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The Black Madonna

af Stella Riley

MedlemmerAnmeldelserPopularitetGennemsnitlig vurderingOmtaler
444569,666 (4.36)2
By July 1639, England has become a simmering cauldron of discontent. Less concerned by this than by his ailing finances, King Charles seeks ways of filling his empty treasury. Enter Luciano Falcieri del Santi - master-goldsmith and money-lender; a man known to London as The Italian ... and possessed of a hidden agenda.From his seat in the Commons, Richard Maxwell watches the inexorable approach of Civil War. His eldest son, Eden, struggles to save his marriage to Royalist-bred Celia whilst taking up his sword for the Parliament; and daughter, Kate, vows to hold their home against both Cavalier and Roundhead, should the need arise.A spirited redhead, Kate Maxwell takes most things in her stride. The only thing she finds impossible to handle, is her involuntary and growing attraction to irresistibly magnetic and diabolically beautiful Luciano del Santi. The paths of Richard Maxwell and The Italian cross by chance one dark night - and a friendship is born. But while, on the surface, Luciano merely operates his businesses from Cheapside, he actually has a much darker purpose; that of learning the truth behind his father's execution and avenging it. This, with the country becoming a battlefield, is difficult - but it is not Luciano's only problem. Soon, he also begins to realise that - unless he is extremely lucky - the revenge quest will cost him his life.His own safety and that of everyone he cares about rests on success. Only success will permit him to reclaim the Black Madonna and allow him to offer his heart to the girl he loves.From the machinations within Parliament to the last days of the King's cause, The Black Madonna is an epic saga of passion and intrigue at a time when England was lost in a dark and bloody conflict. Book One of the Roundheads & Cavaliers series.… (mere)
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The first installment of her four-volume Roundheads and Cavaliers series, set during the English Civil War, Stella Riley's The Black Madonna unfolds the story of Luciano del Santi, a Genoese goldsmith and money-lender intent on finding the Englishmen who betrayed his father to his death, and Kate Maxwell, the independent-minded daughter of a large and happy English family, whose father and brother espouse the Parliamentary side of the conflict. Opening in 1639 and closing in 1646, the book chronicles the fortunes of the Maxwell family: Parliament member and paterfamilias Richard, a moderate in an age of growing extremism; loving wife and wise mother Dorothy; eldest son Eden, a trained soldier and a Roundhead who marries a Royalist; daughter Kate, prone to many enthusiasms, and inexplicably drawn to Luciano; the rather shallow and promiscuous Amy, who has to be married off at a young age; and twins Tobias, who becomes Luciano's apprentice, and Tabitha, who befriends Luciano's sister. The narrative alternates between the Maxwell's story-line, and that of Luciano and his Turkish servant Selim, as they pursue the shadowy figure who orchestrated the murder of Luciano's father many years before. Eventually these two story-lines become one, and the Maxwells are drawn into Luciano's dangerous quest...

Originally published in 1992 and then revised and republished in 2013, The Black Madonna is the second novel from Stella Riley that I have read, following upon her A Splendid Defiance, that is set during the English Civil War. That earlier book chronicled the love story between a Cavalier soldier and a young Puritan woman, and although it is apparently not considered part of the Roundheads and Cavaliers series, it is connected to it. Both Justin Ambrose and Abigail Radford appear in the story here, the former on multiple occasions, the latter just once, in a memorable scene in which the appalling Celia slaps her across the face. As someone who greatly enjoyed Justin and Abigail's story, it was good to encounter them again, however briefly, and I particularly appreciated the scene in which Kate offers some aid to a clearly struggling Captain Ambrose, only to be informed that she is not the first Puritan maiden to do so! Leaving that aside, I found the story here immensely engaging, and appreciated the wealth of well-drawn characters. The historical events were fascinating - I really need to track down a good history of this period! - and the narrative emotionally involving. I found the death of Richard distressing, the ill-fated relationship between Eden and Celia horrifying - the latter's heartless behavior was infuriating to witness - and the growing rapport between Kate and Luciano quite satisfying. I don't know that I found the romance between Kate and Luciano quite as compelling as that between Justin and Abigail, but it was still immensely engaging. This is one I'd highly recommend, to anyone who enjoys good historical fiction with a romantic element to it. I look forward to reading the next entry in the series, A Garland of Straw. ( )
  AbigailAdams26 | Jul 1, 2020 |
Without a buddy read (with my dears Whiskey/Kyra and Joanna...) I might have DNFed. I'm so glad I didn't. I also don't really have the energy to write about this-it was a hugely intricate (more-historical-fiction than-romance) novel with so many threads (the first 20-30% was hard to keep straight, and POVs switched often), but after the styling and set-up was there, there was wonderful interactions, family dynamics etc.

And Kate. And Luc, and Luc and Kate. Who get all the stars. After Richard and Dorothy anyway. The middle 40% was mostly about the historical, family and dramatic intrigue, and the final bit was so exciting and paced so nimbly it was near impossible to put down. If you like your romance with a heavy historical bend, not to mention another interesting subplot or six, rich/ nuanced characters and a perfectly matched couple...this is well worth a read.

I have a bunch of highlights, but I'm feeling drained...like I said before I started babbling. ( )
  samnreader | Jun 27, 2020 |
'You believe it’s the King’s right to command Parliament; I don’t. You’ll fight to preserve His Majesty’s prerogative; I won’t. And we could argue till kingdom come without it making a blind bit of difference.’
‘You want His Majesty turned into a puppet?’
‘No. I want Parliament turned into something more than a cipher,’ came the swift reply. And then, ‘A balance has to be struck. The King stands for stability and tradition – and no one wants to see him safely back on his throne more than I do. But Parliament represents the people and must be allowed to act in their interests without fear of being dissolved on a royal whim.’
‘’Tis to preserve His Majesty that we against him fight,’ sang Francis.


For quotes and comments as I read - Buddy Read The Black Madonna

Historical Fiction with a romance element, if you enjoy Donna Thorland's books, you want to put this on your list.

This follows the Maxwell family (Roundheads), the daughter Kate is highlighted, the Langley family (Cavaliers), small glimpses of the Cliffords, Luciano del Santi, and the English Civil War. There is a lot of history in here, you get a good look at the players, circumstances, and events that lead to the war and then how it affects the family and friendships. Luciano and Kate are the romantic element but they do spend more time apart than together. Luciano is on a revenge/justice mission to find out who orchestrated his father's death. This worked to keep Luciano away from Kate and some added angst, but for me, it felt unnecessary and clogged up the story, we have a whole Civil War lead up and beginning to deal with.

The author does an amazing job with her characters, their relationships, and development of story with historical persons and events weaved in. The last thirty percent was tension filled with a focus on the Basing House siege and Luciano finally meeting his enemy. I was totally sucked into these characters and their stories, there is a wide cast with even secondary characters stealing your attention. Since Luciano really doesn't have a side in the war, besides the mentioned Basing House and some Powick Bridge, direct contact with battles, blood, and death isn't focused on. The feel of the war is through Kate's father Richard (you'll fall in love with him and his wife Dorothy and their relationship) and the political dealings he navigates in the parliament, the emotional dividing it causes for our characters, and nightly news feeling updates.

The beginning was a little difficult to navigate as a lot is thrown at you, the middle you grow to love the characters, and the ending was a crescendo of the building tension. Kate and Luciano have biting banter and oodles of chemistry when they manage to get together but like I said, the whole little Civil War thing and Luciano's search for justice, keep them apart more than not. Definitely sticking with the series as there are many characters I need to know what happens to. ( )
  WhiskeyintheJar | Feb 14, 2019 |
Wonderful book ,historical fiction at its best.After reading this book I want to find out more about the roundheads and cavaliers,the time that this book took place.Hats off to the author,she wrote her characters that I wish they had existed,also wonderful love story between Kate and Luciano. ( )
  LHThomas | Apr 19, 2015 |
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By July 1639, England has become a simmering cauldron of discontent. Less concerned by this than by his ailing finances, King Charles seeks ways of filling his empty treasury. Enter Luciano Falcieri del Santi - master-goldsmith and money-lender; a man known to London as The Italian ... and possessed of a hidden agenda.From his seat in the Commons, Richard Maxwell watches the inexorable approach of Civil War. His eldest son, Eden, struggles to save his marriage to Royalist-bred Celia whilst taking up his sword for the Parliament; and daughter, Kate, vows to hold their home against both Cavalier and Roundhead, should the need arise.A spirited redhead, Kate Maxwell takes most things in her stride. The only thing she finds impossible to handle, is her involuntary and growing attraction to irresistibly magnetic and diabolically beautiful Luciano del Santi. The paths of Richard Maxwell and The Italian cross by chance one dark night - and a friendship is born. But while, on the surface, Luciano merely operates his businesses from Cheapside, he actually has a much darker purpose; that of learning the truth behind his father's execution and avenging it. This, with the country becoming a battlefield, is difficult - but it is not Luciano's only problem. Soon, he also begins to realise that - unless he is extremely lucky - the revenge quest will cost him his life.His own safety and that of everyone he cares about rests on success. Only success will permit him to reclaim the Black Madonna and allow him to offer his heart to the girl he loves.From the machinations within Parliament to the last days of the King's cause, The Black Madonna is an epic saga of passion and intrigue at a time when England was lost in a dark and bloody conflict. Book One of the Roundheads & Cavaliers series.

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