There were a number of grammatical errors in this that I found annoying and was the love interest an actual person in his life or a plot driver. There was definitely enough going on during the Wars of Independence and the rough times that the Scots went through and the Black Douglas with his wily ways made himself the stuff of English nightmares. The pages weren't numbered either. ( )

Not a quick and easy read but worth the effort. ( )

Received this book for review.

This is a hard book to judge. On the one hand it is ficction, on the other hand the author tried to stay close to history. The result is not optimal.

In this book the history of medieval Scotland is further described through the eyes of James Douglas. The book is a long series of battles interspersed with a few personal moments. The battles are well written and give a tremendous insight into medieval warfare.

The private moments are not so well worked out. This is maybe because historical facts are scarce on this. As a result the character is not really well developed in this book. It would have been better if slightly more artistic freedom had been used...

As a history it ranks among the best, as a work of fiction it is among the better than average but not exceptional. As a footnote, a better editing of my copy would have been in place... ( )

I received this book from the author in exchange for an unbiased review.

There is a little meter on Librarything.com where you can press, and it will tell me whether the computer thinks I will like it based on my previous book entries (1158 books and still counting at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/Carolfoasia). The meter told me I probably wouldn't like it, and I think it is pretty accurate.

Warfare is not my cup of tea, but I requested this because I was right in the middle of studying my Scottish ancestry. So, I thought this would be helpful. The time period is after William Wallace (The main character in Braveheart, a movie I didn't care for because of all the violence.). It was interesting to learn about this history, and I was excited that the area of Scotland (Castle of Douglas) was in the area of my ancestors. I liked this about the book.

I think that this author is very good at descriptions and has great potential as an author, but the story just wasn't very compelling. The main character goes from one battle to another. There is a little romance and loss but the story is not really developed.

It did make me want to learn more about the time period though, and the historical books referenced at the end were helpful. ( )

COUNTENANCE OF WAR A NOVEL OF SCOTLAND by J.R. Tomlin is a compelling Medieval Scottish historical fiction,14th century. Book #2 in the "Black Douglas" Trilogy,but can be read as a stand alone. See, "A Kingdom's Cost". The story of James, the Lord Douglas,his bitter battle for Scotland's freedom,his fight with his clansman,and Robert the Bruce. With a sense of duty like none other James, battles for Scotland at all cost. With vivid battle scenes,struggles,triumph,emotional turmoil,a fight for freedom,passion for Scotland,James will do anything to free Scotland from England's clutches. Written with detail and vivid descriptions. This author brings the battle between England and Scotland to life on paper. Although, a quick read,it leaves nothing out of the telling of the story of Black Douglas. A must for historical fiction readers, as well as Medieval Scotland readers. It also has a bit of romance in the storyline,although, most of the story is of the struggles and battles. Received for an honest review from the author and Library Thing. For more information visit the author's website,or My Book Addiction and More.
RATING: 4
HEAT RATING: MILD
REVIEWED BY: AprilR, My Book Addiction and More/My Book Addiction Reviews ( )