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Magnolia Belle

Magnolia Belle

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I'm a Texas author who writes about Texas romance, adventure and history, past and present.  Native Americans figure heavily into my novels.  I've also expanded my historical novels to include medieval England and Scotland

The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

The Sons of Godwine: Part Two of The Last Great Saxon Earls

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<p>Emerging from the long shadow cast by his formidable father, Harold Godwineson showed himself to be a worthy successor to the Earldom of Wessex. In the following twelve years, he became the King's most trusted advisor, practically taking the reins of government into his own hands. And on Edward the Confessor's death, Harold Godwineson mounted the throne—the first king of England not of royal blood. Yet Harold was only a man, and his rise in fortune was not blameless. Like any person aspiring to power, he made choices he wasn't particularly proud of. Unfortunately, those closest to him sometimes paid the price of his fame.<br /><br />This is a story of Godwine's family as told from the viewpoint of Harold and his younger brothers. Queen Editha, known for her Vita Ædwardi Regis, originally commissioned a work to memorialize the deeds of her family, but after the Conquest historians tell us she abandoned this project and concentrated on her husband, the less dangerous subject. In THE SONS OF GODWINE and FATAL RIVALRY, I am telling the story as it might have survived had she collected and passed on the memoirs of her tragic brothers.<br /><br />This book is part two of The Last Great Saxon Earls series. Book one, GODWINE KINGMAKER, depicted the rise and fall of the first Earl of Wessex who came to power under Canute and rose to preeminence at the beginning of Edward the Confessor's reign. Unfortunately, Godwine's misguided efforts to champion his eldest son Swegn recoiled on the whole family, contributing to their outlawry and Queen Editha's disgrace. Their exile only lasted one year and they returned victorious to London, though it was obvious that Harold's career was just beginning as his father's journey was coming to an end.<br /><br />Harold's siblings were all overshadowed by their famous brother; in their memoirs we see remarks tinged sometimes with admiration, sometimes with skepticism, and in Tostig's case, with jealousy. We see a Harold who is ambitious, self-assured, sometimes egocentric, imperfect, yet heroic. His own story is all about Harold, but his brothers see things a little differently. Throughout, their observations are purely subjective, and witnessing events through their eyes gives us an insider’s perspective.<br /><br />Harold was his mother's favorite, confident enough to rise above petty sibling rivalry but Tostig, next in line, was not so lucky. Harold would have been surprised by Tostig's vindictiveness, if he had ever given his brother a second thought. And that was the problem. Tostig's love/hate relationship with Harold would eventually destroy everything they worked for, leaving the country open to foreign conquest. This subplot comes to a crisis in book three of the series, FATAL RIVALRY.</p>

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Blended families are a challenge in the best of times. Throw in different cultures and social conflict and it takes strength, understanding, and forgiveness to make a family truly blend. <br /><br />Lanna Cooper and Liam O'Connell run into each other again after twenty years. They both survived extraordinary situations, death of a spouse, and the challenges of being a single parent. Liam is introduced to the son, Kuy Syan Joshua, he did not know he had; and Kuy Syan Joshua meets his biological father in whom he shows little interest bordering on hatred. <br /><br />As his sentence for attempting to shoot General Sherman, Kuy Syan Joshua is allowed to live in the custody of Liam. Kuy Syan Joshua and his half-brothers and sister find it trying to live as the &quot;white eyes&quot; do. The people he and his brother, Blue, killed in raids on homesteads. Now all four Kiowa children are forced to adopt that lifestyle. Along with the trials, however, come some unexpected surprises; fudge, for example, or box socials, or perhaps a friendly game of baseball with the neighboring rancher's family. <br /><br />Liam is able to acquire an old stage station, a &quot;fixer-upper.&quot; It's large enough to accommodate Liam and his two daughters as well as Lanna and her four children and nephew. With a goal to make the station a home and the property a horse ranch, all nine people begin a new direction in life together and individually - blending.<br /><br />Denise G. Hinds 'wind dancer'<br />5 stars