author: edwards

The Queen’s Lady (The Lacey Chronicles #2) by Eve Edwards

The Queen’s Lady by Eve Edwards
Release Date: April 10, 2012
Publisher: Delecorte Books for Young Readers
Source: NetGalley
Rating:

Buy It: Amazon

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?

Review
So this one is a like like The Other Countess in plot; Jane pines for James, James doesn’t realize it, et cetera. Jane seems more relateable since we last saw her, and James has PTSD like crazy from witnessing the Spanish slaughter of the Dutch. Will, who is now a father, wants to send James to the New World to clear his head and expand the Laceys’ interests. Jane is a widow in an Anna Nicole Smith situation-her much older stepsons are intimidating her and even corner he in a garden at one point. Jane and James spar a bit when they first meet again, as James is under the impression that Jane thinks she’s too good for the Laceys. When Jane admits that she refused Will’s suit for Ellie’s sake, James warms up to her again. So, my predictions as to plot points in this novel were as follows: Jane versus the Rievaulx sons; James versus the New World; and How James and Jane Get Married.

I was right about Jane’s stepsons, but her father comes in to spice things up a bit, and by that I mean he is completely despicable. Jane’s brother, Henry, shows up as well, sleeping with Jane’s maid again and acting generally like the sociopath he is. She is humiliated in court more than once by her stepsons and then again when her father forces her into an engagement with a very effeminate Frenchman. I cringed the whole time for her. Henry is horrible and there’s no redeeming him, in my opinion. He uses the only things Jane holds dear against her to achieve his own ends. She can’t trust anyone, not her maid, not her brother, no one.

James is dealing with a feeling of worthlessness. As I mentioned above, he has PTSD, or at least a serious case of Edward “I’m Not Good Enough For You” Cullen syndrome. He’s in love with Jane, but feels he can’t offer her peace or stability in his present state. I felt for him too, maybe even more so than Jane. There was no real psychiatry in Tudor England and certainly no anti-depressants. He has a bit of a martyr complex as well, if you ask me, which is just exacerbated by the PTSD and the feeling of being cut loose from his family now that Will has an heir.

I loved the little side plots with Diego and Christopher though. Milly seems like a sweet, if underdeveloped, character, and it was cool to see her fighting against medieval racism. I like that Edwards inserted that sort of character and gave the African foreigner a love story. I was also really touched by the scene in which Christopher meets Will and Tobias. It was really sweet and I hope we get Christopher’s story next. I’d be interested in reading less about the court and more about Cheapside and the theater.

The Other Countess (The Lacey Chronicles #1) by Eve Edwards

The Other Countess by Eve Edwards
Release Date: July 12, 2011
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: Library
Rating:

Buy It: Amazon

England, 1582

Ellie—Lady Eleanor Rodriguez, Countess of San Jaime—possesses a worthless title, but her feisty spirit captivates the elite of the Queen’s court—especially the dashing new Earl of Dorset.

William Lacey, Earl of Dorset, has inherited his father’s title—and his financial ruin. Now Will must seek a wealthy bride and restore his family’s fortune. If only he hadn’t fallen for the beautiful but penniless Ellie…

Sparks fly whenever Ellie and Will are together, but circumstances—and the conniving interference of others—threaten to keep them apart.

Review
Now, I normally leave the romance novels to my fellow reviewers-in-arms, but historical fiction was like my first serious genre boyfriend. This is set in Queen Elizabeth’s reign, which is my favorite era in history, the era of the Tudors. Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn have been an obsession of mine for a long time, so I couldn’t resist, and honestly, I found this really cute. Will is a bit of a dick to Ellie when he learns who she is, but I find myself forgiving him, not because he’s charming, but because he is dumb. He’ll figure it out, and Ellie has enough fire and spirit to throw some of his insults back in his face. He even seems to have some remorse in him, which is more than can be said for some male protags (*cough, cough* Noah from Mara Dyer *cough, cough*). The third main character is missing from the summary, and she’s Lady Jane Perceval, who seems to be a stuck up aristocrat who lost her virginity to Sir Walter Raleigh (before he was a Sir). She’s hilariously mean, but is brought out of her shell more than once, and her meanness can be justified. I like her a lot.

This is such a romance, and I don’t mean to be derisive. I just mean that the plot is mainly Will falling in love with Ellie, and vice versa, and Will fretting about having to marry Jane. There’s a little side plot about Ellie and her father’s poverty and how they’re kicked out of the castle, but this book is mostly about Will and Ellie’s journey to one another. And they do get there, I’m not sure if that’s a spoiler, but you HAD TO KNOW it works out for them.

There’s not much to say about this one, really. I liked Jane and Ellie’s friendship, I liked how Will was self-aware enough to realize he was a jerk to Ellie, I like how realistically Edwards presents Queen Elizabeth. I like how medieval life was only romanticized a little bit and I liked how much of a jerk Edwards made Sir Walter Raleigh. This one is historical romance through and through, so if that’s your bag, check this one out! I’ll be reviewing the sequel, The Queen’s Lady, which is about Lady Jane, here as well. Check this space later in the week!

May 1, 2012 by tina Leave a Comment