The Ravenscar Dynasty

The Ravenscar Trilogy of books is a trio of modern novels written by Barbara Taylor Bradford - The Ravenscar Dynasty, Heirs of Ravenscar, Being Elizabeth.
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On a bitterly cold day in , the Deravenel family's future changes forever. When Cecily Deravenel tells her eighteen-year-old son Edward of the death of his father, brother, uncle, and cousin in a fire Barbara Taylor Bradford introduced the illustrious Harte family in her blockbuster A Woman of Substance. When Cecily Deravenel tells her eighteen-year-old son Edward of the death of his father, brother, uncle, and cousin in a fire, a part of him dies as well.

Edward and his cousin Neville Watkins are suspicious of the deaths. They vow to seek the truth, avenge the deaths, and retake control of their family's business empire. As he grows into a handsome, charismatic man, Edward is torn between duty and desire. There are women in his life for whom he'll risk everything--and one woman who might destroy him.

But madness and secrecy lie at the heart of the family, and Edward's enemies are far more ruthless than he knows.

The Complete Ravenscar Trilogy: The Ravenscar Dynasty, Heirs of Ravenscar, Being Elizabeth

Who will become the ultimate ruler of the Deravenels? Power and money, passion and adultery, ambition and treachery all illuminate a dramatic epic saga that brings to life the glittering Edwardian Era. The Ravenscar Dynasty is based on the familial factions of England's Wars of the Roses, brought to life by the magical, memorable storytelling power that is Barbara Taylor Bradford. Hardcover , pages.

Published December 26th by St. Martin's Press first published To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Ravenscar Dynasty , please sign up. Be the first to ask a question about The Ravenscar Dynasty. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Some books I come across look great from the outside and the blurb is interesting, but when I finally settle down and read them, I discover that it is a heap of steaming manure. Such was the case with this one, loosely based on the Wars of the Roses, moved to the early Edwardian period and a family rivalry that ignites murder, double-dealing, love affairs and revenge.

Unfortunately, the story is transformed into such lightweight drivel that I was more than ready to fling it at the wall in annoya Some books I come across look great from the outside and the blurb is interesting, but when I finally settle down and read them, I discover that it is a heap of steaming manure. Unfortunately, the story is transformed into such lightweight drivel that I was more than ready to fling it at the wall in annoyance. The author, Barbara Taylor Bradford, widely acclaimed and for what I have no idea , manages to suck all of the life out of an exciting real history tale, and turns it into a novel of corporate and bedroom shenanigans.

Even the names and characters are merely transferred over with little to make them interesting or fresh. I gave this one just two stars, and a not recommended. For the longer review, please go here: Jun 11, Beanse rated it did not like it. God almighty, what did I get myself into reading this crappy book?

Now I have comitted myself to finishing the series I can only hope it does not drag on like a bad soap opera for the final two instalments. The book itself is long winded, overly written dribble that takes way too damn long to arrive at a point. Had the writer or editor shorted it by twenty or so chapters this would have been a fine read. Instead, they let it drag on On God almighty, what did I get myself into reading this crappy book? Geez, the next book better not suck or I am no longer listening to goodreads on suggestions for future books.

Dec 10, Joe added it. This is an absolutely god-awful read as this has to be one of the worst books I have ever read in my life. I would have given it a negative rating if it were possible. I picked up the audio book on a whim at the library for a recent trip and this is certainly 16 hours of my life that I will never get back. The plot line is predictable to anyone who has the least bit of knowledge about the War of the Roses. The writing is simplistic, and the characters are all one dimensional and as a consequence This is an absolutely god-awful read as this has to be one of the worst books I have ever read in my life.

The writing is simplistic, and the characters are all one dimensional and as a consequence extremely boring. Too many story lines drag on and on, and on, while any opportunity to develop the characters is missed and one comes away not caring that much about any of them. While the reader has a nice voice he is at times overly melodramatic reminding me of an afternoon soap opera. There is just nothing redeeming about this book and I cannot recommend it to anyone.

Nov 26, Terri rated it liked it. Overall, I enjoyed this book. But I have to say I felt the ending was very rushed. Seemed to be way too much "internal" thought, just to finish it off and take us to the next book in the trilogy. I love following a family sage over a period of years and like A Woman of Substance , the author did accomplish this. I have The Heir, book 2 in the trilogy, but I'll wait awhile before getting into that one. Dec 12, Fiona Story rated it did not like it. This book was truly terrible. I kept reading because it began to amuse me how truly terrible it was. Repetitive and a storyline that went almost nowhere.

I can't believe that it was popular enough to warrant an entire series. I won't be reading any more. This book had all the depth of a puddle. Sep 25, Cormac Healy rated it it was ok. A real turd of a book. Essentially the plot of the Wars of the Roses is transposed to Edwardian Britain, resulting in a disjointed, over-long, poorly written piece of crap. I have literally nothing positive to say about it. The characters were all completely one-dimensional, either ridiculously perfect or comically evil. The plot was predictable and moronic. The writing was flowery and unnecessarily descriptive, adding absolutely nothing.

I don't even want to talk about it any more. Do not read A real turd of a book. Do not read this. There is quite literally no conceivable reason I can come up with to convince someone to start this book. Aug 05, Pat rated it it was ok Shelves: I wasn't expecting great literature, and I normally enjoy family sagas and historical novels set in the Edwardian period. I've read and enjoyed other books by this author, too,. But honestly, this wasn't it.

It's loosely based on the War of the Roses, but set in Edwardian times with business tycoon rival cousins instead of royal ones. The allusions are somewhat heavy-handed: I was waiting for the two boys to disappear into the Tower or its equivalent! Maybe in the next volume of this series, but I'm not reading any more books of this series!

I was completely annoyed by the writing, and the deadly slow pace of the story.

The Ravenscar Dynasty

The author described Edward's handsome manliness, his business acumen, and his expertise in seducing older women repeatedly and ad nauseum. I got SO tired of reading how passersby heads turned every time he appeared in public. He is SO tall. He is SO blond. His eyes are SO blue. For the first third of the novel nothing happened except for these descriptions and oh, yes, his plans to avenge the murder of his family members - by taking over the company that was "stolen" by his grandfather 's brother 60 years earlier and which he sees as his rightful place, along with some almost as handsome relatives.

There are several mistresses, a younger brother, but why go on? It took more than twice as many pages as needed to tell this tedious story. Oh, there are several gratuitous sex scenes that add nothing to the story. This book is a clunker. Jun 22, Kristina rated it it was amazing Shelves: I'm not sure why many readers thought this book was lacking, but I found it very entertaining. I love a series that involve the ins and outs of family drama and this is no different. Set in the late 's and early 's, the Deravenals are set upon a path of money, success, and family.

Then one day all that changes and the oldest heir Edward, is thrust into the front of the family fold. He has to take care of his mother and siblings as well as regain control of his father's company. His cousi I'm not sure why many readers thought this book was lacking, but I found it very entertaining. His cousin, Neville Watkins, comes to his aid and they both set upon a coup, in other words, of regaining ownership of the Deravenals company. Cousins against cousins in a sense.

Edward is a suave, handsome, charismatic, passionate man. He loves his blondes and his widows, preferably to be one in the same. A player if there ever was one. You get to go along the journey and meet his many mistresses and children, and see how he handles these women. And the relationship he has with his wife I know will set up for book two in the series. Elizabeth, a widow when Edward met her, is a gorgeous blonde woman with two previous sons from her first marriage.

She makes Edward fight for her and then you see her become cold toward Edwards family.

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There wasn't too much about her in the book, other than that she is cold, judgemental, and a bitch apparently. I liked the pace of this book. It cut quick to the relevancy of the story. The dialogue wasn't long winded, so everything written had a purpose. If you like British genteel, power hungry players, passion in and out of the bedroom, and family drama this is the book for you. Nov 06, Laurel-Rain rated it really liked it. The Deravenel family is poised to reclaim its birthright as head of the company Deravenels.

This latest attempt to reclaim the company is propelled by the sudden deaths of several male members of the family—a father, an uncle, and two younger men—all believed to have been murdered by their bitter rivals, the Grants. Edward Deravenel is now the logical new head of the family, and a cousin, Neville Watkins, is all set to mentor him and to assist in finding the ammunition to overthrow the company.

However, Edward is only eighteen years old and an inveterate womanizer. What chance does he have of taking control of such a huge dynasty? Over the pages we learn of how these contenders accomplish this feat, and root for them as obstacles thrown in their path are defeated one by one. Filled with the pursuit of power and passion, this novel takes us through a long-ago time; the ambition and treachery of this climb to power illuminates this dramatic epic saga. Now I cannot wait to begin the next tale in this family adventure. I deducted one star because I could not relate to the characters May 06, Avid Series Reader rated it did not like it Shelves: The Ravenscar Dynasty by Barbara Taylor Bradford is the first book of the Ravenscar series set in Edwardian England, a family saga spanning decades of the Deravenel business empire.

In , Edward Deravenel learns his father, brother, uncle and cousin were all killed in a fire. Edward and his cousin Neville suspect the fire was set by a ruthless rival. They must regain control of the family business. I loved the Emma Harte family saga A Woman of Substance , so I expected to really enjoy another family saga by the same author.

Introducing Ravenscar [HD]

The writing style seems quite different in Ravenscar. Descriptions are overly dramatic and repetitive, as if the author does not expect the reader to grasp concepts unless they are hammered in over and over. The characters in the opening chapters do not seem like real people, especially Edward, portrayed as a caricature of perfection. The style is so off-putting, I don't care to read the book or the series. Other reviews indicate the series is meant to mirror the War of the Roses, but as a soap opera.

No thanks, I'll pass.

The Ravenscar Dynasty (House of Deravenel, book 1) by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Feb 17, Chels rated it it was ok. This book was so-so, but I don't think I'd recommend it to any of my friends. A little to many "romantical encounters", if you know what I mean. Jammer dat de beoordelingen juist waren.. Heb al beter gelezen Oct 16, John Spann rated it liked it. However, it is pay several hundred years later.

But treachery and deceit know no timeframe. The actual storyline was not bad at all, and I could see many of the parallels between the fictional characters and the historical characters. I wasn't overly fond of the sex scenes, as I think they tended to detract from the storyline. I've had to say I find the book reasonably enjoyable. And the reader didn't admirable job. May 12, Nick rated it liked it.

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A great and enjoyable 'easy and leisurely ' read but unfortunately although the plot ideas for the ending were great indeed it read almost like the author had been invited out for the day and, in her eagerness to go out and in haste she wrote it like a list of events to tie up lose ends Aug 29, Barb rated it liked it. With the popularity of BBCs Downton Abbey, this novel should catch the attention of the Anglophiles who can't get enough of the lives of the gentry in England.

The impossibly charismatic Edward Deravenel weathers every storm including the deaths of family and lovers, emerging as a hero despite some questionable morals. Fast, fun read with wonderful settings. Nov 11, Virginia Markhart rated it liked it. Listened to the audio book which was borrowed from the library.

This is a series and I had already listened to the book immediately following this one. Made it a little awkward at times, knowing what was going to happen next. Still a very good book. Definitely worth the read. Barbra Taylor Bradford never disappoints. Brilliant book for a history piece. Looking forward to part II. Edward's character is strong but kind and a true visionary. Jun 28, KC rated it really liked it. I thought this was a great book - full of everything - laughter, sadness-a few surprises. Barbara Taylor Bradford at her best.

Just started to read the 2nd in the series. Oct 10, Teresa rated it really liked it. Found this really hard to get into but despite that, it was an okay read. Probably wouldn't recommend it except to other BTB fans. Jul 30, Sidna rated it liked it. Barbara Taylor Bradford's books are my "guilty pleasure" when I am looking for light reading.

I got this book when I was working in our library bookstore. It is the first in a trilogy and I had already read the second and third book--also from the library bookstore. I was happy to see this one on the shelf because I felt I had missed something in reading the other two. Would you like to tell us about a lower price? If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support? Learn more about Amazon Prime. Read more Read less. Add both to Cart Add both to List. One of these items ships sooner than the other.

Buy the selected items together This item: Ships from and sold by Amazon. Customers who viewed this item also viewed. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. The Heir Ravenscar Series. Being Elizabeth Ravenscar Series. A Novel Cavendon Hall. Power of a Woman. Ravenscar Series Book 1 Paperback: Martin's Griffin; Reprint edition July 31, Language: Related Video Shorts 0 Upload your video. Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers.

Write a customer review. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Mass Market Paperback Verified Purchase. Other historical personages are used as models for characters, the Wylands as shadows of the Woodvilles in later English history, but for lack of something the analogies do not work. Great riches are at stake with endless power driven by twisted emotions that are more of a set piece than a story.

I own all of Ms. Bradford's books, but this time I'm not looking forward to reading "The Heir" and will wait for the paperback edition. Conflict drives fiction and events are secondary -- there is nothing new in this story to tempt a reader to turn a page. Nash Black, author of "Sins of the Fathers" and "Travelers. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase.

The story line did intrigue me. For that reason I endured what I felt to be tepid and frequently boring skills of story telling. It could have been great just based on the story.

How sad it was so poorly written. One person found this helpful 2 people found this helpful. One person found this helpful. Barbra Taylor Bradford never disappoints. Brilliant book for a history piece. Looking forward to part II.