Monday, February 22, 2010

DIK Reading Challenge for February....A Kingdon of Dreams



A Kingdom of Dreams

Judith McNaught

438 pgs.

Pocket Books

Historical Romance

     This was a great book to read in February, it's all about heart!  In case you couldn't tell, I'm going to recommend this book to be read at anytime of the year, but this month, well, to me, it made the book even more wonderful.

     This tale is set during the time of Henry VII.  The descriptions of the land, the clothes and the politics of the era are wonderfully rich and interesting. Yet the background doesn't overtake the story, it bolsters and enriches it, which is a nice surprise, like finding a pearl in an oyster.  There are books out there where the telling of such a historical tale, the details over shadow the story line.  Ms McNaught has not let the details get the better of her and used them to enrich her story.

     The characters are well developer, likeable and realistic.  They make you care what happens to them.  Even the secondary characters are likeable and real.  You cheer when things go right and feel the heart strings pull when things go awry.

     Royce Westmorland, Duke of Claymore is a man choosing to end his career as a solider to King Henry VII.  When he 'accidentally
 kidnaps the two young daughters of the Scottish Lord that is his last campaign.  And, from an Abby, no less.  Well, in all reality it's his brother, Stephen, that does the kidnapping, but Royce see an opportunity to end his last campaign the King has sent him on with out bloodshed.  By using the girls as hostages, Royce homes to get their father to surrender to Henry's will.  What he doesn't bargain for is Jenny, the older sister, a whole whopping 17 years old, being as headstrong, stubborn and as cleaver as he is.\

Starting with their first meeting , a fist to the jaw and a foot to the groin, Jenny stands up the the one man in England that everyone, save the King, is afraid of. Jenny peeks Royce's interest, eventually admiration and lust follow. After many misunderstandings, miscommunication, embarrassing moments and some of the funniest dialog and story telling, love blooms between these two.

Even the villains of the story are well developed but not over blown. Their villainy is within the realm of human nature, selfishness, pride and downright heartlessness and cruelty.

Mix the good with the bad and you have a great story. Well told, believable, worth the time of the reader. If Ms. McNaught's other books are as good as A Kingdom of Dreams they would also be worth reading.

I give A Kingdom of Dreams 5 out of 5 WOOTS! Not only worth reading, but reading again and one day again. Would also recommend to friends and family.

3 comments:

  1. Great review Jessica. Sounds like a good one. I might have to add this to my DIK challenge reading list. :)

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  2. Thanks Tracy! Hope you like the book as much as I did. ;)

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  3. Interesting, there aren't to many books I know of set during the reign of Henry VII, and Jenny sounds like quite a character! Great review.

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