G280 E-Reading Book Review of #2 Blind Mercy by Violetta Rand
Author: Violetta Rand
ISBN/ASIN: B00IDNY9U8
Publisher: Soul mate publishing
Part of a Series: Blind
Type of book: 1060s, England, Celt, conquer, Norway, Vikings, adult, romance, historical inaccuracies, silk dresses in Norway
Year it was published: 2014
Summary:
The Sigurdsson family legacy continues…
A woman who prayed for a hero…
Orphaned at a young age, Rachelle Fiennes prayed for a hero to rescue her from her tragic life in England. When her only kinsman goes missing after the Battle of Stamford Bridge, Rachelle braves the aftermath of the battlefield to find him.
A man who lost everything…
Damned by the gods for surviving the bloodiest defeat in Norse history, Jarl Tyr Sigurdsson is still determined to get home. Hiding until nightfall so he can escape to his ship, his dangerous endeavor is disrupted when he’s accidently discovered by a beautiful Saxon.
Brought together by war, Rachelle and Tyr face many obstacles. Can sworn enemies find peace through love, or will fate tear them apart?
Characters:
While Noelle and Jarl were interesting characters that I sort of liked, Rachelle and Tyr were more on the flat side and somehow their romance felt forced instead of natural. I did read shorter books (not all my reads are between 200-600 pages,) and in other reads the authors manage to do a good and believable jobs when it comes to me believing or loving their novels. Also, the characters really resemble the previous ones and there really is nothing unique or something that stands out about the lovers.
Theme:
Like previous book, no idea what the theme should have been
Plot:
Its written in third person narrative from Rachelle's and Tyr's points of views. The book is more about "modern" characters being transplanted into late 11th century and trying to pass off as characters from 11th century. The book is a bit shorter, but for me who was expecting accuracy within the pages, it was not an enjoyable read. I guess it didn't help that I read it immediately after the prequel which means the mistakes were magnified for me and more frustrating.
Author Information:
Opinion:
Immediately after I was done with Blind Allegiance, I began to read Blind Mercy, and I have to admit that I found this book far more frustrating than its predecessor. While the prequel did have a little chemistry between Noelle and Jarl, for me this one had zero chemistry between Tyr and Rachelle. The book takes place in 1066 or 1068, I forget. Some of the things I read, I couldn't believe how inaccurate it was! Apparently there is silk in the north! Silk when Silk Roads have fallen and people are trying to survive. Two things that have really bugged me was mention of Jews being expelled from different nations during 11th century, and that Noelle as well as Jarl existed in 1068. First things first: while Jews did undergo a lot of negativity even prior to First Crusade, much to mine shock, the expulsions began after First Crusade, that is to say after 11th century. If I'm not mistaken earliest ones would be 1100s or 1200s. Back then as well, people lived up to their forties provided they didn't die during childbirth or in battle or of disease or starvation. I am also curious as to why the characters from the previous novel ended up where they were. The reason I'm saying that is because people got married at an incredibly young age back then instead of waiting to marry in 30s like we do in these times. The other problems would be the same ones I had in reading the prequel. Something else I forgot to mention is that people didn't really know how to swim back then.
This is for Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tour
3 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
Thanks for hosting Sveta. I usually don't comment on reviews, but I felt it very important to share some of my research in Blind Mercy. I would never present false history in my books. Please see the following... Hope this clarifies things.
ReplyDeleteJews indeed occupied lands in Europe prior to the first Crusade. Especially in Spain. As throughout history, Jews were often marginalized and expelled from their homes/lands. This started in Rome where the first Jewish ghettos were established.
Here's an excerpt from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem...
...Ashkenazi Jews, that is, those Jews of Eastern European origin, constitute more than 80 percent of all world Jewry. The early founders of the Ashkenazi community made their way to Europe during Roman rule, but the majority of the founders of the population came more recently from the region of present day Israel, moved to Spain, France, and Italy, and then in the 10th century into the Rhineland valley in Germany...
http://hugr.huji.ac.il/AshkenaziJews.aspx
I also recommend this book concerning pre-Crusade Jewish history in Europe.
The Jews of Europe in the Middle Ages (Tenth to Fifteenth Centuries)
Proceedings of the International Symposium held at Speyer, 20-25 October 2002
C. Cluse (ed.)
ISBN: 978-2-503-51697-4
Languages: English
As for Vikings and the silk trade...
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, the silk trade was alive and well during Viking times...
I've included a good portion of an article from the University of Oslo (view the full here... http://www.apollon.uio.no/english/vikings.html)
The Norwegian Vikings were more oriented towards the East than we have previously assumed, says Marianne Vedeler, Associate Professor at the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo in Norway. After four years of in-depth investigation of the silk trade of the Viking Age, she may change our perceptions of the history of the Norwegian Vikings. The silk trade was far more comprehensive than we have hitherto assumed.
The Norwegian Vikings maintained trade connections with Persia and the Byzantine Empire. A network of traders from a variety of places and cultures brought the silk to the Nordic countries. Her details are presented in the book “Silk for the Vikings”, to be published by Oxbow publishers this winter, but in this article you can glimpse some of her key findings.
In the Oseberg ship, which was excavated nearly a hundred years ago, more than one hundred small silk fragments were found. This is the oldest find of Viking Age silk in Norway.
Swimming in the Viking Age was very popular... Not to mention when longships were traveling in rivers, they often got stuck and the men were forced into the water to free them...
ReplyDeleteThe Vikings often held competitions that pale in comparison to the Olympics, but it was great sport. The Viking Sagas talk about swimming competitions. Here's a quick excerpt from a research site. Please see a full description at...
http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/games_and_sports.htm
The swimming competitions might be more accurately called drowning competitions; the goal was to see who could hold his opponent underwater the longest. Chapter 40 of Laxdæla saga tells of a match between Kjartan Ólafsson and King Ólafur Tryggvason.
Thanks for commenting and letting me know the details :)
ReplyDelete