A Tapestry of Dreams (Tales of Jernaeve)

True to form and a matchless expertise, Roberta Gellis gives us another masterpiece of historical fiction. Yes there is a romance too---but that is the icing. The real meat is the historical era which the brilliant and literary Gellis weaves so compellingly; the reader can almost smell the unwashed bodies, hear the scream and clang of battle swords, taste the dust of the old Roman road, and see the faith and fervor of the Arch Bishop as he calls upon a fearsome God to inspire courage and righteous anger in his army! Audris is an heiress with an ethereal beauty and strange gift: she weaves prophetic picture-tapestries. She is an orphan, raised and protected by her Uncle who is an honorable man, but a product of his time: hard, wary and loyal only to his own. Hugh Licorne is a knight of mysterious ancestry, born of a noblewoman, orphaned at birth, and given for fostering to the Arch Bishop Thurstan. Hugh has come into knight-service to the King, Stephen of Blois. The time is early 12th century, when Stephen struggles to hold a Norman kingdom on the precipice of anarchy in his tenuous royal grip. In this violent and turbulent time of history is Audris and Hugh's love story, the unfolding and solving of the mystery of Hugh's parentage, and the terrible tragedy which was the beginning of his life. The young couple are introduced by Audris' brother Bruno, and swiftly fall in love and pledge themselves to one another. Hugh, however, knows only too well that he will never be counted worthy of winning an heiress like Audris unless he can somehow achieve a higher place in the feudal world he inhabits. This he sets out to do, and therein is the romance and adventure. Though Audris, Hugh, Hugh's comrade and friend Bruno of Jernaeve (half-brother to Audris, whose tale is told in Fires of Winter), honorable and loyal Uncle Oliver---are all products of Gellis' imagination, they exist and interact with true historical figures amidst real conflicts and intrigue. It is nigh impossible to read this tale and not become immersed in the breathtaking excitement of a long forgotten era. For three decades, Roberta Gellis was supreme mistress of historical romance (medieval and Napoleonic), before there was such a genre. Her sagas are detailed, vivid with description and historical drama, and grip the reader with excitement and anticipation at the turn of each page. These are, after all, real historical figures who lived, left their indelible mark on the record of human struggle, and died to live on in fable, song and epic poem. There is no author comparable to Gellis for this sort of novel. Read her work. Any of it. You will become a lifetime admirer.

I love historical romances, but it's sometimes hard to find one that doesn't seem "dumbed down". You know the bad ones--stereotyped characters, thin plots, and no words longer than "manhood". This is not that sort of book. I loved _Tapestry of Dreams_; it took what could have been a stereotypical tale and made it rich and new. Audris Fermain is a sheltered heiress, but she's also quick-witted, capable, and less sexually inhibited than the hero. Hugh Licorne is a rough-and-tumble warrior, but also compassionate, religious, and caring. It's a great deal of fun to watch their love unfold. Then war breaks out, old family secrets bubble to the surface, and things begin to look darker for our protagonists! Plot juicy enough to sink your teeth into, a beautiful love story, and tons of medieval detail. I have to applaud the author for treating her readers as intelligent beings and even daring to risk going over their heads sometimes. I know I, for one, know more about medieval warfare than I did when I started reading this!

Gellis is able to write historical accuracy with romance sensibilities in recreating a realistic and involving glimpse into lives of her characters. Audris, the heroine, follows in the long tradition of Gellis's strong, well-rounded female leads. She is individualistic and intelligent, headstrong and heart strong--qualities more modern than medieval and yet is perfectly believeable as a woman of her times due to Gellis's talent at a writer. Hugh Licorne, the hero, becomes more than a stock character during the course of the book. While he is a warrior of the first level, his gentleness and desire to love and be loved ring true because of the details that build his character's history. The well drawn and interesting secondary characters add texture, tension, surprise, and humor--which adds to the realistic aura of the story. Gellis weaves a wonderfully detailed slice of life during the time of Stephen's rise to power in England that shows not just the nobles' point of view, but of lower orders--something she is very skilled in doing. The weavings Audris creates thread through the plot with dexterity and offer mystical curiosity. I have been looking for a hardback copy because I have read two paperback copies into the ground. This book bears reading and rereading--one of her bests.

Take a medival tale of a knight and maiden...Throw in a little mystery...make it as realistic as the research will allow...tie it all together...and you have a delightful historical romance that you won't be able to put down. Caution!! Her books are addicting...try em you'll like em!!!