Flight of the Raven

I enjoyed this book and it was better than I expected. The author wrote very well and kept me in suspense. Lady Emma is the mistress of Ravenwood and by order of the king is to marry a Norman, Sir William l"Orage. He is a warrior and has seen much battle throughout his life. He intends to marry Emma, even though Aldred the Merciless wants to marry Emma, but Aldred has evil intentions. The Ravenwoods have a curse, and it can only be broken if the man and woman both love each other, otherwise the woman dies in childbirth. This has terrified Emma and she plans to remain a virgin, unless both she and her husband can truly love each other. There is much sexual attraction and tension between Emma and William. William gets easily jealous over Emma's relationship with Wulfstan, even though they are just friends. Emma and Wulfstan both have special abilities, which allow them to "see things". William does not believe in this, but has survived torture and betrayal, in which he will not allow himself to love a woman. Emma falls in love with William, but feels hurt than he cannot love her in return. Only when Emma's life is in danger does William realize his true feelings for Emma. If you enjoy romance, mystery, and magic, this is a book you will enjoy reading!!

🐺  I GOT THIS FREE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW FROM NetGalley.  THIS IS ALSO A THE FIRST BOOK I HAVE READ FROM THIS AUTHOR BUT THE STORY BASE IS ONE THAT I ENJOY READING AND THIS ONE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT IT'S WRITTEN IN THE NORTHERN ENGLAND  OF SEPTEMBER 1101 IT'S LIKE AN HISTORIC ROMANCE BUT MADE UP PEOPLE NOT PASED OF REAL ADVENTS.  THE MAIN FEMALE IS LADY EMMA OF RAVEN-WOOD KEEP.  WE MEET EMMA WHEN SHE IS GETTING READY TO MARRY WITH HER COUSIN GERTRUDE AND HER HANDMAIDEN TILDA AND ARE TALKING ABOUT WHY SHE CAN'T BED HER HUSBAND WHEN SHE BECOME HIS WIFE BECAUSE IS THE CURSE THAT SHE BELIEVES SHE HAS IN HER FAMILY HER GRANDMOTHER AND HER MOTHER DIED IN CHILDBIRTH SHE BELIEVES THAT IS SHE BECOMES PREGNANT SHE WILL DIE IN GIVING BIRTH LIKE THOSE BEFORE HER HAVE DONE WHEN THE BABY WAS NOT BORN OUT OF LOVE.
EMMA IS TO WED SIR WILLIAM l'Orage (THE STORM) HE IS THE SECOND SON SO WOULD NOT INHERIT HE IS A NORMAN KNIGHT AND TRUSTED BY THE KING AND IS GIVEN THE KEEP AS AN AWARD.  AS I WAS READING THIS A THOUGHT THAT EMMA'S COUSIN WOULD BETRAY HER YOU'LL HAVE TO READ THE BOOK TO SEE IF I AM RIGHT OR NOT AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THE BOOK ON THE COMMENTS ON MY REVIEW.
I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK IT IS A GOOD STORY TO READ BUT MIGHT NOT BE FOR SOME PEOPLE BUT IS AN ENJOYABLE READ SO GIVE IT AGO YOU MIGHT ENJOY IT.

It was a very exciting read, both main characters capture your attention and keep you drawn in until the very end.  Some of it was predictable, the villains were easy to determine and you knew where some of the plot was headed.  William and Emma had a great story  in which you were able to see their love develop. It was overall a great plot filled with great characters.

Loved the witty and droll touches.

Judith Sterling has penned a medieval romance that had me chuckling with the droll, at times ribald, sense of humor displayed by many of the characters. It isn't a comedy. This book has its feet firmly set in the trenches of medieval romance, complete with a dastardly villain and a witch-like wench. But at times the subtle interactions and everyday conversation between the knights and ladies and their servants would have that risque little wink, evocative of their slightly-later contemporary, Geoffrey Chaucer. Imagine, people had a sense of humor even in the 1100s! The back and forth, witty repartee kept me on my toes throughout the book, and Sterling was careful not to overdo a good thing.

The plot is reminiscent of so many that have gone before, but with the addition of a light paranormal aspect, tenuously connected to pagan beliefs of the Anglo-Saxons. Emma is the Lady of Ravenwood, given in marriage to the fearsome knight William l'Orage in return for his service to the king. His experiences in the Crusades have given him a reputation and made him a hard man, but he is seeking to settle in a home and have a family. Too bad his wife is not looking to cooperate. This story is about the path to love for both of them, with episodes of jealousy, misunderstanding, treacherous neighbors, covetousness of position and more impacting their happiness.

The characters would have been better served by a little more narrative dedicated to thoughts and actions outside the bedchamber. I wanted a deeper story related to the treachery subplot. But, like certain of Chaucer's archetypes, there is a determined focus on matters between the sexes. As Chaucer said, "For certain, old dotard, by your leave, you shall have plenty of the precious thing in the evening." Well, William is a most determined and ardent soldier as he storms Emma's battlements.

Book really captured my attention though I read few fantasy novels. The twists and turns kept me riveted to this eBook. Disappointed when I came to the end.

4.5 stars!  I really, really liked Judith Sterling's "Flight of the Raven," and I hope this is a beginning of a return to more medieval era romances.  Emma is the mistress of Ravenwood and all the women in her line are cursed.  If they are doomed to die in childbirth if the child is not conceived in love.  Emma has the Sight and is plagued by visions of her own death, she believes fully in the curse and doesn't want to consummate her marriage until her husband falls in love with her.  When she meets William, she realizes making him fall in love with her is a monumental task.
William, her husband ordered by the king, is not interested in love.  He was betrayed once before by a woman and believes the curse is simply foolishness.  He desires Emma, maybe more than any other woman he has met.  William believes he can seduce Emma into accepting him in her bed, whether he loves her or not.  But there are forces that neither Emma nor William understand at work that want to harm the couple.
This book hit all my favorites: medieval time period, passionate love scenes, sexy hero and more.  Emma and William were perfect for each other, even if it took them some time to figure it out.  I love a hot, steamy romance and this one had it.  The only complaint I could express is the timing of the inevitable consummation and how hurtful William's words were to Emma.  Other than that, this book was darn close to perfection!  I hope Ms. Sterling continues the series and writes more steamy, medieval romances!

I voluntarily reviewed this ARC for Netgalley and am so glad that I did!! I devoured this entire story in a couple of hours, it really alleviated the ennui I've been having lately with reading!! I'm not really a romance fan, I more like things that go bump in the night, but even though this was a romance, it had paranormal leanings, and was set in one of my favorite time periods/locations.  It is a fast paced, well researched story that comes to life the more you read.  I loved it, and will definitely follow the series!

Wasn't sure how I would like this book, I'm not fond of paranormal type stories, so was at first hesitant, glad I continued the book. The h is fearful of consummating her marriage, due to a family curse , and is expected to marry a great warrior at the behest of the king.  She is a woman of integrity and passion, and finds she is attracted to her betrothed . He is everything a warrior of the crusaders would be,  and of course, expects respect, honor, and to bed his wife!  There is treachery within their walls, in unexpected ways, which threatens their very lives.  Despite his determination not to love her, they are drawn together in passion, and defeat the evil plot against them.  There is a wonderful HEA, and the story is satisfying and interesting.  I see potential for future books in a series.

A very fast paced book! A medieval era paranormal romance that had me reading from cover to cover very quickly. I couldn't help myself, the words just flowed so smoothly. I was not familiar with this author but will now be seeking out more of her books in the future. Though I don't read much in this genre I am glad I read this one! A must read for lovers of medieval era paranormal romance.
Pub Date 30 Sep 2016 
Thank you to NetGalley and The Wild Rose Press for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

A book to be totally enjoyed! A medieval era paranormal romance that had me reading from cover to cover without stopping. I am not familiar with this author previously but I shall be getting familiar now. I must say this book had so many elements of complexity that I was truly enthralled by them. A super plot line, characters that were complex, paranormal elements, passionate, romance, curses and more. I can only say this is a definite buy buy buy buy buy book! A truly great read... and just all in all a highly enjoyable read! I would of liked a little less sex and a little more plots .... but all in all I truly enjoyed the read. I was given this book in return for an honest review. Anna

Authors subverts the usual arranged marriage tropes with a curse threatening death in childbirth unless both partners find love--plus some Norman-Saxon conflict, pagan religious mysticism and Crusade PTSD.