A Trust Betrayed (Book One)
“Thirteenth-century Edinburgh comes off the page cold and convincing, from the smoke and noise of the tavern kitchen to Holyrood Abbey under a treacherous abbot. Most enjoyable.” —THE LIST
In the spring of 1297 the English army controls lowland Scotland and Margaret Kerr’s husband Roger Sinclair is missing. He’d headed to Dundee in autumn, writing to Margaret with a promise to be home for Christmas, but it’s past Easter. Is he caught up in the swelling rebellion against the English? Is he even alive? When his cousin, Jack, is murdered on the streets of Edinburgh, Roger’s last known location, Margaret coerces her brother Andrew, a priest, to escort her to the city.
She finds Edinburgh scarred by war—houses burnt, walls stained with blood, shops shuttered—and the townsfolk simmering with resentment, harboring secrets. Even her uncle, innkeeper Murdoch Kerr, meets her questions with silence. Are his secrets the keys to Roger’s disappearance? What terrible sin torments her brother? Is it her husband she glimpses in the rain, scarred, haunted? Desperate, Margaret makes alliances that risk both her own life and that of her brother in her search for answers. She learns that war twists love and loyalties, and that, until tested, we cannot know our own hearts, much less those of our loved ones.
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Review: A Trust Betrayed is the first book in the Margaret Kerr series and the first book by Candace Robb that I've read. I love mysteries and I really love historical fiction, so when the two are combined I'm really in my element.
A Trust Betrayed introduces us to Margaret Kerr, who is worried about her husband, Roger, who has been away from home without word for a very long time. His business partner, Jack, has turned up dead, murdered and she wants answers.
Margaret is a young woman and a very strong woman. She's probably stronger than most women of this time period. She sets out with her maid, her brother, who is a priest and heads for Edinburgh,which is not the safest place in Scotland.
Once there she encounters a lot of opposition to her questions. There is also a lot of death and somehow a lot of it ties into the doings of her husband, Roger. Her uncle, Murdoch, is helpful but only to a certain extent.
As this is part of a continuous series, you don't get all the answers you want when the book ends. You do get some and the ones that you don't get are the reason why you want to move on to the next book.
I slowly came to like Margaret as she started showing some spunk and I really wanted her to find Roger.
I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what happens next in Margaret Kerr's life.
Rating: 5 flowers
The Fire in the Flint (Book Two)
“Intrigue abounds…. Robb’s captivating blend of history and mystery vividly evokes medieval Scotland.” —BOOKLISTScots are gathering in Murdoch Kerr’s Edinburgh tavern, plotting to drive out the English forces. Margaret takes her place there as innkeeper, collecting information to pass on to William Wallace—until murder gives the English an excuse to shutter the tavern. The dead man was a witness to the intruders who raided chests belonging to Margaret’s husband and her father, the latest in a string of violent raids on Margaret’s family, but no one knows the identity of the raiders or what they’re searching for.
Margaret’s uncle urges her to escape Edinburgh, but as she flees north with her husband Roger, Margaret grows suspicious about his sudden wish to speak with her mother, Christiana, who is a soothsayer. Margaret once innocently shared with Roger one of Christiana’s visions, of “the true king of Scotland” riding into Edinburgh. Now she begins to wonder if their trip is part of a mission engineered by the English crown...
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A Cruel Courtship (Book Three)
“This is history as it should be told!” —GOOD BOOK GUIDEIn late summer 1297, Margaret Kerr heads to the town of Stirling at the request of William Wallace’s man James Comyn. Her mission is to discover the fate of a young spy who had infiltrated the English garrison at Stirling Castle, but on the journey Margaret is haunted by dreams—or are they visions?—of danger.
He who holds Stirling Castle holds Scotland—and a bloody battle for the castle is imminent. But as the Scots prepare to cast off the English yoke, Margaret’s flashes of the future allow her to glimpse what is to come—and show her that she can trust no one, not even her closest friends.
A CRUEL COURTSHIP is a harrowing account of the days before the bloody battle of Stirling Bridge, and the story of a young woman’s awakening.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Growing up, Candace Robb wanted to be a ballerina, tap dancer, folk singer, journalist—but on the day that she walked into Liz Armstrong’s undergraduate class on Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde, that all changed. A gifted teacher, lively, witty, always laughing even when cringing at a lazy response, Dr. Armstrong launched into the opening stanzas, and within a few lines Candace’s ears adjusted to the middle English—and she was hooked. Chaucer’s psychological study of the two lovers was a revelation to her. The next quarter was The Canterbury Tales. That clinched it. Candace went on to graduate work in medieval history and literature, and ever since she’s been engaged in bringing to life the rich culture of the period, from the arts to the politics. She is the internationally acclaimed author of thirteen crime novels featuring the sexy, brooding, clever Owen Archer, who solves crimes for John Thoresby, Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor of England, and the young Margaret Kerr, searching for her missing husband and her role in a Scotland overrun by English soldiers. Candace is currently under contract with Pegasus Books for a new crime series set in 15th century York, the Kate Clifford mysteries, which will debut in 2016.
Writing as Emma Campion, Candace has published two historical novels about the women of the English court in the 14th century, A Triple Knot and The King’s Mistress.
Born in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Candace grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has lived most of her adult life in Seattle, Washington, which she loves for its combination of culture, natural beauty, and brooding weather so like Yorkshire, Wales, and Scotland, which she visits as often as possible. She has taught the art of writing the crime novel in the University of Washington’s certificate program, and offers workshops in writing the historical novel and in creating and plotting the crime series. Candace (and Emma) blog about writing and medieval topics at A Writer’s Retreat, ecampion.wordpress.com.
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BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE
Monday, October 12
Interview at The Writing Desk
Tuesday, October 13
Review at Worth Getting In Bed For (A Trust Betrayed)
Spotlight at Just One More Chapter
Wednesday, October 14
Review at Book Nerd (A Cruel Courtship)
Spotlight at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book
Thursday, October 15
Review at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf (A Trust Betrayed)
Spotlight at Buried Under Books
Friday, October 16
Review at Worth Getting in Bed For (The Fire in the Flint)
Monday, October 19
Review at A Book Geek (A Trust Betrayed)
Character Interview at Boom Baby Reviews
Review & Interview at Singing Librarian Books (A Trust Betrayed)
Tuesday, October 20
Review at Singing Librarian Books (The Fire in the Flint)
Spotlight at The Lit Bitch
Wednesday, October 21
Review at Singing Librarian Books (A Cruel Courtship)
Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews
Thursday, October 22
Review at Worth Getting in Bed For (The Fire in the Flint)
Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection
Friday, October 23
Review at A Chick Who Reads (A Trust Betrayed)
Review at History From a Woman's Perspective (A Trust Betrayed)
Spotlight at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf
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1 comments:
Thank you so much for hosting a stop on Maggie's tour! I'm so glad you enjoyed the book!
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