[.ca] Lady Of Sherwood (ISBN 1575665875)

Well done, under the circumstances:
Lady of Sherwood opens five years later after the close of the traditional Robin Hood story, telling the fates of Marian, Robin Hood, and the once-outlaws after King Richard's pardon, something not often seen in literature. That in itself is an accomplishment. While the return to outlawry is so close to the original one that it gets boring, the writing is captivating and the conflicts real. An interesting aspect to this story is that at the end, the characters are bereft of everything, but somehow are as happy as they were before. Ms. Roberson displays this theme very well. I would suggest it to any fan of Robin Hood stories.

The Lovely Lady of Sherwood:
Once again, Jennifer Roberson has captured my heart with her book. I thought 'Lady of the Forest' was wonderful, and this is the best sequel I have ever read. You laugh, you cry, you hate, you love.. To put it simply: 'This book rocks!' :D

Lady of Sherwood (Review):
This book I read in two days. Two days! I loved it's prelude and I love this book the same. It takes a lot to make me cry while reading, this book did it. 'Lady of Sherwood' I can claim to be one of my favorite books of all time. Jennifer Roberson does a wonderful job of writing out the emotion behind every character. Definately a must-read!

A Satisfactory Sequel:
Lady of Sherwood continues, and finishes, the drama set in motion by Lady of the Forest. Robin, the rebellious son of the Earl of Huntington, lives with Marian in her estate. With them are the Merrie Enough Men, making ends meet, unmolested under the pardon of King Richard. It is upon King Richard's death that the trouble begins, not only for Robin and Marian's new life, but for the rest of England as well under the impeding rule of the detested Prince John. Marian comes off stronger than ever as a character in this male-oriented power struggle, contributing far more than what a woman in the medeival ages is expected to impart, yet without overstepping the realism that is so well-embedded in this book. This book is immersed much deeper in intrigue, and Marian's naivette in the first book had been completely irradicated in this installment. All the major players in this book push their characters to the extreme; Robin broods even more, the Earl of Huntington is more ruthless; the Sherrif of Nottingham more despicable... etc. While I would have given this book a rating of 5, I could not help but compare it to the first book which, to me, holds more purpose in the context of why the story was told. In the first book, it was shown how Marian came to being as a woman and the lover of a famous outlaw amidst a brewing political struggle. In this book, Marian is made even tougher as the political struggles become more pronounced. It's like "Lady of the Forest: Extra Strength." However, I would still recommend this book to satisfy the craving "Lady of the Forest" sowed in its readers. It's a fine read, well-constructed and well-developed.

A So-so follow up to Lady of the Forest:
First off, what on earth is the publisher thinking re-releasing this book with a cover like this? Any sex that happens in this book is left wholly to the reader's imagination - this is not a mindless bodice ripping romance. This book opens five years after the close of Lady of the Forest and Robin is still estranged from his father and living with Marian at Ravenswood (that's a bit of a stretch, openly living in sin in the 13C). Richard The Lion Heart is wounded and dying and the evil Prince John prepares to take the throne, the always over the top evil Sheriff of Nottingham is thrilled as now Richard once Richard is dead he can prosecute Robin and his not-so-merry band of men. I have to admit this book just didn't sing for me, nor was the story enough to keep me enthralled. If you loved LOTF and are dying to read the rest of the story, you might enjoy this, but not as a stand alone book. Not great, but not bad either. Three stars