Catherine Meyrick

Alyce and Isabel, two sisters reaching womanhood in the late 1500's. The two have always in a way tried to out do the other, and Alyce always was one to not abide by the seen but not be heard unspoken rule expected of women. Isabel seems to have it all, a husband and a child on the way. Alyce however could care less about marriage and children, from what she has seen she doesn't know if she ever wants to be ruled over by a male.
Alyce's father is done with her nonsense, and decides she needs to marry. Albeit Alyce pushed back, they come to an agreement that Alyce will have the final say. To her fear, she thinks that she will be wed to her father's longtime journeyman, Robin. A man she has always spited and one who has shown that he will take whatever he wants. But another unexpected suitor is thrown into the hat. A decision is made and Alyce is to marry.
Thomas Granville has quite the reputation for being a privateer and womanizer, however Alyce is bound to try and give it a shot. What does she have to lose at this point, she was already forced to marry. The two are cautious around the other not sure the intent, but still wanting to be honorable and make things work.
Alyce often struggle with Thomas being gone due to his privateering, and it is decided that she will take a visit back at her old hometown. It has been some time since she has seen her family. As always were, Isabel is fighting to prove she is better and has everything better than Alyce when she comes upon Alyce and her own husband.
What Alyce thought she had gotten away from when she married Thomas, comes crashing back. She is being accused of being a witch and casting a spell causing another supposed death and temptation from another.
Will Thomas fight for her as he had promised in their vows? Will word get to him, and he come to protect her honor? Or will Alyce be hung for her wicked ways, just like her grandmother was decades ago? This was a very good read, as per the title often Alyce got herself in trouble with her own tongue and in those days it was ghastly if women outspoke or seemed to have a mind of their own. It was also very interesting to read about her being accused of a witch and how that all went down and was handled.
Thank you to the author, and Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for another great historical read!… (mais)

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

The year is 1585, Queen Elizabeth I is on the English throne, and the clash between Papists and Protestants is a full-scale war. The religious war forms the background of Forsaking All Other and is an integral part of the novel. This is a powerful story steeped in the religious conflicts of the time both personally and because Edmund Wyard, the male lead, is a soldier determined to protect England from Papist plotting. Bess Stoughton finds herself torn between personal loyalties and those to her Queen in a way that illustrates the difficulties of the environment as little else could.

This novel is a romance between Bess and Edmund, one full of troubles and triumphs. It is also a work of historical fiction, illuminating the political and religious beliefs prevalent then. Bess sets out to find herself a better match by running away and disguising her true situation when her father decides to use her to regain a parcel of land sold to the neighbor generations before. She’d accepted his first choice of a husband, as every good daughter should, and been widowed after an unhappy marriage. Bess refuses to give in to a lecherous man old enough to be her grandfather who lusts after little girls and happily invited her younger half-sisters to come live with them once this farce of a marriage was complete.

She might have issues with her father for remarrying so quickly when her mother died and envy the happy home he made for his second family, but she would not allow her half-sisters to suffer abuse at her hand. This sends Bess on a desperate mission to find a suitable husband after begging her father for a year’s grace in the letter she left behind.

Not only does this premise work within the rules of the time, by skirting them, but for those unaware of women’s place, the author finds an innocent child in Bess’s step sister to ask the question of where the rules of fidelity and rights lie. Bess answers truthfully that a man is not held accountable but the woman bears all.

This is just one example of how the novel is ripe with position, power, and lineage, especially with how those only recently joined to the higher ranks exert their position forcefully with no consideration to others. Cruel spite and sheer selfishness rule while those with good hearts are easily led astray in their attempt to aid others. The novel is very rich in the history and makes it come alive as you see how people are treated and the costs of those treatments.

As to the love story, it winds throughout. We get to see the relationship develop from contempt to respect and finally care for each other. Bess sees through to the spirit and heart Edmund hides behind his gruff exterior, having neither the good looks or trust in women to make his ventures successful. He is reluctantly willing to concede to his mother’s assistance in finding a bride, but that concession comes to haunt him. His mother is a cruel, heartless woman holding herself blameless when his father sought comfort in a mistress and yet punishing her sons for their father’s choice.

This is far from a simple story, and there were moments that made me fearful or brought me to tears. Circumstances, both accidental and deliberate, do much to tear Bess and Edmund apart in ways heavily dependent on the events of that period. The yoke of history does not lie easy on their lives, nor is their love given the blessing of their friends and family. Ultimately, this is a romance and lives up to the promise of a happy ending. They must work hard to earn those final moments, though.

The historical notes at the end make for an interesting read as well. Not only do you learn more about the resources used, but also the difficult balance of writing a book true to the setting that still appeals to modern sensibilities. And for those concerned about the level of sensuality, while their love is strong, it is consummated behind closed doors and after they have exchanged vows.

I’ve tried to give a glimpse into the wealth of detail and complication in this story without any direct spoilers. I hope my enjoyment is clear as I felt drawn into this story where two less than perfect people find their other half and overcome mountains to secure a happily ever after. It’s well worth the time spent in Catherine Meyrick’s hands.

P.S. I received this title from BooksGoSocial through NetGalley in return for an honest review.… (mais)

A Woman's Lot!

A harrowing tale of love, duty and fear in the Elizabethan times of the 1580's. A time when fear of the Spanish and papists was rife in England, when wars were being fought to "protect both England and [the] Protestant faith."
More than that though this is the story of the widowed Bess Staunton fighting for the right to decide her own future, and not that of her father's devising. As a widow without a sinecure Bess is once more a slave to her father's wishes. For the time she has escaped him, serving as a waiting woman to Lady Allingbourne.
When Bess becomes a friend to Edmund Wyard, whose mother is a vile cold hearted wretch with very decided plans for her son's future, the telling of the tale becomes even more involved. Bess is drawn into a web of deceit and fear.
I was enthralled by Bess's story and raced across the pages as the intensity of her journey captured me.

A NetGalley ARC… (mais)

Elizabethan England was not the best of times to be a woman. At least not a woman of the middling upper class. Bess is a young widow who is serving a well born woman and is happy in that role. She is suddenly called home after her stepmother has a hard birthing. She and her stepmother did not get along as Bess was at a difficult age to lose her mother and saw this new woman as an interloper. While home her father informs her that she is to marry the old and decrepit neighbor as he lusts after a piece of land that this man owns. Bess objects but her father basically tells her tough nuts.

Given that in this day a woman without means either belonged to her father or her husband Bess has little choice in the matter but she finds a surprise ally and makes her escape. She does tell her father that if she cannot find a match within a year she will come home and marry the lecher next door.

Bess goes back to the household and tries to be calm and set about finding a husband but she soon learns that a woman without a dowry is pretty much screwed. Ultimately she does meet a man and as with all storybook romances they don’t like each other at first but do intrigue each other to distraction. Edward is a noble who also feels constrained by his role with a mother who wants to run his life.

So what we have is your basic romance novel wrapped up in Elizabethan ribbons. But those ribbons make the book a far better read than the typical tale. The history is well researched and added in to the mix is the mess that was the Catholic/Protestant fears of the time. It all makes for a book well grounded in its time and place with strong characters and an entertaining tale. There is nothing groundbreaking in the plot and there are a few small holes but nothing that kept me from thoroughly enjoying the book.… (mais)