Summary from inside the cover:
The monarchy had been restored, but the King, though father of numerous bastards, had no legitimate son or daughter to succeed him; thus his brother James, Duke of York, was the heir-presumptive to the three crowns of Britain.
A sensualist like his brother, Jmes lacked Charles' charm and ability to exricate himself gracefully from embrassment; as a Catholic he hoped to bring the country back to Rome.
James, Duke of Monmouth, the charming rake and adventurer, dreamed of possessing them. There was another William of Orange, smll in stature but with great ambition, delicate in health, brusque and stern in manner. Whose midwife upon his dramatic birth saw three crowns upon his head.
So he married James' daughter, Mary, a fifteen-year-old firl, who, thrust into a distasteful marriage, broken-heartedly left England for Holland. Between the began a strange alliance. Mary, who was the heir to the three crowns and would eventually hold the power unless he became the master.
This story takes place in the courts of Whitehall, St James and The Hague.
My Review:
This was a fascinating which kept me on edge. A lot of the beginning went through the events in her previous novel Here Lies Our Soveriegn Lord. I felt her characterization were vivid and had a lot of depth. The characters were three dimensional. I felt sorry for Mary at times. William was cruel and cold. I always wonder how she came to love him. I felt sorry for King James who only wanted to worship as he wants. I understand that the people did not want to follow the Pope but to deny him his right to succeed to the throne. I guess I take it kind of personally being a follower of Rome. It is also appalling that his daughter would turn their back on their father who never did anything to them but love them. Overall I give this book a rating of 4/5.
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