Ruby: Daughter of the Dagger

Ruby: Daughter of the Dagger by Elizabeth Rose 2013 historical romance

Symbols are important in a story for tying together or an idea. Ruby is the eldest of four sisters, Sapphire, Amber and Amethyst, each with a gem name that ties the series together. Their mother bought four daggers that would bring true love to each of them. When their mother died in childbirth with a son, their father, Talbot, got rid of the daggers.

Lord Nyle Dacre from Sheffield comes to Talbot to marry one of his daughters. He chooses Ruby when he sees her practicing with a lance and decides she can defend herself. He has lost three wives in the past two months, each on his wedding day before consummating the marriage. Ruby tries to escape marriage to the Lord of Death but they complete their vows and barely survive the wedding night.

Their differences are resolved too quickly and I would have liked more conflict between the lovers before they settle into life as husband and wife.

Nyle reveals why he needs to marry so quickly. King Edward III has an illegitimate son he wants Nyle and his wife to raise. Nyle thinks the boy may be his since he shared the bed of Lady Jocelyn who was banished from London by the king. Because of the subplot and a need for a motive for the murders, the villain is obvious, but no one seems to put the pieces together.

This story has the beginning of a good romance/mystery but could have been developed in both genres to create more conflict and suspense. The motive of the villain wasn’t clear. Did she want her son back? Did she want Nyle for her own? If she wanted her son to be happy, why did she hesitate to hold him? Her actions were confusing. She had killed three women and intimidated several men to keep her identity secret before they died. I would have liked her character to be drawn more clearly. In the end, she just seemed crazy.

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