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Maeve Haran
Pan (Macmillan)
19 August 2011 / 9780330472128
Historical Romance / 1660s / London
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Reviewed
by Rachel A Hyde
This is the story of Frances Stuart, cousin to the royal family
and living in poverty at the exiled English court in Paris following
Charles I’s beheading. But her fortune changes when she is
brought to England to be a court lady and soon attracts the attention
of the new king. There are beauties aplenty but what makes Frances
special is her innocence and freshness, commodities that might buy
her everything she wants but which can only be spent once…
I’m always complaining that there are not enough books set
during the 17th century, and wonder why so many people say that
it is a boring period when so much happens. This book is a good
example of why it is actually a rather exciting time to write about,
as Frances has to weather more than court bitchiness or being the
quarry of Charles II. There are some excellent descriptions in this
novel of both the plague and the fire of London as well as the delights
and decadence of the Restoration, making reading this book a remarkably
full and varied experience. I’m not a fan of bodice rippers
and this is not one, being more historical than romantic despite
the theme of much of the action in the story. If you like your historical
fiction to be intelligent and evocative of the period with plenty
of excitement and some genuine romance then this would be a good
book to read.
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