Wild Wood in Aussie Readers

Jan 13, 2015 Brenda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-on-kindle, contemporary-fiction, net-galley, aussie-authors, 2015-release, historical-fiction, arc, own-read

4.5 stars

In 1321 in the Scottish Borderlands, the de Dieudonne brothers, Maugris and Bayard were fighting with their men in the woods surrounding their home, Hundredfield castle. Their elder brother, Godefroi was back at the Keep, having recently married the Lady Flore. But the people of Hundredfield were uneasy – there was something about the Lady Flore they distrusted; there was hate and unrest all around the villages…

1981 in London, Jesse Marley had just arrived from Sydney, Australia – distr ...more

16 likes · Like · see review

Mar 05, 2015 Kira rated it really liked it

Shelves: keeper, historical-fiction, romance, paranormal, mystery, aussie-author, drama

Australian woman Jesse Marley is in London in 1981, at the height of England’s celebrations for the upcoming marriage between Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. A month earlier, her world had been turned upside down by the discovery that she was adopted.

With her emotions running high, she steps into the path of a motorcycle. Pretending she is fine, she bumbles her way into an old church and comes across a waitress named Alicia Donne, who arranges for a doctor friend, Rory Brandon, to help Je Australian woman Jesse Marley is in London in 1981, at the height of England’s celebrations for the upcoming marriage between Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. A month earlier, her world had been turned upside down by the discovery that she was adopted.

With her emotions running high, she steps into the path of a motorcycle. Pretending she is fine, she bumbles her way into an old church and comes across a waitress named Alicia Donne, who arranges for a doctor friend, Rory Brandon, to help Jesse find treatment for her injuries.

Fate has conspired to bring these three together and they must all deal with the repercussions of Jesse’s head injuries which unlock the secrets to her own past, and Alicia and Rory’s as well.

The past bleeds into the present.
In 1321, in the borderlands between England and Scotland, the Norman stronghold of Hundredfield is owned by Bayard Dieudonné’s older brother Godefroi who has taken a new wife. Flore cannot speak and is pregnant with the heir to Hundredfield. The local people identify her as a witch, and Hundredfield comes under attack. Bayard must defend his family and protect a strange secret that will change the course of his life.

At first I had difficulty in understanding how the two timelines would come together. The fourteenth century storyline was such a contrast to the more modern timeline, but by breaking it up it kept the interest level high.

I normally struggle with books written in multiple viewpoints, but I didn’t have any difficulty in working out who was speaking, acting, or thinking here; I believe it added to the overall story.

My only complaint is that Alicia, Rory and Jesse weren’t developed enough as characters. I had difficulty in understanding Alicia’s mindset until closer to the end and I could never quite understand Rory’s. His stuffy nature was explained away as a result of his past, but that didn’t satisfy my curious mind. I did, however, feel quite sorry for him by the end. Jesse was a very emotional character, and I can’t say I clicked with her. Mack was by far my favourite, the perfect gentlemen.

The characterisation in 1321 was exceptional. Bayard was the perfect choice as the protagonist in that period and The imagery in this novel was very well done. I could see, smell and almost feel Hundredfield.

This was a lovely read and I recommend it to all lovers of historical fiction. ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Mar 18, 2016 Kate Forsyth rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fantasy, historical, parallel-narratives, historical-romance, aww16

WILD WOOD is a dual timeline narrative that moves between the Scottish Borderlands in the 14th century and an unhappy young woman in the 1980s who finds herself compelled to draw the same Scottish castle over and over again.

I love stories with parallel timelines, particularly with a good dash of romance, history and magic added in, and I love books set in Scotland, so all the ingredients were in place for a really wonderful read.

I must admit I loved the scenes set in the past more – the story of ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Jan 14, 2015 Sheree rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviews, read-in-2015, own, historical-fiction, aussie-author

4.5 stars

I fell in love with Posie Graeme-Evans' writing almost 10 years ago after reading her War of the Roses trilogy. The cover of Wild Wood called my name, blessed by the cover fairies with what looks to me like Eilean Donan Castle. Then of course I noticed the author's name and when I finally read the synopsis, I was sold. And not disappointed ... this Australian author's writing has evolved over the years and Wild Wood is a beautifully refined story, compelling and evocative.

"The past ble 4.5 stars

I fell in love with Posie Graeme-Evans' writing almost 10 years ago after reading her War of the Roses trilogy. The cover of Wild Wood called my name, blessed by the cover fairies with what looks to me like Eilean Donan Castle. Then of course I noticed the author's name and when I finally read the synopsis, I was sold. And not disappointed ... this Australian author's writing has evolved over the years and Wild Wood is a beautifully refined story, compelling and evocative.

"The past bleeds into the present."

A dual narrative, separated by centuries, distinct but slowly merging as the threads of past and present unlock long-held secrets ...

1321 in the borderlands, the story unfolds at the Norman stronghold Hundredfield, held by Godefroi, eldest of the three Dieudonné brothers. The story is narrated by the youngest, Bayard. I loved his character; battle-hardened knight, his strength, compassion and sensitivity endearing traits.

1981 Jesse Mayard's world is rocked when she learns she is adopted and leaves her home in Sydney, Australia determined to discover the truth, and herself. Heading for Jedburgh in Scotland, fate intervenes bringing Jesse and Alicia and her neurologist friend Rory Brandon together, setting Jesse on the path to Hundredfield.

In a dual time line story I normally find one story appeals more than the other but with Wild Wood I was equally intrigued by both. I was immediately hooked on Bayard's narration, page-turning, breath-holding reading, the setting and times, violent, harsh and unforgiving. Jesse's narration was a quieter pulling, until Hundredfield exerted its influence.

Wild Wood has its faults but maybe visiting Scotland gave the story and Hundredfield a whole lot more 'feel' ... history literally seeps from the walls of these ancient castles and ruins, it can be quite emotionally overwhelming. It was lovely to revisit that feeling with Wild Wood.

History, dark secrets, legend and superstition create a haunting tale. And now I look forward to the author's new writing venture ... The Outer Sea. Write faster Posie :)

Cover: I'm in love. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 15, 2015 Tien rated it liked it

Shelves: kindle, net-galley, historical-fiction, scotland

Wild Wood is an intriguing story of one family’s existence through the ages. A family with a folklore that is living to ensure their continuity & maybe even prosperity. The novel spans 6 centuries of secrets hidden in a little town by the Scottish borders.

This tale is told from 2 perspectives: Jesse in 1981 and Bayard in 1321. Jesse had recently found out that she was adopted and is in doubt of her identity. She is looking for her birth parents and by several incidents, she got to Hundredfield w ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 08, 2015 Bree T rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, hist-contemp-blend, aww2015

Jesse Marley has just discovered that her whole childhood was a lie. When getting a passport to surprise her parents, she hit a roadblock which led to her parents confessing that in fact, she was adopted. Jesse was born in Scotland, adopted as a baby and then her parents emigrated to Australia. Absolutely stunned by this revelation she packs her bags and leaves for England, determined to travel to the place of her birth in Scotland and find her mother and find out what she can about the circumst Jesse Marley has just discovered that her whole childhood was a lie. When getting a passport to surprise her parents, she hit a roadblock which led to her parents confessing that in fact, she was adopted. Jesse was born in Scotland, adopted as a baby and then her parents emigrated to Australia. Absolutely stunned by this revelation she packs her bags and leaves for England, determined to travel to the place of her birth in Scotland and find her mother and find out what she can about the circumstances of her birth and adoption. She arrives just prior to the wedding of the Prince of Wales to Diana Spencer in 1981 and all of England is in a jubilant mood. Except Jesse.

When she is knocked down in the street by a motorbike, she displays some unusual behaviour whilst recuperating, drawing pictures of places she’s never been and people from a time long ago. Her neurologist, Dr Rory Brandon is fascinated, not just because he knows the place that Jesse has been drawing. He convinces her to travel north with him, to stay at Hundredfield, a Scottish stronghold built a thousand years ago by the Normans. There he will treat Jesse and perhaps unlock the mystery behind her new and unusual abilities. What Rory and Jesse will unlock whilst working together will shock them both, solve the problems of the upkeep of the thousand year old stronghold and help Jesse find where she belongs and who she is once and for all.

I love a good historical/contemporary blend and this book fits that bill perfectly. Not only is there Jesse’s story, set in 1981 in London and then Scotland but there’s also the story of Bayard in 1321. Bayard was the youngest son of the lord who held Hundredfield, a prosperous stronghold. When his father died, Bayard’s oldest brother Godefroi became lord and married the Lady Flore, a woman he found in a forest. When Bayard and his older brother Maugris return to Hundredfield from one of their frequent trips away fighting, they find that their home is much changed. The people are leaving and those that remain are distrustful and wary. Something is not quite right with the Lady Flore and Godefroi is besotted with his new bride. Bayard watches as things begin to fall apart around him and danger lurks around every corner.

Discovering the link between Jesse in 1981 and Bayard in 1321 is the beauty of this book. The setting is incredible, especially in Bayard’s time. Hundredfield is set in the north, not far from the border between Scotland and England, a harsh and unforgiving sort of place during winter and the description of the stronghold and the surrounding scenery is wonderful. Bayard was a fantastic narrator and I found myself really interested in his story – it’s such a different time and I found it all fascinating and each time we went back to Bayard I was utterly engrossed in that part of the story. I’m not entirely sure why this is but I found some of the mystery much easier to immerse myself in when it was taking place in this time rather than in the more modern day one.

Although I liked Jesse, I did find myself often a bit distracted from her part of the story after she came to Hundredfield. Whilst I enjoyed her journey in attempting to find out who she really was, tracking down her mother and the circumstances of her birth, I found some of the interactions between her, Alicia (the current owner of Hundredfield) and Rory a bit repetitive. The interactions between them were a bit odd at times, especially given what is revealed very late in the book. I found Alicia very prickly and prone to a lot of drama, but perhaps she had reason to be suspicious given she was the current owner of a property with such monetary and historical value, even if it was in need of a huge amount of work. I found both Alicia and Rory a bit inconsistent at times and their dynamic with each other was confusing. I would’ve liked Alicia to offer up information in a more positive way and Rory’s motivations for taking a stranger to a remote place weren’t exactly portrayed in the best of ways. I don’t mean that he was sinister or that it was even a possibility, I’m just not sure that he ever explained himself properly to Jesse or Alicia and turning up as a guest at someone else’s house with another person in tow is quite rude. So it’s unsurprising that Alicia is rather stand offish and hostile at first, however this did seem to go on too long. I have to admit I didn’t suspect the twist in its entirety at the end of the book, only part of it and for the most part, I think it worked.

But for me, it was with Bayard where this story shone. He was a man ahead of his time I believe, someone who had compassion and thoughtfulness and an understanding of what it meant to be in the position of lord of such a stronghold. It was a pity he wasn’t the eldest son, I get the feeling that much would’ve been different if he had of been. I really enjoyed his progression with the character of Margaretta and the sympathy he displayed. Like Jesse, Bayern seeks love and a place to belong as well and he has an understanding of his responsibilities concerning both of those things.

I enjoyed this – I think it’d suit those who love a small bit of magic/folklore with their history. ...more

Like · see review