The House of Baric Part One: Shields Down is the first in a historical romance trilogy by Jillian Bald. Baron Mauro Baric reluctantly marries Terese, the Greek bride selected by his late father, whom he suspects was poisoned. He encounters numerous challenges defending his domain from enemies, so is often away. This affects his marriage to Terese, who isn’t aware of her aloof husband’s painful past. She tries to adjust to her new lifestyle, but is stubborn and often disregards advice given to her. More problems arise when Mauro’s ship is seized, and Terese’s incensed mercenary brother decides to pay them a visit.

I became engrossed in the never-ending goings-on that took place in The House of Baric. It’s such a delightful novel that provided in-depth historical information on the 17th century period. Men were just as fashion conscious as women and loved elaborate frills and jewelry. Society rules and protocols were rigid, and primitive living conditions made me appreciate my life even more. The story takes time to read since the numerous, well-defined characters had realistic issues pertaining to the era. The women can be so wily when they want a man’s attention. Jillian Bald’s writing is strongly structured and a lot of research was evident. My main disappointment was not seeing what transpired with Terese’s brother. The fascinating scenarios led me to believe I would read about it, but apparently, that will happen in Book Two. The House of Baric, Part One: Shields Down by Jillian Bald is a lovely romance novel that readers will enjoy.

I liked Shields Down by Jillian Bald. It is the first book in a trilogy called The House of Baric. I love good historical fiction and Jillian Bald knows her European history. She paints a clear portrait of a time in Europe that I am familiar with, mostly from the English viewpoint. In Shields Down we get to see the Europe of that time through eyes that I am not so familiar with. This is Europe through the eyes of the great merchant families more than the great kings, queens, and princes. This perspective filled in some gaps for me. Jillian Bald knows how to write about the lives, duties, and obligations of the lesser nobility and the people that surround them. A lot of the first part of Shields Down is painting a picture of this life.

What I enjoyed most about Shields Down was the attention to historical detail. I felt I was living in this world and could understand why people behaved the way they did. Not just the nobility, but stewards, valets, soldiers, and other commoners. I liked these characters and there were a lot of them. The main characters were interesting too. I liked Mauro from the moment that he took his brother’s death so seriously. I liked that Resi is from a family that loves her, that her parents married for love and she dreams of finding it too. I enjoyed this world of Venetian nobility. It is complicated and can be treacherous but that makes for great stories. I’m looking forward to the next book.