Thursday, October 4, 2007

The Queen's Lady-Shannon Drake

The Queen's Lady
Shannon Drake
Harlequin HQN, Nov 207, $7.99
ISBN: 9780373772315

As a child she left Scotland for France accompanied by the four Mary Ladies in Waiting. Finally in 1561 recently widowed nineteen years old Queen Mary, no long the Queen of France, has returned to Scotland to sit on the throne. Accompanying the young Queen is her close friend Lady Gwyneth MacLeod. Gwyneth listens closely to Mary's desires and offers sage advice to go carefully with her heart as there are many who resent losing power with the monarch’s return. However, as she warns her regal friend, Gwyneth ironically struggles to heed her own advice. Instead she is attracted to Lord Rowan Graham, whom she is not sure she should trust.

Mary sends Gwyneth and Rowan on a mission together in which their allure for one another openly ignites as desire tugs at both of them. However, treachery places the pair in danger with Gwyneth forced to choose between the love of her heart and the love of her friend; either choice may lead to execution.

THE QUEEN’S LADY is a strong historical fiction enhanced by a wonderful romantic subplot. The story line hones in on the political instability and overall country-wide chaos caused by Mary’s return to Scotland. The difficult relationship between the lead couple augments Shannon Drake’s entreatingly profound look at the fifteenth century furor caused by Mary Queen of Scots homecoming.

Harriet Klausner

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