Rebel by Linda Windsor

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing  RebelDavid C. Cook; New edition (June 1, 2012) by Linda Windsor
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Linda Windsor makes her home at a restored and "growing" late 18th century home on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Above the Windsor front door hangs a sign saying "Fort Necke, assigned 1684, established 1830," which means the land grant is older than the current building. She purposely left off the ageing brought on by the restoration to her mind and body - not enough space to accommodate the number. Chronologically, she admits to celebrating another birthday, just like the rest of us, each year on July 8th -- which also happens to be the anniversary of the day the Liberty Bell cracked.

Amid the often chaotic "country inn" atmosphere, Windsor has written quite a collection of historical and contemporary romances as both Linda Windsor and Linda Covington. Windsor's historical novels are known for her distinctive voice and flair for incorporating history with romance and adventure, while her contemporary romantic comedies are guaranteed to warm the heart, lift the spirit, and tickle the funny bone. Windsor insists that nothing is more entertaining than life itself, be it past or present.

With a degree in education from her local university, one of the greatest rewards to the innate teacher in Linda was hearing from readers that her Irish Gleannmara series was approved for some middle school English book reports as well as being used in home-schooling. To Windsor, entertaining, or keeping the pages turning, while educating is as much as any historical novelist can ask for.

ABOUT THE BOOK

With Merlin dead, the succession undecided, and the Celtic church on the defensive from Rome, intrigue sweeps the court of the High King Arthur. But it’s battlefield news that consumes Queen Gwenhyfar’s young scribe, Kella O’Toole: her fiancé is dead and her father gone missing.

Determined to find him at all costs, Kella defies the queen’s orders and sets out for Pictish territory. Her foster brother Alyn, a disillusioned priest who questions his calling, agrees to help her. The journey itself is perilous. But it’s their secrets that land Kella and Alyn in a viper’s nest of treachery that threatens both their lives and the future of Albion.

Can they summon the love and faith they need to find their way not only out of danger, but into happiness? Brilliantly researched, vividly imagined, and movingly written—a memorable climax to the Brides of Alba series.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Rebel, go HERE.

Review: Thief by Linda Windsor

Thief (The Brides of Alba #2)
By: Linda Windsor
Publisher: David C. Cook
ISBN: 978-1-4347-6477-5

About the book:

Sixth-century Scotland comes alive in a tale that sings with beauty, danger, intrigue, and redemption.

Caden O'Byrne is a disgraced mercenary with a death wish and one slim chance for redemption -- to find the long-lost daughter of the woman who healed his battle wounds. But Sorcha, kidnapped long ago and raised by Saxons, wants no part of his mission. A lovely minstrel with a heart for the helpless and a habit of lifting purses to finance her good works, she has her own problems -- a debt she can't pay and betrothal to a man she cannot love. Then a treacherous murder sends Caden and Sorcha fleeing for their lives. Will they find a second chance together?

Review:

After a failed coup -- orchestrated by his witchcraft-practicing wife -- Caden O'Bryne is banished from his homeland and family. Alone and disgraced, he survives as a mercenary soldier of fortune, longing for the day when death will grant him a hoped-for oblivion from the sins of past. Serving under Mordred, King Arthur's nephew, Caden wins royal favor when he saves the high king from death by a Saxon's blade. Brought back from the brink of death and demonic visions by a desperate call for mercy on the name of Christ, Caden resolves to make the most of his undeserved reprieve. Hoping to repay the kindness and hospitality of the woman who nursed him back from the brink of death, Caden travels deep into Saxon-held territory in search of her lost daughter Sorcha, kidnapped as a child. Caden finds Sorcha faster than he'd dared to hope, but the flame-haired scop (entertainer) is loathe to leave the only life she's ever known, saddled with commitments and a convenient, though undesired, betrothal. Caden and Sorcha are forced to join forces in order to survive when common enemies frame the pair for murder, sending them fleeing for their lives. With only a fledgling faith between them and a desperate hope for redemption, Caden and Sorcha soon realize that accepting the gift of grace, freely given, may be their greatest challenge in their fight for a future free from fear and regret.

Healer, Windsor's first novel in The Brides of Alba series, was one of my favorite reads of 2010 and with Thief she's surpassed herself. Simply put, I love everything about this book! Here Windsor continues the thesis she set forth in Healer -- shining a light into the Dark Ages of history and revealing the vibrant faith of the early Christian church in sixth-century Scotland under the rule of Arthur of Dalraida, the only historically documented Arthur of legend. As is per the norm in Windsor's historical fiction of this ilk, Thief is saturated with rich historical detail and research, lending everything from the setting, clothing, customs, and speech the ring of authenticity resulting in a wholly absorbing reading experience. Where Healer focused on the tension between the Christian church and still widely prevalent pagan belief systems, Thief delves deeper into the Church's attempts at peaceweaving or arranged marriages between Christian princesses and pagan princes, fostering peace between warring factions and planting churches in previously unreachable territory. Through Eavlyn, the princess in question in this case, Windsor explores a secondary aspect of her thesis -- reclaiming the history of the study of the stars within the context of Christian faith.

In conjunction with this rich dose of history, Windsor once again spins an unforgettable love story against the backdrop of a time of danger and turbulent social and political change. Through Caden's association with Mordred, and the latter's interest in Scotland's historical pagan religions vs. dictates from a far-off Roman Church, Windsor hints at the discord of Arthurian legend. Like her best couples, Caden and Sorcha are passionate, wounded souls in desperate need of redemption -- what sets this pair apart are the sparks that fly whenever they meet. Caden and Sorcha are two of Windsor's most passionate creations, their love all the more powerful thanks to a simmering realization that it is a gift from the God who saw them through their darkest hours. Windsor is a master at penning a swoon-worthy love story, but what sets Thief apart is the completely organic, authentic manner in which she incorporates faith, proving the two are most definitely not mutually exclusive -- indeed it is a passionate illustration that faith is the bedrock that enhances relationships, romantic or otherwise.

Thief is a rollicking, non-stop adventure, a romance stitched together with a thread of faith that speaks to the author's passionate confidence in the transformative power of a life whole-heartedly sold-out on the promises of a God who never fails to answer when we call. I cannot wait for the next volume in this series -- Rebel -- coming this summer!

******

And just for fun, this is how I pictured Caden while reading Thief -- Chris Hemsworth (film still from the upcoming release Snow White and the Huntsman). Small wonder I loved this book so much, hmm? *wink*

Review: Healer by Linda Windsor

Healer (The Brides of Alba #1)

By: Linda Windsor
Publisher: David C. Cook
ISBN: 978-1-4347-6478-2

About the book:

A prophecy launches this family saga of strife and superstition in Arthurian Scotland and of the healer whose love and faith are its only hope.

Her mother’s dying prophecy to the chieftain Tarlach O’Byrne sentenced Brenna of Gowrys to twenty years of hiding. Twenty years of being hunted – by the O’Byrnes, who fear the prophecy, and by her kinsmen, who expect her to lead them against their oppressors. But Brenna is a trained and gifted healer, not a warrior queen, so she lives alone in the wilderness with only her pet wolf for company. When she rescues a man badly wounded from ambush, she believes he may be the answer to her deep loneliness. Healing him comes as easy as loving him. But can their love overcome years of bitterness and greed…and bring peace and renewed faith to the shattered kingdom?

Review:

Joanna, a trained healer, chose to marry for love – and her fateful decision drives a wedge between two once-close foster brothers, leaders of the neighboring Gowrys and O’Byrne clans. When Tarlach O’Byrne’s obsession with Joanna turns violent, his bloody act sets in motion twenty years of bitter clan feuding, fed by Joanna’s dying promise – that her infant daughter would divide Tarlach’s house and usher in a peace beyond his comprehension. In the ensuing decades, Ronan, the O’Byrne heir, has grown weary of the self-destructive nature of his father’s obsession to kill the Gowrys heiress. When Ronan is attacked by a would-be assassin, the one woman he’s been reared to fear and hate nurses him back from the brink of death. Forced into a life of isolation, Joanna’s daughter Brenna carries the knowledge of her mother’s final words heavily on her shoulders – she’s a healer, not the savior the Gowrys clan desires or the wolf-woman monster the O’Byrnes fear. She longs to practice the healing arts and live her faith openly, and hopes the stranger she saves could be the answer to her heartfelt prayers. Bound by decades of fear, guilt, and bloody feuding, both Ronan and Brenna will find their faith and love tested as never before if they are to be the long-promised catalysts for peace between their warring families.

With Healer, Linda Windsor returns to what she does best in my eyes – shining a light into the Dark Ages and illuminating a fascinating period in time, the rich history and traditions of the early church. Windsor deftly weaves a vibrant tapestry of family jealousy, vengeance, forgiveness, and love during a turbulent time when pagan beliefs vied for prominence with the rise of the early church. In my view no one can spin a meaty, substantial tale set during the Dark Ages and fill it with enough passion and danger to keep you turning pages quite like Windsor. What makes Brenna and Ronan’s story even more compelling is that this time, Windsor crafts her story against the backdrop of the only historically documented Arthur, prince of Dalraida in sixth-century Scotland. I’ve always loved the stories and films of King Arthur and his knights, everything from the unabashed romanticism of Knights of the Round Table, to the gritty realism of King Arthur, to the magic and humor of Merlin. Reading about the historical Arthur and his attempts to unite the chieftains under his rule, his wise warrior-queen bride Gwenhyfar, and his advisor Merlin Emrys, a Christian druid and bishop in the Celtic Church, made for utterly absorbing reading. These characters, so familiar to fans of the legends, spring to life in a new and authentic way in the pages of Healer. I loved the authenticity, historical context, and epic feel these figures – the roots of many a beloved legend – lend to the storyline.

In addition to a liberal dose of history – including fascinating information regarding the fate of the Davidic line after the Jewish diaspora at the end of 2nd Kings – I also adore the love story Windsor spins within the pages of Healer. She excels at bringing passionate, wounded characters in search of healing to vibrant life. Brenna, and especially Ronan, are so fully realized so true to the time period, that I found it impossible not to be wholly immersed in their world. Windsor deftly illustrates the delicate push-and-pull between the Christian Celtic Church and the deeply entrenched pagan beliefs still so prevalent during this time period. When it was so easy for superstition to rule the day, the Christian practice of “nature magic” (i.e., the use of herbs and natural remedies to facilitate healing) to be misconstrued, feared, or in conflict with those who practiced spiritually dark arts. Healer is an epic tale of tragedy, love, and redemption set against the unforgettable, turbulent backdrop of early church history. This is Windsor doing what she does best, shedding light into some of history’s darkest eras, and illustrating with an unwavering confidence the transformative, life-changing capability of wild, sold-out faith. I can not wait to read Caden’s story in volume two – Thief releases Summer 2011.