I was a little nervous when I received this book from Interlibrary Loan. It looked like a bodice ripper, judging from the cover, the title, and the author's name (I don't know, the name sounded bodice-ripping to me). What I found instead was a thoughtful, carefully crafted tale, bringing me out of my world and into the time of the English Civil War.

Wintercombe Series by Pamela Belle - Goodreads

Usually I knew what was going to happen, but not exactly how, and I was eager to see how things turned out. Ending was NOT predictable.

One of my favorite books of all time! Don’t let the first chapter dissuade you... it starts slow but it will soon draw you in to the point you will NOT be able to put it down. This is one of my favorite novels of all time. I love Silence, Lady St. Barbe. I love the description of beautiful Wintercombe, a fictional place based on an actual house. I love the details about the domestic arrangements of the estate, about how a lady was supposed to behave, about life during the English Civil War. As the ugliness of war continues, Silence must learn to shed the submissive nature that life has forced her to assume and draw upon the inner strength that she has always possessed. Despite the appearance of being a romance novel, do not let that stop you. What *romance* there might be in the story between the two (and I'm not letting on) is well towards the end of the book - what this book is about is characters and family and how they are affected by war as their home and lives are taken over by brutal, ruthless soldiers - and let me tell you there are some terrifying scenes in this book. There is a lot of family interaction and details of daily life in 17C England, as well as seeing the conflict from both sides. Belle really brings the period and people to life, and I especially enjoy how she writes children and pets.

Wintercombe by Belle Pamela - AbeBooks

A young Puritan wife is left to hold her family and household together when her husband goes to war, and faces myriad difficulties: unruly step-children, Royalist soldiers billeted in her house, a sadistic colonel, and the possibility of adultery with a handsome enemy soldier. Wintercombe, once a tranquil bastion of family virtue, is transformed into an unruly, drunken, and licentious garrison. Wintercombe, the home just outside of Bath England that is the setting in 1644. The descriptions of Wintercombe, the gardens that Silence loved and tended and gave her comfort, the rooms, the servants, the people even her beloved animals who lived in it made me feel that I was there and gave me a sense of why Silence wanted to protect it from the ravages of war. I hesitate to call this historical romance because that often seems to imply bodice-rippers or books that are more about sex/romance than about the story or historical setting, and that would be a disservice. So to set this straight: take the detailed eye of Anya Seton, strip out most of the graphic sex scenes, and set up a slow burn. (That's not a spoiler, it's in the description.) I didn't know there were other books, that this is the first in a trilogy, and honestly it stands excellently on its own, but I'll be hunting out the others when I can!However, a surprisingly friendship is established between Silence and Captain Hellier who helps in any way to help her to summon this period of the English Civil War. Well written, detailed historial romance set in the days of the English Civil War. I enjoyed Belle's deft handling of day-to-day activities of life during each season of the year in which the plot unfolds.

Pamela Belle Books | Page 1 | World of Books Pamela Belle Books | Page 1 | World of Books

Tortured by a cold, Puritan father, Silence has learned to conceal her passionate nature inside a prison like shell of passivity. Meanwhile Louise, who has escaped scandal in France to come to England in search of a husband, knows she should stay away from her attractive, fascinating cousin, but she finds herself unable to resist his allure. WARNINGS: The villain of this book is truly despicable. There is a plot point involving Silence’s 15 year old stepdaughter whom the villain threatens with rape. It doesn’t progress beyond the threat but readers with triggers will want to be aware of this.She knew that she should, as a good wife and mother, of the sort called Puritan, turn to God for help and comfort. And indeed her prayers, morning and night, were more fervent than they had ever been. But she had always gone for solace to her garden, and it had never yet failed her." I really enjoyed this. Pamela Belle is one of my favorite authors in general, but hands down my favorite author of historical fiction. It's really a shame her books are out of print, and also that it seems they get marketed so often as romance novels. While there is a love story involved, they are definitely a lot more than romance novels. Her portrayal of the these fictional families that struggle through real-life historical events seems so true to the time period and so detailed that it makes me feel I'm looking through a portal into actual events.