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Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite
I like my historical romance heavy on the history, light on the romance, with a strong cupful of action and adventure thrown in. When an author can get all of the elements in exactly the right proportions, we are probably talking bestseller. In Bladesong, a historical novel by Jean Gill that takes place in 1151 in the Holy Land, we have a bestseller. It is book two of The Troubadours Quartet series and I have already made a note to finish this series. I love historical romance. It is my third favorite genre behind science fiction and fantasy. I actually consider science fiction to be history that hasn't been written yet and fantasy as history we somehow missed. In any genre, a book should have interesting characters that you grow to care about deeply, and a great story for these characters to show their mettle. There is no better time in history to highlight love, devotion, honor, and faith than the Crusades.
Dragonetz is a skilled, passionate knight on a mission. Estela is a beautiful singer following the destiny a great voice is laying out for her. The stakes are high as passionate believers, warriors, clerics, and royalty, from three major religions, battle for the fate of the holy land and the primacy of their own religion. This is a struggle still being played out today. This is a struggle that a lot of people care about deeply. I like the two main protagonists but, honestly, I like the intrigue more. The machinations of the mind involved in conspiracies this complicated and goals this huge are fantastically intricate. Jean Gill does a great job of letting the plot reveal itself at a natural pace. Bladesong is a superior historical novel. I loved the writing and I think readers will like it too.
