CAROL’S REVIEW: LORDS OF MISRULE BY STELLA RILEY

(Roundheads and Cavaliers #4)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Cover Blurb (Amazon)

Still tied to his desk in the Intelligence Office, Colonel Eden Maxwell has become increasingly disenchanted with both Oliver Cromwell and his own daily existence; and with the advent of new Royalist conspiracies, he despairs of ever getting away. Then a brick hurled through the window of a small workshop sets in motion a new and unexpected chain of events. After all, who would want to hurt Lydia Neville – a young widow, giving work and self-respect to maimed war veterans considered unemployable elsewhere? But when the assaults in Duck Lane escalate, threatening the life and remaining limbs of some of Eden’s former troopers, finding the culprit becomes a personal crusade.

At their first meeting, Lydia finds Colonel Maxwell annoying; by their second, having discovered that he had arrested and questioned her brother in connection with the Ship Tavern Plot, she mistrusts his motives. On the other hand, it swiftly becomes plain that she needs his help … and has difficulty resisting his smile.

Solving the increasingly hazardous mystery surrounding Lydia is not Eden’s only task. Between plots to assassinate the Lord Protector and a rising in Scotland, he must also mend the fences within his own family and get to know his son. Life suddenly goes from mind-numbing boredom to frenetic complexity.

With reckless Cavaliers lurking around every corner and a government still struggling to find its way, Lords of Misrule is set against a time of national discontent and general failure. But readers of the previous books in the series can look forward to catching up with old friends as well as meeting new ones … while, against all the odds, Eden and Lydia find danger and reward in equal measure.

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Set during the years 1653 to 1655, when Oliver Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector, Lords of Misrule is the fourth book in Stella Riley’s excellent Roundheads and Cavaliers series. As with the previous books, it is an absorbing and intelligently written story which effortlessly blends history, politics, mystery, danger and, of course, romance.

Eden Maxwell has been an important secondary character since he first appeared in The Black Madonna, when his wife’s betrayal had such a devastating affect on him. Garland 0f Straw saw Eden serving as a major in Cromwell’s New Model Army, but still unable to put the past behind him and frequently finding solace in a bottle. It took some straight talking from his commanding officer to make him realise that he risked throwing his military career down the drain. In The King’s Falcon Eden, now a colonel, had finally come to terms with what happened and events leave him free to find the happiness he truly deserves.

What I love about Eden is that he is such a flawed and complex character. Despite being a battle-hardened soldier, he is a man of honour and integrity, as his actions in The King’s Falcon, and his disenchantment with Cromwell and what he stands for, reveal. The pain and anger he felt discovering his wife’s infidelity was understandable, made all the more heart-breaking because it was the same day his beloved father was buried. The hurt and disillusionment ran so deep that he vowed never to marry again. It was sad to see him distancing himself from his family and especially his two children. He had become a virtual stranger to his son, Jude, and resented his daughter, Viola, because he knows she isn’t his child. It was heartwarming to watch Eden making a positive effort to break down the barriers he had built between himself and his children. Jude proves to be young man with a wise head on his shoulders and offers his father some sound advice when it comes to building bridges with Viola.

Lydia is independent, capable and stubborn, and I admire her refusal to be hounded into selling her charitable businesses by her late husband’s family. Her kindness and compassion is evident in her desire to provide gainful employment to war-widows and crippled ex-soldiers, regardless of which side they fought on. In doing so, she hopes to restore their self respect, and it’s clear that the men and women she helps adore her and would defend her without hesitation.

”If you ever need a rag-tag army to stand at your back, you can count on us.  All of us.”

It was refreshing to see Lydia’s late husband shown in a positive light, rather than an odious old lecher as so often happens. He was kind and always had her best interests at heart. She obviously loves her brother, Aubrey, and worries about him, although, at times, he seems totally irresponsible in his actions.

The romance was deliciously slow-building and watching Eden and Lydia gradually see each other in a new light and begin to fall in love was very satisfying.

As always, with Ms. Riley, the relationships between her male characters are so brilliantly written, especially the brotherly exchanges between Eden and Toby, and the close bond of friendship between Eden and Gabriel.

Ms. Riley’s books are so meticulously researched and watching the historical events unfold through the eyes of her characters brought the history to life, and made me care about the fate of these characters.

The mystery of who is threatening Lydia, and why, is well-plotted with plenty of action and danger, and the villain’s identity certainly came as a surprise.

There are some delightful moments of humour throughout the story and one of my particular favourites is the scene where Lydia pretends to be absent-minded when soldiers arrive to question her about her brother’s whereabouts. It is so funny.

Among the secondary characters are a number of familiar favourites from the previous books including Gabriel and Venetia Brandon, Phoebe Clifford, Venetia’s youngest sister, Sir Nicholas Austin and a cameo appearance from Ashley Peverell. I felt a lot of sympathy for Deborah but she was pragmatic enough to accept that there was no future for her with Eden. Toby was definitely a scene stealer and I loved the banter between him and Eden. A real charmer and ladies man on the surface, but not someone to be underestimated, especially in a life-threatening situation. Like so many other readers, I do hope that Toby gets his own book in the not too distant future.

I strongly recommend that you read the previous books in this series to get a full appreciation of Eden’s character, and his connection to the other recurring characters who appear in this book.

Another superbly written story from Stella Riley. I can highly recommend all the books in this excellent series.

Originally posted on Goodreads