Reviewer: Amy Lignor
Title: The Queen's Gamble - 4th in the Thornleigh series
Author: Barbara Kyle
Publisher: Kensington
ISBN-13: 978-0-7582-3856-6
Release Date: September 2011
Genre/Sub-genre: Historical Fiction
Year/Setting: 1559/England
Overall Rating: 4.0
Sexual Content Rating: None/Subtle
Language (Profanity/Slang) Content Rating: None/Mild
Violent Content Rating: Minimal/Moderate
Barbara's Website/Blog: www.barbarakyle.com
Dear Readers:
When Queen Elizabeth inherited the realm from her ‘crazy’ sister Queen Mary, she also inherited a gigantic mess. The country was in debt up to their eyebrows, the treasury was bankrupt, the Navy was in ruins, the Army was nonexistent, and Elizabeth’s own cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, was ruling pretty much everything and wanted England too. It also didn’t help that the English people were warring over the Catholic/Protestant issue, with Catholics extremely upset that Elizabeth had come in and brought back King Henry VIII’s religious viewpoint.
Isabel Valverde is a young woman who left England after marrying her beloved Spanish husband. They have been living in Peru, and loving life. Isabel is a rich woman with a husband who is the best one on the planet, and mother to a little boy who she loves more than life itself.
What Isabel does not expect is a letter to arrive from her brother, telling Isabel that their mother is waiting to be executed. With that information, Isabel and her family get on a boat and head back to England. When she arrives, however, the strangest things are happening. Mom is not being executed at all. In fact, Elizabeth has befriended her, and Mom and Dad are now referred to as the Baron and lady Thornleigh, in a grand house.
Mom was actually convicted of murdering a man, but her pardon came with a bit of a price. You see, there is an invasion coming, and Elizabeth knows this. She knows that France will team up with Scotland and head straight for England, destroying her reign. The only thing to stop this from happening is if England joins forces with Spain - where Isabel’s husband is from.
Add to all this the fact that Isabel’s brother is married to a woman who everyone in the family hates. Frances is her name, she is about to have a child, and she is Catholic. Not to mention, she is related to a figure that does not go over well in the Thornleigh’s household.
Soon, Elizabeth meets Isabel and decides to gamble on a great many things. Isabel must rely on her station in life and her relationship with the Spanish to bring back information to the Queen, and help the Queen join up with King Phillip in order to stop France from doing the damage that they really want to do. Isabel must do this or she may never see her precious son again.
Although there are so many books written about this time period, this author seems to have picked a rarely researched incident and built a fictional story around it that is very interesting. This does have the chance of not becoming lost in the Tudor deluge.
Until next time,
Amy
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