The Flower Reader [Paperback]

Elizabeth Loupas (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 3, 2012

Rinette Leslie of Granmuir has the ancient gift of divining the future in flowers, but her gift cannot prepare her for the turmoil that comes when the dying queen regent entrusts her with a casket full of Scotland's darkest secrets. On the very day she means to deliver it to newly crowned Mary, Queen of Scots, Rinette's husband is brutally assassinated.

Devastated, Rinette demands justice before she will surrender the casket, but she is surrounded by ruthless men who will do anything to possess it. In the end, the flowers are all she can trust-and only the flowers will lead her safely home to Granmuir.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A spellbinding story of Rinette Leslie, a spirited young woman who carries secrets and gifts that theaten the throne of Mary, Queen of Scotland in the 1560s. Assassins, secret caskets, and the whispers flowers can speak thread through the story. The flower imageery is lovely..."
Karleen Koen, author of Through a Glass Darkly and Before Versailles

"Elizabeth Loupas' engaging second effort gives a thought-provoking peek into the inner working of the court of Mary, Queen of Scots. Thick with intrigue and spiced with scandal, The Flower Reader is a lush, vibrant tapestry of a book."
Deanna Raybourn, national betselling author of The Dark Enquiry

“Mary Stuart is portrayed in all the fullness of her enchanting youth: impulsive and sweet, majestic and clever but also vain, naïve, temperamental and slightly neurotic. Her court is brought to life, as are the various factions and plots which rend Scotland asunder and lead to Mary’s downfall. Loupas accurately depicts a stormy, complex era by means of a page-turning mystery and romance.”  
--Historical Novels Review

“Loupas demonstrates how meticulous research and lush details make for a fascinating novel, drawing readers into the court and life of Mary, Queen of Scots, through the eyes of a young woman whose ability to divine the future through flowers leads her to danger and love.  The mystery and treachery of the era, and the political struggles, are all wonderfully portrayed.” –Romantic Times

“The novel mixes history with fiction brilliantly.  The time period is well-researched, so much thought and detail is put into the novel, and you can tell how much Loupas enjoyed writing the novel.  The passion and love for the characters and plot shine through.  The Flower Reader is guaranteed to be a top novel of 2012!” –Examiner.com (Pittsburgh Examiner, PA)
 

"...the character of Rinette bursts forth from the start, showing her strong resolve to keep herself, her loved ones, her property and her resolve under murderous pressures! I loved her brave spirit and her willingness to stare down death and queens despite her youth, power and lack of weapons. Because of this beautiful, mystically talented and unabashedly strong woman this novel is one of my favorite historical novels this season... five stars."
--A Bookish Libraria

"In this richly dramatic and darkly potent historical novel, Elizabeth Loupas unveils a tale of dark intrigue imbued with drama, violence and love..."
--Raging Bibliomania

About the Author

Elizabeth Loupas has held various positions in radio and television, and worked as an editor, writer, and marketing consultant. She lives near Dallas, Texas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade; 1 edition (April 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451235819
• ISBN-13: 978-0451235817
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elizabeth Loupas lives near the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.

She hates housework, cold weather, and wearing shoes. She loves animals, gardens, and popcorn. Not surprisingly she lives in a state of happy barefoot chaos with her husband (the Broadcasting Legend), her herb garden, her popcorn popper, and two beloved beagles.

Elizabeth is working on a new novel of the 16th century, centered upon the alchemy-obsessed Prince Francesco de Medici, his proud and fragile young wife Giovanna of Austria, and his dazzlingly beautiful, ambitious mistress Bianca Cappello. From the palaces of Florence to the sun-drenched Tuscan countryside to the brutal chaos of the Palio, from secret laboratories to magnificent entertainments to gardens with poisoned mazes, the story plays out through the eyes of Chiara Nerini, a troubled Florentine girl with alchemical ambitions of her own, and Ruan Pencarrow, an enigmatic Cornishman who may be a master metallurgist, may be a spy, or may be the greatest alchemist of them all.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars No Sophomore Slump for Elizabeth Loupas; this one's a winner! April 13, 2012

By Katharine E. Quinn

Format:Paperback

There are not many authors who could convincingly tie together such diverse things as flower magic, Highland politics, and a hero who wears eyeliner - but Elizabeth Loupas is such an author. Her debut novel "The Second Duchess" was one of my favorite reads last year, and "The Flower Reader" proves that Loupas has successfully dodged the Sophomore Slump. As with "Second Duchess," "Flower Reader" revolves around the heroine's unraveling of a mystery - but the mystery here is rougher, the danger greater, and the heroine not so sheltered from harm. The result is a complex, gripping, sobering thriller with plenty of swordplay and politics for good measure.

Scotland is the setting this time around, and refreshingly, Loupas uses a rarely-explored period of Mary Queen of Scots's reign as backdrop: the years when she had just returned home from France as a teenage widow, before the mess of Darnley and Rizzio and Bothwell reared its ugly head. Queen Mary is not the heroine here, however: that role belongs to Rinette, a young lady-in-waiting entrusted with a casket of letters and prophecies intended to guide the new queen. But Rinette's adored young husband is murdered in a mysterious assassination, and Rinette demands his killer be found before she hands over the casket. It's a decision she'll have ample time to rue.

I like a heroine who is motivated by something other than love, and Rinette is an arrow bent on revenge, on protecting her children, and on saving her beloved home by the sea from rapacious lords. The man she should be with will be quickly evident to a sharp-eyed reader, and he's even evident to Rinette - but this girl is too focused, too careful, too busy, and too battered to make time for love. Her quest for her first husband's killer will lead her to heartbreak, imprisonment, a forced second marriage at swordpoint, and possibly death. Her one consolation is her gift of floromancy: the ability to read people and situations in the flowers she sees around them. This could have been a sentimental gimmick but it is subtle and lovely, woven into the story with grace and never used as a deus ex machina.

A tender, touching, sometimes brutal, always absorbing read. I wanted to hug Rinette for being so brave, and I wanted to choke Mary Queen of Scots for being such a callous mercurial cow. And thank goodness (for those like me who can't stand to read about animal deaths) that Elizabeth Loupas can be counted on never to kill the dogs in her books!

Note - I was lucky enough to meet Elizabeth in person at the Historical Novel Society Conference last year. A lovely lady, and I wish her all success with her second book. More, please!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A mesmorizing tale that's not to be missed! April 3, 2012

By Amanda TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

First, an admission: I was in love with Elizabeth Loupas' first novel, The Second Duchess. It was one of the best books I read last year -even better than many of the offerings from more established historical fiction authors. I raved about the book to anyone who would listen and found virtually any excuse to recommend it to others. Needless to say, I was incredibly excited about Loupas' follow-up novel, The Flower Reader.

Marina, known as Rinette, is the heir to a great Scottish estate, a relation to the French crown, and a close friend to Mary of Guise, the French-born Scottish queen. She also has the unique ability to divine the future from flowers, an ability that makes her an asset to the crown as well as a danger. When Mary of Guise trusts a casket filled with the secrets of the Scottish nobles and predictions from Nostradamus to Rinette, her life is changed forever. Rinette promises to protect the casket until it can reach the hands of Mary's daughter, but soon finds the deadly consequence of that promise. Her beloved husband is killed, she becomes the target of numerous court schemes, and is forced to marry a man she hates.

The Flower Reader takes a more unique approach to historical fiction than just about everything else on the shelf right now. Rather than being primarily biographical, Flower Reader is a historical mystery surrounding the perilous court of Mary, Queen of Scots, but explored through the eyes of a purely fictional character. In fact, many of the characters in this book are fictional (more than the average historical fiction novel, I'd say), as is the plot. And honestly, I thought this was incredibly refreshing for the genre, especially since Loupas made the characters feel so real. They absolutely came alive on every page, and I got completely engrossed in Rinette's story and struggles. I was cheering for her the entire time, even when it seemed like all was lost.

Would I say that The Flower Reader is as good as The Second Duchess? That's a tough one. Both novels are very different and follow very different subjects with unique approaches, but Flower Reader is a worthwhile follow up that is easily one of the best book I've read so far this year. I'd recommend it to any fellow historical fiction reader.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting, quick read May 1, 2012

By Jessica

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Despite the novel's title, flower reading, or floromancy, takes a backseat to the drama and suspense permeating the plot. The dying queen of Scotland gives Rinette Leslie, her ward, a silver casket. Rinette is instructed to do two simple things: hide the casket in a secret vault under the castle and ensure that Mary Stuart, the future Queen of Scots, receive the casket on her first day back in Scotland. She is to show the casket to no one and certainly not to look inside. It takes little more than ten pages for the reader to see that Rinette's promise is shredded to bits. She does not hide the casket in the vault. Instead, she runs home to Granmuir as quickly as possible to wed her lover, casket in tow. Feeling guilty about her broken promise, Rinette returns to court the first day the young queen arrives, and this is where the story takes off. Soon, Rinette's husband is dead, she is using the casket as a bargaining chip, and she is falling for another man.

All things considered, this book is a pleasant read. I was often confused about who was related to whom and how Rinette knew certain people, but by the end of the novel, I sort of had the hang of it all. I am not well-read in this period of Scotland, though, so perhaps someone who knows more about the time period would not have trouble keeping up with the characters. Nico de Clarac was a different sort of hero from the ones writers usually describe. He is completely the flamboyant courtier, yet he was raised in a monastery by monks. He wears make-up and more jewelery than the heroine, yet he engages readily in sword fights. This slightly effeminate and yet hardened man was a nice departure from the usual alpha males read about in so many historicals.

The plot was well-paced, and it kept me reading. For some reason, though, I just can't give this book 4 stars. I can't pinpoint one thing that I didn't like about the book, but there are several small things that may have prevented me from falling in love with it. The writing style on occasion got on my nerves. The author would repeat entire pieces of dialogue from earlier in the book as if we hadn't read it at all or as if the reader wouldn't remember what was said. Also, I couldn't quite get on board with the characters. Something about them seemed 2D throughout the entire book as opposed to coming to life. While the suspense of the book kept me reading, I really didn't care what happened to anyone in the book. In fact, the best-written character in the novel was probably young Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. Loupas portrayed her so wonderfully mercurial and impulsive. She, out of everyone, sprang to life on the pages.