By Loyalty Divided - Francine howarth

[CharlotteB]

Lovely, lovely Historical English Civil War Romance. I love the title too - By Loyalty Divided.

This novel is an epic two-part historical romance of some 350 plus pages. It spans five years in total.

At the outset Francine Howarth paints a landscape of 17th century England, in which Royalist forces and Oliver Cromwell’s Roundheads (Ironsides) are battling for supremacy. As war marches across England, Howarth presents romance and intrigue to the reader as the lead theme. I will say the book does have steamy moments but the sex blends well with historical fact and the emotional scenes really do tug at the heartstrings. I haven't read a historical novel like this in a long while. The English Civil War is superbly depicted and although epic in story this novel is far from top heavy on word count. It is apparently the first book in a series of four. I simply loved it. The heroine is headstrong, wilful and although a little naive at times she has spirit and when faced with tragedy (twice) she steps to womanhood and renders herself to that of a true heroine. The hero is equally as headstrong as the heroine and he risks all for what he believes is the right path ahead for him and the country at large. I even liked the anti hero who never quite redeems himself but does make amends in the only way he knows how. This novel is a stunning read. ***** It can be found at Amazon. I really loved this book and have since purchased the follow-on novels. Looking forward to reading those in the n ext couple of weeks.

The plot flows so beautifully and although it does stand as one book purchase I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.