Gabrielle Cheney is living the life she's always dreamed of. As Paris's premier courtesan, she has a closet full of exquisite gowns, all the jewels she could want, and a string of influential patrons. With the exiled King of Navarre desperate to possess her, she believes her destiny is set. But when an old friend comes to beg for her help, Gabrielle must choose between her ambition and her heart.

This was an enjoyable, romantic read. Gabrielle is a sympathetic character with a bit more depth than I expected, given the last book. She's abandoned her magic in the wake of an horrific encounter, and she honestly believes that she was responsible for what was done to her. My heart went out to her time and again as she came to terms with that terrible afternoon. I loved the tension between her and Remy, too. The outcome is predictable, but it's no less effective because of it.

I also appreciated the way Carroll handled the magic. The daughters of the earth do deal in necromancy and the like, but for the most part they simply possess knowledge beyond the norm for the time period. Ariane, Gabrielle's older sister, is a skilled physician; Gabrielle herself is an artist. I'll be interested in seeing if Carroll carries this theme through with their younger sister, Miri, who has a rather more magical rapport with animals.

On the downside, I felt that the book was a touch overlong. The emotional climax comes far too early; the rest of the stuff is fairly interesting, but it reads like filler. The historical feel wasn't quite there, either. This definitely doesn't feel like a modern novel, but neither did I feel like I'd be plunked down in sixteenth century France.

But all in all, it was an enjoyable read that I'd certainly recommend to anyone looking for an historical romance. It's probably best if you read the first book, (THE DARK QUEEN), before this one, but Gabrielle's story is stand-alone enough that you should be able to follow along without the backstory.

(This review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina). ( )

As the story begins, Gabrielle has abandoned her home and her sisters to live in Paris as a courtesan in the royal court. She has recently set her sights on Henry, the Huguenot king of Navarre, who is being held prisoner by Catherine de Medici, known as the dark queen. Life in the royal court is full of intrigue, betrayal and religious politics. Gabrielle is still mourning the loss of Captain Nicholas Remy who was murdered in the St. Bartholomew's Eve bloody massacre three years ago.

Unknown to Gabrielle, Remy has survived, saved by the young thief Martin Le Loup, nicknamed Wolf. Remy has been hiring out his services for the last three years as a mercenary soldier all over Europe in order to earn enough gold to release his king.

All the characters in TC are excellently drawn and three dimensional. I complained about how Catherine de Medici's portrayal in TDQ was a bit over-the-top evil, but in TC she comes across as much more human and realistic, and I almost (but not quite) felt sorry for her. After all, she created her own problems with her abuse of power, manipulations, and black magic. I loved how the secondary stories with Ariane and Renard, and Miri and Simon are not shallow but play an integral part of the whole story.

But the stars of the book, Gabrielle and Remy, are wonderful characters who both felt that their past sins made them damaged goods. It was interesting how Carroll presents the parallel notion of Gabrielle selling her body and Remy selling his services. (Spoiler: The scene where they wash each other before making love for the first time and its symbolism of washing away sins was extremely poignant. And the love scene that follows was beautifully tender and sweet (and hot). ::sigh:: Very romantic. End spoiler)

I laughed a little, cried a little, and I couldn't put it down; all signs that I have a DIK on my hands. The intricate plot was gripping and compelling. I'm a relatively fast reader but on this one I wanted to slow down and savor every word. Gabrielle's past horror and her resulting feelings of self-blame and worthlessness was handled very realistically and not beat into the ground. Wolf, Remy's squire, was an intriguing character and I hope he has his own HEA somehow. (Grade: A) ( )

After reading the first book in the series I wasn't sure I'd be all that engaged in Gabrielle's story. I was wrong! I enjoyed this book as much as The Dark Queen and I was happy to see a little of Ariane and Miri in the book as well. I can't wait to start The Silver Rose (Miri's story) and find out what happens to the youngest of the Cheney sisters. ( )

The second of the Cheney sisters, Gabrielle, has taken herself off to Paris, the world of intrigue and ambition, to persue a life as a courtesan. Remy, her paramour from the first book, The Dark Queen, returns to Paris with the intention of rescuing his king, Henry of Navarre from loose captivity at the French Court. Their paths cross again, will they be drawn together again, or have they changed too much in the years apart?
The Dark Queen is intriguing again, there is dappling in the dark arts, action and adventure.
My favourite character was Martin Le Loup (Wolf), given to being very dramatic, and with a deep suspicion of witches, he is Remy's shadow, and falls in love with Miri, the youngest Cheney. But in his eagerness to serve and protect Remy, what evil will he get himself mixed up in? ( )

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