Review: Finished it 2 days ago & still today wish I was still reading it
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 18, 2013
This novel is far superior to the 1st in this series, though I enjoyed that, but this novel's story is much more complex and the author presents us with a much more vivid backdrop of the surroundings and morals of the times.  Let me try and cover some of the areas in which I feel this novel excells beyond most historical romance novels.It's been a long time since a book has truly swept me into a real view of the time period.  There is no romantic view of the morales of the times nor barely of the conditions.  The intense journey the author takes us into political intrigue prevalent in that era is amazing.  I was absolutely fascinated with that aspect of the story.I've seen one reader criticize the author for how the mention of rape is handled, well to clarify there isn't a rape described, but instead a female character tosses it out as a means to bring down the King (I've avoided spoiler alerts here and not given anything away). There is also mention of the fear of rape in certain settings in several places in the novel.  This was the times.  It was a time of violence and women were little more than property and pawns to be done with as the men chose, especially men of power, and they often raped and took women to secure power or simply sate their needs and this violence wasn't reserved to lower stratas of society. In the story the King can chose who he wants in his bed, regardless of the woman's choice - that's how it was.  So let's celebrate an author doing their research and giving us a love story that also rings with truth.Too often historical romance novels are "historical" because we get a description of the dress of the day and the use of carriages and horses as the prime means of transport from place to place and that's about it.  This author goes much farther than that and does so in a way that doesn't feel like one is reading dry history, but instead paints us a rich and vibrant picture.I enjoyed the descriptions of the living and sleeping conditions of the characters in the book and even the passing images we are given of the town and how most people didn't have their own homes, but instead and this included the gentry they just had a roll-up mat to sleep on along side a room full of others in a similar situation.Okay, as to the lovers - Michel and Ami.  They have such chemistry - it's white hot.  I enjoyed their conflict over their attraction versus their dislike of aspects of each other that they assumed were true, but in fact they were wrong.  Their senses knew the heart of each other, only their minds were very slow to catch up -- I can respect and identify with that.  I've found myself liking someone but thinking they were of a character that I couldn't respect, then later found out they were upstanding and good and that my gut sense was spot on.One does need to get into the rhythm of the dialogue that is indicative of the era, but that's quite easy.Wonderful, wonderful well told story with interesting characters against a gloriously complex backdrop.