She is known as Lady Macbeth. What leads her down the path of murder? What secrets fire her destiny? Gruah, the granddaughter of King Cìnéad III of the Royal Clan Alpin, marries two men in less than six months, one she loves and one she hates; one in secret, the other arranged by the High King of Scotland. At the age of eighteen, she lays her palm upon the ancient stone of Scone and sees her … her destiny as Queen of Scotland, and she vows to do whatever necessary to see her true love, Macbeth macFindlaech, beside her on the throne. Amid the fiery times and heated onslaughts from Denmark and England, as the rule of Scotland hangs in the balance, Gruah seeks to win the throne and bring revenge upon the monsters of her childhood, no matter the cost or amount of blood tainting her own hands; yet, an unexpected meeting with the King called the Confessor causes her to question her bloody path and doubt her once blazing pagan faith. Will she find redemption or has the blood of her past fire-branded her soul?
The story weaves the play by William Shakespeare with the actual history of Macbeth and his Queen in 11th-century Scotland. “…a woman’s story at a winter’s fire…” (Macbeth, Act III, Scene IV)
“This beautifully written reworking of the Macbeth tale told from Lady Macbeth’s point-of-view flows from the page and you quickly become immersed in the politics and intrigues of feudal Scotland as she fights for her rightful place and her true love! A mesmerising read that grips from start to finish and Gruah is now one of my all-time favourite literary crushes. “ – Iain Leonard, ARC Reviewer
“Brilliantly conceived and beautifully written, The Fire of Winter is a tale not to be missed by lovers of Shakespeare, lovers of history, or lovers of the written word.” – Riana Everly, Author of Teaching Eliza and Through a Different Lens
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The Fire of Winter tells the story of Lady Macbeth, Gruah. I found it fascinating to have this historical figure to be brought to life. I loved how the author made Gruah as a strong and determined woman. The plot is so well written, I did not want it to end.
I like The Fire of Winter. I would love to read other tales written by D K Marly in the future. I am giving this one four and an half stars. I recommend it for those who love to read historical fiction.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
Truly interesting story of Gruah, Lady MacBeth and her driving ambition for Scotland and the man she loves. Handfasted to the man she loves and forced to marry a man she loathes, Gruah plots and schemes to place her lover, on the throne. With royal bloodlines on both sides, Gruah feels that it’s her destiny to ensure that he is the heir to the throne with her lover sitting on it as King beside her.
I didn’t find Gruah particularly lovable but you have to admire her courage and strength in a time when women were considered nothing but baby breeders. A very interesting take on Scotland’s history and worth the read.
D. K Marley has fully captured the often-violent struggle for power and the crown in 11th century Scotland with her novel The Fire of Winter. This is a retelling of MacBeth from Lady MacBeth’s point of view, told with vivid, passionate prose as her world dwells in the twilight of the pagan gods and the dawn of Christianity.
The age-old adage “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely” is alive and well here as Gruah, the future Lady MacBeth begins her ambitious climb out of a terrible marriage with a hateful man and toward what starts out, at least, a love match. MacBeth’s ambitions match hers and passion and love draws them and keeps them together.
This is a tragedy, after all, and disillusionment, corruption, and an addiction to dwale begin to take its toll in a spectacular fall. Gruah kept me turning the pages as her machinations brought MacBeth to her, then away. Utterly fascinating, a wonderful retelling steeped in deep research and highly recommended.
“The Fire of Winter” by D.K. Marley is a retelling of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” told from Lady Macbeth’s perspective. It is also told in a more modern way (without all of the flowery, Old English words and speeches), making it accessible to today’s readers. I am only somewhat familiar with Shakespeare’s original “Macbeth” from reading it in high school. From what I remember, it seems like Ms. Marley stays true to the basic plot, characters and storyline of Shakespeare’s work.
Our main character in “The Fire of Winter” is Gruah (who becomes Lady Macbeth). I love the idea of seeing the story from her perspective and finding out what leads her to commit the awful deeds that she does. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, Gruah can be described as a Slytherin through-and-through. She is power hungry and ambitious, to the point where it becomes an all-consuming obsession and seems to drive her to madness. I find it fascinating that Shakespeare wrote a woman to machinate these elaborate schemes that killed kings and who worked the political system, in a time when women were meant to just provide heirs and stay at home embroidering. Gruah is certainly ahead of her time. She would definitely be a feminist if she were alive today.
I grew anxious as the events unfurled, especially during the nail biting climax (“double, double toil and trouble”)! I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of history and Shakespeare!
Content: This is a general market book. I would rate it PG-13. Some examples of the content are: mention of ale and a man’s loins; a lady says she will be naked in bed; a man talks about bedding a woman; a woman is called a “b****”; “d***” and “hell” are used; “bastard” is used of a child born out of wedlock; a girl was raped in her past: mention of a woman’s breasts; a fade to black sex scene; a woman is raped, not much detail and it’s fade to black.
Rating: I give this book 4 stars.
I want to thank D.K. Marley and Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.
“Innocent I am not, nor have I ever been.”
The cunning and fierce Lady Macbeth takes center stage in DK Marley’s The Fire of Winter!
This is a modern re-telling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth told by Gruah, later known as Lady Macbeth. I’ve never read the play before (no judging!!) so I have no point of reference but based on other’s reviews it seems that Marley sticks close to the original story. I must say though, I kind of want to read it now!
Gruah is a fiercely ambitious woman that will stop at nothing to reach her goal to be with Macbeth and become Queen of Scotland, even if it means using deceit, murder, and black magic.
“I want a man whose blood is Scotland, whose ancestry reaches deep like the roots of a mighty oak, whose dark eyes reflect like the pools near Callanish and a voice as smooth as the wind from the slopes of Ben Nevis. A man who traverses the Highlands quick like the red deer stag with ambition to match.”
As with anyone who is desperate for power and control, Gruah finds out it’s a long fall from the top. She isn’t a particularly likable character but I found her story fascinating.
If you’re in the mood for a book that will keep you turning the pages, filled with court intrigue, witches, revenge, passion, and danger then I highly recommend The Fire of Winter!