The
Cold Light of Dawn
(The
King’s Greatest Enemy #4)
By Anna Belfrage
By Anna Belfrage
After Henry of
Lancaster’s rebellion has been crushed early in 1329, a restless peace settles
over England. However, the young Edward III is no longer content with being his
regents’ puppet, no matter that neither Queen Isabella nor Roger Mortimer show
any inclination to give up their power. Caught in between is Adam de Guirande,
torn between his loyalty to the young king and that to his former lord, Roger
Mortimer.
Edward III is growing up fast. No longer a boy to be manipulated, he resents the power of his mother, Queen Isabella, and Mortimer. His regents show little inclination of handing over their power to him, the rightful king, and Edward suspects they never will unless he forces their hand.
Adam de Guirande is first and foremost Edward’s man, and he too is of the opinion that the young king is capable of ruling on his own. But for Adam siding with his king causes heartache, as he still loves Roger Mortimer, the man who shaped him into who he is.
Inevitably, Edward and his regents march towards a final confrontation. And there is nothing Adam can do but pray and hope that somehow things will work out. Unfortunately, prayers don’t always help.
Edward III is growing up fast. No longer a boy to be manipulated, he resents the power of his mother, Queen Isabella, and Mortimer. His regents show little inclination of handing over their power to him, the rightful king, and Edward suspects they never will unless he forces their hand.
Adam de Guirande is first and foremost Edward’s man, and he too is of the opinion that the young king is capable of ruling on his own. But for Adam siding with his king causes heartache, as he still loves Roger Mortimer, the man who shaped him into who he is.
Inevitably, Edward and his regents march towards a final confrontation. And there is nothing Adam can do but pray and hope that somehow things will work out. Unfortunately, prayers don’t always help.
“My, my, how high the
gutter-rat has clambered. You owe everything you are to me de Guirande.
Best not forget it…”
Adam does not need any reminders of how much the Earl
Of March has done for him. Mortimer saved Adam from an abusive father and gave
him not only a purpose but a life beyond his wildest of dreams. However,
Adam’s loyalties are no longer with his liege lord but with the young King
Edward. Why is that so difficult for Mortimer to understand? Adam cannot serve
two masters.
As Regent, the Earl of Marsh has power beyond his
imagination. He is king in all but name. However, the King will not stay a
child forever, and Edward is beginning to resent the Regent’s and his mother’s
rule. So why does Mortimer continue to provoke Edward? For everyone
knows that when the lion roars the hawk will fall — and it is a very long way
to fall. It is said that *those who cannot remember the past are condemned to
repeat it. But, Mortimer saw what happened to Despenser. He knows how this
could end and yet… Adam can do nothing but watch as this fated tragedy plays
out in front of him.
From the extravagance of a coronation to the horrors
of the executioner’s rope, The Cold Light of Dawn (The King’s Greatest Enemy
#4) by Anna Belfrage is an extraordinary work of historical fiction.
Belfrage draws the reader into the fourteenth century,
letting them feel the emotions of the protagonists as well as helping us to
understand on an intimate level what life was like for those who were closest
to the throne at the beginning of Edward III reign.
Belfrage is incredibly adept at creating characters
that her readers care about while skilfully merging their lives with the
history of their time. The portrayal of Roger Mortimer, the Earl of Marsh has
to be commended. Here is a character that is incredibly flawed but at the same
time so exceedingly wonderful. In his quest for glory and riches, he loses
something of himself along the way. His dreams are always just out of reach,
but still he strives to reach them, and like Icarus, he does fly too close to
that sun, and when he falls back to earth nothing will ever be the same. Kudos,
Ms Belfrage for bringing to life a character whom I had only ever read about in
history books. You gave him back his life and made him breathe. What more could
a reader ask for?
Likewise, the portrait of a divided nation, inflamed
by jealousy, greed and hatred is remarkably vivid in the telling. Mortimer’s
quest for power and then his fear of losing that power, makes this book a
riveting read. However, this story is not told from Mortimer’s point of view — the narrative is still that of Adam’s and Kit’s.
With so many historical characters in this book, it
was sometimes hard to remember that Adam and Kit are fictional. Adam is a
cripple in a court where abled men are celebrated. His struggle to accept his
limitation is profoundly moving. Adam wants to be as
he always was — strong, healthy, and the best knight in Edward’s stable. The
reaction of men whom he thought were friends rings remarkably true. He
disability means he is no longer one of them. He is a man to be pitied or
ridiculed. His journey towards accepting what he can do and not lamenting
about what he cannot was not only emotional but also uplifting. As Adam
finds out, there is life away from Edward’s court, and he does not need a sword
in his hand and an opponent defeated at his feet to find happiness and peace of
mind.
Kit continued to grow as a character. I liked her
from the first introduction in book #1 and that like has not diminished.
She is a remarkable woman, much like her husband, Adam. Kit is the outsider
who finds herself in the circle of the Royal household. The contrast between
how she lives and treats people compared to how the Dowager Queen and the Queen
treats their subjects is as vast as a chasm. To them, she is a servant, someone
who can keep their secrets but is, at the same time, expendable. Kit's goodness and grace does her credit. She is a caring woman, who is a wonderful protagonist and I enjoyed reading about her.
The Cold Light of Dawn is simply impossible to
put down. It is one of those books where you don’t want to get to the end
because if you are familiar with the history of this time, you know where the
story is going and I for one did not want to go there. It was like listening to
a clock ticking down the hours, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
All I could do was watch as the drama played out in front of me. One more page
became one more chapter, and then one more!
The King’s Greatest Enemy series has been utterly
compelling from start to finish. I cannot find the words to praise it enough.
It is utterly enchanting. Historical Fiction at its very best.
I Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde.
The Coffee Pot Book Club
* Santayana, George, The Life of Reason: the
Phases of Human Progress (1905).
Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with two absorbing interests: history and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England. She has recently released the first in a new series, The Wanderer. This time, she steps out of her normal historical context and A Torch in His Heart is with a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense with paranormal and time-slip ingredients.
Congratulations, Anna!
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect start to a Saturday. Thank you for this lovely review and I am especially pleased by the fact that you felt I breathed life into Roger Mortimer, a man I've always been intrigued by.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Anna. Such a fabulous series.
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ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Anna. Your series sounds amazing, it is definitely on my to-read list.
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