By Sword and Storm by Margaret Skea

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(The Munro Scottish Saga Book 3)

Fictional Saga

1500s

France /  Scotland

“1598. The French Wars of Religion are drawing to an end, the Edict of Nantes establishing religious freedom in all but Paris. For the exiled Adam and Kate Munro, the child Kate carries symbolizes a new life free from past troubles, despite their lingering nostalgia for Scotland and the friendship of the Montgomeries. When Adam foils an attempt on the French king’s life the whole family are called to court. But religious tensions remain high, and Paris holds dangers as well as delights. For the Munros and Montgomeries alike, these are troubled times…”

Alas, I have not read the first two books of the series – this third part, which I believe is the Grand Finale of the series – wasn’t, perhaps, the best place to meet such vividly drawn characters, so I’ll have to go back to Book One and the beginning. By Sword And Storm is fine as a stand-alone, but all good things are best started at the beginning right?

The Munro family, consisting of Adam, Kate, his wife and their children are in France with Adam and eldest son, Robbie, serving Henri IV with duties which include being a personal bodyguard to the French King. Ms Skea obviously knows her facts and the research, which seems impeccable, is deftly woven in with the imagined fictional scenes, with real people rubbing shoulders alongside the made-up ones.

I found the novel interesting because I have heard of the Edict of Nantes and the Huguenots but knew very little of the details behind both. Reading a well-written novel about the subject is a very good way of discovering more about history as opposed to wading through what often tends to be a dry academic history book.

The scenes set in Scotland were just as interesting as those set in France, the feuds, the political upheavals, the laws made by James VI – which in this instance included the ban of duelling, a law which was mostly ignored (for many years!)

My only nit-pick would be the depth of the complex political issues which needed detailed explaining. The detail here was probably necessary but I did somewhat stumble over them, again possibly because I know nothing of this period of history – French or Scottish – and I have not read the first two in the series, which may make the stumbles more likely. I don’t want to say some of this political necessity was tedious, but I do admit to skipping a few sentences.

However, the  details of general  life at a royal court or in a remote Scots croft were a delight to read, as was, overall, this gripping, expertly written  novel.

© Anne Holt

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A Discovering Diamonds review of Ike and Kay by James MacManus

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AMAZON CA

Biographical fiction

1940s

Europe

“In 1942, Kay Summersby’s life is changed forever when she is conscripted to drive General Eisenhower on his fact-finding visit to wartime London. Despite Eisenhower’s marriage to Mamie, the pair takes an immediate liking to each other and he buys Kay a rare wartime luxury: a box of chocolates. So begins a tumultuous relationship that, against all military regulation, sees Kay traveling with Eisenhower on missions to far-flung places before the final assault on Nazi Germany. The general does dangerously little to conceal his affair with the woman widely known as “Ike’s shadow,” and in letters Mamie bemoans his new obsession with “Ireland.” That does not stop him from using his influence to grant Kay citizenship and rank in the US army, drawing her closer still when he returns to America. When officials discover Eisenhower’s plans to divorce from his wife they threaten the fragile but passionate affair, and Kay is forced to take desperate measures to hold onto the man she loves… Based on the scandalous true story of General Eisenhower’s secret World War II love affair, Ike and Kay is a compelling story of love, duty, sacrifice, and heartbreak, set against the backdrop of the most tumultuous period of the twentieth century.”

Ike and Kay is the fictionalised account of the factual war time affair between married General Dwight Eisenhower and his assistant-turned-driver Kay Summersby; an affair which started in 1942 and came to an end after the conclusion of the war.

I didn’t know this detail about Eisenhower until I read the blurb for this book and found the story particularly interesting and well-told. The background is researched and fascinating, too, although there are some historical inaccuracies. From Eisenhower’s first arrival in Britain, his rise in rank to his war involvement in North Africa and Berlin, I learned a lot of minor and major detail about the military operations and about the person himself - Eisenhower.

I have to be honest as a caution to those reading this novel for the romance aspect – the blurb states: ‘The sweeping love story at the heart of the Second World War” yet I did not feel any empathy of emotional love between the two main characters. It is a war story about two people, not a ‘romance’ tale.

That caveat aside, it is worth reading as a work of historical fiction and will please those who appreciate something a little different to the usual World War II  stories.

© Christoph Fischer

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A Discovering Diamonds review of The Jacobite’s Wife by Morag Edwards

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Biographical Fiction
Late 17^th/early 18th centuries

England/France/Scotland

Based on real people and true events, this is the story of Lady Winifred Herbert. Her parents, the Earl and Countess of Powis, are forced to leave England after supporting the Catholic King James II, being accused of treason and imprisoned in the Tower. Winifred joins them at the court of the exiles at Saint-Germain in France where she meets her future husband, William Maxwell, Earl of Nithsdale. All are fervent Jacobites except Winifred, who is less so.  The marriage is a happy one, and when they return to Scotland, Winifred cherishes dreams of settling down to a comfortable life and raising a family. William has other dreams that centre around the Jacobite movement.

I found Winifred to be a contradictory character. At times I wanted to root for her, and just as often I wanted to slap her. For example, she criticises William for his involvement in Scotland’s affairs instead of staying home and looking after his estate, and yet goes proudly with him to a gathering of the clans where the purpose is to organise a rebellion. Again, learning that her husband, an irresponsible but charming wastrel, is heavily in debt, she tells him to cut down on his spending, but when he buys a cute little pony and trap for them to tool around the estate in, she forgives him at once. For the first half of the book, she comes across as self-centred and self-absorbed, as when her mother dies, “How could she leave me?’ and the same when her sister enters a convent. However, without giving anything away, she redeems herself in the end.

The relationship between Winifred and Grace, her maid/companion/friend, is heartwarming and an enjoyable aspect of the book.

The story is well written, with natural dialogue but few descriptions. Although it’s a slow starter, I never lost interest. I recommend it for those interested in Scotland’s independence movement and Jacobite period.

© Susan Appleyard

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