Beguiled

Devoted #2

by Alice Borchardt, Anne Rice (Introduction)

Elin is a woman of the pagan Forest People. Owen is the young Bishop of Chantalon. Amid the brutal onslaught of Viking invaders, they found each other, and their great love triumphed over violence. But now Elin's gift of "sight" warns of a new danger: a Norseman called Hakon who threatens her joyous union with Owen—and the future of her unborn child.

Set against a world of swords and splendor, treachery and honor, Beguiled is a mesmerizing saga of a time long ago—an age of luminous heroes, grand deeds, dark magic, and an unconquerable love.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Romance, Historical, Supernatural, Paranormal

482 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Alice O'Brien was born on 6 October 1939 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. She was one of five sister of Katherine "Kay" Allen and Howard O'Brien. The O'Brien family moved to Richardson, Texas, when Alice was a teenager. She began her nursing career in Houston, where she met and married her husband, Clifford Borchardt. After a 30-year career as a licensed vocational nurse, Borchardt faced staff reductions at the hospital where she worked. Alice's sister, the writer Anne Rice, encouraged her, helped her find an agent, and wrote introductions to several of her books. She wrote seven books. She passed away on 24 July 2007 in Houston, Texas.

Reviews

[Sherry]

This woman can write a paranormal historical novel! While I wasn't much into the religious aspects of it, I fully enjoyed this story. The characters took me on a journey that had me laughing, cheering, mourning, and thinking. A fully engaging piece of literature.

[Carroll Straus]

I liked Devoted so I read this one. Devoted was better but they are still good, and there is a lot of interesting history in these medieval thrillers!

[Shelia]

The two books in this series are wonderful. Very well written. My only wish is that there had of been 1 or 2 more books in the series.

[Al]

A story of tenth century France and the clash of the native inhabitants with the Viking invaders from the north.

[Amelia Kibbie]

To be fair, I did accidentally start reading this book not knowing it was a sequel. When I figured it out I did consider quitting. Not going back to read the first one, but quitting because the second book was already doing so little for me. But I ended up powering through the beginning and decided to stick it out.

I am glad I did. As a writer, I always feel like I can learn something from any book I read. This one was a great example of how to blur the line between good and evil characters to make them more complex. I ended up liking the Viking Hakon more than the guy who was supposed to be the protagonist, Owen, whom I found annoying pretty much the whole time.

Does this book have problems? Yes. Enough that I’m not going to go back and read the first one or go out of my way to read her others. Alice is Anne Rice’s sister. Anne’s current work is definitely ridiculous but in her heyday she was unmatched. The early vampire chronicles and the Mayfair trilogy are amazing as is feast of all saints. Because anne wrote the forward to the book and there is a big deal made about Alice being anne’s sister, it without a doubt invites comparison... and Alice doesn’t have her sisters talent for the craft of writing, the lush depths of her work and the lyrical nature of it. If you invite the comparison I’m going to make it.

The story is less than woke at times. I had a major problem with Elspeth actually loving Hakon, because despite his backstory which humanizes him he’s still a violent rapist murderer. It makes sense for her character I guess and it does come around, etc, but the idea itself is something I would never touch on in writing because of the message it sends.

There are some awesome fight scenes that definitely appeal to the dungeons and dragons player that I am, and I’m sure the whole thing was well researched. There were some dragging parts to the plot and the issues I mentioned already but I was satisfied to read the ending.

[Eli]

A satisfying and erotic conclusion to Devoted.

[Gina M Jordan]

I'm still deeply lost in these characters, this world, I don't ever want to leave! I'm having a difficult time moving on to other books, as another reviewer mentioned, I need time to come back to NOW. The sign of the greatest storytellers is becoming such a part of their created world one stays within it long after the story ends.

I'd highly recommend reading these 2 books, in order. They were my 1st introduction to this author & now I plan to read everything I can get my hands on by her. :-)

[Courtney]

It was alright. I had a bit of a hard time getting through it, but the last half was considerably quicker than the first. I'm still a bit in shock I think that I enjoyed the first one so much so many years ago and now? Am so not impressed. I've heard that her Silver Wolf series is much better so I am still going to give them a shot.

[Callie]

The second book to Devoted, this book picks up where the first left off. It followed the same writing style and plot. It is very invocative and enthralling, hard for me to put down! I can only hope she writes another!

[Judy]

A very good sequel.

[Aunt Missy]

I think this is the book I read. It is about a girls school at the end of the civil war. An injured shoulder is brought into the school and the beguiling begins.

[Patrick]

Follow up to "Devoted". Who says a sequel can't be as good as the original?

[Sharon]

I liked this story.

[Brighid O'Sullivan]

Loved it and very well written and action packed too! Historical fiction. There are 2 books in this series.

[Booknblues]

A story set in the 9th century which includes some fantasy and magic. The author Alice Borchardt is Anne Rice's sister.
All in all I loved the setting and the atmosphere.

[Ginger Heskett]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14342390

[Nat Smith]

yeah, I know. leave me alone.

[Andrew Barbin]

An excellent and engaging tale particularly as a book on tape.

[Patrick Bättig]

2. Teil Mann der Kirche und Frau des alten Glaubens verbünden sich gegen einfallende Wikinger