How eager would the bridegroom be if he knew he could never bed the bride? Lady Emma of Ravenwood Keep is prepared to give Sir William l’Orage land, wealth, and her hand in marriage. But her virginity? Not unless he loves her. The curse that claimed her mother is clear: unless a Ravenwood heir is conceived in love, the mother will die in childbirth. Emma is determined to dodge the curse. … curse. Then William arrives, brandishing raw sensuality which dares her to explore her own.
William the Storm isn’t a man to be gainsaid. He’ll give her protection, loyalty, and as much tenderness as he can muster. But malignant memories quell the mere thought of love. To him, the curse is codswallop. He plans a seduction to breach Emma’s fears and raze her objections. What follows is a test of wills and an affirmation of the power of love.
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What a beautiful story! Judith Sterling’s Flight of the Raven is truly romantic, deliciously medieval, and a very satisfying read, especially knowing it’s part of a series.
Ordered to marry by the king, Emma, Lady of Ravenwood, and William l’Orage (the Storm) enter the marriage with reservations. Due to a mortal curse, she will not willingly agree to consummate their marriage unless they truly love each other. Of course, he scoffs at the notion of a curse. They are mutually attracted, and he wants sons. But he won’t force her. He’ll woo her, instead. And oh, his efforts are magnificent.
Emma and William are noble individuals. Their situation is tense, but they treat each other reasonably and respectfully. There’s not a lot of unnecessary angst between them, and that’s a refreshing change. It made me all the more eager for the moment these passionate people would give in to their feelings for each other.
Of course, not everyone wishes them well. Curse or no, they have enemies who will stop at nothing, including murder, to get what they want. Emma and William could lose everything before they surrender to their love for each other.
I love this couple, and I’m also quite attached to Wulfstan and Robert, wonderful characters that I look forward to seeing again. Hints of magic and mystery enhance the gorgeous medieval setting.
Flight of the Raven is an absorbing, enchanting romance.
This is a wonderfully sweet and sexy story about William and Emma. The king will have them married to bring together Norman and Saxon peoples. Unfortunately there is a curse on Emma the spans back many generations. Only true love can break this curse but William’s past makes him unable to love or can he. I loved these characters a lot. Emma is strong. William is protective. His determination to seduce his wife is endearing. There are forces working to destroy what they are building. This is most certainly a great read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The first book in The Novels of Ravenwood series a well written story with a very good storyline the story flowed smoothly across the pages. Lady Emma of Ravenwood and Sir William l’Orage or William the Storm as he is called, this is their story of suspense, drama, danger, evil, villains, and love. This is a new Author to me. I found the book to be well worth reading. I want to read the next book. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was my first medieval novel. I liked the premise of the story and the wonderful characters of Emma, William, and their supporting cast. This book was a quick read that kept my interest from beginning to end.
William wants Emma to “Soar with me to heaven.” A well written and well told historical english romance. William marries Emma and will take over her land. But she believes in the curse where women will die in childbirth if their babies were conceived without love. So she will not be giving up her virginity to her husband. William’s struggle to change her mind is quite entertaining! There is also mystery, potions, healing, friendship, betrayal, history.
I listened to Audible version of this book and the narration was well done.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“Flight of the Raven” is a sweet and yet spicy historical romance with a dash of paranormal fantasy thrown in for good measure. If that’s not enough for you, there’s also some mystery and plenty of action.
The writing is superb, but then I’ve come to expect that from Judith Sterling.
The characters are so well-developed that you can truly believe they may have existed (and maybe they really did!).
The plot is thoroughly enjoyable, with 2 very pronounced “I didn’t see that coming” moments.
Perfect escapism and a perfect read.
Just what a period romance should be. A family curse, an arranged marriage between two stubborn people on different sides of a historical struggle, mysterious forces, and an ancient enemy returning to threaten everything. Well written and presented. I received a free review copy of the audio version of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is what I would consider a staple story to have in your collection. I have now finished the series and this is on up there in my list of favorite series! They can be standalone but I’d highly recommend doing the whole series as this is a WONDERFUL addition to your library!! . This was beautifully written and so much detail and thought went into each scene. Its almost hard to believe this is a paranormal romance and not just romance but Judith Sterling adds just enough to make it so! I loved the accent the reader Rebecca McKernan had during the story. This is a beautiful historical type romance with lots of fun twists in it. The steamy scenes are super steamy! I highly recommend this and I can’t wait for book 2!!
Audiobook: Narrator – Rebecca McKernana
I often have a difficult time following/understanding a narrator with an accent, but not so this time around with Ms. McKernana. Her voice was very clear and precise and I never had to rewind or slow the speed down in order to follow along with this story. She does some amazing accents for the servants that felt one hundred percent authentic and that I loved. The overall tone of the recording was not amazing (I actually heard a siren in the background a few times) but it did not take away from my overall enjoyment of this audiobook.
Lady Emma of Ravenwood is promised to the Norman conqueror, Williams l’Orage – The Storm, in marriage. But a curse has been passed down through her bloodline and while she will wed him, she will never bed him. However, she never expected to feel such attraction and fierce desire. There is only one way the curse can be broken, and it is highly unlikely it will occur with husband. Therefore, she must hold fast to her refusal despite the fact that has slowly fallen in love with him.
Emma is not a weak, simpering heroine as many historical females are written. Instead, she is strong and determined while being touched by a bit of magic. Her emotions leapt off the page and pulled me into her turmoil as she struggles with, not only the curse, but her growing feelings.
William, is everything a conquering hero should be, but what should be a hardened heart actually softens when it comes to his wife. Although this couple have some serious quarrels, it only adds to the sizzling chemistry between them as they work out their differences. And William is most creative when it comes to abiding to Emma’s dictate of no consummation.
I’m not an expert when it comes to medieval history, but this felt as authentic as anything I’ve ever read in this era before. I was completely caught up in the location, language, and politics of this book. This is such a well plotted storyline with characters that come alive on the page/audio, drama that kept me engaged, and danger that had me gasping. I know I’ll be listening to this one again!
From page one, I was completely mesmerized by this story. The more I read, the more my heart was involved and the way Judith Sterling writes, you can’t help but immerse yourself completely in the story. Between the characters, the touch of the paranormal, the curse, the passionate and deep emotions, the danger and the suspense, it all makes for a book you just can’t put down until you’re finished reading it.
William is such a strong hero and he’s also an emotionally and physically wounded hero and there’s a reason he’s called “William the Storm”! Due to past betrayals, there is no room in his heart for love. Yet, his sense of humor is delightful and ooooh what a bad boy he is! lol
Emma is such a sweet, innocent and yet determined heroine who truly believes in the curse that has affected her family for generations. Without love, any conception of a baby ends up with the woman dying at childbirth. When she and William are forced to marry, a decree by the King, she tries to make him understand about the curse and William does everything to make it harder for her to resist him! I loved the passionate scenes, so well written!!
One line in one scene had me giggling so much….”Every minute there’s more of you to clean”…omigosh, wait until you reach that scene, it’s hilarious:)
All of that just to say I loved this story and look forward to the next books in the series. I was given an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I loved Flight of the Raven, The Novels of Ravenwood, Book One. The story was well-written with fascinating characters, a great plot, and magic is woven in like the threads of a delicate veil. I loved the interaction between the opposing forces of Saxon and Normans. This book promoted my interest to do further research on my Anglo-Saxon roots. Awesome book by this author. She also has a non-fiction title, Past Lives Present Stories: Healing & Wisdom Through Past Life Exploration written under the name, Judith Marshall. I would highly recommend both books.
I really enjoyed this book! It is well-written and the characters are fully developed people. I loved the hint of magic within their world as well. I will definitely be reading book two in this series. Soon.
The first book in the series. A Norman knight is commanded by the King to marry a Saxon bride and acquire all her holdings. A curse in the maternal line of her family is death in childbirth, unless the child is conceived in love. This dark Knight definitely learns to have patience. A nice flow to the story that I enjoyed reading. A few modern words/phrases.