My Book Reviews

In the late 1580s, England is holding its breath: word has it that Philip of Spain is assembling a huge fleet, aiming to attack the English. Along the coasts, beacons are set up, and people fret and pray as they await the papist attack. In Dartington, uncomfortably close to the Devon coast, it is Mistress Champernowne who is doing her best to keep her people calm while overseeing the preparations to withstand—or flee—an attack. Roberda Champernowne not only has to deal with potential Spanish invasions: her life is further complicated by the very strained relationship with her husband, Gawen. Why …

Rosemary Griggs has created a wonderful historical fiction series based on meticulous research, which is very obvious throughout. We meet Roberda as a very young girl and through her view point we are taken through war, celebrations, and devastation as Roberda grows from a girl to a woman. Due to her fathers involvement in the wars, her life takes her to various places in France before she ultimately lands in England to be married and becomes a daughter of Devon. Sadly, escaping war in France does not bring all the joys expected and Roberda faces further struggles and heartbreak.

I …

5.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 July 2025
Once again Rosemary Griggs takes us to Devon in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I as the Spanish Armada prepares to attack.
At last a well-informed author looks at what women were doing to protect their homes, their children, their livelihoods and their men. It wasn't just Drake and Raleigh and a handful of Elizabethan heroes who kept England safe from the invasion.
The characterisation is compelling, albeit a lot of it by necessity fictional. I certainly had empathy for Roberda and her family. Love and loss; grief and hardship …

Mistress of Dartington Hall is an engrossing read, full of tension – the Spanish, her family's fate, her estate – but also full of warmth, resourcefulness, and support from unexpected quarters. Roberda is a woman of her time, aware of her legal limitations, but not adverse to try anything she needs to keep her children, and the people of Dartington, safe.

Her husband, Gawen Champernowne, comes across as a sad, at times heartless character. He carries his insecurities like a badge, making life difficult for her, even after their reconciliation. His irresponsible, at times careless actions also lead to her …

October 31, 2025

This is the first time I read a book in this series, and I admit it took me a while to get up to speed. The author has done a good job feeding us the back story, but I’m sure I lost the emotional significance of Roberda’s terrible treatment by her husband Gawen. When he returns in this book, somewhat chastened, she rediscovers her tattered love for him and does her best to put the past behind them. She manages to fool herself despite the unforgiving comments of her dear friend and servant Clotilde: "‘It’s a fine …