A stirring tale of love and chivalry in medieval England, it is actually a prequel to Lords of White Castle so a good place to start. Despite its quite complicated plot it rips along at a good pace, the sort of book you really miss when you finish it, so bound up are you in the dramatic lives. I think she is terrific, lighter than Philippa Gregory, really a lovely escapist read. She has been shortlisted for the Romantic Novelist’s award four times.
Comparison: Posie Graeme-Evans, Philippa Gregory, Reay Tannahill.
Similar this month: None but try Charlotte Bingham or Judith Lennox.
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Recommendations: |
A Mediaeval tale of pride and strife, of coming of age in a world where chivalry is a luxury seldom afforded, especially by men of power.
An awkward misfit, loathed by his powerful and autocratic grandmother, nine-year-old Fulke FitzWarin leaves his family to be fostered in the household of Joscelin de Dinan, Lord of Ludlow. Here Fulke will learn knightly arts, but before he can succeed, he must overcome the deep-seated doubts that hold him back.
Hawise FitzWarin is Joscelin's youngest daughter and she befriends Fulke. As they grow up, an implacable enemy threatens Ludlow and as the pressure mounts, their friendship changes until one fateful day they find themselves staring at each other across a divide.
Not only does Fulke have to overcome the shadows of his childhood, he faces a Welsh threat to his family's lands, and the way he feels about Hawise endangers all his hard won confidence. As the menace to Ludlow intensifies, he must either confront the future head on, or fail on all counts, not knowing if Hawise stands with or against him.
Shadows and Strongholds features in the following genres: Historical Fiction, eBooks of the Month, Fiction, Recommendations
Shadows and Strongholds is available in Paperback
Shadows and Strongholds was written by Elizabeth Chadwick and published by Time Warner Books
Shadows and Strongholds has 592 pages
Yes it is part of Fulke FitzWarin series
£9.89
