A King Ensnared: A Historical Novel of Scotland (The Stewart Chronicles Book One) by J.R. Tomlin

 

Publication Date: November 16, 2013

Length: 288 pages

As I wrote on Sunday in my Stacking the Shelves post, I have seen Tomlin's books everywhere for years. I have had her Black Douglas series in my Kindle for a very long time. For some reason I just never was very interested in trying them. Probably because I've been immersed in the Crusades and the Plantagenets this time period in Scottish history just wasn't something I wanted to delve into. But looking for something different I decided to give this book a try. 

Young James Stewart is heartbroken at the death of his older brother, David Stewart, starved to death in a dungeon by his evil Uncle, the Duke of Albany who is plotting to seize power for himself. King Robert III is dying and in order to save James the decision is made to remove him from his scheming relatives' grasp. Before he can be taken to safety in France, he is captured at sea by pirates who take him to London where he is imprisoned by King Henry IV.  

Although he is deeply unhappy about his situation, James is nonetheless treated somewhat well by the King who resolves to educate him and treat him with some dignity. James grows to accept that he will probably not be let out anytime soon and as the years pass he tries to do the best he can with his frustrating circumstances. He trains as a knight, writes poetry, falls in love, and longs for Scotland and his birthright. When Henry IV dies and his merciless son Henry V becomes King, James finds himself often balancing a tightrope of demanding the respect he feels he deserves as Scottish royalty, while trying to hang on and not incur the wrath of the English monarch. He feels if he can be patient and focused enough, he might just find his way back to his homeland and all that awaits him there.

I learned a lot about this area of history that I didn't already know. I had read about James and his poetry but didn't really know all the background of his imprisonment and his interaction with both Henry IV and V. You really became fond of James due to his loyalty to his duty and his unwillingness to cave when faced with multiple attempts by the English to renounce his crown and be set free. James is very clear that he desperately longs for that freedom but will not be bought cheaply at the expense of his country. I thought he showed a lot of bravery and courage for his young age and know I couldn't fare as well as he did.

The book was just okay though. It had enough positives for me to recommend it if you are interested in the Stewarts and their early back story. And the author does a good job of describing life in the time and place she sets the story in. There is enough here for those who like battles as well as personal stories and like I stated above, you do become somewhat attached to James and his suffering. Unfortunately though it did become a bit slow and dragged as it went on. I found myself skimming towards the end. I know the next couple of books in the series deal more with life after his imprisonment and as he becomes King of Scotland so they might be better. There were too many battles and fighting for my taste too here but if you like that sort of detail it might be your thing. I'm not sure when I'll read the next one but the nice thing is they are fairly short, easy reads so you can pick it up and follow it without the need for deep concentration. Overall, a good, solid, well researched history story with a personal connection to the main character. 

Stacking the Shelves #12

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Enjoy your reading this week :) 

I have run across J.R. Tomlin books many times and had just not been interested. I'm not much into books that spend a lot of time in the minutiae of battles and wars. I think I assumed this was the style of her books but boy was I wrong! This is the first book in the Stewart trilogy set in the early 1400's and I am really enjoying it and learning a lot about Scottish history. Very entertaining and I hope to continue with this series. She has several others that look just as fantastic. 

This is book one of the Gabriel Taverner Mystery series by Alys Clare. Set in 17th century Devon, England it looks like an original premise with the main character being a former ship's surgeon who is now a country doctor. He ends up involved in solving a murder and investigating clues that lead him to the world of the silk trade. I love finding books set in this time period and know nothing about the town or the silk trade. So hopefully this is entertaining.

While reading Trouble in Nuala last week I looked into other books by this author. In addition to her historical mysteries set in Sri Lanka in the 1930's she also previously wrote historical fiction set in Paris in the 1800's. The two settings are so vastly different I wasn't sure I had the same person but apparently she wrote this set of books first, called The Paris Chronicles. I bought this first one and hope to tackle it soon. I enjoyed the first of her mystery series of books.

Trouble In Nuala: The Inspector de Silva Mysteries (Book One) by Harriet Steel

Publication Date: August 10, 2016

Length: 202 pages

Last week I reviewed a book that was a historical mystery set in India. When I stumbled across this book (thanks book blog reviewer Cathy at Between the Lines!) set in Sri Lanka circa 1930's I was glad to see another cozy series featured in that part of the world.

Native born Inspector de Silva is living the good life in the fictional town of Nuala on the island of Ceylon (later named Sri Lanka.) He and his English born wife Jane have a lovely home with a peaceful garden and calm ambience away from the bustling city life of nearby Colombo. His small police station consists of himself and two other assistants, who spend their time with minor disruptions to country life, like wandering ponies and petty theft complaints. 

De Silva is drawn into a case involving a surly tea plantation owner, Charles Renshaw, and one of his workers. It seems the owner was not well liked by many and is accused of excessive corporal punishment to one of the many poor, destitute factory men, most of whom are local born natives with few opportunities to better their lives. De Silva sympathizes with their plight but knows he must tread lightly, as the ruling class has the advantage and he doesn't want retaliation to be a problem for the injured man. As de Silva investigates, Renshaw is found dead in one of the tanks in the factory. At first it seems to be a natural death related to his heart condition. But slowly clues seem to indicate that it was in fact murder. 

There are several suspects that seem plausible, including Renshaw's widow Madeleine, the abused worker's pro bono lawyer, Mr. Tragore, and Renshaw's business partner, Mr. Leung. All come with unique challenges for de Silva in his investigation as they either have seemingly sufficient alibis or in the case of the widow, the inability to physically have carried out the crime. De Silva also begins to wonder if more than one person is conspiring with another and leaves all options on the table. He feels under pressure to prove his small town police operation can handle the case as well as those in the big city. As he sleuths and bides his time he uncovers the answers while managing to maintain his sense of humor and charm.

I enjoyed this story and I especially liked de Silva's character. He is devoted to his wife, loves his culture and home but manages to appreciate the contributions of his British born wife's culture as well. His style is patient yet dogged and he has compassion for each person he is investigating, though in the end he is not afraid to play hardball to get his suspect. I thought the author did a good job of making him relatable and realistic.

There was an emphasis on food in this story and I imagine it was because it lent itself to giving the reader an authentic sense of the culture and atmosphere. Every time a meal was mentioned it was in detail and made me want to try it. But it didn't feel out of place and added to the setting.

It was a very short story and honestly the plot wasn't terribly detailed or hard to figure out but it did have some twists that made it interesting. As far as cozy mysteries go, it was a good one. I want to read book two because the main character is someone I enjoyed getting to know. The town of Nuala is charming and idyllic and sounds like a great place to live!