For two years, England has been in the grip of Civil War. In Banbury, Oxfordshire, the Cavaliers hold the Castle, the Roundheads want it back and the town is full of zealous Puritans. Consequently, the gulf between Captain Justin Ambrose and Abigail Radford, the sister of a fanatically religious shopkeeper, ought to be unbridgeable. The key to both the fate of the Castle and that of Justin and … Abigail lies in defiance … but will it be enough?
A Splendid Defiance is a dramatic and enchanting story of forbidden love, set against the turmoil and anguish of the first English Civil War.
Though not a sequel to The Black Madonna, this novel is linked to it through character and taking place at the same time.
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First I have to say that I never knew much about the English Civil War. Which is understandable, I am from the US and in the US school system, we studied American History. I have read other Historical Romance novels that mention historical figures like Cromwell, but it was brief. I am happy to say thanks to Stella Riley I now understand the causes and effects of the war and how it affected The United Kingdom’s history. As I was reading/listening to this history of what transpired and the characters that made up both sides of the story, I not only got caught up on the history but there was actually a love story that transcended out of a bloody war and how two people from different sides found their happily ever after in a time of violence and death.
Captain Justin Ambrose, a Cavalier is a soldier with a strong sense of honor, integrity and is dangerous to anyone who opposed the Cavaliers and their cause. Justin has no time or patience for the Puritans that live in the town that the Cavaliers hold for the king. Especially a particular zealot name Jonas Radford a shop owner who demeans his family, particularly a young lady named Abigail who he had rescued from a perilous situation. Justin is a gentleman to his core and like any gentleman, he believes that woman should be protected from harm and only feels contempt for Jonas and the way he treats his younger sister, Abigail.
Abigail Radford is a young lady who has no life but what her older brother will allow her. She is allowed to work the counter in her family’s shop, other than that she has chores and prayers. Then one day when she is running an errand that if her brother found out she would be punished severely, is accosted by two drunk soldiers, a Cavalier Captain arrives in the nick of time to save her. She is stunned and speechless. She has never seen a man like him and even though she knows it is forbidden she cannot help herself, she allows him to escort her home.
What follows is a secret relationship that is forbidden but neither Justin or Abigail can resist. Usually, in a Historical Romance, there is sex between the main protagonists before you are halfway through the book. Not so in this book, Justin sense of honor will not let him seduce Abigail, though both desire each other. The awakening that Abigail goes through is glorious. Stella is a master at bringing her characters to life.
There is one scene in the book that is truly terrifying. Justin drops his mask of civility when he has to interrogate a traitor. What makes this scene intense is that the traitor is a woman and the pain that he inflicts is intense. Besides being a traitor she tried to kill Abigail and that cannot be tolerated by anyone, be it woman or man. Alex’s performance in this scene is so riveting you feel like you are in the room with Justin.
This love story is filled with a plethora of emotions, beliefs, and heart-stopping danger that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Stella’s writing is historically addicting to me. I love learning history of all kinds. With Splendid Defiance, I get a love story for all time and I learn at the same time.
I can’t wait to dig into the next book, The Marigold Chain.
I have never know much about the British civil war but this book is fantastic, full of history, always interesting and really wonderful complex characters. I absolutely have fallen in love with her books and would recommend them to anyone. Her stories are so well written that it takes you rhere. I am always both sad and happy when I finish her books. WARNING. Her books are addictive.