Series: Tudor (Book 2)
UNDER THE QUEEN’S EYE . . .
As Queen Elizabeth’s prized new lady-in-waiting, Corrina
Huntington is beautiful, innocent, and eager to know the world beyond her
sheltered home—especially the mysteries of love. Despite the queen’s vow of
protection, Corrie soon finds herself swept into the intrigues of the court,
rampant with plots and pleasures—and discovers more than she ever imagined . .
.
Manly and magnificent, Count Rugar Kalisson swears
vengeance on the insulting, overbearing English who scorn him for his Swedish
heritage. He vows to best the vain queen’s knights in contest, and her ladies
in seduction—including her latest pet. Love is not part of his plan, yet he and
the sheltered English rose are soon drawn together by a reckless passion—a
forbidden bond that will not only inflame the wrath of a jealous Queen, but
provoke a diplomatic scandal . . .
Good book. I especially enjoyed the setting of this one.
Historical romances are overwhelmingly Regency era, but this one takes place mostly
at the court of Elizabeth I with a little bit in Sweden. I felt that the portrayal
of the intrigue and attitudes of the time were very well done. That said, the
first 20% or so of the book dragged a little for me, but once Corrie and Rugar
met, the story picked up quite nicely.
Corrie is eighteen years old and has been kept very
sheltered by her parents. That comes to an end when Queen Elizabeth stops while
on her progress around the country and takes a liking to Corrie. She insists
that Corrie becomes one of her maids of honor. This horrifies her parents who
are very familiar with the Queen's court and its ways, but they have no choice.
Meanwhile, Corrie is thrilled with the opportunity to experience a wider world.
It isn't long before Corrie becomes the queen's favorite. There are drawbacks
to this, as Elizabeth is very possessive and warns off anyone who threatens her
relationship with Corrie - especially the men. In spite of her intelligence and
extensive education, Corrie is oblivious to the queen's machinations.
Meanwhile, Rugar is named ambassador to England by the
king of Sweden and sent to establish good relations with the queen. This suits
him to a T as he has personal reasons for going. As a lad of twelve, Rugar
visited the court with his father, who was sent to propose a marriage between Elizabeth
and the Swedish king. They were not treated kindly but mocked and derided for
their differences. Rugar's father never recovered from the shame he felt at his
failure, leaving Rugar burning with the desire for revenge. He arrives at the
court determined to beat all the men in their manly contests and to seduce the
queen's ladies.
It's at this point that the story picks up interest for
me. Rugar is bowled over by his first sight of Corrie and makes her the target
of his attentions. He is certain that she is just as immoral as all the other
women of the court. Corrie is overwhelmed by Rugar's attentions, having never
experienced anything like it. Her forthright nature supports Rugar's
assumptions and his single-minded pursuit of her. I really enjoyed their
interactions. Corrie's innocent reactions and questions draw Rugar closer to
her. He is enchanted by her inquisitive nature and the passion he senses below
her surface. As Rugar's attention stirs her senses, Corrie is determined to
experience everything that she can. But as she becomes bolder, Rugar has to
face the fact that he misjudged Corrie's experience, and tries to pull away. I
ached for both of them at this point, because Corrie has fallen hard for Rugar,
even though she feels that there is no future in it. Rugar, who has reasons for
avoiding innocents, is determined to stay away from her but finds it impossible
to do so. Dismayed to realize that he has fallen in love with her, Rugar is
determined to protect her, even from himself.
There are outside forces that are determined to
interfere. Elizabeth is angered by Rugar's attention to Corrie, even though she
warned him off. She sets one of her spies on him, looking for a reason to send
him away. Unfortunately, her spy has his own agenda. He has harbored a grudge
against Corrie's parents for many years and looks on this a chance to even the score. When Corrie and
Rugar are discovered in a compromising position, Elizabeth's rage knows no
bounds.
The last part of the book flew by for me, as Corrie and
Rugar escape the queen's attempts to keep them apart and flee to Sweden. I
loved Corrie's joy in being there and ached for her as she faced resistance
from Rugar's people. It was interesting to see Rugar's reaction to what
happened and the effect it had on his view of the past. I was glued to the
pages as the queen's fury continued to build and ripped Corrie and Rugar apart.
I loved Rugar's determination to get her back, no matter what he had to do. The
final showdown with the queen was a nailbiter. I loved Rugar's reaction to her
demands and how he regained the upper hand. The epilogue was a terrific wrap-up
to the story.
There was also a secondary romance between Corrie's
cousin Anne and Rugar's friend Torgne. The sparks flew between them from the
start. Torgne, like Rugar, had a low opinion of English morals. Anne, a relatively
recent widow, is not ashamed of her needs and gets a great deal of satisfaction
out of tempting him. When an unexpected mix-up throws the two of them together,
the sparks burst into flame. I loved the scene on the ship as Anne goes all-out
to break through Torgne's resistance. With both of them caught up in Elizabeth's
outrage, there was some question as to their chances of a future together. I
loved the scene at the end, as Rugar suggests the perfect "punishment"
for Torgne's crimes.
*Originally published in September 1991
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