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Lord Greville's Captive by Nicola Cornick
Jan. 10th, 2010 11:25 pmI picked up several of Nicola Cornick’s books a few weeks ago after really enjoying the Christmas story of hers that I read, and was thrilled to see one was a Restoration Era romance.* I really like stories set then, but there don’t seem to be too many.
When they were young, Anne of Grafton and Simon, Lord Greville, were betrothed. Despite not knowing each other well, they were well on their way to falling in love when the marriage was called off due to Simon becoming a Parliamentarian, while his father and the Graftons were Royalists. Now, Grafton Manor has become a Royalist military stronghold, which is currently under siege from Simon’s forces. Anne hates the commander who has taken over her home, but she’s also been trusted to safeguard the king’s “treasure,” which could be used against him if discovered.
I tend to be rather neutral regarding “enemies as lovers” as a trope, though there are some I’m quite fond of, as it seems to often rely on the enmity to build the relationship and chemistry around, and I’m rarely convinced by it. I do, however, like stories about friends and/or lovers who become enemies, as there’s an established relationship and dynamic to build off of. Cornick does a good job of portraying Anne and Simon as respecting each other despite their clashing loyalties, and doesn’t fall into the normal trap of having one be on the “right” side, and the other on the “wrong” side.
Unfortunately, the plot takes a negative turn in the last leg on several fronts, and while it mostly recovers from it, I wasn’t able to enjoy the last 60 or so pages as much as I had the earlier parts. I was also a bit surprised at how serious (and often understandably angsty) it was, as the Christmas story I read was rather light and fun. (Far from a bad thing, but they have very different tones.)
*Though, aside from one Edwardian, it looks like all her other books are Regencies.
When they were young, Anne of Grafton and Simon, Lord Greville, were betrothed. Despite not knowing each other well, they were well on their way to falling in love when the marriage was called off due to Simon becoming a Parliamentarian, while his father and the Graftons were Royalists. Now, Grafton Manor has become a Royalist military stronghold, which is currently under siege from Simon’s forces. Anne hates the commander who has taken over her home, but she’s also been trusted to safeguard the king’s “treasure,” which could be used against him if discovered.
I tend to be rather neutral regarding “enemies as lovers” as a trope, though there are some I’m quite fond of, as it seems to often rely on the enmity to build the relationship and chemistry around, and I’m rarely convinced by it. I do, however, like stories about friends and/or lovers who become enemies, as there’s an established relationship and dynamic to build off of. Cornick does a good job of portraying Anne and Simon as respecting each other despite their clashing loyalties, and doesn’t fall into the normal trap of having one be on the “right” side, and the other on the “wrong” side.
Unfortunately, the plot takes a negative turn in the last leg on several fronts, and while it mostly recovers from it, I wasn’t able to enjoy the last 60 or so pages as much as I had the earlier parts. I was also a bit surprised at how serious (and often understandably angsty) it was, as the Christmas story I read was rather light and fun. (Far from a bad thing, but they have very different tones.)
*Though, aside from one Edwardian, it looks like all her other books are Regencies.
