Desiree

The Roselynde Chronicles #7

by Roberta Gellis

Part of the Roselynde Chronicles. Marriage saved her from a tyrant…and kept her from the man she loved. In order to protect herself from a ruthless suitor, Desiree of Exceat married the aged Frewyn of Polegate, sacrificing passion in favor of platonic companionship. But three years later Frewyn is struck with an apoplectic attack, leaving him partially paralyzed. When France threatens to invade England, Desiree has no choice but to beg for help. Assistance comes from Sir Alexandre Baudoin, the sheriff of Sussex’s nephew, who is assigned to be the castellan of Desiree’s land. Frewyn warmly invites him into his home, unaware of Sir Alex’s burgeoning desire for Desiree. Torn between the two men, Desiree is desperate for any distraction…until Sir Alex’s brother arrives, armed with a plan to murder the sheriff—and return Desiree to the man from whom she escaped!

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Medieval

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2005

About the author

Roberta Gellis has been one of the most successful writers of historical fiction of the last few decades, having published about 25 meticulously researched historical novels since 1964. She was married to her husband Charles for over 50 years and they lived together in Lafayette, Indiana with a lively Lakeland terrier called Taffy. She has one child called Mark.

Her page at the Internet Speculative Fiction DataBase

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read most of the others in this series many years ago. Maybe this is not my favorite of Gellis' work, but it was much more satisfying than another historical romance I read recently to de-stress.. That one was so bad I am not even listing it in my books here!

I imagined the characters looking a bit different than this cover shows, Alex seemed more of a Prince Harry type to me, so that could be a bonus if you like him ( I know I have friends who do!) I thought Desiree was blonde, and that works with a scene near the end that made me think of Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

[Misfit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gellis fans will be disappointed with this entry in the Roselynde Chronicles. This book was apparently published in 2004 as an addition to and intro to a planned republishing of Gellis' beloved Roselynde books. The story is about Simon's nephew Alex who leaves his home in France after his mother (Simon's sister) dies. Simon and Alinore take Alex under their wing and after he is knighted he is appointed as the castellan for the aging Sir Frewyn and his young wife Desiree. Of course, sparks fly between the two, Alex's evil brother bungles (and I do mean bungles!) his way through his attempts to murder Simon at the order of King John and thus begins a very predictable and not well written historical romance.

I totally agree with the other two reviewers who felt this book was poorly executed, and I too felt that the characters were either black or white with no character development at all. Alex was wishy washy, his brother is the world's most incompetent spy and would-be murderer and Desiree is so irritating and immature at some points that I wanted to slap her. The love scenes were way over the top and at times so silly that I could barely slog through them. I also got very tired of the way Alex was always, well, er, ahem, "rising to the occasion" at the smallest glimpse or touch from Desiree. It got to be quite old after a while, and I would have wall-banged the book but it belonged to the library :0

I had planned on reading the rest of the Roselynde chronicles, but since it appears that the rest of them are not going to be reprinted and the used copies are a bit on the expensive side, I am sorry I will have to miss those wonderful books. I am just grateful that I was able to obtain this book at my library instead of paying the exorbitant price for this used book currently being offered via Amazon. I would have given two stars for the storyline, but I'll give Gellis an extra star for her knowledge of Medieval times and customs and being able to impart that knowledge into her storylines. Three stars.

[Rebecca Huston · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 'seventh' book in the Roselynde novels. While I was very happy to see the author coming back to the series, and have a story that featured Simon LeMagne, I was less than thrilled with the quality. Sadly, Ms. Gellis mostly seemed to be going through the motions here, and the tale of Desiree was rather rote. Still, bad Gellis is better than no Gellis. Somewhat recommended, barely four stars.

For the complete review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_21830...

[Lynnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The continuing saga of the Roselynde clan, is as enthralling and educational as all the books are. I have enjoyed Roberta Gellis' books for many years due to their detail and in-depth accuracy of history.Desiree' begins with her fresh acquaintance with the Roselynde descendants, which puts her of course in the line of vision of one of the "beautiful" men of that clan.. and excitement ensues.

[Helen Robare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book as much as the previous ones in the Roselynde Chronicles. I'm not sure why as the writing was the same as always but it just didn't catch my interest as almost all of Roberta's books have. It was readable so if you like the genre, go for it. It just didn't seem to be my cup of tea.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always enjoyed the author's books and this was no different. A nice, fast, enjoyable read.