Wild Bells to the Wild Sky by Laurie McBain
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
2.5 stars
*This is a #TBRChallenge review, there will be spoilers, I don't spoil everything but enough, because I treat these reviews as a bookclub discussion.
TL;DR - More sedate Bodice Ripper, more like historical fiction saga, very little romance
"Now, that is what I call a fateful sighting," Valentine murmured, his gaze narrowed as he stared at the shore. "Do you see what I do, Mustafa, or have I been misled by the mists? Is she mortal, or a Nereid sent to bewitch a weary sailor?" The Turk followed his captain's gaze to the riverbank. Sitting astride a white horse galloping along the shore was the most beautiful woman either man had ever seen. Dressed in green velvet, like the tall grasses growing along the river, her red hair flowing out behind her like a wild flame, she raced the wind with innocent abandon. She would disappear, then reappear almost magically out of the mists rising from the river. Only once did she seem to pause, and then she sat staring at the river, as if searching the clutter of masts for a certain ship. "I wonder who she is," Valentine murmured, vowing he would find out.
'Sdeath! It's Bodice Ripper time! When the TBRChallenge theme for September was Drama!, I knew immediately I had to pick one of the Bodice Rippers on my tbr. Published in 1983 (what a great year ;) and with a parrot AND a jaguar on the cover, I knew this just had to be the one. Surprisingly, while the cover fits in to what is commonly thought of for this period in romance, this is what I would call a more sedate one. In fact, I don't think I would call this a Bodice Ripper but a historical fiction saga with romantic element. I think if you've always wanted to try a Bodice Ripper but, understandably, stayed away because of the many content and trigger warnings that abound in these, this could be the one you'd feel safer trying, if you wanted to experience some of that sweeping epic feeling readers talk about in this romance era. There were a few lines discussing slave routes/trading, a quick, don't really see though, attempted rape, “gypsy” hate (not so much from author's pov as she breathes life into them like any other secondary character, but from English characters), and that old go to of the male main character saved the life of a “Turk”, so he follows him in devotion (Mustafa got an at least shaded in backstory), that I would point out if you're a no go on anything.
Broken up into three parts, the first part starts in 1558 Tudor England. It's the time of Elizabeth and you'll get a history lesson (not footnotes though, lol) on the Catholics and Protestants and why there's bad blood and Reformation. I'm aware and decently versed in this time period, so I could take in all the names as I already knew the whos, whats, and whys. If this is brand new information, you're probably going to get lost in all the names and want to bounce when you showed up for romance. Along with taking extra time to set the reader in the story, we get the background romance, on who our female main character is eventually going to be, parents. That's right, this starts before our FMC is even a glint in an eye. Her father was an English privateer and her mother the daughter of a Spanish Don. The Drama! Spanish and English aren't exactly besties at this time and in 1571 when Geoffrey Christian captures the ship of Don Pedro, a Don's daughter's, Magdelena, intended they are brought onto Geoffrey Christian's ship. Clashing and Passion ignites! This is all told in flashback form and, yes, I was hoping at this time that the book was about the parent's romance. Daddy Don is not happy to say the least and disowns Magdalena in typical male hysteria, the intended Don Pedro vows revenge, even though he ends up marrying Magdalena's sister. Geoff and Mag live happily in England and have a daughter named Lily Francisca.
When Magdalena gets word that her mother is dying, Daddy Don works on his emotional outbursts and agrees to let her come see her mother one last time. Family trip! But our ol' gal Queen Elizabeth is up to her wily ways and sees an opportunity to send a spy with the Christians to see what the Spanish are up to. A friend of the Christian's, Sir Basil joins the trip, along with a seven year old Lily Francisca. At Santo Domingo, Magdalena gets to say goodbye to her mother, Daddy Don is now a Grandpa Don and delights in precocious Lily Francisca, so, most, is forgiven. It's not all sunshine and roses though, Lily Francisca sees a man with two different colored eyes and overhears something that she can't quite make sense of but knows is wrong, Sir Basil also overhears and sees things that make the spying trip worth it. Englishman Valchamps, the man with two different colored eyes and another man, never named to the readers but known by Basil and written in his journal, are found to be traitors. Knowing they've been outed, they team up with revenge seeking Don Pedro and devise a plan to sink Geoffrey Christian's ship. Geoffrey is mortally wounded but before he goes down with his ship, he manages to get Magdalena, Basil, Lily Francisca, and a seaman to row them to one of the many islands around to try and save their lives. When the seaman sees the ship going down, he panics and takes the boat out alone to try to save lives, only to never return.
This is all in the first 15%, then to Part Two and seven years later. With more flashback form, Lily Francisca, who is now fourteen, relays to readers what seven years stranded on an island was like. Her mother was pregnant, just told Geoffrey the night before, and had a son, Tristram. And after five years of loneliness, Magdalena and Basil find love and have a daughter named Dulcie. This is where we also meet the book cover's parrot Cisco and the jaguar Choco, who Lily took care of when he was baby. There's also a monkey called Capabells and I'm very affronted on his behalf that he didn't get cover billing like the other two. A storm brings a Spanish shipwreck to their shores, where no crew survived but they're able to salvage some trunks full of gold and squirrel them away in a hidden cove, along with Basil's and Geoffrey's journals. Then tragedy strikes when a small boat of a few passengers finds their island. Magdalena and Basil send the kids away as they try to nurse the fever ridden passengers. Magdalena dies first and as he's sickening, Basil makes Lily promise to always take care of her siblings and not to forget the fable he taught her about wild white horses, a different colored eyes witch, and trying to save a Queen. Basil dies soon after and the flashback being told by Lily ends as we're brought two years forward for the Part Two seven years jump.
As this was all happening on the island, Valentine, Basil's late twenties sea adventuring (he name drops sailing with Drake) brother learns of his death. Basil's wife and son mourns until she remarries a family friend named William and Valentine vows revenge on Don Pedro and contemplates marrying his lover Cordelia. Cordelia was the beautiful social climber well known in this type of story.
I feel like I could be losing some people, I get it, the book almost lost me too.
Re-hydrate, bookmark, nap, or DNF, these types of stories are A LOT
It's when the seaman who initially rowed Mags, Bas, and Lil to the island finally escapes the ship he was imprisoned on and makes his way to England that Valentine learns his brother might still be alive, that the story gets moving again. With a crudely drawn map from the dying seaman, Valentine sets sail for the island, only to find that, yes, his brother may have initially lived but is now truly dead. There's mistrust from Lily as Basil enforced to her the need to be cautious but eventually Valentine, with some trickery, get her and the other two kid's on his ship back to England. Lily cautiously? forgets to tell Valentine about the treasure cove and Basil's journal. So at this time, the readers know of one traitor, Valchamps, and are trying to figure out from some redherrings who the other could be, infusing some mystery/thriller into the story.
Lily's fourteen, so we get major hero-worship love from her towards Valentine but overhears him talking to a jealous Cordelia and says he could never look at Lily in a romantic love way because she's just a child. Lily vows to never reveal her love to him. There's some Drama! over Dulcie being the love child of Mags and Bas, and questions if Tristram really was Geoffrey Christian's or Basil. The cousin who inherited Geoff's estate is of course horrible and by default becomes the kids' guardian, until either it's believed Tristram really is the true heir or Lily comes of age and gets the estate. There's some Valentine leaving for his adventures but promising Lily he'll always be there for them, always can ask him for help and Lily and the kid's suffering having to live with their guardian.
Part Three!
Jumps three years and we have a seventeen year old Lily. She's too brass and beautiful for the small village and when her guardian decides one night to rape her to make her have to marry him so he can inherit the estate, he actually almost rapes their maid and she screams thinking she killed him. Ten year old Tristram is no help at all and amps everyone up claiming the townspeople will call Lily a witch and burn her at the stake. So, Lily, Tristram, Dulcie, the maid, and two of the stablehands they're friends with, take off to find their nursemaid in the north to help them. Totally best plan. Why no one else? Valentine's off adventuring, Dulcie's halfbrother, from Basil's side is only a couple years older than Lily, and Dulcie's aunts are something something busy. As the group is trying to get away, they run into Romney. A twenties something half-Romani, who has the hots for Lily. He hides them away, goes to the estate to learn what's happening and with some selfishness and good intentions, takes them to his wandering band of Romani and our island kids are now traveling puppeteers. With some bad luck, Valchamps sees the puppet show, based on the fable Basil told Lily, and figures out that Lily may remember more than he wants her too. Valentine also runs into the Romani camp and sees a woman who takes his breath away. Y'all. I know it's been three years and I had quite the glow-up myself from 14 to 17 but, come on. He doesn't recognize Lily. He kisses her and can't wait to get her to his ship but is drawn away for an important meeting. Lily is crushed and more mad at him. Valchamp burns the Romani camp trying to kill Lily, Romney dies, our little group is on the run again. Valentine learns of the children on the run from Simon (Basil's son and who also loves Lily) and they're off to find the nursemaid thinking the kids are going to her.
William Shakespeare gives shortcut directions (the randomness of this had me laughing for a good five minutes, it was so wildly out of nowhere) to Valentine and they surreptitiously run into the kids and Valentine saves Lily from drowning, she saw Valchamps club her on the head before she fell into the water.
It may feel like I'm long-winded in this review, but this was 600pgs and when I tell you the numerous side-stories and characters I'm leaving out.
This is around 66% where Valentine and Lily meet back-up. What's your alls problem, have some patience, my gosh, wanting the romance to start earlier than 50%??
Valentine is mad Lily didn't tell him who she was, Lily's mad he didn't recognize her. There's a Drama! slap Lily gives Valentine. This is around 80% and when I would say (Finally!) the romance feels like it starts up.
Lily tells Valentine about Basil's journal, gets him to promise her she can go along to get it and they set sail but the other traitor isn't known and being in their trusted circle, alerts Don Pedro about their sailing plans.
They get to the island, Spanish attack, Choco saves the day!, Lily and Valentine get captured only to escape and hide out in the hidden cove. We get our first sex scene between the two at 92%(!!!) and Valentine reads Basil journal to learn who the other traitor is. Val's also a wily one and brought along some other English ships, defeating the Spanish, so they get rescued and head back to England.
The cove sex had Val and Lil admitting their love for each other but it's all save the reputation distance until the traitor is dealt with back in England. The traitor is revealed and I kind of guessed it because of how secret the author was keeping it, kind of impactful and kind of, 'kay, moving on.
Ends with Val and Lil getting married. If you made it through all that epic journey, you'll realize, not much romance at all and I was kind of disappointed in it all. But, like I said, if you've been afraid of Bodice Rippers, you could safely get a taste of them with this one but just know it's more historical fiction saga than anything else.
Can't Help Falling in Love by Sophie Sullivan
