Lady of the Forest

I'm going to start this off by admitting that I have always been a little teeny bit in love with Robin Hood. The feeling fluctuates from time to time, depending on what I'm reading, but it's always there. Always. I suppose there is a morbid fascination with the outlaw aspect of it. I mean, the stories always make living in Sherwood Forest seem so romantic! They don't get sick, they always have food. So, yes, I am a little obsessed with Robin Hood.

Then there is Maid Marian. I've always admired her. Her spirit, her pluck, her determination to be with Robin, the man she loves, no matter what.

It's with these thoughts roaming around in my head that I finally, thanks to Angie, of Angieville and her wonderful reviews, picked up "Lady of the Forest" by Jennifer Roberson.

This isn't your typical tale of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. First off, you have Robin. He isn't the swashbuckling hero that steals from the rich to give to the poor. He is a knight, just returned from the Crusades, slightly jaded in his outlook, and plagued by nightmares.

Then there's Marian. Lovely Marian, desired by all who see her. All she wants is to be left alone, to mourn her father. But the Sheriff, her father's dearest friend, keeps getting in the way.

Much. Much is a cut purse, son of a miller, and for all intents and purposes, mute. And he is entirely devoted to Marian, the only person who ever had a kind word for him.

Will Scarlet. A tormented soul, imprisoned for killing four Norman soldiers, who brutally raped and murdered his wife.

John Little, aka Little John. A peace loving man, a Shepard, who wrestles for extra money at fairs, and gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Alan of the Dale. A Lusty minstrel, who gets caught with the Sheriff's daughter, and blamed entirely for it.

The Sheriff of Nottingham. A man determined to win Lady Marian, any way he can. A foul man, who ends up a minion of Prince John, and gets all that comes with that.

Sir Guy of Gisborne. A slimy, greasy man, the right hand man to the Sheriff. He too, is in love with Marian, and desires her above all else.

This book is ripe, and full of details. By far one of my favorite renditions of the Robin Hood legend.