A.L. Berridge

The last time we saw André, the Chevalier de Roland (in Honour and the Sword), he’d just managed to fight off the armies of Spain, which were nosing hungrily at Picardy and, in particular, at his village of Dax-en-roi. We left him flushed with triumph, and that’s where we rejoin him, as he heads to the bright lights of Paris, to the house of his grandmother the Comtesse de Vallon, accompanied by his best friend and half-brother, Jacques Gilbert. Naturally, with the unerring instinct for trouble of a young d’Artagnan, the Chevalier barely makes it through the gates of Paris before falling into more trouble. That’s what comes of being (almost) seventeen, and almost ridiculously noble of heart. The ingredients for disaster are as follows: a mysterious man in the robe of a monk; a group of sinister conspirators; a pretty tavern girl; a water-trough; and the Chevalier’s fierce sense of chivalry, which forbids him to countenance any insult to a lady (even a tavern girl). Within seconds, the Chevalier’s arrival in Paris has metamorphosed from triumphal entry to tavern brawl. Worse still, he has acquired a new and very dangerous set of enemies, who will stop at nothing to avenge his insults to them, and who clearly have secrets to hide...

For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2020/03/23/in-the-name-of-the-king-a-l-berridge/… (mais)

Very occasionally, as a reader, you have the wonderful sensation of finding a book that might have been written especially for you. It feels as though the author has looked into your head, seen all your favourite things and put pen to paper with an indulgent sigh of, ‘Oh, go on then’. And this book did that for me. It’s a rip-roaring old-fashioned adventure story set in France in the early 17th century, full of courage, loyalty, duels, romance, dastardly Spaniards, impossible odds, hair’s-breadth escapes, skirmishes, secrets and, of course, honour. And, at its heart, there’s an irresistible young hero: a fierce little firebrand with his head full of chivalry, a sword at his side and vengeance in his heart. Even better, it’s the first of a projected series. I want more. Right now...

For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2017/12/06/honour-and-the-sword-a-l-berridge/… (mais)