"Wonderful historical thriller"
Ariane, the Lady of Faire Isle, refuses to wed Comte de
Renauld though he is persistent to the point of waiting for
her at the altar. When she fails to show up, he comes to
see her and is very kind to her younger sisters Gabrielle
and Mirabelle though the latter "stole" his horse. Renauld
gives Ariane a magic ring in which he will come to her if
she asks for him; but upon the third use they will marry.
He leaves. Not long afterward Navarre Captain Remy arrives badly
wounded. He gives Ariane proof that Catherine de Medici
poisoned his ruler Queen Jeanne D'Albret. By coming here
with his evidence of murder, Remy has endangered Ariane and
her two siblings from the deadly Dark Queen. To keep her
sisters safe, Ariane uses the ring twice and Renard comes
to her aid. He frees her from the third time marriage vow
although he still wants to marry her for one simple reason;
he loves the Lady of Faire Isle. THE DARK QUEEN is a wonderful first of three historical
suspense tales (Ariane's sisters to follow) with a pinch of
both the otherworldly and romance to spice up the deep look
at the Medici era. Ariane is a terrific independent soul
worried for her sisters especially the twelve years old
Mirabelle who talks with horses, which lead to a
declaration of witchcraft that means death. The story line
is action-packed but character driven as the noble Renauld
knows he must go slower with his beloved and Catherine is
Machiavelli's "prince" with her deadly machinations. Susan
Carroll writes a wonderful historical thriller that will
have the audience eagerly awaiting Gabrielle's story. Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted March 14, 2005
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted January 22, 2007
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