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Camelot's Destiny — Cynthia Breeding
ISBN: 0821780301
Zebra, August 2006, 431 pages
Historical Romance - Early Medieval
$3.99 (US) $5.99 (CDN)
Reviewed by Marilyn Rondeau
November 2006
There have been many versions told of the story of King Arthur, Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere) and Lancelot and in this brilliantly written version which was totally engrossing and entertaining by the magic of Camelot, I was sad to see it end. In this version the author gets up close and personal in examining on a more intimate level the motivations of Arthur, Gwenhwyfar and Lancelot and the great love they shared for one another.
In the classic tale of Camelot Gwenhwyfar dutifully agrees to marry Arthur to bring honor to her family and finally find approval on the face of her father. On the way to be wed she forms a bond of friendship and understanding with Lancelot one of Arthur's most trusted and beloved knights. After the wedding Gwen finds loving Arthur and the marriage bed to her liking but the dynamics of Arthur's personality often left her feeling neglected and hurt; ripe for the welcoming strong arms and broad shoulders of her best friend Lancelot a man so totally loved and trusted by Arthur that he encouraged their friendship. With this triangle complete Breeding then does a masterful job of weaving a compassionately captivating scenario of love, lust, betrayal and forgiveness. Additionally she mixes in delicious details with a plethora of secondary characters making this a fully robust and all encompassing look at the many lives and loves of the protagonists as well as several other key players in this much loved epic tale.
Camelot, King Arthur, Gwenhwyfar, and Lancelot will always invoke visions of a magnificent love story, but a deeply tragic one as well. Breeding's version gives a deeper and more meaningful insight into a behind the scenes look of Arthur, Gwen & Lancelot - their motivations and the people who impacted their lives. Breeding also gives an extremely beautiful interpretation of this well told story with impeccable research, vivid imagery while adding multiple layers with numerous other secondary love stories. This certainly deserves high praise and I look forward to seeing much more from this very talented and capable author. While I will caution you to have a box of tissue handy, this extremely emotional and beautifully conceived story is one I highly recommend!
Marilyn Rondeau, also reviews for RIO - Reviewers International Organization