My thanks to Catherine Clover, Duckworth Books and Netgalley for the ARC.
I love historical fiction of any era and wanted to love The Templars Garden but although there is much to recommend it I found what should have been a riveting story sadly lacking in drama and sparkle. The interminable dialogue and descriptive passages dragged the story down and I found myself skipping chunks just to move the story on. (it took three pages for them to say goodbye).. And information dumping in dialogue is still info dumping.

The Templars Garden.
I love historical fiction, especially if it has a mystery that relates to real events and people. Right from the first few pages, I was involved and delighted by the spirituality of the narrator, Isabelle, a 14 year old noblewoman, and her blossoming relationship with the family priest, Pere Charles.
Isabelle and her family are related to the English throne, but live in Gascony. When religious tensions surface in France, the family determine to return to England, but when they arrive back ,they find they are in the middle of the War of the Roses, where making the wrong choice in religion can be life ending. Her father goes to the Royal court to claim hereditary titles and Isabelle and her siblings are left to the care of an aunt, who may be a spy,and the afore mentioned priest.
The Priest has a secret that involves the Knights Templars, and a hidden religious artefact, the Mandylion. This relic is sought by the Pope to keep it safe from the burgeoning Protestant church in England, and in an effort to keep it safe, Pere Charles and Isabelle travel to Wales, to St David’s Cathedral, which is under the protection of the warrior monks, also known as Knights Templar.
I loved the descriptions of life in Gascony, and the education of noblewomen, I felt that Isabelle was a very sympathetic character.
The religious symbolism was beautiful, especially in details of church architecture and services. The history of the Mandylion was intriguing and I have always been fascinated by the history of the Knights Templar, making several trips to various churches associated with this brotherhood.
I have made many trips to Wales, after reading books about the War of the Roses, Tewkesbury Abbey and St David’s are very special places. After reading this first volume, I believe I will go back and retrace the journey that Isabelle took, COVID-19, permitting!!
I am so pleased that this book is the first in a series, and I will definitely keep an eye out for the next book, Queen of Heaven. It is exciting and a real page Turner, it feels authentic.
Thank you for my advance copy, given in return for this honest review. I rate this as a four star read and look forward to the next instalment.

i always enjoy this type of book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed reading this book. I look forward to more in this series.

As someone with a degree in history and a love for historical fiction, I can honestly say that this book handled historical subject matter with grace. Too often, historical themes are presented as something entirely foreign, when in reality, those in the past felt and understood love and grief and triumph the same way that we do.
Unfortunately, this can be much more challenging when it comes to dialogue. There is a very fine line between thoroughly committing to the era's way of speaking and the text becoming somewhat inaccessible. It's very hard to strike the right note when writing historically accurate dialogues for modern audiences. At several points within this novel, because of its commitment to a sort of "historical feel," I suppose, the dialogue and descriptions were often lengthy and felt somewhat detached.
Overall, I feel that this novel has incredible themes and ideas at its core. In execution, however, it suffered a bit from a lack of relatability of the characters and their behaviors.

1450's Britain. Isabelle, a young noblewoman with a divine calling and Père Charles, her chaplain and tutor go on a pilgrimage to the west country amidst the threat of war. Beautiful historical fiction filled with visions, scripture, architecture of holy places and human suffering, moving at a calm pace.
Being the first part of a trilogy the book has an open ending. I'm looking forward to see the story continue.

Thank you Netgalley and Duckworth for the ARC.

I was drawn to the subject matter of this book, but not the execution of the story.
. . . I am intrigued by the period and the history of the Knight's Templar;
. . . I have enjoyed many historical novels set in this period and featuring clerical characters and subjects;.
. . . and, I am always interested in learning more about a period through a well-written novel.

But, Catherine Clover's historic novel did not "deliver" for me. It was rich in historical detail, but the writing lacked heart and definitely lacked "sparkle." What should have been both an interesting quest within a tale of political intrigue was more like a tedious exposition of historical facts.

I was tempted to give up on the book, but persevered with the expectation that it would eventually engage me. Unfortunately, it never did. I wish the author had the advantage of a gifted editor's advice to help bring this interesting story to life. It could have been a wonderful tale.

Netgalley provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.