The Summer Fields by L.P. Fergusson
Genre: Historical fiction, romance
Read: 26th May 2020
Purchase: Amazon
(publication date: 13th February 2020)
★★ 2 stars
THE SUMMER FIELDS by L.P. Fergusson was certainly not what I expected. At first I felt a touch of Poldark in the pages but then it drifted off into something far different.
Beginning in Wales in the year 1704, Elen Griffiths is a milkmaid on her father's dairy farm when late one night a carriage arrives and demands her immediate presence at Duntisbourne Hall to nurse Viscount Mordiford who is suffering from smallpox. Elen contracted cowpox as a child and as a result now has immunity from this highly contagious and horrific disease. Whilst caring for Mordiford, the two form a bond of sorts and a growing respect for each other. However, the Earl's valet, Ned Harley, has his sights set on Elen and they steal moments and kisses together in shadows and Elen finds herself longing for the next time that she will see Ned. But Ned is hiding a dark secret.
One night Elen and Ned plan to rendezvous in the old ice house but instead she is betrayed and it is Mordiford who comes to her rescue. The ramifications of the betrayal are so great that Elen is no longer safe prompting her to leave Wales and become a nurse in Europe.
But alas, trouble finds her there as well. Through challenges of many kinds and across the sea to war, Elen develops her nursing skills through necessity to tend to the injured soldiers.
A romance tale in the form of historical fiction, THE SUMMER FIELDS is an average read. I was shocked by one particular aspect as I hadn't expected it but it did add an interesting element to the story. I was more swept away by the scenery and the setting and then BAM! It had a bit of an occultish element to it which is not within my interests, although I'm well aware that this kind of thing did take place particularly amongst the aristocracy who saw themselves as untouchable.
However I would have much preferred a tale set upon the Welsh landscape than amongst the battlefields of France. I am not a fan of military stories so it kind of ruined it for me.
I can't really comment on the characters as they didn't really do anything for me and I found Elen a little more than annoying at times. Mordiford was an interesting character considering he was of the aristocracy but I kind of liked him.
It is interesting to note that I read this whilst the world is in the midst of a global pandemic with COVID-19 in which many of us have found ourselves in quaratine ourselves. It brings it into perspective more that our ancestors have also had to face quarantine just as we do today...although in their case without the advancement of medicine today, many diseases would have found them quarantined, I'm sure.
While I enjoyed the first half of the book, THE SUMMER FIELDS would have been better played out on British soil. I Have no interest in military stories and therefore my care factor for the story from then on plummeted. I think a cat and mouse game with Elen trying to escape the clutches of the Earl and his band of merry men would have better sufficed to make a more interesting tale.
I do feel I have to mention the stunning cover though. It is just breathtaking.
Sadly, THE SUMMER FIELDS was not really my cup of tea although it had the potential to be a more different and maybe better story than what it was. However, it was a taste of something a little different than your typical historical fiction. Just not for me.
I would like to thank #LPFergusson, #NetGalley and #Canelo for an ARC of #TheSummerFields in exchange for an honest review.
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