Young Anne Crofton must leave behind her girlhood fancies of love when her family sells her into marriage to a man she’s never met. In the home of Lord Wolverton, Master of the Wolf’s Aerie, she finds herself thrust into a mystery with danger, betrayal, and sword fighting in a castle with secret passageways. With courage, faith in God, and a personal resolve to be a good wife despite her heartache, she seeks Biblical wisdom in the pursuit of true love. You will become lost in another time and place and won’t want to put the books down.
–description on the back of In the Aerie of the Wolf
Every girl grows up with fantasies of being a beautiful princess, living in a castle, in love with a handsome prince, and enjoying his adoration and devotion. Living in the 21st Century, this dream can never become a reality (unless your name is Kate Middleton, but that is another story!) In 18th Century England, though, young girls had the chance of seeing this fairytale dream come true. Anne Crofton is one such girl. Only the fairytale didn’t happen exactly the way she had expected. Rather than meeting her handsome prince and falling in love, Anne was sold into marriage with a man she had not met, one she actually knew very little about. She is forced to leave behind the man she first loved in hopes of being a suitable wife for a wealthy stranger.
In the Aerie of the Wolf is the third novel by author Leonora Pruner and the second that I have had the pleasure of reviewing. It started off slowly for me. The language used by Old Samson, a very central character to the story, was difficult to understand, though I understand it is right for the time period. Having to re-read passages of his dialogue made me consider giving up on the book before the third chapter. Now that I have finished the story, I am so glad that I didn’t give up.
Once again, Ms. Pruner has written a beautiful period romance. My favorite part of the book was watching how Anne’s idea of love evolved over time. She was thrust into a situation she never dreamed of, one that no woman ever would ever want to find herself in. She had every right to be cold and heartless about it and to resent Lord Wolverton—especially after learning shortly after her wedding that he had been lying to her from the very beginning. Yet she never was anything other than gracious. She accepted the situation and was determined to make the best out of it. She never closed her heart to the possibility that she could love her husband. Even in moments when she was unsure the God was really with her, Anne’s motto seemed to be, “Not my will but Yours, Lord.”
It’s an attitude that could serve many women today very well.
Despite what I considered a slow start, this book was worth every moment. It’s full of everything that is expected of a fairytale—beauty, beast, romance, love, betrayal, and even sword fighting. But this book goes one step further than the typical fairytale—it also has a deep message about faith. I loved the way that message of faith was woven into the story. It never seemed to be “preachy” at all, just another fact of what Anne’s life was all about. All in all, I was so pleased with this book that I have already loaned it out to a friend.
To order a copy of this book, please visit http://www.amazon.com/Aerie-Wolf-Leonora-Pruner/dp/0982707487/
The German War Machine is in retreat as the Russians advance. In Warsaw, Resistance fighters rise up against their Nazi occupiers, but the Germans retaliate, ruthlessly leveling the city. American Adam Nowak has been dropped into Poland by British intelligence as an assassin. During the Warsaw Rising he meets Natalia, a covert operative who has lost everything—just as he has. Amid the Allied power struggle left by Germany’s defeat, Adam and Natalia join in a desperate hunt for the 1940 Soviet order authorizing the murders of 20,000 Polish Army officers and civilians. If they can find the Katyn Order before the Russians do, they may change the fate of Poland.