The Shattered Rose by Jo Beverley
Though marketted as a historical romance, The Shattered Rose is more about making a marriage work after one party makes a horrible mistake.
Set in 1100, TSR is about Galeran, a crusader who returns home after two years away to find his father and brother preparing to lay siege to his home. On questioning them, he learns that this is because his wife, Jehanne, as borne another man's child while he was away, and installed the man in their household. As an even bigger blow, he soon learns that his own son, born after he left for the crusade, has died.
Jehanne is not, of course, an evil adulturous child killer. Driven mad by her son's death, shortly after receiving-obviously-false reports of Galeran's death, she sought comfort in the arms of Lowick, who has loved her since they were children together. While she soon regained her senses, the damage was already done, and she was carrying her child. Galeran, who still loves his wife even though she betrayed him, has to find a way to save face and position without doing what society says he should do, which is, at the most generous, kill the lover, dispose of the child and send Jehanne off to a convent. Only the first part holds any appeal to him.
While there are many ways Beverley could have taken with this book, she doesn't take them. Galeran held to his own marriage vows while away, Jehanne was not raped, Lowick is not evil. Lowick genuinely loves Jehanne and wants to take of nboth her and the baby, and truly fears that Galeran will harm them, as most men of the time would have(and as most expect Galeran to do) while Jehanne never stopped loving Galeran and regretted her affair with Lowick as soon as it happened. For that matter, both view their own actions as being rape-Lowick because he didn't reject Jehanne when he knew only grief drove her, and Jehanne because she knows she took advantage of feelings she didn't return.
It's not an easy story, nor do the characters face easy choices. It's a book that seems to be disliked by most romance fans and, honestly, I can see why it would alienate some. It breaks most of the rules of romance novels, and takes hard roads instead of good. Which is what makes it a good book instead of just another medieval romance that blends in with the rest.
Set in 1100, TSR is about Galeran, a crusader who returns home after two years away to find his father and brother preparing to lay siege to his home. On questioning them, he learns that this is because his wife, Jehanne, as borne another man's child while he was away, and installed the man in their household. As an even bigger blow, he soon learns that his own son, born after he left for the crusade, has died.
Jehanne is not, of course, an evil adulturous child killer. Driven mad by her son's death, shortly after receiving-obviously-false reports of Galeran's death, she sought comfort in the arms of Lowick, who has loved her since they were children together. While she soon regained her senses, the damage was already done, and she was carrying her child. Galeran, who still loves his wife even though she betrayed him, has to find a way to save face and position without doing what society says he should do, which is, at the most generous, kill the lover, dispose of the child and send Jehanne off to a convent. Only the first part holds any appeal to him.
While there are many ways Beverley could have taken with this book, she doesn't take them. Galeran held to his own marriage vows while away, Jehanne was not raped, Lowick is not evil. Lowick genuinely loves Jehanne and wants to take of nboth her and the baby, and truly fears that Galeran will harm them, as most men of the time would have(and as most expect Galeran to do) while Jehanne never stopped loving Galeran and regretted her affair with Lowick as soon as it happened. For that matter, both view their own actions as being rape-Lowick because he didn't reject Jehanne when he knew only grief drove her, and Jehanne because she knows she took advantage of feelings she didn't return.
It's not an easy story, nor do the characters face easy choices. It's a book that seems to be disliked by most romance fans and, honestly, I can see why it would alienate some. It breaks most of the rules of romance novels, and takes hard roads instead of good. Which is what makes it a good book instead of just another medieval romance that blends in with the rest.