Ramona tells me i should post book reports too. I tell her that the kind of books i read are not as worthy of being reported, but she says that doesn’t matter, so here goes.
I picked up a book i read years ago and kept because i enjoyed it so much i thought i would reread it one day. Rereading does not always work out well for me (my interests and reading tastes change) but this time the book was good the second time around.
Bond of Blood. This was the first book by Roberta Gellis I read, and it set me on a binge of her books. It is set in medieval times, the heroine a 15 year old heiress who is betrothed in the first few pages to a neighbor. It may sound like a typical romance, but it isn’t. The description of the times is graphic and, i believe, mostly accurate; the romance is sweet and not typical of the genre.
Then i read the other book by Roberta Gellis that i have kept with the intention of rereading, The Rope Dancer. This book, if you look at the cover, looks like a typical romance. It isn’t. The heroine is a rope dancer and proud of her calling, but without a strong protector she is pretty much helpless. She is found in a heap on the road by a troubadour and his dwarf friend/servant/fool and, of course, they end up forming a small troup of players and romance blooms. The story is, again set in medieval times with a good description of the times, and the romance is non-typical and satisfying.
Roberta Gellis has a masters degree in medieval literature. It shows in her writing.
When i looked to see if there were any more books by her in the library that i have not read, i discovered that she has been writing mysteries lately. I just finished my first, A Mortal Bane. What can i say, I like the way she writes. I read it in one day, though i should have been doing other things. This book was not, perhaps, as interesting a study of the times, though descriptions of attitudes and rules of society did play a part in the story. She has written 4 mysteries. I have a feeling i will wish there were more when i finish the last one.
Well, excellent. Thank you. 🙂
Your books sound fun. Sometimes I go through a mystery phase; when the next one seems likely I’ll try to remember Gellis. Of course, now I can just go back and look it up here.