Garland of Straw
By Stella Riley
4.5/5
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About this ebook
The marriage of a well-bred Royalist lady and an illegitimate Roundhead Colonel is less a match made in heaven than a union doomed to hell. Unfortunately, Sir Robert Brandon's last will and testament leaves Venetia Clifford and Gabriel Brandon with little choice in the matter - deeply though they both resent it.
Their tempestuous relationship is reflected in the stormy events buffeting the nation as England slides inexorably into a second Civil War. Gabriel continues to serve in the New Model Army while, behind his back, Venetia engages in clandestine activities on behalf of the King; and the lives of both are further complicated when Gabriel's legitimate half-brother - to whom Venetia was formerly betrothed - returns from exile abroad.
While the Army and Parliament argue over the fate of the King, Gabriel realises that he has a dangerous anonymous enemy and Venetia finally begins to see the man rather than the Roundhead Colonel. As events gather pace, bringing the King to trial, the tangled web of danger and deceit surrounding both Gabriel and Venetia slowly tightens its grip.
Set against the compelling times which led to the execution of Charles 1, Garland of Straw is the story of a seemingly impossible love and also provides further chapters in the lives of characters previously encountered in The Black Madonna and A Splendid Defiance.
Stella Riley
B.R.A.G. Medallion honoree and Readers' Favorite award-winning author Stella Riley trained as a teacher in London and now lives in Kent. She enjoys theatre, dancing, reading and travel. She is fascinated by the English Civil Wars and has written six books set in that period. She loves the extravagant fashions of the mid-Georgian period, likes men with long hair and her current passion is for Baroque harpsichord music.All 6 books of the Rockliffe series (recommended in The Times newspaper!) are also available in audio, narrated by Alex Wyndham - as is the first in the new Brandon Brothers trilogy, A Trick of FateVisit Stella at https://stellarileybooks.co.uk for all the latest information on her books and her 'Who's Who' and Extras pages.Or find her at https://www.facebook.com/stellariley.books
Read more from Stella Riley
The Shadow Earl Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Splendid Defiance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
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The Black Madonna Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Garland of Straw Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The King's Falcon Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lords of Misrule Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
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Reviews for Garland of Straw
10 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unique romance. It took me a long time to finish, though, because of the density of the history behind the romance. But still worth it, if you like compelling and rich characters...
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5In 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 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.