Review: Daughter of Sherwood by Laura Strickland with Giveaway

Daughter of Sherwood

by Laura Strickland

Release Date: November 1, 2013
Publisher: Wild Rose Press

Raised in the kitchens of Nottingham Castle, Wren has no idea she is the daughter of the legendary Robin Hood until she is summoned to Sherwood Forest. Since Robin's death many years before, the resistance against Norman tyranny has been upheld by a magical triad, but now one of the guardians has died. With two young men, Sparrow and Martin, Wren must form a new triad with a bond strong enough to defend Sherwood's magic. To one of them, she will also give her heart.

From the moment Wren bursts into his life, Sparrow loves her. But he knows she may choose his lifelong rival, Martin, as her mate. Martin wants Wren also, but Sparrow fears Martin is driven not by love but by ambition. When Martin is captured and held at Nottingham Castle, will the conflict between love and duty destroy the triad?

Daughter of Sherwood is book one of The Guardians of Sherwood Trilogy.

Book Links:

          


About the Author: 

Born and raised in Western New York, Laura Strickland has been an avid reader and writer since childhood. Embracing her mother's heritage, she pursued a lifelong interest in Celtic lore, legend and music, all reflected in her writing. She has made pilgrimages to both Newfoundland and Scotland in the company of her daughter, but is usually happiest at home not far from Lake Ontario, with her husband and her "fur" child, a rescue dog. She practices gratitude every day. (from the author's website)

Links:

http://www.laurastricklandbooks.com/
laura.strickland@rocketmail.com


My thoughts:

I love the start of a trilogy combined with the book's setting in Sherwood Forest, home to everyone's favorite law-breaker Robin Hood. Perhaps it was Disney that first hooked me on the story of Robin and his Merry Men, but it is certainly an interest that has lasted throughout my life. With my strong connection to the legend as well as the historical setting in early medieval England I must admit Laura Strickland had a huge hurtle as I began to read Daughter of Sherwood and she truly sailed way over the mark!

We are introduced to Wren, the daughter of Robin Hood, and taken on a journey of her own self-discovery while coping with the demands of her father's legacy. Like so many a maiden she finds herself torn between two seemingly irresistible men unable to commit fully to either, but she finds her purpose when her beloved forest is threatened. Only then is Wren able to reach down within herself and become the leader she is destined to become.

Strickland's writing is descriptive, painting landscapes and characters with her words that draw the reader further and further in to her narrative. Daughter of Sherwood is a love story but not in the traditional sense. Wren discovers not only a love of her beloved forest, but also a loving respect for her father. It seems, to this reader that she also discovers a love and appreciation of herself and her abilities. The love of the heart is always messy and the love triangle Strickland creates is full of the misery, angst, rejection and hope that always mingle with one's search for a companion.

Strickland's Daughter of Sherwood is a page turner. She is able to hold onto the legends while creating a new story-line around them. Fans of English history, of the folklore of Robin Hood, or those who simply enjoy a good read will all find something in Daughter of Sherwood which I recommend without hesitation.
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Laura Strickland, author of Daughter of Sherwood, takes over The Most Happy Reader and offers a giveaway!

GATHERING HAPPINESS

by Laura Strickland

We don’t talk about being happy much, anymore.  Nor do we work very hard at achieving that state.  We do talk about being miserable and all the details that contribute to it: the traffic on the way to work and the driver who was glued to our back bumper; the amount of work in our inbox; the fact that the kids never put their dirty laundry in the hamper; the undisputed fact that no one else ever takes the dog out or puts the laundry away .The media and the internet both are flooded with stories of heartbreak and mayhem; they assault us every time we turn on the TV or go online.

It’s almost as if unhappiness has become our default, go-to emotion.  We make conversation with our friends and colleagues by complaining, sometimes ruefully, sometimes even humorously.  We share our misery.  It’s become increasingly easy to be critical, almost as if a kind opinion denotes weakness.  But what benefit comes of seeing faults in others or sharing discontent?  And how far do we need to reach in order to gather up some happiness?

I gave some serious thought to that question when asked to write a guest post for this site. It occurred to me that avid readers have a real leg-up in the happiness game.  Most of us know we only need to find a really good book to gather some contentment.  Which of us hasn’t delighted in a rainy afternoon curled up with the latest offering from a favorite author?  Which of us hasn’t looked forward all day to that moment when we can cuddle up in bed and read for a precious half hour before going to sleep?  Which of us hasn’t, then, stayed up way too late to finish a chapter because we just had to know what happened?  Which of us hasn’t discovered a new author with a flash of excitement and then devoured all his/her back catalogue?  Who hasn’t sighed a little when a cherished story ends?

Long before I became a writer, I was an avid reader and I still am.  In fact, the love of reading is what made me take up a pen in the first place.  As a child, my older sister would take me to our local library every Saturday where, precisely like a kid in a candy store, I had the delectable pleasure of choosing. I can still remember the smell of the library and the sheer excitement of checking out with half a dozen books entrusted to me by the librarian, knowing I had the inestimable pleasure of reading them ahead.  Every so often I’d find a real treasure, a book like Sally Watson’s Witch of the Glens or Louisa May Alcott’s Rose in Bloom that drew me into its world so completely I never wanted to reemerge.

Eventually it occurred to me that if I made up the story, it wouldn’t have to end too soon and I could make anything I wished happen.  In third grade, I penned my first mystery novel, The Haunted House, hand-printed and with a construction paper cover.  But what I truly wanted to do was create literary worlds that might capture my readers as I had been captivated in turn.

When I conceived of the idea for writing a Historical Romance based on the legend of Robin Hood, I told myself I must be crazy.  For one thing, it’s been done on both the large and small screen.  Ever since the days of that master writer, Howard Pyle, stories about Robin have been legion.  But oh, I said to myself, what an opportunity to create a world!  My Sherwood, I decided, would be a place of magic where the Saxon fight against Norman tyranny was rooted.  And my characters would be descendants of the legendary Robin and Marian – I wouldn’t take on the original story so much as extend it.  Soon I was lost in the writing, and in that world.  And so far many of my readers tell me they’ve become pleasurably lost there as well.

But what about achieving happiness?   Well, I happen to believe we’re faced with a choice every morning when we open our eyes: we can be happy or we can be miserable.  Let’s face it, we have to be something and if it’s up to me, I’ll choose happiness every time.  So, my fellow readers gather up your books and gather in some happiness.  Enjoy the stories you love and share them.  We who treasure the written word and revel in sending our imaginations on far flights of fancy have a great advantage in the fight for happiness.  We’ve discovered a secret, magical door and have only to crack it open with the covers of a book – or the buttons on our Kindle – to gather in a whole, heaping helping of happiness.  Read on!

Laura is the author of the newly released, Daughters of Sherwood, enter below for a chance to win a copy:

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BB: Daughter of Sherwood by Laura Strickland with Giveaway

Daughter of Sherwood

by Laura Strickland

Laura Strickland’s new historical romance book Daughter of Sherwood, published by The Wild Rose Press, will be released on November 1, 2013.

Raised as a scullery maid in Nottingham Castle, Wren has no idea she is the daughter of the legendary Robin Hood. When she is forced to defend herself against the unwanted advances of an influential man, she flees the castle and finds refuge in Sherwood Forest. It is then she learns a powerful secret: she has a destiny as a guardian of Sherwood, charged with the responsibility of defending its ancient magic.

Since Robin's death many years before, his supporters have kept his legend alive.  Now one of the three guardians holding the spell has died. With two young men, Sparrow and Martin, Wren must form a new bond strong enough to protect Sherwood and continue her father’s fight.  Drawn equally to Martin’s warrior spirit and Sparrow’s gentle strength, she finds it nearly impossible to choose between duty and love.

Laura takes us on a journey into the world of Robin Hood's daughter, where we experience her struggle to accept her identity and the demands of her father's legacy.  Along with Wren, we learn that what is loved in life can never be lost, and that great love is worth the price paid.  For at last, when Martin is captured and held at Nottingham Castle, the path becomes clear for Wren and she finds the strength to become the woman she was born to be, the Daughter of Sherwood.

Daughter of Sherwood is book one of The Guardians of Sherwood Trilogy.

Excerpt:

In the gathering gloom, the man looked tall and slender, a shadow seen only indistinctly. But she knew him, had seen him numerous times in both dream and imagination.

            A sob burst from her throat. "You are dead."

“But I live on, here in Sherwood. That to which we give our love in life is never lost."

            Rennie continued to examine him through narrowed eyes. This must be how he had looked at the time of his death, strong and handsome, vital as the forest itself.

            "Long have I tried to reach you, Daughter, to tell you the importance of your place here."

            There, he had said it: daughter. A chill chased its way through Rennie's limbs.

"Wren, life is a series of cycles. The flesh rises and falls as do the stars in the sky; the spirit endures.  The three of you – Sparrow, Martin and yourself – must prepare to take your places on the wheel."

            "The wheel?"

"Of life."

"It is not fair," Rennie cried, suddenly aware of how much she would have liked knowing this man.

            "It is not fair," he agreed, "when a child is born into serfdom, an old woman bled to death for the king's taxes, or the father of a family deprived of his hand, so those he loves must starve. There is but one thing fair about our world."

            "And, what is that?"

 "That love does not die, but rides the wheel and goes round until it meets with those who love, again. You must do as you must do.  Keep the magic strong."

About Laura:

Born and raised in Western New York, Laura Strickland has pursued lifelong interests in lore, legend, magic and music, all reflected in her writing. Though her imagination frequently takes her to far off places, she is usually happiest at home not far from Lake Ontario with her husband and her "fur" child, a rescue dog. Currently she is at work on the third book of the Guardians of Sherwood series.  Connect with Laura on her website: http://www.laurastricklandbooks.com/

Purchase Links:

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