The Love Knot by Elizabeth Chadwick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Although it took me longer than usual to read this book, there’s a good reason for it. The Love Knot
I have always enjoyed a good romance story and this was one of them. A true romance, in my opinion, has a real story behind it. Something that is interesting with characters that you would want to befriend in real life. I tend not to read the sloppy romance that has no substance to it and is filling with cardboard cutouts that are meant to be characters because those types of books are simply not interesting enough to keep my attention. The Love Knot was far from being sloppy and the romance thread was only a small part of the story as a whole. I really enjoyed it.
The thing I especially liked about this book was the history. I’ve always had an interest for castles and knights and everything that goes with it, so I didn’t start reading this book with no knowledge of the period. However, as the story progressed I found that I was not only interested in the romance blossoming between Oliver and Caitlin, I was interested to learn more about life in the 12th Century. It was clear that the details had been thoroughly researched by the author and that goes a long way with me. It helped me settle into the story and “see” the surroundings through eyes that have not been tinted with a rose colour, which so many medieval type stories are these days. The author showed the dirt, the hardship, the death, the pain, but she also showed how the people of those days were able to find contentment with what little they had. I appreciated that.
The Love Knot is a story worth reading. I recommend it and I’ll be keeping an eye open for more books by this author.