Stella Riley

In this second entry in her Roundheads and Cavaliers series, set during the English Civil Wars, author Stella Riley turns to the story of Venetia Clifford, a minor character in the first book, The Black Madonna. Opening in 1647, in the Interbellum period between the First English Civil War (1642-46) and the Second (1648-49), the book centers upon the marriage of Venetia to Roundhead Colonel Gabriel Brandon, the illegitimate half-brother of her long-time fiancé, Ellis Brandon. Repugnant to show more both parties, the marriage comes about through the complicated will left by Col. Brandon's father, and Venetia consents only in order to save her own family's estate, and secure her mother and sisters' welfare. Gabriel, for his part, is motivated by a sense of duty. As their tense marriage develops, Gabriel and Venetia are caught up in the historical events around them, as the brief second civil war breaks out, and then the king himself is brought to trial. Ellis surfaces, proving through his many selfish and cruel actions that he isn't the man Venetia thought him, and the newly wedded couple must also contend with a shadowy figure intent on assassinating Gabriel...

Originally published in 1993, and then revised and updated in 2013, Garland of Straw is a book that I expected to enjoy every bit as much as its predecessor, and with one notable exception, it did not disappoint. Stella Riley does an excellent job capturing the complicated drama of her historical setting - the heartbreak of a country at war with itself, of families with members on both sides, of individuals who believe in their own cause, only to become all-too-aware that it has gone awry. The history was fascinating, and I came away, much as I did with the first book, with the thought that I should read more non-fiction about the English Civil Wars in general, and about that amazing thinker John Lilburne (Free-Born John) in particular. The best historical fiction makes the reader more aware of and interested in history, and Riley has certainly done that here! It was also a pleasure to meet characters from the author's previous books, from Eden Maxwell and his family - we even get some scenes with Kate and Luciano, back in England for Tabitha's wedding! - to Justin and Abigail, from A Splendid Defiance.

Unfortunately, despite all of these undoubted virtues, and despite the fact that I enjoyed the story overall, I was completely put off by the handling of the rape scene in the story. I began the story disliking Venetia for her snobbery toward Gabriel, and for her failure to act in a way she herself would define as honorable, by informing him of her previous liaisons with Ellis. Then, midway through the book, when Gabriel gets the wrong idea, and forces her to have sex, very much against her will, my dislike swung the other way. It's not that this development felt unnatural, in the context of the story, and given the social mores of the day surrounding sexuality and marriage (the man's 'right' to his wife's body), but the scene was written in such a way that it is incontrovertibly non-consensual, and deeply hurtful, if not physically, then spiritually. So it is that when Venetia realizes she loves Gabriel, and therefore concludes that it was not rape, and that he has nothing to apologize for, I was aghast. I can accept such a change (or development) of feeling, and I can accept forgiveness (on both sides), but the willful denial of reality just left me appalled, and the lack of honest resolution, or some kind of real expiation on Gabriel's part, deeply unsatisfied. I couldn't read any of the subsequent sex scenes without cringing, even though they were all consensual.

I wouldn't necessarily say that this one element ruined the story for me. I did enjoy reading it, and plan to continue with the series, in order to find out what happens to the various characters. But it certainly made the romantic aspects of the tale far less romantic for me! Recommended, with caveat, to readers who enjoyed The Black Madonna. show less

Reading this wonderfully engaging work of historical fiction, set during the English Civil War, I kept thinking of William Shakespeare Burton's painting, 'The Wounded Cavalier,' in which a Puritan girl comforts a wounded Royalist, while her disapproving Puritan companion (a brother, perhaps?) looks on. Set in Banbury, in Oxfordshire, Stella Riley's tale concerns the two sieges of Banbury Castle, held by Royalist forces against the Parliamentarians, and a star-crossed romance between Cavalier show more Justin Ambrose and Puritan Abigail Radford. Haunted by the events of his past, and his exile from his family and home, Justin hides his wounds behind a witty exterior, devoting himself to soldiering and to seducing women. The sister of a fanatical Puritan brother - the horrible Jonas Radford - Abigail lives a life deprived of light and laughter. As the events of the war unfold around them, these two souls grow closer, but confront a world where everything seems designed to keep them apart...

A Splendid Defiance is the fourth novel I have read from Stella Riley, following upon the romances A Parfit Knight, The Mésalliance and Lucifer's Champion, and it is by far the best of the lot. It is a romance, but it is more than that. The reader feels entirely caught up in the story, and transported to another time. The main characters are sympathetically drawn, and involve the reader in their struggles, while the secondary cast, whether heroic or villainous, is interesting as well. The historical setting and events are compelling, and the author captures the stupidity and tragedy of civil war. I'm always interested, when reading a story set during the English Civil War, to see how the Puritans are depicted, as so many authors, perhaps influenced by a natural repugnance for religious zealotry, perhaps by the fact that the other side won, tend to cast them as the more villainous side of the conflict, ignoring the repressive nature of monarchy, and of the established church. There was a little bit of that here, but on the whole I thought that Riley did a good job showing that not everyone on the Parliamentarian side of the war was a religious fanatic. Jonas and Samuel Radford, both Puritans, present quite a contrast in that respect.

All in all, an engaging and entertaining work, one that had me staying up far later than I should have, to finish reading it. I will definitely seek out more of Riley's work, and recommend this one to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and/or historical romance. show less

Fleeing from her predatory cousin after the death of her father puts him in control of her childhood home, Vanessa Tremaine encounters the notorious Duke of Lyndhurst when their coaches collide on the road to London. Her misfortunes continue when she arrives in the great metropolis, only to find that the godmother with whom she had hoped to find refuge is not willing to take her in, given her brief association with Lyndhurst. Known as 'Lucifer' for his many unworthy deeds, including the show more kidnapping of a number of young women, the duke unexpectedly steps in to help, making Vanessa his ward, and putting her in the care of his married sister. As our heroine experiences her first London season, she inevitably falls in love with her rescuer, only to believe that he has his eyes on another. Lyndhurst, in the meantime, believes himself unworthy of this innocent that had fallen into his hands...

Published in 1989, under the pseudonym of "Juliet Blyth," Lucifer's Champion is the third novel I have read from author Stella Riley, following upon her The Parfit Knight and The Mésalliance. Much like the latter book, I found it to be heavily influenced by Georgette Heyer's work. Specifically, The Black Moth, These Old Shades, and to a lesser extent, The Devil's Cub. Francis "Lucifer" Courtenay, Duke of Lyndhurst, is clearly a reworking of Tracy "Devil" Belmanoir, Duke of Andover from The Black Moth, and Justin "Satanus" Alastair, Duke of Avon from These Old Shades. The physical description of Lyndhurst and Andover is markedly similar, and their sartorial choices are also alike. The history of kidnapping women is something all three characters share - Avon himself was influenced by Heyer's earlier creation, Andover - and all three have devilish nicknames, as a result. The narrative here, in which the duke takes in a beautiful innocent, as part of a larger effort to be revenged upon his enemies, and falls in love with her, mirrors that in These Old Shades, while the scene in which Vanessa dines with Lyndhurst at the wayside inn suggested a similar episode in The Devil's Cub. Some of the dialogue between Vanessa and Lyndhurst here even duplicates that between Mary and the Duke of Andover, in Heyer's book!

I have no real problem with the idea of authors reworking Heyer's stories, although These Old Shades is not a book I admire, and I understand that Lucifer's Champion is one of Riley's earlier titles. Apparently it was not initially intended for the public, and was written as a kind of pre-internet fan-fiction - an homage to Heyer, whose family and estate gave permission for its publication, after reading through it. Given that this is so, the copious similarities cannot really be objected to, although they do make the book feel formulaic for those readers already familiar with Heyer's work. The story itself, much like that upon which it is based, does not appeal to me, and I find myself at a loss to understand Vanessa's willingness to overlook her duke's past behavior, given that she herself was fleeing from a sexual predator when she met him. I gave this one more star than I did These Old Shades, mostly because I think Riley did a better job of trying to address a possible change of heart in her devilish duke, although I still wasn't entirely convinced.

Riley does better work when she tells her own story, as in The Parfit Knight, and I do enjoy her writing style. Perhaps I will give her English Civil War story, A Splendid Defiance, a try. show less

The first installment of her four-volume Roundheads and Cavaliers series, set during the English Civil War, Stella Riley's The Black Madonna unfolds the story of Luciano del Santi, a Genoese goldsmith and money-lender intent on finding the Englishmen who betrayed his father to his death, and Kate Maxwell, the independent-minded daughter of a large and happy English family, whose father and brother espouse the Parliamentary side of the conflict. Opening in 1639 and closing in 1646, the book show more chronicles the fortunes of the Maxwell family: Parliament member and paterfamilias Richard, a moderate in an age of growing extremism; loving wife and wise mother Dorothy; eldest son Eden, a trained soldier and a Roundhead who marries a Royalist; daughter Kate, prone to many enthusiasms, and inexplicably drawn to Luciano; the rather shallow and promiscuous Amy, who has to be married off at a young age; and twins Tobias, who becomes Luciano's apprentice, and Tabitha, who befriends Luciano's sister. The narrative alternates between the Maxwell's story-line, and that of Luciano and his Turkish servant Selim, as they pursue the shadowy figure who orchestrated the murder of Luciano's father many years before. Eventually these two story-lines become one, and the Maxwells are drawn into Luciano's dangerous quest...

Originally published in 1992 and then revised and republished in 2013, The Black Madonna is the second novel from Stella Riley that I have read, following upon her A Splendid Defiance, that is set during the English Civil War. That earlier book chronicled the love story between a Cavalier soldier and a young Puritan woman, and although it is apparently not considered part of the Roundheads and Cavaliers series, it is connected to it. Both Justin Ambrose and Abigail Radford appear in the story here, the former on multiple occasions, the latter just once, in a memorable scene in which the appalling Celia slaps her across the face. As someone who greatly enjoyed Justin and Abigail's story, it was good to encounter them again, however briefly, and I particularly appreciated the scene in which Kate offers some aid to a clearly struggling Captain Ambrose, only to be informed that she is not the first Puritan maiden to do so! Leaving that aside, I found the story here immensely engaging, and appreciated the wealth of well-drawn characters. The historical events were fascinating - I really need to track down a good history of this period! - and the narrative emotionally involving. I found the death of Richard distressing, the ill-fated relationship between Eden and Celia horrifying - the latter's heartless behavior was infuriating to witness - and the growing rapport between Kate and Luciano quite satisfying. I don't know that I found the romance between Kate and Luciano quite as compelling as that between Justin and Abigail, but it was still immensely engaging. This is one I'd highly recommend, to anyone who enjoys good historical fiction with a romantic element to it. I look forward to reading the next entry in the series, A Garland of Straw. show less