Going Medieval – Guest Post and Giveaway with Elise Cyr

Whenever the subject of my book comes up, whether I’m with friends, family members, or someone I’ve just met, I invariably get asked why I chose to set my debut novel Siege of the Heart in medieval times. There’s an easy answer: the story required it. But that rarely satisfies since what the person is really asking is what is the appeal of medievals.

 

Let’s face it. Medievals often get a bad rap. Set during the Middle Ages (affectionately called the Dark Ages due to the cultural and economic decline throughout Europe), they usually feature members of nobility (while technically classist, everyone else was too busy toiling to have adventures) and your traditional alpha-male hero (which can be problematic for modern readers given the gender equality issues of the time). To top it off, let’s just say some of the historically accurate details of the time are less than…palatable. (A good rundown is here.)

 

And yet… I and many other readers love them. Why is that?

 

Escapism plays a big role, for me at least. There was a time when I wanted my very own knight in shining armor to whisk me away on a grand quest. Clearly, I consumed too many fables and fairy tales growing up. But these fantasies are linked to history, a brutal past to which the remains of any castle will attest. I’ve found medieval times come the closest to evoking the world of fairy tales. The historical details not only provide a link to that storied past, but also reinforce the distance between that time and now. This results in a safe space to escape to again and again.

 

Another reason I enjoy medievals is how high the personal stakes can be for lovers of the time period. The concept of marriage in medieval times was essentially a business transaction. Love was not an emotion regular people could afford to have when so much of their day was focused on survival. So any love match of the period was really something special, since too often they went against the wishes of their families and their liege lords when they chose love over duty.

 

Still not convinced? Consider this: Knights were the soldiers of the day. Training started early for boys, creating lethal men (so long as they lived to see adulthood). In addition to knowing how to wield a sword, they were usually trained in another weapon (ax, bow, spear), taught how to control a warhorse, and had to wear thirty to fifty pounds of chain mail. Such a regimen would result in a fine physical specimen, don’t you think?

 

Thanks again to RR@H for hosting me!

 

 

About Siege of the Heart:

He fought for king and country, but that battle was nothing compared to the one he’ll wage for a woman’s heart.

Still reeling from the news of her father’s death during the Norman Conquest, Isabel Dumont is unprepared when trouble arrives at the castle gates. Alexandre d’Évreux, a Norman knight with close ties to England’s new king, has arrived to secure the land and the loyalties of the Dumont family. Desperate to protect her people, Isabel strives to keep the confounding knight at arm’s length and hide the truth about her father’s death.

For Alexandre, the spoils of war come with more than just a generous gift of land. They come with Isabel Dumont. Vowing to marry only for love, Alexandre finds himself in a difficult situation as a conqueror granted dominion over the land and its people. Isabel is the one person capable of helping him win the regard of those living in the war-torn country…if he chooses to accept her.

Just when Alexandre finds a spark of hope that he and Isabel have a chance at love, she vanishes. His quest to find her plunges him deeper into the conquest’s fallout. Was she taken? Or did she leave?

CONTENT WARNING: Entering into this novel may cause extreme affection toward knights of old, admiration for strong-willed women, and the overwhelming belief that love really can conquer all.

 

About Elise Cyr:

 

I’ve always loved adventure, romance, and happy endings. I write primarily in the medieval period. Because there’s still so much we don’t know about that time in history, the writer’s imagination is essential for fleshing out the research and making it come to life on the page. Plus swords and castles are just plain fun.

 

I live in New Mexico with my husband and the sweetest dog ever. When I’m not writing, I hike, bike, cook, and (of course) read. Siege of the Heart is my debut medieval romance. You can follow me on Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, or check out my blog.

 

Ready to go medieval? One random commenter will win an ebook of Siege of the Heart (epub or mobi).

 

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Guest Review – Gambling with the Crown by Lynn Raye Harris

A Review of Gambling with the Crown by Lynn Raye Harris

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

Cover and Blurb:

UK Cover (left) and US Cover (right)

The crown of Kyr holds no appeal for pleasure-seeking sheikh Kadir al-Hassan—his memories of the kingdom are as dark as a desert’s night. But neither will he shirk his duty…. Instead, Kadir returns home with a bride so unsuitable, no one will want him to be king!

Long-suffering assistant Emily Bryant is the most important person in Kadir’s high-octane life, and the most invisible—until she’s promoted to royal bride! Sealing their marriage bargain with a scorching kiss leaves Kadir craving more….

Now Kadir must decide what’s really at stake in his royal game—his desert duty, or Emily!

Review:

Gambling with the Crown, the first in the “Heirs to the Throne of Kyr” series, was a quick read, and parts of it had me smiling while other parts of the novel had me shaking my fist in frustration. (But that was mostly Kadir’s fault.)

Kadir is a playboy sheik, who is used to getting what he wants, but I like that he stands up for Emily in the start of the novel. I also like that he’s smart enough not to be fooled by his ex for long. However, I wanted Kadir to me more alpha – yes, I’m spoiled – but he was a little too indecisive for my taste. I really wanted him to get on with it and “claim” Emily already – and no, I’m using that as a euphemism for my pervertedness.

On the other hand, I liked Emily. She was smart, goal-oriented and can tell Kadir off when he’s being too big of an ass, which can be often. And I like that Emily is able to keep her cool when facing some of Kadir’s gazillion exes.

But, undoubtedly, my favourite part of this novel was Rashid. He pretty much stole the show the second he came on scene, or rather page. He gave me more of an alpha-vibe than Kadir and although our hero had a tortured past, Rashid’s life and past seem more complicated and therefore more fascinating:

“To talk to Rashid was to think you were talking to an iceberg. It was only when you saw him that you realized he blazed like the desert.”

I did have one other quibble with the book, there is no “I love you” from the heroine. Okay, I know it’s there, but sometimes it’s nice to hear the words…so, Emily, out with it already. Harris, of course, deliberately stops Emily from saying the words and its part of the character development. But as for myself, I’m really hoping that Emily and Kadir make a cameo is Rashid’s novel, if only so I can hear her say it. (I am very single-minded about these things it seems.)

Overall, despite my quibbles because they are in fact personal in nature and have nothing to do with the author’s ability to write, I’m going to give this novel a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Read and enjoy,

Rika Ashton

 

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