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Heron #1
The Moon in the Water
An historical saga set during the English Civil War and telling the story of two star-crossed lovers.
This is the first of Pamela's civil war series. Pamela did extensive research into her writings to give an accurate portrayal of life in 17th century England during the civil war. Her fictional family, the Herons, live in Suffolk England in 'Goldhayes' manor. The family is caught up in the war, and they fight for the King, against Parliament. The book richly describes the battles in which the Herons are involved. Many of the characters that interact with the family are real, as are the events in which the family takes part in. There is a romance between two of the main characters, Thomazine and Francis Heron, who are cousins. Thomazine, however, was betrothed to another cousin, Dominic Drakelon, when she was 10, and the resulting conflict gives this story much suspense, and appeal.
This is the first of Pamela's civil war series. Pamela did extensive research into her writings to give an accurate portrayal of life in 17th century England during the civil war. Her fictional family, the Herons, live in Suffolk England in 'Goldhayes' manor. The family is caught up in the war, and they fight for the King, against Parliament. The book richly describes the battles in which the Herons are involved. Many of the characters that interact with the family are real, as are the events in which the family takes part in. There is a romance between two of the main characters, Thomazine and Francis Heron, who are cousins. Thomazine, however, was betrothed to another cousin, Dominic Drakelon, when she was 10, and the resulting conflict gives this story much suspense, and appeal.
530 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 8, 1983
592 people are currently reading
865 people want to read
About the author
Pamela Belle
19 books80 followersBelle, who also writes contemporary fiction as Alice Marlow, always wanted to be an author. As a child the books she read were adventure stories like "Treasure Island," "Swallows and Amazons," and the novels of John Buchan and CS Forester. She wrote her first book at the age of twelve and having visited the site of a lovely Elizabethan manor house called Rushbrooke and observing the bare, moated island which was all that was left, she wanted to bring Rushbrooke back and chose to do so in print.
Over the next few years 'The Epic', as it became known, grew and grew. Belle drew up a huge family tree and a plan of the house very like Rushbrooke.
Married and a teacher of a class of six-year-olds, she wrote in longhand and, while publishers made encouraging noises, no one was prepared to risk publishing a large book by an unknown author. Eventually the agent Vivienne Schuster was wonderfully enthusiastic about it and found a publisher.
"The Moon in the Water" and its two sequels were published in the UK and the USA with considerable success. Belle gave up teaching in 1985 to spend more time researching and writing. She plans to write a book about Alfred the Great if she can fit it in between looking after the children, dogs, cats and husband.
Over the next few years 'The Epic', as it became known, grew and grew. Belle drew up a huge family tree and a plan of the house very like Rushbrooke.
Married and a teacher of a class of six-year-olds, she wrote in longhand and, while publishers made encouraging noises, no one was prepared to risk publishing a large book by an unknown author. Eventually the agent Vivienne Schuster was wonderfully enthusiastic about it and found a publisher.
"The Moon in the Water" and its two sequels were published in the UK and the USA with considerable success. Belle gave up teaching in 1985 to spend more time researching and writing. She plans to write a book about Alfred the Great if she can fit it in between looking after the children, dogs, cats and husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
February 8, 2017
Nope.
Block paragraphs with a crawling pace, talking head conversations to establish the setting as Past History, & lengthy set-up with the primary MCs as a bunch of precocious kids...and apparently all this drags on until a cliffhanger at the end. Not my thing.
Standard DNF 2-star; I can't say it's badly written, because it isn't. But I'm bored & have other (hopefully, better) books on deck.
Block paragraphs with a crawling pace, talking head conversations to establish the setting as Past History, & lengthy set-up with the primary MCs as a bunch of precocious kids...and apparently all this drags on until a cliffhanger at the end. Not my thing.
Standard DNF 2-star; I can't say it's badly written, because it isn't. But I'm bored & have other (hopefully, better) books on deck.
August 17, 2009
"A marriage of true minds....but so many impediments". Left orphaned (but wealthy) at age ten with her wardship sold to her cousin Simon Heron, Thomazine joins her cousins at the family's estate, Goldhayes. Although she loves all of Simon's children, third son Francis has a special place in her heart and they form an unbreakable bond while children that only intensifies when Francis returns from college. The elder Simon dies and the estate and Thomazine's wardship is now run by Francis' elder and very intractable brother Simon. Thomazine must now find a way to convince Simon to break the betrothal to her cousin Dominic Drakelon (made when she was ten), as well as to mend the deep enmity between the two brothers so that she and Francis can marry.
As the tensions between King Charles and Parliament heat up into Civil War, the women and children of Goldhayes retreat to the easier defended Ashcott, Thomazine's family home, as the men join forces in support of the King. A siege of Ashcott has deadly consequences and further exacerbates the tension between the two brothers - does Thomazine have the courage to risk everything for love of Francis? Will Cousin Lucy find happiness with the Roundhead officer? That's all I'm telling, any more would give the whole thing away.
While it's a bit slow at the start as the author sets up the extensive Heron family and their convoluted relationships (they intermarry just a tad), once the Civil War broke out things really started to cook along and I had a hard time putting this one down. I loved loved loved the relationship between Thomazine and Francis - it's so refreshing to have true love without all that prerequisite sex we're stuck with in today's novels. The author did a nice job of bringing the period to life, letting us see the customs, clothing and foods of the day. I liked seeing the impact of the war on the country folk as opposed to the nobility, as well as the difficulty in really hating one's own countrymen no matter what side of the conflict they're on. The author ends this one with quite a cliff-hanger so be prepared to have the next in the trilogy The Chains of Fate ready and waiting for you. Argh! I'll have to wait at least one more day (if not more) before my copy arrives. 4/5 stars and only for the slower start - otherwise it would be a solid five.
As the tensions between King Charles and Parliament heat up into Civil War, the women and children of Goldhayes retreat to the easier defended Ashcott, Thomazine's family home, as the men join forces in support of the King. A siege of Ashcott has deadly consequences and further exacerbates the tension between the two brothers - does Thomazine have the courage to risk everything for love of Francis? Will Cousin Lucy find happiness with the Roundhead officer? That's all I'm telling, any more would give the whole thing away.
While it's a bit slow at the start as the author sets up the extensive Heron family and their convoluted relationships (they intermarry just a tad), once the Civil War broke out things really started to cook along and I had a hard time putting this one down. I loved loved loved the relationship between Thomazine and Francis - it's so refreshing to have true love without all that prerequisite sex we're stuck with in today's novels. The author did a nice job of bringing the period to life, letting us see the customs, clothing and foods of the day. I liked seeing the impact of the war on the country folk as opposed to the nobility, as well as the difficulty in really hating one's own countrymen no matter what side of the conflict they're on. The author ends this one with quite a cliff-hanger so be prepared to have the next in the trilogy The Chains of Fate ready and waiting for you. Argh! I'll have to wait at least one more day (if not more) before my copy arrives. 4/5 stars and only for the slower start - otherwise it would be a solid five.
February 1, 2012
I stumbled across this book by accident when I was younger. It was actually in a pile of garage sale stuff I was marking, and by some fortunate mistake, I got really bored and started to read it. And then I was hooked and couldn't put it down. It's the story of a young girl who is sent to live with her cousins, and the book follows her through a romance with her cousin and the trials the family faces during the English civil war. Belle really makes the history come alive with a fascinating story, and the characters are well developed and lovable(or lovably hateable for some, I suppose). To this day, I'm still attached to her characters. The only down side to this is, I loved them so much that when they ceased to be the main characters in later books, I was a bit disappointed. I missed them!
April 16, 2014
It was a joy to discover this book and to know that I have many more Pamela Belle books still to look forward to! The Moon in the Water is the first of her Heron series, following the story of Thomazine Heron and her family, and is set during the English Civil War.
When Thomazine, our narrator, is orphaned at the age of ten, her father’s cousin, Sir Simon Heron, becomes her guardian. Arriving at Sir Simon’s estate of Goldhayes in Suffolk, Thomazine settles into her new life and gets to know the other Heron children – Simon, the eldest and the heir; Edward, who wants to become a soldier; the rebellious, quick-witted Francis; Lucy, an avid reader of stage plays; and six year-old Jamie, the baby of the family. Thomazine soon forms friendships with each of her five cousins, but it’s Francis with whom she feels the closest connection. When a marriage is arranged between Thomazine and another cousin, Dominic Drakelon, Thomazine is horrified but consoles herself with the knowledge that the wedding won’t take place until she is sixteen and a lot can happen in six years.
As time passes and the Heron children grow up, Thomazine discovers that she has fallen in love – not with Dominic, but with her cousin Francis. With Sir Simon now dead, his eldest son, Simon, has become head of the family, but unfortunately he distrusts and disapproves of his younger brother; if Thomazine is to have any chance of escaping from her betrothal to Dominic, she must first find a way to repair the relationship between Simon and Francis. Meanwhile, tensions between King Charles I and his Parliament intensify and the Herons, who choose to support the King, find themselves facing a host of new challenges as civil war breaks out in England.
The Moon in the Water is a romance, but not a silly, bodice-ripping one. There is so much more to this book than just the central love story. Music and poetry are shared interests of several of the characters and we are given fragments of song and verse. The historical background is well researched and there are descriptions of battles, sieges and the ways in which civil war affects not just the people at the heart of the action but also those who have stayed at home. And while it’s sometimes too easy to predict what is going to happen, the story is gripping enough to make this a difficult book to put down.
But going back to that central love story, it’s a great one. Rather than coming out of nowhere, the relationship between Thomazine and Francis develops slowly from friendship to romantic love and it feels believable – although it’s obvious to the reader long before the characters themselves start to become aware of how they feel! It also helps that they are both such great characters. I had a look at some of the other reviews on Goodreads after finishing the book and was intrigued by the fact that several reviewers mentioned that Francis Heron is very like Francis Crawford of Lymond from Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles, which is exactly what I kept thinking too, to the point where I started to find it distracting and wished the author had chosen a different name! The intelligent, imaginative young Francis Heron is very much as I would imagine Francis Crawford as a child and as an adult his relationship with his brother Simon is similar in some ways to Lymond’s relationship with his brother Richard.
I also loved Thomazine, which is fortunate as this is really her story, narrated in the first person, which means her personality comes through on every page. Another favourite character was Grainne, the Irish girl who marries a friend of the Herons and becomes almost one of the family. The villains were maybe a bit disappointing – and it was easy to guess who they were going to be, even before they committed any villainous acts – but that’s just a small criticism of such an enjoyable book.
It’s frustrating that these books and so many others that I want to read are out of print, but at least in this age of the internet it’s a lot easier to find copies of them than it used to be! I’m very excited about reading Pamela Belle’s other novels, beginning with the next in the Heron series, The Chains of Fate. With this one ending on a big cliffhanger, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Heron family – although I’m sure things aren’t going to go smoothly for them!
When Thomazine, our narrator, is orphaned at the age of ten, her father’s cousin, Sir Simon Heron, becomes her guardian. Arriving at Sir Simon’s estate of Goldhayes in Suffolk, Thomazine settles into her new life and gets to know the other Heron children – Simon, the eldest and the heir; Edward, who wants to become a soldier; the rebellious, quick-witted Francis; Lucy, an avid reader of stage plays; and six year-old Jamie, the baby of the family. Thomazine soon forms friendships with each of her five cousins, but it’s Francis with whom she feels the closest connection. When a marriage is arranged between Thomazine and another cousin, Dominic Drakelon, Thomazine is horrified but consoles herself with the knowledge that the wedding won’t take place until she is sixteen and a lot can happen in six years.
As time passes and the Heron children grow up, Thomazine discovers that she has fallen in love – not with Dominic, but with her cousin Francis. With Sir Simon now dead, his eldest son, Simon, has become head of the family, but unfortunately he distrusts and disapproves of his younger brother; if Thomazine is to have any chance of escaping from her betrothal to Dominic, she must first find a way to repair the relationship between Simon and Francis. Meanwhile, tensions between King Charles I and his Parliament intensify and the Herons, who choose to support the King, find themselves facing a host of new challenges as civil war breaks out in England.
The Moon in the Water is a romance, but not a silly, bodice-ripping one. There is so much more to this book than just the central love story. Music and poetry are shared interests of several of the characters and we are given fragments of song and verse. The historical background is well researched and there are descriptions of battles, sieges and the ways in which civil war affects not just the people at the heart of the action but also those who have stayed at home. And while it’s sometimes too easy to predict what is going to happen, the story is gripping enough to make this a difficult book to put down.
But going back to that central love story, it’s a great one. Rather than coming out of nowhere, the relationship between Thomazine and Francis develops slowly from friendship to romantic love and it feels believable – although it’s obvious to the reader long before the characters themselves start to become aware of how they feel! It also helps that they are both such great characters. I had a look at some of the other reviews on Goodreads after finishing the book and was intrigued by the fact that several reviewers mentioned that Francis Heron is very like Francis Crawford of Lymond from Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles, which is exactly what I kept thinking too, to the point where I started to find it distracting and wished the author had chosen a different name! The intelligent, imaginative young Francis Heron is very much as I would imagine Francis Crawford as a child and as an adult his relationship with his brother Simon is similar in some ways to Lymond’s relationship with his brother Richard.
I also loved Thomazine, which is fortunate as this is really her story, narrated in the first person, which means her personality comes through on every page. Another favourite character was Grainne, the Irish girl who marries a friend of the Herons and becomes almost one of the family. The villains were maybe a bit disappointing – and it was easy to guess who they were going to be, even before they committed any villainous acts – but that’s just a small criticism of such an enjoyable book.
It’s frustrating that these books and so many others that I want to read are out of print, but at least in this age of the internet it’s a lot easier to find copies of them than it used to be! I’m very excited about reading Pamela Belle’s other novels, beginning with the next in the Heron series, The Chains of Fate. With this one ending on a big cliffhanger, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Heron family – although I’m sure things aren’t going to go smoothly for them!
February 8, 2009
Thomazine was born heiress to the lands and fortune of the Heron dynasty, and she was born under a dark and troublesome star ...
Orphaned at ten years old, growing to womanhood in a family of cousins, these were the young years when she met the headstrong Francis, the years when they both dreamed of the mystic uniform ...
But the sweep of the times was against them. Francis was banished and imprisoned. Thomazine forced into black and loveless wedlock, and the onrush of beating drums and naked steel heralded the turbulent years of England's Civil War ...."
The Moon in the Water and Chains of Fate take readers through England's Civil War, 1642- 1651.
Orphaned at ten years old, growing to womanhood in a family of cousins, these were the young years when she met the headstrong Francis, the years when they both dreamed of the mystic uniform ...
But the sweep of the times was against them. Francis was banished and imprisoned. Thomazine forced into black and loveless wedlock, and the onrush of beating drums and naked steel heralded the turbulent years of England's Civil War ...."
The Moon in the Water and Chains of Fate take readers through England's Civil War, 1642- 1651.
March 24, 2019
A very well written, enjoyable first instalment of the Heron series by one of my favourite authors.
January 3, 2011
Just arrived from New Zealand through BM. I will add the cover later on. A splendid and touching book, looking forward for its sequel. 4.5 stars.
July 30, 2016
This is a deliciously old-fashioned love story set during the English Civil Wars. Belle has a clear and clean writing style though the story is very leisurely especially at the beginning where we get to know all the main characters as children. She vividly reproduces the feel of the period though some of the language and dialogue feels jarringly modern.
At the heart of the book is the passionate love story of two cousins as war separates them... Despite being slow to start, once the plot begins it grips tightly with star-crossed lovers and misunderstandings, . And after *that* ending, the sequel is a must!
At the heart of the book is the passionate love story of two cousins as war separates them... Despite being slow to start, once the plot begins it grips tightly with star-crossed lovers and misunderstandings, . And after *that* ending, the sequel is a must!
August 22, 2017
I just re-read this book that I originally read 30 years ago. I had forgotten why I loved the book, but I remember now. The way Pamela Belle led us into the love story was masterful. And how she didn't tie up all the ends with everyone living happily ever after left me wanting more then and more now!
December 21, 2025
Set in England during the Civil War, an epic tale of love, friendship, loyalty, betrayal, struggle, and defiance. Lots of historical detail. First in a series. Can’t wait to start the next one.
December 6, 2018
I enjoyed these long ago and would read them again if I could find a copy.
August 23, 2016
Technically, this was a re-read, as I first read this in the late '80s. It has held up very well for me as I have not lost my love of sweeping historical family dramas.
February 14, 2021
The blurb on the back cover of this edition (thankfully not copied in the GR description) has spoilers for major plot points that happen in the last two chapters of the book. For a long time I wondered whether it was a description of the series as a whole because I was halfway through and it didn't match up with the cover. So by the time I got to the end it was anti-climactic.
The front of the book has a large family tree, with the bottom line showing several generations prior to the characters who actually in this story, which also made me wonder whether it is actually a prequel. (Based on looking at the descriptions of other books in the series it's not - so why the need to know who their ancestors were in such detail?)
This is set near the beginning of the English Civil War in the seventeenth century, but while it has people supporting the King and other people supporting Parliament it never explains what the issues were. So I found it hard to follow some of the story.
The front of the book has a large family tree, with the bottom line showing several generations prior to the characters who actually in this story, which also made me wonder whether it is actually a prequel. (Based on looking at the descriptions of other books in the series it's not - so why the need to know who their ancestors were in such detail?)
This is set near the beginning of the English Civil War in the seventeenth century, but while it has people supporting the King and other people supporting Parliament it never explains what the issues were. So I found it hard to follow some of the story.
July 20, 2025
Argh--a cliffhanger!!
I despise an unfinished story, yet have to admit this was a looooong read and therefore, not as great a sin as some ridiculously short ones, obviously contrived to sell more books. Still, having suffered through the stilted language, the painful, tearful obstacles, it irks me to have no ending, just questions. *sigh*
I despise an unfinished story, yet have to admit this was a looooong read and therefore, not as great a sin as some ridiculously short ones, obviously contrived to sell more books. Still, having suffered through the stilted language, the painful, tearful obstacles, it irks me to have no ending, just questions. *sigh*
July 5, 2023
3.5 stars
June 8, 2013
It's been more than a decade since I read this, and it and its sequel have stayed in my mind over the years. I was recently trying to identify the author online when I was away from my shelves, and discovered she'd written a third in the series which I never knew about, so of course I had to pick it up again. Thomazine Heron is orphaned at 10 years old and made a ward of her uncle Simon. She leaves her Oxford estate and goes to live with him and her 5 cousins in Suffolk. As she grows up, the English Civil War starts looming. This is a mix of family sage and historical fiction, for a period which doesn't all that often get written about. It's fast paced, well researched and the characters are very well written (exceptionally well written when you consider it was her first book). Thomazine's guardian betrothes her to his grandfather's sister's great grandson, Dominic, when she's 10 (the family tree at the front is really helpful!), but before the wedding can happen, she falls in love with someone else and war breaks out - her eldest cousin raises a regiment to fight for the king, and they decamp to her Oxford estate to be in an area less supportive of Parliament, and in a more defensive building. Some heart-wrenching moments, as the fighting escalates, although I can't say anything more than that. Loved re-reading it though - finished on the train last night, with another half hour of my journey to go, and tried to pick up the spare book I was carrying in my bag, only to discover I couldn't switch my mind off the ending of this one. I very rarely find something that stops me moving on to the next book without a decent interval, and it has stuck with me for the last 10-15 years, which might also justify a recommendation. Oh, and for the Ricardians in the group, there is a tie in - early on, it's explained that the ancestor who built the Suffolk house that the Herons live in, Christopher Heron, was a younger son of a gentleman and made his own fortune by serving as friend and musician to Richard III, was then favoured by Henry Tudor, and dies as a member of Henry VIII's Privy Council, with a knighthood, a fortune, and an ex-monastic estate to build the family home on. When I was trying to find out about the author, someone had noted in a review that as well as the trilogy about the Civil War, some of her later books visited the family at other times of history, and I believe one of those involves telling at least part of Christopher Heron's story.
I think I found the first two in a second hand book shop as a teenager, pre-internet days, and she was generally out of print at the time, so I never realised how much more she'd done. I have no idea how anyone not a household name kept up booksales before you could easily search online for the list of their work!
I think I found the first two in a second hand book shop as a teenager, pre-internet days, and she was generally out of print at the time, so I never realised how much more she'd done. I have no idea how anyone not a household name kept up booksales before you could easily search online for the list of their work!
August 4, 2016
I think part of the problem was that the main character was a little girl for too long. I lost interest in her voice, which didn't seem to develop as (slowly) she aged. Having her as the narrator only exacerbated the problem. By the time she and her "true love" confessed their feelings towards each other (which we foresaw like 150 pages ago), the scene was so unconvincing, and the outcome so predictable, I'd had enough.
Decided not to finish it. It doesn't take me long to identify a three-star book these days, and if I'm not even curious to see how it turns out, then what's the point?
For reviews of awesome but forgotten books: www.AnotherLookBook.com
Decided not to finish it. It doesn't take me long to identify a three-star book these days, and if I'm not even curious to see how it turns out, then what's the point?
For reviews of awesome but forgotten books: www.AnotherLookBook.com
May 14, 2019
An amazing journey
I read this book when I was around thirteen, found in a secound hand shop. I fell in love with it and had no idea there was a secound book for years. The cliff-hanger ending really drove me nuts!
Now I've had the pleasure of reading more of this author's books I can see this one was unique. Most other of her books are written from third person instead of first and you don't really "grow up" with the other characters in her series like you do here. I adore the main character in this book because you spend so much time through her eyes.
I really enjoyed this book.
I read this book when I was around thirteen, found in a secound hand shop. I fell in love with it and had no idea there was a secound book for years. The cliff-hanger ending really drove me nuts!
Now I've had the pleasure of reading more of this author's books I can see this one was unique. Most other of her books are written from third person instead of first and you don't really "grow up" with the other characters in her series like you do here. I adore the main character in this book because you spend so much time through her eyes.
I really enjoyed this book.
December 30, 2008
One of my favorite romance novels. I'm on my second copy of this novel and it is in pretty bad condition at this point. In a lot of respects Moon In The Water is a fairly predictable family saga featuring an orphaned heiress who falls in love with the most unsuitable of her cousins after she becomes a member of the household. A lot of romance novel conventions are piled on, but it never becomes tedious. There are two more novels in this sequence and some of the over-the-top manufactured conflict in the subsequent novels does not work as well as it does in the first novel.
March 3, 2012
A good if sometimes predictable family/historical romance, set against the backdrop of the English Civil War. Some really fantastic characters, some truly heart-wrenching moments; the protagonist is young and privileged and it shows, but you end up rooting for her anyway. A serious cliffhanger ending, so now I'm looking forward to the next.
September 2, 2013
Read this as a younger woman and remember loving it! Reread it this week and sure enough I still enjoyed it. Never thought of myself as a historical kinda gal. Now on to Chains of Fate, the sequel.
May 30, 2025
A long history of family stories, deceits, war, deaths, and a whole lot more.
A very long book, if you love "tontine" type books you'll love it, otherwise at times you will be wondering why you're reading it..
A very long book, if you love "tontine" type books you'll love it, otherwise at times you will be wondering why you're reading it..
Want to read
July 13, 2016Nice review here: http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/re...
May 25, 2025
I’ve never cried so much to a book. This was amazing.
April 15, 2020
The Heron family had always been incestuous in marrying first cousins and so it was in this book's timeline, during the Civil War. The author managed to give an endearing and heart~warming account of Francis' and Thomazine's childhood escapades as well as that of the rest of the children's at Goldhayes, where 10~year~old orphan Thomazine was quickly absorbed into her Uncle's (Sir Simon Heron was her father's brother) brood of 4 boys and one girl. A few months later Sir Simon's sister and her husband and her 16~year~old son, Dominic, came visiting. Dominic took a fancy to Thomazine and so they were betrothed... at this point, she felt uneasy about his attentions and had avoided being alone with him... but being a child and filial feelings of gratitude for her Uncle's benevolence in buying her wardship (orphaned heiresses' wardships were sold in auction to the highest bidder), she reluctantly allowed the engagement to stand. Though subconsciously she was drawn to Francis, the 3rd son, for they were of like minds it was only when they were older that they both acknowledged their love for each other, but she was betrothed to Dominic who had agreed to wait for her. Then the King and Parliament were at odds with acrimonious debates during sessions until words were no longer enough and swords and guns spoke instead... and England was torn in two, with innocent victims caught in the middle. Amid this armed conflict, the Heron family also had theirs. With a history of inbreeding, no wonder mental imbalance always cause a lot a contentions, so it was here... and so it did, with tragic consequences. (She should have gone to Catholm with armed escort... allowed time to grieve for Francis and for peace instead of being convinced to make a life changing decision.)
March 28, 2022
I enjoyed this book, The historical family saga is one of my favorite genres, and the English Civil War time period is one that's not very familiar to me.
Thomazine Heron, her family, and her friends are interesting and for the most part, well-rounded rather than one-dimensional. There were quite a few to keep track of, though. The pacing was rather slow for the first 2/3 of the book, but it was the author's first published work, so that didn't detract from my enjoyment. I'll definitely try to get hold of the second book in this trilogy, The Chains of Fate.
Thomazine Heron, her family, and her friends are interesting and for the most part, well-rounded rather than one-dimensional. There were quite a few to keep track of, though. The pacing was rather slow for the first 2/3 of the book, but it was the author's first published work, so that didn't detract from my enjoyment. I'll definitely try to get hold of the second book in this trilogy, The Chains of Fate.
July 24, 2018
It took me a while to get my head around all the characters and remember who was a cousin to who or a stepsister or stepmother's cousin! Would have helped to have a family tree or list of characters to refer back to (I was reading on Kindle so this may be available in paperback). I enjoyed the story and feel intrigued enough by the cliffhanger at the end to read the next in the series. Historical fiction set during the years preceding and then at the start of the Civil War, a period of history that I know relatively little about so good to have it explained in the way of a family saga.
August 9, 2025
Moon on the Water
Loved every word and all the plotting and subterfuge. The interaction of all the main characters give this book a wonderful depth. The British Civil War add to the characters heartaches and demonstrate the horrors for ordinary folk.
Definitely a worthwhile read.
Loved every word and all the plotting and subterfuge. The interaction of all the main characters give this book a wonderful depth. The British Civil War add to the characters heartaches and demonstrate the horrors for ordinary folk.
Definitely a worthwhile read.
January 3, 2018
Clearly my love of Wintercombe was a fluke - while the language and sense of period in this series is likewise excellent, I loathed the heroine and her supposed true love and their child in book 3 and etc etc.
February 15, 2022
Although this book is very well written, I found it difficult to get involved with either the characters or the storyline, so it was a very slow read for me. It's unlikely that I will read even one sequel, let alone three.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews