The Hawk and the Dove trilogy

The Hawk and the Dove series by Penelope Wilcock,  originally published twenty years ago, tells a series of stories about a community of 14th-century English monks.  Recently, Lion Fiction republished the first three novels in the series (The Hawk and the Dove, The Wounds of God, and The Long Fall) in paperback.  The series is currently seven books long, with an eighth expected next year.The first two books are structured as someone remembering stories she was told as a young lady; the framing device is dropped in the third book as the author felt it didn't fit anymore

The first three novels (The Hawk and the Dove trilogy) focus on Abbot Columbia, formerly known as  Peregrine,  the newly appointed leader of a religious community in Yorkshire. He hasn't been at the abbey long when an unexpected attack leaves him severely crippled.  

I read through all three of these books in just over one day because I was fascinated by the relationships between characters. Not many books are written today about non-romantic relationships in a community, but that sort of love is just as important as romantic love.

I recommend these books for anyone who likes historical fiction or well-developed characters, as well as religious fiction.