Reviews
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Chanticleer Reviews USA
Court intrigue, romance, and adventure combine to create a thoroughly enjoyable and suspenseful medieval saga, The Lily and the Lion by Catherine A. Wilson and Catherine T. Wilson. It is an enthralling melodrama set in 1360 France and England, and the first book in the Lions and Lilies series. A mostly epistolary novel, the action nevertheless vibrates with urgency.
Against the backdrop of conflict between England and France, historical details add depth to the narrative and explore a period of history not often touched in historical romance. Dialogue such as, “You impertinent cesspit of deceit!” adds an element of over the top fun. While the history here certainly is not the story’s main component, The Lily and the Lion will beguile readers with its compelling characters and nonstop drama.
Readers will be left wanting more as they will desperately want to find out what happens when Cecile and Catherine finally meet for the first time. Fortunately for this reader, the next Lions and Lilies book, The Order of the Lily, is available.
The Lily and the Lion was awarded First Place for Historical Romance in the Chatelaine Awards, a division of the Chanticleer Reviews Novel Writing Competitions in 2013
Dorothy Whittington, 'The Weekender' Queensland
The Lily and the Lion is a beautifully written historical romance. Set in 1360 during the reign of King Edward III of England and Jean le Bon of France, the story is so cleverly interwoven with the events of the time it is hard to imagine it is a novel.
Cécile d’Armagnac, adopted daughter of Comte Jean d’Armagnac discovers she has a twin sister in England, Catherine Pembroke. When war breaks out between the nations, both sisters find their lives threatened. Their only chance of survival it to piece together the events of their past.
Gillet de Bellegarde has been entrusted the impossible task of having both sisters as his wards but unable to be in two countries at once, he seeks the assistance of his most trusted friend, Lord Simon Wexford.
In a series of letters between the sisters, we see Cécile fall prey to King Edward’s eldest son The Black Prince, Catherine adapting to life outside the convent walls and the heroic efforts of Gillet and Simon as they keep the ladies safe.
The Lily and the Lion is an engaging and delightful story that sets the scene for further exciting adventures in a promised sequel, The Order of the Lily.
John Morrow's Pick Of The Week
This is a great start to a romantic series written by two Australian authors who have included a list of characters, a glossary and a bibliography for readers to really get into the storyline.
Some of the characters in the novel are true historical characters, although this novel is a remarkable work of fiction and an obvious labour of love. The authors have scrupulously carried out their research, included believable characters who you will grow to love, and certainly written a story that is bound to capture readers’ imaginations.
'Book 1 in the series of Lions & Lilies is a great start to a romantic series which begins in the 14th century. Fictional, but including actual historical figures, this novel is bound to set your heart racing.'
Wendy O'Hanlon - Acres Australia
This is the first book in the Lions and Lilies saga and it will certainly leave you waiting impatiently for Book 2 (The Order of the Lily) as this historical romance is expertly drawn.
In a clever and very emotive touch, the reader follows the sisters’ adventures, love affairs and near-death encounters via their letters written to each other. This book is a remarkable work – the fictional characters, their families and their relationships, plus the political and social climate of that era are almost like a tale of real historical families.
'A masterly work, fresh and vibrant and thrilling.'
If you have not read Book One 'The Lily and the Lion,' you are advised forthwith that the following reviews contain spoilers. It is our recommendation you do not read them until after reading book one.
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Chanticleer Reviews USA
Twin sisters separated at birth, one cosseted in a lavish lifestyle, the other hidden away behind convent walls meet through letters. In Book 1, The Lily and the Lion, the sisters Cécile d’Armagnac and Catherine Pembroke begin to puzzle out the political reasons behind the separation. They finally are united, but soon their lives are threatened by the power-hungry William Montagu, Earl of Salisbury. Separation being safer than staying together, the sisters part ways once more, this time as fugitives.
This second installment opens with Cécile and Catherine on the run with their protectors, the knights Simon Marshall and Gillet de Bellegarde. Cécile, having sacrificed her virginity to Edward, the Black Prince, to save her sister’s life, lies in the hull of an England-bound ship, sick from pregnancy and the rough seas. When the Prince’s men commandeer the vessel, Catherine quickly returns the favor by masquerading as Cécile. She’s whisked away to the Prince, while her sister continues to England.
Lovers’ misunderstandings ensue in the two kingdoms. Cécile and Gillet spar prettily at his Kent family estate, passion and jealousy taking turns as her belly blooms and lovers both threatening and tempting appear. Catherine, on the other hand, quietly falls for Simon, who masks his affection as he keeps her safe from the Prince’s lustful eye. Catherine’s charade lasts only until Salisbury uncovers the truth, compelling Catherine and her cadre of protectors to find a way to escape.
Their route, however, carries its own agenda. Simon takes Catherine first to a monastery, and then on to the Paris seat of the Knights Templar, as he continues his quest to find the missing, mysterious Lady of Scotland. It’s a subplot that fits into the sisters’ breathtaking saga when the Earl of Salisbury appears, seeking the Lady as well as Catherine. The chase ends at her beginnings, at the convent in which she grew up. Danger quelled for the time being, relationships are allowed to blossom, both for Catherine and for Cécile, whose day of happiness is embellished by an unspoken mission Gillet must attend in the near future.
This teaser caps a string of events that carry the story forward with expert pacing, passionate entanglements, and a rich language full of clever colloquialisms and a good deal of humor. In contrast, however, the scenes of subjugation remind us of the maltreatment of women that was common and condoned by society. Early in the tale, Cécile is shocked to see Gillet’s sister-in-law routinely beaten by her husband, and then horrified to find her encased in a scold’s bridle. Cécile’s attempt to help the woman results in being subjected to harsh punishment for interfering.
If there’s one positive outcome to this horrible subjugation is that Cécile stands up against injustice–no matter what the cost. And that is the arc of Book 2: the sisters finding their power in a cruel era of patriarchal oppression. To witness this maturation shines a hopeful light on the third book of the series, The Gilded Crown. The authors have written a captivating and historically accurate story with characters that are vividly portrayed.
Historical romantics of all ages will enjoy this rollicking affair that continues the story of spirited twins who do battle with cruel relatives, nefarious noblemen, misunderstood suitors, and above all, the constraints on women’s power in 14th-century England and France.
The Order of the Lily was awarded First Place for Historical Romance in the Chatelaine Awards, a division of the Chanticleer Reviews Novel Writing Competitions in 2014
Wendy O'Hanlon - Acres Australia
THESE two authors paint a picture that immerses the reader in that long-ago world of historical romance – that grand old time in 14th Century England and France.
The first book in this Lion and Lilies series – The Lily and the Lion – introduced us to twins Catherine Pembroke and Cécile d’Armagnac. Catherine is raised in England and is a nun while Cécile is raised in French royalty as the daughter of Comte Jean d’Armagnac.
The twins only learn of each other’s existence when they are young women and much subterfuge and dangerous missions take place to bring the two sisters together. England and France, although existing in a sense of peace, are tense neighbours and the knowledge of each twin would seriously change the power plays between the ruling houses of both countries.
But the young women are never safe – plots abound to uproot them and use them for political means. It’s a tenuous time and no-one can be trusted.
The authors are masterful at their craft. The book sings with history, character and emotion.
John Morrow's Pick Of The Week
I love reading books written around the history of England and France during the Hundred Years War. There is a lull in the fighting but the restless peace is similar to a pressure cooker about to explode.
Scotland is restless, France and Britain have called a truce to the fighting, not that France could afford to carry on fighting. Britain has a secret Order of Knights called the Knights Templar as there are threats upon three crowns.
Amidst all of this, there are twin sisters, Cecile d’Armagnac and Catherine Pembroke who were separated as very young children. When their relationship is discovered 17 years later by way of a letter sent by Cecile to Catherine, Catherine wants to find her sister. Cecile has been brought up by nobility and Catherine has lived as a novice in a convent.
When Catherine finds her sister, Cecile is pregnant and the father is the Black Prince Edward of Woodstock, eldest son of King Edward III. Edward is a hard and a cruel man so Catherine takes Cecile’s place to help her to escape back to England.
Catherine, by means of a pillow, pretends she is pregnant to ensure that Cecile gets to safety. Now she must also escape and is aided by Edward’s Moorish physician, Tariq ibn Cordoba. The escape plan works and she is met by her guardian, Lord Simon Marshall.
What a great adventure but don’t be surprised if your blood starts to boil at the way women were treated in those historical times. I am not only referring to ways of torture but how lords treated their wives by way of punishment.
'Move over Philippa Gregory here are some new authors to bring you more of the history of Britain. Told with such clarity, this novel will draw readers into the pages as though you are a part of the story, therefore a part of history itself.'
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Chanticleer Reviews USA
Once again the Catherine's draw us back into the unstable realms of 14th century England, Scotland and France with The Gilded Crown, the latest addition to their Lions and Lilies series.
Newly married, Lady Cecile and Sir Gillet de Bellegarde are separated as Gillet travels across France on a mission for the Vicomtesse de Gisors, an undertaking that could clear the stain of traitor from his name. Cecile soon follows, with a secret mission of her own, but dangers and enemies are determined to stop her and her companions.
Also recent newlyweds, Lady Catherine and Lord Simon Wexford journey through Scotland on a mission to return a priceless treasure to its rightful home. Catherine is taken under the wing of Lady Agnes Dunbar to learn the way of the court, but who can she really trust and why does Simon fear for her safety? The truth of a secret ransom agreement of King David II of Scotland could hold the key for both Gillet and Simon.
Along with their husbands and companions, sisters Cecile and Catherine must choose their loyalties and fight to secure their own safety as well as the safety of their loved ones. Who knows their secrets, who is a hidden ally, and who will sacrifice everything?
Through treacherous twists and turns, powerful and cunning adversaries, and even the plague, can Cecile and Catherine trust love and loyalty to overcome power, corruption and vicious enemies? A clever history lesson hidden in a gripping tale, I can't wait to continue this journey with the characters of Lions and Lilies in Book 4: Roar of the Lion.
The Gilded Crown was awarded First Place for Historical Fiction in the Chaucer Awards, a division of the Chanticleer Reviews Novel Writing Competitions in 2014.
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Chanticleer Reviews USA
Fans of this widely admired and masterfully written series, Lions and Lilies, will not be disappointed with its concluding, volume, The Traitor's Noose. The impressive scholarship, riveting dramatic scenes, and sweet romances that characterized the previous books are on full display here as well. The co-authors note, ". . .this is not an historic account but a 'medieval adventure with a dash of romance, using history as its background. We have tried at all times to remain faithful and accurate to that history, but it is a fictional story." Nonetheless, the reader need only review the lengthy bibliography included to gain a sense of the breadth of work the authors undertook to put this magnificent story on the page.
Set mainly in England and France during the 14th century, the main characters are Lady Cecile de Bellegarde, Catherine Marshall, and their husbands. Catherine and Cecile, twin sisters separated at birth, have forged a bond that no person or event can break. While they live in different nations, Catherine in England and Cecile in France, their lives have many parallels. They are both married to courageous but unjustly maligned knights. Simon Marshall and Gillet de Bellegarde love their wives deeply, seek to protect them at all costs, and avenge any harm or cruelty done to them. That does not mean that they will readily divulge their fears to their spouses or recount the horrifying episodes they have survived, however.
Catherine is aware that Simon is under suspicion for murder, she knows her husband's melancholy and reserve are caused by deeper worries. While Gillet experiences traumas on and off the battlefields from his involvement in the campaign to reclaim Brignais and rid France of routiers, or mercenary soldiers.
The husbands have their secrets and the sisters will share their marital woes with one another via a correspondence that beautifully dovetails the major events taking place in England and France. When finally apprised of what their husbands have been facing – blackmail, extortion, incarceration, and torture - they not only stand by their spouses but play key roles in extricating them from the darkest of situations. Amongst royals and routiers, there is no end of conniving, jealousy, brutality, and treason. One must understand the game to outplay enemies, and the sisters will do whatever is necessary to have their husbands by their sides. But who is the true traitor and whose neck should be lassoed with the noose? The authors weave a rich and intricate plot, every strand shimmering with suspense and romance.
Along the way, readers will delight in the details provided of everyday medieval life. The authors' attention to dress, food, architecture, and language bring the late Middle Ages alive as the main characters experience opulence during the heralded era of knighthood and chivalry. (Oh, to be attired in an exquisitely embroidered gown, hair held in place by a headdress and veil! Or to be lifting a goblet of wine at a sumptuous feast held in lavish quarters in Windsor Castle or Orthez Castle!)
The Gilded Crown was awarded The Grand Prize for Historical Fiction in the Chaucer Awards, a division of the Chanticleer Reviews Novel Writing Competitions in 2015.
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