Customer Reviews

The Winter Queen (Harlequin Historical)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After her parents fail to support a match between herself and the man she loves, Lady Rosamund Ramsay is sent to the court of Queen Elizabeth to serve as one of Her Grace's ladies-in-waiting. For the country-bred Rosamund coming to court just in time for the yuletide festivities is somewhat overwhelming. But court life does serve to distract Rosamund from disappointed affection, particularly when she meets Anton Gustavson.

From the moment he first sees Rosamund, Anton is enraptured by the beautiful "winter fairy." Despite his uncertain position in life, Anton cannot help but be drawn to Rosamund. Yet the passion that flares between them may never be fulfilled if a sinister plot takes the life of the woman who so quickly captures Anton's heart.

The Winter Queen positively shines with its tender romance set against the backdrop of Queen Elizabeth's court. Amanda McCabe sweeps her readers away with the glamour and intrigue of Christmastime 1564. It was a treat to see the pomp and pageantry of Elizabeth's court through the eyes of one of her new ladies-in-waiting. Rosamund is a gentle, likeable woman and her fascination with the goings on at court made her the perfect guide for readers. Anton, a member of the Swedish party sent on behalf of King Eric, matches Rosamund for likeability. He's charming, handsome, friendly, and passionate - what more could you ask for? Ms. McCabe makes it incredibly easy to fall for these two and to become invested in their romance.

The Winter Queen is a lush, engaging Elizabethan romance perfectly crafted by Ms. McCabe. I adored The Winter Queen and look forward to reading more of Ms. McCabe's work.

Shayna
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

This was a very well written historical romance. I read them a great deal. If you want a well written romantic story with a little bit of intrigue I highly recommend this book. I was so impressed that I researched the author to read other books by her.

The Winter Queen had enough high points to keep me reading, but wasn't anything special. It was slow to start and uneven. Pacing issues kept the storyline from fully engaging the reader. The character development of the heroine was poorly done, and the prose was uninspiring and overblown, often cliched and sometimes painfully awkward (horses 'crying out'??). The development of the main characters' relationship was uneven. I was also distracted by the descriptions of the court and holiday preparations and celebrations, but I'm not drawn to fiction placed in this time period so I can't say how much of that was me, and how much was the author's execution.

Still, the characters were likable enough to root for, there were some decently done sexual scenes, and the action near the end certainly drew me in.

All in all, a light, fluffy read with some decent parts, but it could have been much better. This is my first taste of McCabe and I'll probably try more of her work in the future to see if her writing improves.