• Wine of Violence

  • The Medieval Mysteries, Book 1
  • By: Priscilla Royal
  • Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
  • Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (428 ratings)

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Wine of Violence  By  cover art

Wine of Violence

By: Priscilla Royal
Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
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Publisher's summary

Late summer, 1270. Although the Simon de Montfort rebellion is over, the smell of death still hangs over the land. In the small priory of Tyndal, the monks and nuns of the Order of Fontevraud long for a return to routine. Their hopes are dashed, however, when the young and inexperienced Eleanor of Wynethorpe is appointed their new prioress. Only a day after her arrival, a brutally murdered monk is found in the cloister gardens, and Brother Thomas, a young priest with a troubled past, arrives to bring her a more personal grief. Now Eleanor must not only struggle to gain the respect of her terrified and resentful flock but also cope with violence, lust, and greed.

©2003 Priscilla Royal (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about Wine of Violence

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

If you're not into sodomy, this book's not for you

I was SO disappointed with this book! I love stories set in medieval time periods, but this book was just gross. Vast majority of this plot centers around the sexual preferences of the nuns and monks. I know not all people of that era who had taken religious orders were fully invested, but this was just over sexualized. Not at all what I was looking for.

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46 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Story

I truly enjoyed this story. Well-developed characters and a plot with plenty of twists. My only slight objection is to the title, which I think might have been better. Great writing. I look forward to reading or listening to the rest of the series.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Cadfael-esque

After reading all of Ellis Peters "Brother Cadfael" series, this is a welcomed find. I love the period, and was disappointed that there were no more Cadfael tales. This series promises to fill the void with new characters, in a familiar setting, albeit Nuns and Monks. looking forward to more of the same.

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10 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Book

I have listened to well over 300 cozy/historical mysteries. What I truly enjoyed about this one is that the characters were so likable. In a couple scenes, Royal has some of the female characters laughing with one another and enjoying each other's company-you'd be amazed how rarely authors in this genre write about women being at such ease with one another. The story arc was well developed. The historical setting was explained nicely and the details of the surroundings were neither heavy handed nor too thin. It pained me a bit that Royal had to contextualize what people today understand as LGBTQ lives but from some of the other reviews, it is clear the explanation was needed, even if not fully understood. I will download other books by Royal, particularly any read by Wanda McCaddon, who did such a fine job of bringing the story to life.

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9 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Weak , bland, boring

I am very fond of historical novels. I have seen Royal's name and finally tried this one. Waste of time. Not to be mentioned in company with Penman, Dunnett, Weir output.

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9 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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A nun and a priest walk into an lgbtq+ friendly priory

I actually found the story hard to follow for about the first third of the book. And then the subject material wasn’t really what I was interested in. Historical fiction with modern thought towards homosexuality. This was well narrated, no complaints about her performance. But otherwise this is a miss for me.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Very good and thought provoking ....

Priscilla Royal is very good and is scrupulous in her research. She develops her story well, providing some twists and turns I, for one, didn't expect.
Wanda McCaddon is a very good narrator, although I must admit, I wasn't sure about her at first.
I look forward to listening to more in this series to see how the characters develop.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I’m looking forward to next book!

This was an excellent mystery set in medieval times. There is a murderer on the loose and attacking those in a religious priory of nuns and monks. It covers the historical place of educated women and the power they could have within a religious order. The struggle of a patriarchal hierarchy and the seeking of political power. The class systems of the world and the history of hospitals and growing medical knowledge help to unravel the murder of gentle old monk.
I highly recommend this book. I was impressed by the amount of medieval, social and church history woven throughout this story. I’m downloading the next book today.

I was given a free copy of this book in lieu of an honest review. I honestly enjoyed this book!

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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After Brother Cadfael, read this!

An equal of the Brother Cadfael mysteries.
Well plotted and the ending made sense not as though it was pulled together at the last minutes as is the case with so many mysteries.

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4 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Not Cadfael or Sister Fidelma

A warning to listeners that this is NOT a story about the church and monks and nuns that will warm your heart or enlighten you . . . not in the least. It stretches the boundaries of anything you will encounter in this category and ruins what most would call historical fiction. Sexual situations involving children (and not condemned, might I say) within the church are related over and over, heterosexual and homosexual. I listened until the end for something that would redeem it and found nothing.

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3 people found this helpful