Review: Quality historical fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 24, 2013
From the very first pages, I was drawn into the miasmic streets of fourteenth century London and held spellbound throughout this gripping story.  It takes a writer who pays careful attention to historical detail to make me feel that I'm physically there in the fictional world, and all credit to Lindsay Townsend for doing just that.  The atmosphere and settings are highly visual and convincing, the details and dialogue so realistic that when I reached the end of the story, I had to drag myself back into the here and now with real difficulty.The story concerns Isabella - married at twelve to an abusive drunkard, disowned by her natural family and now merely existing at the mercy of her selfish, avaricious and cheating in-laws.  Now at the age of 18 and a penniless young widow, only the tenuous hope of seeing her young son--removed from her care and hidden away by her cruel in-laws--keeps her going.Although downtrodden, Isabella has managed to retain a spark of fire within her and, with her quick wits and the help of her loyal friend, the exotic spice seller Amice (who, in my opinion, deserves her very own story) manages to hatch a plan to attract the attentions of the man her ruthless father-in-law has ordered her to seduce.Isabella's fate depends on whether the duke's armourer, Stephen has the heart of a gentleman or is yet another scoundrel in this harsh world in which women are mere chattels of the menfolk.  This is a story in which human warmth and goodness must come from some unlikely places; a story in which the small voice of oppressed women must insist on being heard, if justice is finally to prevail against the seemingly insurmountable odds.There is a delicacy about Ms Townsend's writing style that I really admire, while the pace and tension within the story are both so well controlled that I found this impossible to put down until I'd finished it--and then, of course, felt rather sad that I had, as I just wanted it to go on.  Very entertaining and highly recommended. I'll certainly be reading more from this author.