Rachel Rossano is a happily married mother of three children. She spends her days teaching, mothering, and keeping the chaos at bay. After the children are in bed, she immerses herself in the fantasy worlds of her books.
Tales of romance, adventure, and virtue set in a medieval fantasy world are her preference, but she also writes speculative fantasy and a bit of science fiction.
The royal wedding approaches and the country is alive with anticipation.
Among the craftsmen traveling to the capital is Constance Rendare and her family. An artist, a widow of an unhappy marriage, and the mother of a young son, she dreams of escaping the cruel servitude of her father’s household.
Wilard Naron serves the Earl of Dentin. He returns to the capital, his childhood home, to collect his earnings and finally free himself from his father’s reputation.
Kidnappings, bandits, and a plot against the king complicate the journey. The conflicts throw Constance and Wilard together as their circumstances grow steadily worse. The more the pair uncovers, the direr the future looks for the country and for them.
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The following are my book reviews of the three
Novels of Rhynan:
Duty
This
book reads like a medieval romance although it has a hypothetical setting, and
the names for the kings, castles, and deity are not historical. It starts with
a conquered land and the ruling general, Lord Irvaine, being required to marry
the noblewoman of the defeated landholding, Lady Brielle. With the men dead,
the marriageable women are require to marry soldiers who will stay and work the
land as well as provide a defensive force from foreign invaders. Lady Brielle’s
cousin offered her up as guarantee for his change in loyalty to the new king,
but she knows he cares nothing for her or her people. Although this union formed
as a matter of duty to the new king, the question is whether or not it grows
into a true romance, especially as this couple face challenges from inside and
outside their rule.
The
author did an excellent job of world-building. She also created relatable
characters. Written in first person, I found it easy to identify with Brielle—her
concerns and her feelings for her family and her people. Plenty of conflict in
this plot kept the story interesting and moving at a good pace. It was hard to
put down and I hated to see this sweet romance end.
Honor
Although
written as a stand-alone, Honor seamlessly follows Duty as a fantasy set in a
medieval-style world. Lord Dentin is mentioned briefly during the end of the
first novel as a person who is driven and not given to feeling. He plays the
starring role in this story as the reader discovers the reasons why he has
developed the outward persona of being ruthless and uncaring. That gradually begins
to change as he meets and interacts with Elsa, the last unmarried daughter of
Lord Reeve. With an irresponsible brother pushing her family to ruin and an
overbearing, demanding mother insisting she marry well to save them, she fights
back to keep from being the forced pawn of others.
The
story is full of conflicts, dangers to be overcome, and enough action to keep
the story interesting and moving at a good pace. I enjoyed the characters,
especially seeing them exhibit their negative traits along with their
strengths. Written in first person, the point of view alternated between Lord
Dentin and Elsa. I enjoyed this story and can recommend it. Although not
necessary in order to follow this story without feeling like gaps are missing, I
do suggest reading the three stories in the Rhynan series in order.
Mercy
This
story follows Honor, although it can easily be read as a stand-alone novel. I
recognized Lord Dentin and his wife Elsa, minor characters in this book, from
the previous book. I also eventually recognized the hero of this book, Wilard,
as one of the minor characters in Honor.
Unlike
the primary characters in the first two books, Wilard and Constance are not
nobility. They are craftspeople, both with difficult families that add to the
conflict of the story. They start out working together to discover what
happened to Constance’s father after he was abducted, which led to them helping
Lord Dentin discover a plot against the king. Written in first person, the
point of view alternates between Constance and Wilard. This story, along with
plenty of action, involved an interesting cast of characters that added depth
and interest to this sweet romance. I can recommend this to anyone who enjoys
reading either fantasy or historical romances.
