Island of Gold (Sea and Stone Chronicles)
Cédric, the landless youngest son of a viscount in Languedoc, France, has a knack for falconry. In 1435, after his father dies, his skill wins him a position with the Count of Chambonac, in the Auvergne.
In the meantime, in the bustling, southern market city of Toulouse, Sophie, the spoiled but sometimes kind 16-year-old daughter of a wealthy merchant, is past due for marriage. She wants a young man she can love, her father thinks a well-off man would be best, and her mother likes the idea of a nobleman. Her father gives Sophie what she wants.
After Sophie and Cédric marry, his employer, the count, makes him an offer Cédric cannot refuse: to become master falconer for the count’s cousin, the new grand master of the Knights Hospitaller at their headquarters on the Greek island of Rhodes. After six years the count will grant Cédric a piece of land. A title is attached to the property so Cédric will become a viscount, just like his oldest brother. Rhodes, however, proves to be not only exotic and rich, but also dangerous—especially when Cédric and Sophie begin to mistrust each other and keep secrets instead of working together.
This is a nimbly told story with impeccable pacing. I glanced at the first page—just to see how it started—and then barely emerged before it was all too quickly over. Author Amy Maroney’s research felt just right. The novel opened detailed, colorful new worlds.
