The Venturous Tales is a collection of
five adventure tales set in a medieval-like fantasy world. The stories were
previously published as separate novellas titled The Queen's Brother, The
King's Niece, The Dowager's Daughter, The Earl's Son, and The Baron's Ward.
·
In The Queen's Brother,
Elisedd is sent to a neighboring kingdom in the disguise of a pilgrim to learn
what he can of two members of their royal family who are suitors for his
half-sister's hand. However, he uncovers evidence of a plot that threatens both
kingdoms.
In The King's Niece, Robbie
accompanies her cousin, the princess, to the palace after years together in a
remote convent school. There, Robbie is in disguise because the king had
banished her mother from the court many years before and though her mother has
since passed away, the banishment was never lifted. From the vantage point of a
servant, Robbie becomes suspicious of the king's champion and his intentions
toward the princess.
·
In The Dowager's Daughter, a
noble family to whom Kimberly is related through her mother's earlier marriage
seems cursed with the loss of one heir after another, leaving it possible for a
rival family of cousins to inherit it. When Kimberly loses her own father as
well, she wonders how her mother will endure so much sorrow. However, with her
father's death comes a clue that one of her mother's grandsons may have left a
widow and child. She sets out to search for them only to find that the road
ahead is more deadly than she had imagined.
·
In The Earl's Son, a baby boy
named Salvo is the only survivor of a raid on their village. He grows up in a
loving foster family of foresters who knew his mother but not who his father
was. Under the patronage of their earl, Salvo is educated and trained for a
future as a possible lord forester one day, if he earns his knighthood. War
breaks out and Salvo accompanies his earl into battle, only to find his mother
has been alive all these years as a captive and the wife (and now widow) of one
of the chiefs of their enemy. She returns with him to her homeland bringing her
children with her, but will she ever tell Salvo who his father is?
·
In The Baron's Ward, a young
mixed-race child named Eustacia Rose is left orphaned. Her father's cousin, the
baron, is her guardian but he sends her to a convent school very far away,
never answers her letters, and sends word when she comes of age that she's not
to apply to him any further. On her way to a possible position as a lady's
scribe, Eustacia plans to stop at the baron's home to see if she can reestablish
a family relationship as she knows no other relatives but she's robbed of her
belongings and money. She arrives at his house only to find that he's gone to
his country estate and is unwell. A scribe named Alfred takes her there and
Eustacia is shocked to learn that the baron believes it was she who never
answered his letters and that he views her as an ingrate. Alfred becomes
suspicious that someone has kept them from each other, but who and why?
AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON
REVIEW
Venturous Tales: A Collection
is a sweet collection of historical fiction tales filled with heroism, romance,
and knightly chivalry. The author has previously released these tales
individually. She has now crafted them spectacularly in this entertaining
collection that is a tale in itself!
We open to High King Wigmund making a royal mandate to
his trusted Royal Storyteller Lady Ethelfled. He requires her to scribe five
tales of royal inspiring adventures that feature 5 of their neighboring
kingdoms to be told at the summit of the Monarchs. Lady Ethelfled goes back to
her workshop where we find she has 5 young writers working under her. She
assigns each a tale to narrate, which happens to be the individual stories
Berdyna Zysk released now bound in this collection.
I enjoyed the way she set up her series of books into
this entertaining collection.
You can view my reviews for 4 out of the 5 tales
here. (I did not review Baron's Ward individually.)
If you are a historical fiction lover, I recommend you
grab this book collection up. Berdyna Zysk writing fine, fresh and empowering.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Isabella Berdyna Zysk is a self-published author who enjoys a story in which good guys win in the end even if there's a struggle along the way which all don't survive. She's a storyteller at heart and keeps the narrative suitable for both adult and young adult readers. She loves a medieval-like setting in fantasy worlds where knightly chivalry and noble valor are the goals but with access to better hygiene.
Isabella Berdyna Zysk was born in Michigan, raised in southern California and central Virginia, worked and lived in several states and foreign countries, and now resides in Florida where she enjoys retirement.
Her interests include the writings of Jane Austen and William Shakespeare, horses, trees, sustainable farming, and art.
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