Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (2007) Diana Gabaldon

I am really enjoying this series, and REALLY like Lord John.

Lord John’s mother is getting remarried. Hal and John choose to meet with General Sir George Stanley, so Hal can make sure he’ll be acceptable for their mother, at which time they also meet Sir George’s stepson, Percy.

We’d met Percy in passing in Lord John and the Private Matter when Lord John visited the Lavender House, and John and Percy almost immediately take a liking to each other. Sir George has been looking to buy Percy a commission, so Percy ends up in Hal’s regiment.

To complicate matters, pages from their father’s journal start appearing–a journal that their mother swears had been burned after their father’s death.

Important to note: Lord John is homosexual. There are love scenes in this story.

Also important to note: Lord John is an army officer. There are battle scenes in this story.

We learn a lot about Lord John in this book–much more than we did in Lord John and the Private Matter I think. We learn about his past and his father’s death, we learn much more about his mother (I really like his mother), and Hal becomes a much larger character.

I also loved the historical bits. Again, she has researched subject, and it is fascinating to see the different aspects of life at that time–especially the military. The idea of buying a military commission seems so insane to a modern reader, as does the idea that you can buy/build a regiment with your own money.

That’s just astounding to me.

I highly recommend this series, as long as you’re okay with boinking and war.
Rating: 9/10

Published by Bantam Dell

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