Conqueror's Kiss Book

Read for the URR 2017 New Year's Reading Challenge prompt 'Medieval Romance'

19/11 - The historical details were far more interesting than Hacon and Jennet's romance. I've got a whole list of, I assume (and they had better be or I'm coming back to lower my rating even further), historically accurate (as in not just that Howell got the fact that the battles happened and who the winning side was, but I also want to know that the date and some of the strategic details she included were correct, too) battles to look up - Perth, Boroughbridge, Berwick, et al.

Friday night (night before last) I watched Season of the Witch with Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman and I was really annoyed to find that the battles Cage and Perlman's characters supposedly fought in as Teutonic Crusading knights during the 1330s were either complete fabrications or borrowed from different eras. What's so hard about having the characters set in the correct time? I know, the movie's crap, what was I expecting? Well, I wasn't expecting fantastic acting or a completely logical plot, but for some reason I did expect some historical accuracy. Anyway, the point of that story is to say that I will be very disappointed if I find that Howell fudged any of her battle dates/locations/winners etc., especially since they were my driving force for continuing to read.

I found Jennet a bit too naïve for my tastes. For the first three quarters of the book she questioned the fact that she might be in love with Hacon because 'how could she love a man who went off to war and killed people' whenever his liege lord told him to. What did she think would happen if he refused to do as James Douglas, 'The Black Douglas', or Robert the Bruce ordered him to? He would be accused (and almost certainly found guilty, as nearly happened later on) of treason and probably hung drawn and quartered for the crime. It only took her a few days of being with Hacon and his men to realise that they weren't taking part in the raping part of the raping and pillaging that the Scottish Army was visiting on the English. They didn't kill non-combatants, they didn't burn down the civilian's houses, for goodness sake one of his youngest men (under 18) put his own life on the line to save a baby from The Black Douglas' men. So why did she berate herself for having feelings for him?

I felt she was being completely unfair to Hacon. As her aunt told her, no matter what man you fall in love with, in that day and age and location, they're going to have to fight at some point (even priests knew how to handle a sword). Sure, you can hate that they have to fight, but it's not fair to blame them for doing as ordered, especially when he showed mercy to everyone except enemy soldiers eager to lop his head off. Hacon wasn't an angry man, he didn't enjoy killing, he didn't bully his men or mock them for not raping and killing innocents, he was there because he had been ordered there by someone who held his life and livelihood in their hands. And it would not have been just Hacon's life that would have been lost if he had disobeyed, his men and everyone living at Dubheilrig would have been seen as traitors and therefore free to be raped and pillaged just like the English towns, too.

I've read this a number of times, maybe 5-10 times, but I don't think I'll read it again. Despite the interesting historical details I did find myself getting a bit bored towards the end and I barely read the last couple of pages (after the final battle and birth). This is going to the charity store.