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Another Chance to Dream
by
Lynn Kurland
historical romance in a Kindle edition that was published by Berkley on December 1, 1998 and has 426 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Love Came Just in Time, Tapestry, Stardust of Yesterday, One Enchanted Evening, One Magic Moment, From This Moment On, Spellweaver, Gift of Magic, All For You, Roses in Moonlight, Dreams of Lilacs, Ever My Love, A Tapestry of Spells, Star of the Morning, The Mage’s Daughter, Princess of the Sword, Dreamspinner, River of Dreams, Dreamer's Daughter, A Dance Through Time, This is All I Ask, The Very Thought of You, My Heart Stood Still, If I Had You
First in the De Piaget historical romance series and revolving around the De Piaget family (it’s not yet paranormal). (It’s seventh in the combined De Piaget/MacLeod series.) The couple focus is on the landless Sir Rhys de Piaget and Gwen of Segrave.
My Take
Kurland uses third person global subjective point-of-view, as we get a lot of perspectives from a wide range of characters.
Poor Gwen. She’s been spoiled by all those chansons d’amour her mother loved, which helps explain the strange start with her planning on theft and lying to running away, not having any idea how to ride — all a plan that goes nowhere. The whole story is something of a comic opera, what with the Fitzgeralds and Alain with Rollan as the truly evil villain and Rhys’ grandfather holding back such secrets.
Alain is such a jerk with such a weird preference for cooks’ daughters — he is an idiot. And it’s both funny (and a relief) that cooks are so important. Rollan is much worse. You will not believe how deluded these two are! Wait’ll you read Rollan’s emotions towards the end, oy. As for that deus ex machina at the end, oh brother.
I do feel for Rhys. He loves Gwen and can never again have her, tortured by having to remain near her. Now Robin, oh yeah, after having read so many later stories in which he appears, yeah, you can easily see how this small lad’s personality is evident from the beginning, lololol. The twins now, they’re a right pain if loyal to Rhys.
Jeez, what I do hate about these historic romances is how beat down-upon women are. They have no rights at all! They can be handed out to whomever the man in power owes a favor. Why can’t a father set it up in advance as to who his daughter will be forced on? As for law, hah! It’s the law of whoever is the strongest or has the most money.
It’s sad that noble children are sent out to foster at seven. I much prefer Rhys’ argument for twelve being an age when “a lad truly appreciates the adventure”.
There certainly is a ton of ill-will in Another Chance to Dream, what with Alain’s and Rollan’s hateful disdain and Geoffrey’s disgust toward Rhys. Then there’s the arson which points Rhys to the estate that will come down through the centuries.
The plot in Another Chance to Dream is full of plots by all sorts of characters. Evil. Good. Duplicitous from both ends and on both sides. The action is most definitely character-driven with Rhys seeming to be the only honest one.
I didn’t like Another Chance to Dream, but a friend liked the stories, so I’ll persevere. And, well, this story does set the basis for most of the future tales.
The Story
To have land, Sir Rhys will have to submit to the hideous will of Alain of Ayre, the man set to wed the woman Sir Rhys wants. And whom he’s plotting to steal.
The Characters
1200, Ayre, England
Gwennelyn “Gwen” of Segrave will be forced to marry Alain of Ayre. Her mother, Joanna of Segrave, is still alive but was not invited to the wedding. Hugh of Leyburn is Gwen’s guardian. Robin is her newborn son, who will be followed by Amanda. Artane is an estate left to Gwen by her father and is on the border with Scotland.
Captain Sir Rhys de Piaget, Bertram’s foster son with a reputation for wenching, has always been landless and now he wants both Segrave and Gwen. His grandfather, Sir Jean, had been a knight of renown at the French court. His father, Sir Etienne, had been a knight and a healer, burned as a heretic for breathing life into someone twenty years ago. His mother is the abbess at a French convent. Wyckham is to be Rhys’ — once he reaches twenty-six after Alain weds Gwen and yet another penalty.
The argumentative Jared and Connor Fitzgerald are Viking twins, loyal to Rhys who much prefer to walk. They and Sir Montgomery of Wyeth will be part of Gwen’s personal guard.
Alain of Ayre is its rutting boar of a lord. The venomous Rollan is Alain’s younger brother; another brother, fourteen-year-old John, worships Rhys and is his squire. Bertram is their deceased father. Master Socrates is the keep’s healer. A girl-child with a touch, Socrates’ granddaughter, Berengaria, who cannot help Gwen or Rhys. Osbert is captain of Alain’s guard and hates Rhys.
The widowed Geoffrey of Fenwyck has some power, and Gwen hates him for what he did to her as a child. He had been a friend to Gwen’s father and still has a liking for her mother. Anne is Geoffrey’s daughter. Edlred is a messenger.
Canfield is . . .
. . . held by Rachel, a slut who has Alain’s attention . . . as well as others. Lord Edward of Graundyn is her brother, interested in her lands.
John, Richard the Lionhearted’s brother, a.k.a. Johnny Lackland, is the king of England. Phillip is the king of France. The Count d’Auber is but one of many from whom Rhys accepts ransoms. Nicholas is a bastard child by the blacksmith’s sister. Seakirk is an abbey near Artane. Patrick of Sedgwick is uncle to the kidnapped Mary, who would have been the true heir to Sedgwick when her father, Henry of Sedgwick, died.
François, Jean-Luc, and Pierre, who is the leader of their little group, are hired thugs.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a white background with a thin tapestry-like border on the right with a pattern that reflects the rose trailing up the staff for Rhys’ swallowtail red banner with gold fleur-de-lis populating the background and a square Iberian shield with its reflective gold background and a thin orange border with a black lion pacing in the center. At the very top on the right is an info blurb in black. To the left is the author’s name in a deep purple script above the pennant. The title is in a scripted red below the banner. Below that is an info blurb in black.
The title is a such a relief to Rhys, for he and Gwen have Another Chance to Dream.
