Henry I
Reign: 1068/1069 -1135
fourth son of William I the
Conqueror
Norman White Tower at the
center of the Tower of London. Built in 1078 by William the Conqueror
(reigned 1066-87) inside the southeast angle of the city walls,
adjacent to the Thames. This was as much to protect the Normans from
the people of the City of London as to protect London from outside
invaders.
Photo credit: David Illiff
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Out of
the Dark
by
Joann Smith Ainsworth
Fresh exciting
medieval romance with suspenseful plot
1120 AD. Britain. After an
illness, Lady Lynnett sees only murky shades of light and dark.
Despite being second cousin to the late queen, she sees herself as
flawed. After an argument about her parents' plans for her
marriage, Lady Lynnett finds herself lost and alone in the cellars of
the King's castle --- alone until she overhears a murder plot.
The one man to whom she can turn is Basil, the Sheriff of London, and a
man whose voice sounds a little too close to the conspiring voice she
heard in the cellar. No one else may believe her, but Basil has a
duty to protect the king and his realm. As he seeks to find out
the identity of the the men she heard, Basil finds himself torn between
protecting a woman for whom he is falling in love and protecting his
family as the charges of corruption come a little too close to
home. Lady Lynnett feels like her whole world has changed before
her. Can she look within and learn to trust herself? As she
learns to stand up for herself, will it be enough to enable her to
stand up for love? Can Basil and Lady Lynnett uncover the plot
before it is too late?
In OUT OF THE DARK, Joann
Smith Ainsworth creates a medieval romance that grabs the reader,
leading her/him inside the heart of the story from the first
pages. Lady Lynnett has an inner nobility beyond her relations to
the king. As an Anglo-Saxon in a Norman court, a certain tinge of
suspicion surrounds her. Closer to home, her family does not
understand her unearthly vision and her special relationship with her
grandmother, now deceased. Basil is exactly the right man for
this special lady. Although practical rather than mystical, he
also knows how to ask questions and see beyond the surface in his role
as sheriff. Loyal and honorable, he does not take justice
or his oath to protect and defend lightly. Quick-witted, he
matches the lady in intelligence. Most importantly, Basil
believes in her when others don't. Joann Smith Ainsworth does an
excellent job at creating fascinating, fresh characters and placing
them in a suspenseful setting that keeps a reader glued to the pages.
Joann Smith Ainsworth uses a modern prose style that flows easily and
adds to the suspenseful pace of the conspiracy. At the same time,
she packs enough history into this medieval romance to please medieval
lovers. She juxtaposes realistic images of the times such as that
of the river Thames with the more mystical elements of a life deeper
than just the surface world of the senses. Tight plotting and a
focus on scenes central to the story makes OUT OF THE DARK a fast but
powerful, dynamic romance. If you are a medieval junkie, OUT OF THE DARK has a fresh sense
of originality that will undoubtedly make romance a special treat.
Publisher: Samhain (March 2009)
Author website
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Book Description:
Blinded - she by nature, he by loyalty
As a blind woman seen as a flawed commodity, Lady Lynett is used
to the idea that she's unlovable. But her parents' plan to force her
into a loveless marriage is too much. Wandering, upset and lost in the
cellars of the King's castle, the darkness doesn't frighten her, but
the murder plot she overhears chills her to the bone. Worse, no one
believes her, and the only one she can turn to is a Norman sheriff
whose voice sounds disturbingly like one of the conspirators.
Basil, Sheriff of London, is battle-hardened, fiercely loyal - and torn
apart. He's falling in love with the Saxon beauty, and he longs
to show her she is worthy of love despite her physical limitation.
But the very corruption she is helping him root out may
implicate his own half brother. How can he turn his back on family -
for an Anglo-Saxon woman? |
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