Help me find this book, I beg you!

[GiddyRobin]

I've been searching for this book for years. I'm in publishing and I still can't bloody find it; spent years in English Departments in universities - still nothing!

I read it when I was about 14. It was about a woman named possibly Angharad who was on a journey through some very dark, winding woods with a man (a Knight?), and I think he was protecting her but they bickered a lot...I think. They ended up falling in love from what I remember. It was a fantasy type, medieval I think. It most definitely was not YA, so adult fiction and not for kids.

Cover was a John William Waterhouse style painting of a woman with (I think) red or dark blonde hair, and possibly a Knight, surrounded by gnarly trees. I'm thinking it may have been written in the 90s, but honestly can't tell you. Not sure if the author was male or female.

Am I imagining this book?! 😂 I loved it as a kid but the library refurbished. I went back and...poof! Gone! Any help and I will drink a glass of prosecco in your name. 😁 I'd love to find it before Christmas and have a nostalgic read during the week!

Ah! Now this I'll need to look into. Even if it's not, I'm very much interested in this type of thing.

@Middlemarch123 Okay, these do sound very good. I am an absolute horror junkie so I honestly don't know why I've never read any of his work; it just seemed to pass me by! Thank you so much for giving me the kick up the bum I needed. 😁

@shellyleppard I absolutely love the sound of this. Complicated, twisting stories are my cup of tea so anything with a bit of that is excellent! And the second recommendation? Yes. I think that's going to be my aeroplane read (if DD sleeps... 😂).

@Yiayoula I don't think so, but I do notice they're also suitable for kids so I might buy them for both me and DS! Thank you!

I think you've already discounted The Wheel of Time but it does sound similar to Nynaeve and Lan's journey in the first book "The Eye of the World". Such a good series of you haven't already read it.

Could it have been Catherine and Arnaud by Juliette Benzoni?

I’ve done a bit of Googling and this is a retelling of Gareth and Lynnette apparently, it fits some of your criteria but the cover isn’t right en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King%27s_Damosel

@StarsBeneathMyFeet It isn't, but I feel like I actually have read this one in some form. I need to consult my shelves!

@Weefreetiffany I don't think it is, but they do look very good and there's plenty to sink my teeth into with these!

This..could actually be it. It fits a lot. I'm going to have to get my hands on it, because now I'm merging memories. It has a lot of similar themes, and though I'm remembering a forest I'm now wondering if caves were there too. It's also possible I've mixed up main male characters; the only real scene I remember of him was them sitting beside a fire and eventually kissing after they'd bickered.

Even if it isn't, this is worth a read to me! Thank you!

@GiddyRobin you are very welcome. The first book is a bit slow but the second onwards..... very very gripping

Oh I don't mind slow, I'm a binge reader as I have terrible insomnia. More than happy to plough through until things kick in. I'm so excited, what a nerd I am. 😂 DH told me my Christmas gifts arrived today, and I'm more excited about these books hahaha!

Through a dark mist? By Marsha Canham

I think it might be Sword Song by Rosemary Sutcliff - the main female character is Angharad, the protagonist is a Viking swordsman called Bjarni.

The Elenium trilogy by David Eddings?

It sounds SO close but I don't think so...however, a Robin Hood retelling?! Count me in! 😍

@Schnable The premise is so similar, but it definitely wasn't a children's book, which is a damn shame because it's so close! DS will love this though, so that works out just as beautifully! Thank you!

@Dafi24 Ahhh no, but I've read these and they're fantastic! You just gave me the biggest bout of nostalgia ever!!

Come back and let us know if it is! Mumsnet found a book for me that I’d been looking for for 25 years, even Book Sleuth couldn’t help, but it’s now on my shelf, so I hope I’ve returned the favour but even if not, maybe someone else can.

Oh I definitely will! It's so exciting (and sometimes frustrating!) trying to track one down, but the day I get that book in my hands I'll be opening a bottle of bubbly and swinging from the rafters on MN, I swear. 😂 I love the way MN does this - I've seen a few threads and always thought how lovely it was. What was the book you were tracking?

Was this the picture? It's the closest I can find by Waterhouse from your description. This is supposed to be La Belle Dame Sans Merci, which doesn't quite fit with the story you describe but it might jog some memories if it's the right one. I did try an image search with this + "book cover" but didn't have any luck.

Could it have been The Princess Bride?

Would have helped if the picture attached.

It was SO close to that picture! That's my favourite one, and this book and my faded memory of the cover is exactly why! I think they were standing in the picture, and the woods a little darker...now this is actually an idea. I'm going to go on an art expedition on Google to find something similar to this!

Unfortunately not, though I do absolutely adore that too!

It's not Tristan and Isolde is it?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_and_Iseult

I wish it was! Bloody love that! As you can see, I definitely have a favourite genre. 😂 Historical fantasy romance/adventure. Or horror haha!

How about Into the green?

@Yuckitshristnsns OMG I had forgotten about that series, I was obsessed with it as a young teen.

Much earlier than the 90s, but could it have been Avalon by Anya Seton? I read that as a teenager but can't remember the main characters name. It was very Arthurian and the front cover was quite Waterhouse like.

This isn't the cover I remember, but it has the style you've described

https://images.app.goo.gl/nByWKgXpgaUwWMwa8