Below is an adventure-packed trilogy that retells the story of Robin Hood in an unusual way. Book descriptions, links to buy, and a Q&A with the two authors are below. My review of all three books will come later on a future Self-Published Saturday feature. The fantastic book descriptions and the Q&A below have me really excited to read this series!
BOOK DESCRIPTIONS
The Robin Hood Trilogy
“A Wonderful Retelling Seamlessly Merging History and Legend”
Robin Hood’s Dawn (The Robin Hood Trilogy Book 1)
England, 1154-1194
A kingdom under assault.
A conspiracy born of anarchy.
A hero standing against tyranny.
Falsely convicted of a shocking crime, Robin Fitzooth, the Earl of Huntingdon, finds refuge in Sherwood Forest and becomes Robin Hood. Leading a band of men against the injustices of a malevolent sheriff and his henchmen, Robin begins to unravel a web of treachery threatening the English royal family.
As shadowy forces gather to destroy the future of a nation, Robin faces deceit, betrayal, and the ravages of war as he defends his king, his country, his people, and the woman he loves from a conspiracy so diabolical, so unexpected, that the course of history hangs in the balance.
From the mists of an ancient woodland, to lavish royal courts teeming with intrigue, to the exotic shores of the Holy Land—Robin Hood leads the fight in a battle between good and evil, justice and tyranny, the future and the past.
Part one of an exciting three-part retelling of the Robin Hood legend!
Robin Hood’s Widow (The Robin Hood Trilogy Book 2)
Robin’s duty to his king sends him on an odyssey that will unfold from the streets of Paris to the banks of the Danube. From incredible triumphs on the battlefields of the Crusade, to harrowing sea voyages, to a desperate dash across the frozen landscape of Central Europe, Robin Hood must ensure that King Richard safely returns to England.
Meanwhile, the outlaws of Sherwood Forest rise again under a new leader—and she is unwavering in her pursuit of justice against the tyranny of Sheriff de Argentan. Marian endures the heartbreak of widowhood only to find strength and purpose as she leads a small band of devoted men in her quest for vengeance while she protects Robin’s legacy.
Sir Guy of Gisborne, tormented by his conscience and enslaved by the sheriff, faces the wraith-like fury of the woman he once loved. How do you find forgiveness when you have committed an unforgivable crime? He must attempt a daunting journey of redemption, while finding inspiration from an unexpected source.
And through it all, Robin, Marian, and Guy are entangled in a web of treachery spun by the King of France and his sinister advisor, Montlhéry, as the plot to dismantle the Angevin Empire and take the throne of England from the Plantagenets boldly continues.
Part two of an exciting three-part retelling of the Robin Hood legend!
Robin Hood’s Return (The Robin Hood Trilogy Book 3)
The Legend of Robin Hood is born when he is outlawed after returning from the Holy Land.
Finally reunited, Robin and Marian, along with their band of men, must face both an army led by the mysterious Sheriff of Nottingham and the wrath of a ruthless Queen Eleanor. Confronting betrayal and forging new alliances, they fight against the sheriff’s tyranny, determined to uncover his secrets.
With King Richard in captivity, Queen Eleanor must collect an unprecedented king’s ransom, while an increasingly reckless Prince John pursues the throne at any cost. As opposing forces battle for control of the English throne, the King of France and his sinister advisor, Montlhéry, conspire to end the Plantagenet dynasty forever.
Dark secrets and unexpected revelations could destroy the future of England. The course of history hangs in the balance. Robin and Marian must prove their innocence while saving both King Richard andPrince John. But can they prevail in the ultimate battle between the future and the past?
A thrilling, fast-paced finale to a unique retelling of the Robin Hood Legend!
Author Q&A with Olivia Longueville and J.C. Plummer
J.C. Plummer
Q: How does your trilogy compare to the traditional Robin Hood ballads?
We hope all Robin Hood fans will enjoy this retelling. One of our goals was to create a story that was unique, yet respectful towards the original legends. We also wanted to merge history and legend in a compelling, believable way.
Additionally, we felt that Marian was a character who deserved more attention. All too often she is in the background with little to do. With this in mind, we have created a Lady Marian who takes center stage in Robin Hood’s Widow and Robin Hood’s Return, defeating her opponents with brains instead of brawn.
Q: What do you consider the heart and soul of your trilogy? Can you give us an overview that goes beyond the blurbs?
The first book, Robin Hood’s Dawn, re-imagines the origins of Robin Hood. Readers are introduced to a young man who has been shaped by two very different parents: a distant, selfish father and a compassionate mother devoted to helping the poor. The themes featured in this book include taking a stand for what is right, recognizing the intrinsic value of every human being, and how the sins of a father can affect the next generation.
In the second book, Robin Hood’s Widow, Marian, Guy of Gisborne, and the Sheriff of Nottingham believe that Robin is dead. But Robin is alive, and he is with King Richard in the Holy Land.
Robin Hood’s Widow explores themes of grief and redemption, while featuring Marian’s adventures as leader of the outlaws. Her story is told in parallel with Robin’s quest to return home as he fulfills his obligations to King Richard. Despite the difficult subject matter, Robin Hood’s Widow is an inspirational tale of triumphing over adversity.
The conclusion of the trilogy, Robin Hood’s Return, reunites Robin and Marian. Unfortunately, their joy is overshadowed by the prospect of a vengeful Prince John taking the throne. While Robin labors tirelessly to support King Richard and raise his ransom, the sheriff orchestrates a diabolical plot that causes Robin to be outlawed again. With Marian at his side, he must defeat the sheriff while ensuring the return of the king.
The sheriff’s secrets and the full extent of the conspiracy to end the Plantagenet dynasty are revealed in Robin Hood’s Return. Robin and Marian must prove their innocence while saving both King Richard and Prince John. In addition to the recurring theme of the sins of the father, the story explores themes of trust and forgiveness as Robin and Marian rebuild their relationship after several years apart.
Q: Do you have a target audience for the trilogy?
Readers with a passion for history will appreciate the historical details woven into the story. Fans of Sharon Kay Penman, Alison Weir, and Elizabeth Chadwick will enjoy this medieval trilogy.
How did you become interested in writing the trilogy and working together as co-authors?
Olivia:
The story of Robin Hood’s Widow is very special to me, and I wrote the original version after I experienced a devastating personal loss. Readers might be surprised to learn that Robin Hood’s Widow was written before Robin Hood’s Dawn!
I love to tell stories with multi-dimensional characters. I am multi-lingual, and I enjoy writing stories in different languages. My first published novel was an English-language alternate history featuring Anne Boleyn.
JC:
I’ve worked as a freelance editor for several authors, including Olivia. We connected over our love of history and Robin Hood. I was editing the original version of Robin Hood’s Widow when we were inspired to write a full trilogy with Robin Hood’s Widow as the centerpiece.
Robin Hood’s Dawn became the origin story, and now Robin Hood’s Return brings the story to completion with a fast-paced, thrilling finale.
LINKS TO BUY OR DOWNLOAD ON KINDLE UNLIMITED
More good news: Kindle Unlimited subscribers can download all three books for free! The ebooks are also priced very low if you would like to purchase them outright. They are $2.99 each on Amazon US and £2.42 and below on Amazon UK.
BOOK 1: Robin Hood’s Dawn
BOOK 2: Robin Hood’s Widow
Book 3: Robin Hood’s Return
Bonnie Reads and Writes 
Looks GREAT! Thanks so much. Jennie ________________________________
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You’re very welcome!
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Just to clarify – the layout of the post looks great! LOL, of course I love my books, but I don’t want someone to think I was referring to my books looking great when I meant the post itself.
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Lol! They do look great though. The covers really pop. That is so important.
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Thanks! I have to give a lot of credit to Damonza, the company that designed the covers. I’m trying to “like” your replies, but nothing seems to happen.
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Strange. I wonder if that’s happening with anyone else. I’ll have to check.
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These books sound amazing. A subject that many love. They will do well. Bravo to be able to write these books together. I would love to learn more about that.
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Thanks, Darlene! We talked about how we collaborated on the books in a previous Author Q&A. This is what we said:
Question: So, you’ve never met, you come from different countries, different cultures, and speak different languages. How can you co-author a book? Is it because you have similar writing styles?
J.C.: Fortunately, Olivia is fluent in English, because that’s the only language I know!
Olivia: We have found that we have a lot in common—especially our love of writing and of history. We have to work hard to merge our writing styles, but we have successfully done this.
J.C.: That’s true. Olivia and I have very different writing styles. You might even say they are nearly opposite styles. I write in a straightforward, expository style, with a minimum of descriptive elements and metaphorical flourishes. I’m good at explaining things, organizing ideas, and creating natural sounding dialogue.
Olivia: My writing is characterized by lush romanticism and passionate lyricism. I love to create metaphors and descriptions which excite the imagination of the reader in a vivid and dramatic way.
J.C.: In some respects, Olivia’s words are the emotional heart of the story, and my words represent the rational intellect. Of course, it’s not quite that cut-and-dried, but it is one way to describe how two people with such different styles have come together to create the Robin Hood Trilogy.
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Since your writing personalities are so different, how do you resolve differences of opinion that may come up? For example, what do you do if you disagree on which direction the characters should take, etc?
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Fortunately, we had a shared vision for the characters. But it wasn’t always easy to collaborate, especially for Robin Hood’s Widow, which is such a personal story for Olivia. We’ve had arguments and disagreements. We just had to work through them. This was the reason for the delay between the publication of RH Dawn and RH Widow.
I believe communicating through Skype was a big help, because it cooled the heat of some of our conversations. We had to type questions/answers/arguments, which helped us converse in a more measured fashion. That being said, sometimes I felt a little guilty since I had the upper hand as a native English speaker, which gave me veto power. But I always tried to be fair and incorporate her input. I give her a lot of credit for the plot twists in the trilogy. Olivia is a great story-teller, but since her native language is very different from English, I had to adjust her dialogue to make it sound more natural.
One of my favorite stories: early on, Olivia mentioned something about Robin redistributing wealth. I told her, “Hey, I’m an American. Robin is fighting the tyranny of a lawless government official, not redistributing wealth.” LOL She graciously agreed to my interpretation.
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