Book Review: The Queen's Lady by Eve Edwards

First published in the US: 10th April 2012
By: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

England, 1584.

When beautiful Lady Jane Rievaulx begins her service to the Queen at Richmond Palace, she is thrilled to see the court's newest arrival . . . Master James Lacey.

No matter that Jane was previously courted by the eldest Lacey brother — James is the one who has won her heart. For his part, James cannot deny his fascination with Jane; his plans, however, do not allow for love. He is about to set sail on a treacherous journey to the Americas, seeking absolution for what he sees as past sins. But when Jane is forced into a terrible situation by her own family, only one man can save her. Will Master James return to his lady before it's too late?


My review:

Second Lacey brother James and Lady Jane were two of my favourite characters in The Other Countess, so I came into The Queen's Lady already excited to read about their romance. This companion novel/sequel begins about a year after the end of the first book and both James and Jane have suffered since then. James has witnessed terrible things in war and Jane has been widowed, is hated by her in-laws and back to being the pawn of her bullying father and brother again. In The Queen's Lady, James and Jane both seem beaten down and broken and far from the spirited and flirtatious characters they were in The Other Countess. Because of this, you do miss out on that sense of returning to much-loved characters - they're very different people here.

Although you don't have to read The Other Countess first to follow The Queen's Lady, I do advise it - I think to be invested in a love story, it helps to see how the couple met and how they first developed feelings for each other. James and Jane are already in love before The Queen's Lady begins and they actually don't have that many scenes together - James journeys to America, so they mostly long from afar. It definitely made The Queen's Lady better for me that I was already rooting for them from the first book.

In other hands, the things I've mentioned could have made The Queen's Lady a disappointment, but luckily, Eve Edwards is still skilled at keeping her romances as light, fizzy and delightful as a glass of champagne. All the best elements from The Other Countess are present here - the witty dialogue, the swoonworthy men, the courtly glamour - and especially the use of charming supporting characters. James's African servant, Diego, and Jane's seamstress, Milly, pretty much run away with this story. They are adorable, hilarious and very romantic, and the two of them standing strong against the prejudices of the age is easily as compelling a story as the main plot. And once the full Lacey clan turns up, the banter is back and the scenes between the siblings still go from rib-ticklingly funny to heart-warmingly sweet. I want to marry into the Lacey family. For reals. The youngest brother Tobias is still free.

The fun scenes and the happy endings are why I like this series. Things always wrap up so merrily and you'll find no complaints about the lack of realism from me. It's just too nice to read something and know that it will leave me smiling.


Rating: 4 stars

This book was provided to me by the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Book Review: The Other Countess by Eve Edwards

First published: 1st July 2010

By: Razorbill

England, 1582

Ellie - Lady Eleanor Rodriguez of San Jaime - is in possession of a gold-seeking father, a worthless title and a feisty spirit that captivates the elite of the Queen's court, and none other than the handsome new Earl of Dorset . . .

William Lacey has inherited his father's title and his financial ruin. Now the Earl must seek a wealthy heiress and restore his family's fortune. 

Will's head has been turned by the gorgeous Ellie, yet their union can never be. Will is destined to marry a lady worthy of his status, so the only question is - which one...?

My review:

I treated this book embarrassingly badly before reading it. I borrowed it from the library and renewed it for months before I had to return it unread. Then I took it out again and did the same thing all over again! Let me tell you, The Other Countess did not deserve such treatment. It's exactly the kind of book I enjoy: it's frothy and fun, with characters that are easy to like and prose that's easy to keep reading and I was nuts not to read it before now.

Ellie is the daughter of an alchemist and her father has ruined himself and gone half-mad in his fruitless pursuit of gold. He's also taken others down with him, namely the father of Will Lacey, who dies leaving his family near-bankrupt. Will blames Ellie's father entirely for the mess and The Other Countess begins with a furious Will chasing both dad and daughter off Lacey land.

Flash forward a few years and Ellie is now a beautiful young woman, attached to a family at Queen Elizabeth's court. Will comes to court to try to do the only things that will help his family: Win the queen's favour and hook himself a rich bride. But guess who he meets...

It's not difficult to predict what will ultimately happen in this light and charming tale, but what it lacks in surprises, The Other Countess more than makes up for in great characters and a swoon-worthy romance. Ellie is fabulously feisty, but also a very dutiful daughter and you can't help but feel sorry for her, being saddled as she is with a father who is completely oblivious to everything (how much he is mocked and hated, how poor they really are) but his alchemy. Will is very Mr Darcy, in the sense that he starts out as so snooty and mean to Ellie, but just when you are about to write him off as an irredeemable asshat, he comes to his senses and apologises so beautifully and makes it up to Ellie so heroically that...well, that's when the swooning starts.

The supporting characters are super, too: Will's brothers and their teasing banter-filled relationship, and Lady Jane, the rich girl Will has picked to marry. I liked that, while it at first seems that Jane is going to be the bitch and Ellie's nemesis, Eve Edwards avoids that particular cliché by having Ellie and Jane become friends.

One thing that actually did surprise me about The Other Countess was the amount of humour in it. Will's siblings are pretty fast with the jokes and Lady Jane has a scheming maid whose sexcapades are played for laughs, but even the serious subplots - which involve the religious complications of Elizabethan England - are lightened up with some funny lines.

All this adds up to a lighthearted and pleasing read: A 16th century rom-com, you could say. Eve Edwards has written more romances for the Lacey family (the next books are The Queen's Lady and The Rogue's Princess) and I am really looking forward to reading them.


Rating: 4 stars