This is another reread – I thought I needed to refresh my memory before starting the sequel, Shadowheart. I first read this back in the early 90’s when it first came out.
For My Lady’s Heart by Laura Kinsale
(1993, Medieval) 9/11/10
Grade: 4.5
Thirteen years ago, the beautiful and mysterious Princess Melanthe saved Ruck, and he devoted himself to her. Now, the widowed princess must escape from Italian assassins and she needs the help of the mysterious Green Knight. But can Ruck trust Melanthe, who grew up in a court of lies and intrigues – and can Melanthe let herself trust an English knight?
This book is completely different from any other romance I’ve ever read. You can’t get caught up in the details of the Middle English dialogue or the convoluted details of the plot. If you try to figure out each word and each plot point, you will get bogged down in details and never get through the book. You just have to throw yourself into it and trust Kinsale to carry you through. Which she does! The characters are fascinating, if somewhat mysterious, and the language takes you away to another world. By the end, I was almost thinking in Middle English. I’m not sure I would want to read this again – it requires you to devote yourself to it from start to finish, which isn’t always practical – but the experience was definitely worthwhile.
Even though I know a lot of people hated the language in this book, I was a bit disappointed that Shadowheart didn’t stick with Middle English. It gave this book a mysterious, other-worldly feeling that outweighed the convoluted plot.
Karen Wheless
Latest posts by Karen Wheless (see all)
- Love Irresistibly by Julie James - June 18, 2013
- Vacation Reading - June 17, 2013
- The Way Home by Megan Chance - June 1, 2013