My Book Reviews

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 …

1587, England is at risk of invasion by the Spanish Armada, following the death of Mary, Queen of Scots, the Catholic rival to the throne and cousin to Queen Elizabeth.
A Navy is being prepared, men are being trained to use weapons, uniforms are needed, ships constantly patrol the shores of the south coast and a network of beacons is erected to give an early warning of attacks. The Navy is under the leadership of Sir Walter Raleigh, a favourite of the Queen and a local man.
At Dartington Hall, war preparations are under way on a more modest scale. The women …

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 …

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

This is a new author to me
I found the write up description intriguing

I really enjoyed this
Loved the writing style and very easy to read

Highly recommend

https://www.netgalley.com/book/671134/reviews