) ). The male lead ends up liking her because she's awesome. However, they are both temperamental, and he's broken and they don't trust each other. Lots of misunderstandings ensue, and just when you wonder when they'll bother to actually talk to each other and stop with the high drama, they do, and can engage in other plot shenanigans.

So far, the pittance I spent on the entire series was less than this book is totally worth, so I win. Let's just hope that the rest of the series follows as well.

ETA: I forgot to add. I read this on kindle. The chapter headings are not a larger font, but appear to be actual image files. I was using the kindle app on my phone to read it, and to reduce eye strain, I use a black background with white text. Since the graphic isn't transparent, but assumes a white background, it was very glaring. It's not a big issue, just a minor annoyance for anyone that reads like I do. show less

I purchased [b:The Seasons Series|16126646|The Seasons Series|Denise Domning|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352753881s/16126646.jpg|21950460], but I'll rate these guys one at a time, because, damn, they are 5 entire, actual books.

Winter's Heat was a nice romance, definitely not erotica or overly smutty, but the classic historical bodice ripper.

What was great about this book? The female lead wasn't "broken." She hadn't been beaten and abused, a victim of rape or some sort of other character show more that needed "saving" by the male lead. Which would have gotten this book 4 stars for me, except...

Baby drama. The female lead does, in fact, get pregnant quickly and we spend entirely too much time worrying about her and her baby which she does lose at a dramatic moment, of course. It's just annoying and something I don't enjoy in a romance book.

The author did a great job of balancing romance and plot with historical details. This clearly takes place in the dark ages, life isn't overly pretty for a minor noble, and I do have a liking for historical settings.

The female lead is all kinds of fiery and stubborn. She has her life set before her when she's stuck into a marriage she doesn't want because her father wants to get back at her mother (whose firstborn is a bastard). He marries her off to a lord better off than he, and of course the lord in question is all about her huge tracts of land (no really ;) ). The male lead ends up liking her because she's awesome. However, they are both temperamental, and he's broken and they don't trust each other. Lots of misunderstandings ensue, and just when you wonder when they'll bother to actually talk to each other and stop with the high drama, they do, and can engage in other plot shenanigans.

So far, the pittance I spent on the entire series was less than this book is totally worth, so I win. Let's just hope that the rest of the series follows as well.

ETA: I forgot to add. I read this on kindle. The chapter headings are not a larger font, but appear to be actual image files. I was using the kindle app on my phone to read it, and to reduce eye strain, I use a black background with white text. Since the graphic isn't transparent, but assumes a white background, it was very glaring. It's not a big issue, just a minor annoyance for anyone that reads like I do. show less