The Widow's Kiss [Mass Market Paperback]

Jane Feather (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 29, 2002

Dear Reader,

When I first saw her, I realized that the miniature portrait I had shown to the king did not do her justice. Lady Guinevere Mallory’s beauty transcended even a portrait painter’s skill. It was nearly impossible to believe that this woman, who had buried four husbands before her thirtieth birthday, could have used murder and the dark arts of witchcraft to achieve her great wealth.

I carried the king’s writ to investigate Lady Guinevere’s oft-repeated widowhood. Was it mere coincidence that each death had left her wealthier than the last? The fact that I believed she also held lands that rightfully belonged to my family made my investigations all the more personal and all the more thorough.

Surely, I thought, such a woman would bear some obvious mark of treachery on her countenance, in her manner. But when we met I saw only the beauty of her pale blond hair and her deep violet eyes that seemed to me to offer a glimpse into the intriguing world of her brilliant mind and spirit. I began to wonder how the gentle hands of such an elegant woman, whose cool composure belied her dubious past, could have committed cold-blooded murder.

Now as I learn more about the mysterious widow, I find myself growing more curious about the secrets of her heart–and more determined to reveal those secrets. Guinevere is the most captivating and intriguing woman I have ever met. I have but one question:

Will my interest in her prove to be a fatal one?

Hugh of Beaucaire

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Setting: England 1537

Sensuality: 7

Beautiful, brilliant, and sophisticated, Lady Guinevere Mallory is only 28 but has buried four wealthy husbands. When seasoned soldier Hugh of Beaucaire contests her ownership of a parcel of land, he brings Guinevere's rich estates to the attention of financially needy King Henry VIII, setting in motion events that threaten her status and her life. Traveling to her estate on the King's orders to investigate her fourth husband's death, Hugh expects to find a woman who has earned the label "The Black Widow." Instead, he discovers a lady whose elegance, quick wit, and warmth threaten to make him her next willing victim.

Despite the danger that Hugh poses to her family and holdings, Guinevere finds herself drawn to the handsome soldier but knows she dare not give in to the attraction nor can she allow herself to trust him. In the end, perhaps only Hugh has the power to save her from Henry and Thomas Cromwell's scheme to claim her wealth and destroy her family. Cromwell is not a man who gives up easily, and family members may die if Hugh doesn't learn to trust in Guinevere in time to save them.

Jane Feather has a fine hand for detail in colorful 1530's costuming and the minutiae of life in Henry VIII's England. That vivid scene setting combined with the political scheming and terror instilled by Thomas Cromwell, the equal balance of strength, intelligence, and wariness in hero and heroine, and the warm charm of secondary characters all add up to an excellent historical novel well worth reading.--Lois Faye Dyer --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

At age 28, beautiful Lady Guinevere Mallory has been widowed four times, and each bereavement has brought her more land and more wealth. Is she a murderess, a sorceress or simply a clever, though unlucky, woman? Set during the reign of Henry VIII and his dreaded minion, Thomas Cromwell, Feather's (The Least Likely Bride) latest historical romance is rich in detail and rife with intrigue. Lord Hugh of Beaucaire, himself a widower, believes his young son Robin has a legal right to some of the lands left to Lady Guinevere in the four marriage contracts she apparently wrote herself. He seeks the king's aid to secure his son's rights, and Cromwell, the king's Lord Privy Seal, encourages his investigation of Lady Guinevere. Lord Hugh does not know that the Privy Seal has plans of his own for the widow's riches. Hugh's stay on her estates gives him both reason to believe he may be right and reason to hope he is not, for he falls in love with Guinevere and her two daughters. He learns that two of her husbands apparently met their ends naturally, but discrepancies in her servants' stories about the most recent death require him to take her to London, where her saucy tongue sends her to the Tower. Will Lord Hugh save Lady Guinevere, and if he marries her, can he ever trust her? Typical of Feather's novels, the story succeeds as romantic fiction, with fine characterizations, sound historical background and an effective evocation of the precarious times when a king's favor or disfavor meant life or death. Striking cover art, romantic yet dignified, will draw in readers. (Jan. 9)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (January 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553581872
• ISBN-13: 978-0553581874
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #629,637 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unforgettable romance, January 2, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Widow's Kiss (Hardcover)

By 1537, King Henry learns that twenty-eight-year-old Lady Guinevere Mallory has been a widow four times, an excessive amount of husbands buried. However, what concerns His Highness is the legal marriage contracts have made her the prime owner of most of the wealth in the Derbyshire area. Wondering if he has a black widow among his aristocracy and worried that one person owns so much property, the monarch assigns Hugh of Beauclaire to investigate. Hugh informs King Henry that he has a personal interest in a piece of property that Mallory owns which he claims should be his.

When Hugh meets Guinevere, he is stunned by her beauty and even more shocked by how brilliant the woman is. Worse to Hugh in spite of his belief she is a deadly killer; he is very attracted to the woman. Guinevere tries to protect her own heart because she knows Hugh wants to hand her head over to Henry. As the duo fight the growing love between them, their mistrust of one another grows proportionally.

WIDOW'S KISS is a wonderful historical romance that succeeds because the characters seem genuine. The lead protagonists provide conflict, as neither trusts the love that is emanating from the other. Guinevere's daughters add a young energy that makes life even more complex and difficult for Hugh. The King and his key advisor provide a historical point of reference as well as added intrigue, tension, and mistrust. Although the climax is featherweight, sub-genre fans will relish this fabulous novel that proves Jane Feather is a heavyweight author.

Harriet Klausner

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and Irritating, July 12, 2001

By 

K. N. Nelson (California, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Widow's Kiss (Hardcover)

Ms. Feather is a terrific author who writes stories that are well researched, full of intrigue and romance, history and engaging characters.

Except that each book that I have read she seems to have to include one character who is guaranteed to drive you to distraction with irritating characteristics. In this story it is the 8 or 9 year old daughter Pippa who positively cannot shut up. Pippa piped, Pippa fluted, Pippa trumpeted or screeched or shrilled, etc. etc. The Pippa dialog is so often and so aggravating that I found myself skipping whole paragraphs when she used the name Pippa. This is not good for one loses the continuity of the story.

On a positive note, I did enjoy the history of 16th Century England during the mercurial, hugely obese and clever Henry VIII reign and all his poor wives who could not seem to provide him with a male heir. I would have enjoyed more information on the Star Chamber and Thomas Cromwell who was a terrible villian according to recorded history.

Ms. Feather has a real penchant for strong, nurturing, rough edged males as her heros. Well so do I. However, once again she has given us a heroine who is drop dead gorgeous, hugely flawed, conniving and quite difficult to feel much sympathy for in the story line. It was nice that she made the Lady Guinevere an intelligent and learned woman despite her obstinancy and intransiegence.

All in all, the story is interesting and Ms. Feather is becoming more elegant and refined with each book. I very much appreciate her breaking from the mold of most of the other romance writers who seem to need to refer to the male anatomy in cutesy or military language, ie: swords, etc. She uses the correct biological term which adds a great amount of intellectual credibility as a writer.

She remains on my list of writers who are closing the gap in skill as great as the incomparable Guy Gavriel Kay.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Widow's Kiss, January 15, 2001

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Widow's Kiss (Hardcover)

"The Widow's Kiss" is more a novel of romantic intrigue than it is a mystery -- for some reason several bookstores I visited over the weekend had this book in the mystery section. So if you a big historical mystery addict, be forewarned that there is very little mystery in this novel at all. However, the book does score very high on the suspense/intrigue level.

The plot of "The Widow's Kiss" centers around a land dispute. Hugh of Beaucaire believes that a vast tract of land should rightfully be his son's; the Lady Guinevere Mallory however disputes his claim and refuses to give up the land. So Hugh decides to tweak the interest of the King of England (Henry VIII), and that of the Privy Seal (Thomas Cromwell), by insinuating that the Lady Guinevere may have killed off all her previous husbands (4 in all) in order to inherit their wealth. The Privy Seal sends off Hugh to investigate. Right from the very beginnning however Hugh is drawn to the Lady Guinevere, as she is to him. However he does not fully trust her. But by the time Hugh finally decides that he doesn't really care if Guinevere murdered her latest husband or not, it is too late: he has set in motion events he can do nothing about; for now the Privy Seal is involved and he wants Guinevere's wealth for the Crown.

The second half of the book, where Guinevere has to defend herself to the King and the Privy Seal is brilliant and realistic. The tension is palpable and electric. You can actually sense the very real danger that the Lady Guinevere is facing and her complete isolation from everyone she cares about or who could help. Both the King and the Privy Seal are painted in appropriate menacing terms. The feeling of attraction that Hugh and Guinevere feel for each other even while they do not fully trust each other is believeable as well. So why did I give this book a 3 star rating? Because of the rushed last few chapters which gave the book a slightly of centre feel. This is a historical romance, so I understand that one cannot expect twentieth century sensibilities; however I do wish that there had been an added chapter or even a few extra pages where Hugh castigates himself a little bit more for his treatment of Guinevere -- this would have made the book more satisfying for me, and I do believe it would have centred the book a bit more. Jane Feather is a wonderful writer; "Valentine"; "Vixen" & "The Accidental Bride" are a few of her books that I enjoy rereading every now and then. And I enjoyed "The Widow's Kiss" as well except for the pacing that was a little off.

"The Widow's Kiss" is on the whole a good read, esp at the intrigue level. The rushed ending is a little disconcerting but does not detract form the overall enjoyment of the book. All in all, a good read.