England, 1584.
When beautiful Lady Jane Rievaulx begins her service to the Queen at Richmond Palace, she is thrilled to see the court’s newest arrival . . . Master James Lacey.
No matter that Jane was previously courted by the eldest Lacey brother—James is the one who has won her heart. For his part, James cannot deny his fascination with Jane; his plans, however, do not allow for love. He is about to set sail on a treacherous journey to the Americas, seeking absolution for what he sees as past sins. But when Jane is forced into a terrible situation by her own family, only one man can save her. Will Master James return to his lady before it’s too late?
Release Date: April 10, 2012
Historical fiction has always been a weakness for me, because deep down I believe that “those who do not learn history are due to repeat it.” Therefore, anything that has historical significance that shows up in a fictional novel is my bread and butter.
That being said, this is the second novel in The Lacey Chronicles by Eve Edwards. The first, The Other Countess, was filled with love, loss, and all the intricate details of court life during Elizabethan England. However, the majority of that novel was set at the Lacey Manor outside of London.
The Queens Lady, on the other hand, is set in the heart of London. Not only do readers get to learn details of worship at Westminster Abbey, but they learn about the first trip that Sir Walter Raleigh’s supporters lead to the New World (and landed in the great state of North Carolina!)
To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy the character of Lady Jane until this novel. Even though she has a somewhat important role in The Other Countess, it took almost half of The Queens Lady for me to really begin to feel sympathetic toward her as a character. In fact, the first part of the narrative started off extremely slow, and for readers who haven’t read the first in The Lacey Chronicles it will be somewhat confusing.
Just like in the first novel, Edwards delivers a beautiful love story with the romantic backdrop of Elizabethan England. (Oh, for fans of the first novel, you will get to catch up with Master Will Lacey and Lady Ellie) James Lacey struggles with his future after living through some disastrous things during the war, but he is such a sincere and respectable character.
Also, we get to meet Kit Turner (who will be the focus of the third Lacey Chronicles Novel, The Rogue’s Princess), and he is the illegitimate son of the late Earl of Dorset (the Lacey Brothers’ father). Readers will see the fabulous Diego find love, and scenes with Queen Elizabeth I herself.
Overall, I didn’t enjoy this installment in the series as much as I loved the first one, but I still really liked this one. 3.5 Bards.
Moving! 