REVIEW: Song at Dawn; 1150 in Provence (The Troubadours) by Jean Gill

Blurb:

Book 1 in the Troubadours Series

1150 in Provence, where love and marriage are as divided as Christian and Muslim.

A historical thriller set in Narbonne just after the Second Crusade. On the run from abuse, Estela wakes in a ditch with only

her lute, her amazing voice, and a dagger hidden in her petticoats. Her talent finds a patron in Alienor of Aquitaine and more than a music tutor in the Queen's finest troubadour and Commander of the Guard, Dragonetz los Pros. Weary of war, Dragonetz uses Jewish money and Moorish expertise to build that most modern of inventions, a papermill, arousing the wrath of the Church. Their enemies gather, ready to light the political and religious powder-keg of medieval Narbonne.

Winner of Global Ebooks Award for Best Historical Fiction

My Review:

I really enjoyed reading “Song at Dawn” by Jean Gill. Any book that has something to do with Eleanor of Aquitaine grabs my interest right away. I also thought the author’s writing style had a nice flow to it, which made it easy to read. The intrigue within the novel between the characters was also interesting,and  the suspense kept me reading to find out what would happen next. There were some really great and unexpected twists within the novel, which was great, but I did feel a little lost at times when new characters or twists were introduced without enough background information.

The sexual tension that existed between Dragonetz and Estela was great. It definitely piqued my interest and kept me rooting for them to get together!

The author did a great job with imagery and descriptions in the novel, especially when describing the troubadours music, as a reader you could almost imagine you could hear the clear tunes from Dragonetz’s voice.

I’ve read several books which focused solely on Eleanor of Aquitaine, so it was great to read a book that focused on the “normal” people who surrounded her on a daily basis. I love getting a look at what life was like during the time that Eleanor was alive, and this novel really brought it to life for me. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction.

I give this novel a FOUR out of FIVE stars.

BUY SONG AT DAWN HERE!