The Dark Queen

During the late 16th century in Renaissance France, Ariane Cheney, a daughter of the earth and lady of the faire isle, is duty bound to prevent the misuse of power by other daughters of the earth. Although the true witches are those she defends against, she also faces the superstitious minds of the time, some of whom would brand her a witch as well. When a stranger arrives seeking Ariane’s help against the dark queen, Catherine di Medici, even the strong Ariane needs some help. She has no one to ask but the Comte de Renard, although she hesitates to do so because of both their mutual attraction and her uncertainty his intentions are as straightforward as he would have her believe.

Both the description and the intro to the book had me a show more little worried that this would be a book where the helpless damsel needs the handsome count’s help and then swoons all over him, so let me assure you – this isn’t that sort of book. Although Ariane occasionally needs the count’s help, it’s never a because she’s weaker than he is. She only calls on him to help others and often he’s only able to do what she cannot because he’s fortunate enough to have men-at-arms to call on. She does do a bit of swooning, but never so the count would know it. Both Ariane and the count are clearly strong, stubborn people and a nice, even match for each other.

The sex scenes are definitely R rated, but only because they’re explicit – nothing kinky. There isn’t an emphasis on having sex after your married, but this book and the rest of the series do clearly connect sex with love. While this might still be too scandalous for the more puritanical among us and too uptight for the more promiscuous, I found it just right for the plot. It made the sex an integral part of the plot because the sexual tension has to connect to increasing romantic attraction which comes from shared experiences and adversity (ie the plot). Personally, my own morals don’t really enter into it when I’m judging a plot, so the only time I hate sex in a novel is when it’s clearly gratuitous (George R. R. Martin, I’m looking at you). That wasn’t the case here.

The plot and the writing are good enough that I’m having a hard time identifying precisely why I loved them, but here’s my best attempt. The plot was fast paced. Despite the romantic focus of the book, there were lots of action scenes too. Something exciting was always going on. The idea for the world wasn’t entirely novel, but something which set it apart for me was the science underlying the magic of the daughters of the earth. I really liked that modern medical knowledge, for instance, could look like magic to most people at the time. Some of the magic wasn’t completely explicable by today’s science, so it wasn’t an entirely self-consistent world, but enough of an explanation was hinted at that I was happy with it. I liked Ariane as a protagonist, because she has a strong sense of duty and is willing to do a lot to protect those who depend on her. And the Comte grew on me as we got more snippets from his perspective and as Ariane got to know him better. While he did have some believable character flaws (as does Ariane), he was at heart a likable guy and not at all as chauvinistic as I was afraid he might be after the first few chapters. And the plot itself was unique, as were the plots of the other four books in the series. All five books were of a very similar style, but had different enough plots that they’re all definitely worth reading. So if you like romances with steamy sex but want a great plot and fun historical context instead of a lighter chick-lit novel, this is definitely a book series for you. show less

I gotta say--there were so many times when I expected the plot to evolve one way, and it went in a totally opposite direction. In this case, I mostly didnt mind, and I really liked the sequence of events! - I personally think this book has a pretty decent amount of actual history. I knew that there would be references to the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, but I thought that would be the extent of it: just a reference. Those scenes were some of the best-written in the book, I think, and Carroll did a good job capturing the intensity of the situation. Now of course, most of Catherine de Medici's character is mere speculation. A great many people probably did consider her a witch, but here she definitely is one...if you're somebody who show more likes for historical figures to not be messed with, you might not be too thrilled with her presentation in this story. I was a bit surprised with how large of a role she played in the book: even though the title is a reference to her, I was thinking (from what I had read on some other reviews) that she'd mostly be a background character; I was very much surprised with the level of development given to her. Of course, I think it's always a tricky situation when an author makes a fictional statement/draws a fictional portrayal of a real-life character---in this case, making the "Italian woman" into the vindictive villain. It worked, though. I totally believed (to the best of my history-major ability) that she was indeed a bitchy witch. :D - And now on to the main characters: for the most part, I really liked the story development between Ariane and the Comte. It was not what I expected, but I still enjoyed it...even the more "turn-your-cheeks-red" passages ;P - The only complaint I have is the (in my opinion) OVER-development of the supporting characters, especially the two other sisters. I know that Gabrielle and Miri each have their own specific sequel in this "series," but I expected this book to establish the basics about them and then have them function as secondary elements to the main characters. There were many instances when I skipped over their scenes: I don't care about Gabrielle and her stupid backstory and her relationship with the captain! That's book 2! All in all: a highly enjoyable read: historical FICTION romance done right :D PS--i probably should acknowledge that this is, ummm, NOT for young people. hahhaha. oh my goodness. susan carroll can certainly write a good "kissing scene," but she can also write other scenes as well! (wink wink nudge nudge). i must be really, REALLY immature, because there were times when i just burst out laughing. they're not badly written--not by a long shot!--but still...i thought they were entertaining. :D show less

This was an easy summer read and a good break from the more detailed historical fiction I have been reading lately. This book is loosely based on events surrounding St Bartholomew's massacre in France during the period of Catherine de Medici. Notice that I say loosely as it has elements of fantasy woven in. The story follows the lives of the three Chaney sisters who are known to be women of the earth, or witches. This book deals primarily with the oldest sister Ariane but also introduces the other sisters Miri and Gabrielle. I would consider this more of a historical romance and enjoyed it for what it was. I heartily recommend to anyone who likes historical fiction light on the history and heavy on the romance.

I picked this book up at my local Borders because I enjoy historical fiction (light on the history and heavy on the fiction.) This one was not exactly what I expected but it was still really enjoyable. I think if I owned a bookstore, I would place it in the romance section. It really was a historical romance. I found it to be a really fun read and now I'm on to the second book in the trilogy: The Courtesan.

The Dark Queen is set in Renaissance France in 1572 on the eve of 'Bloody Sunday', the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre and is the first book of a trilogy. Ariane, Gabrielle, and Mirabelle de Cheney are three sisters of Faire Isle who are 'Daughters of the Earth' with special abilities in healing and white magic. The eldest, Ariane, is known as The Lady of Faire Isle and is considered a 'wise woman' by the people of the island. This is a very dangerous time for them as an evil witch hunter is terrorizing women with their special gifts and accusing them of witchcraft.

The comte de Renard is arrogantly determined to marry Ariane, but she wants nothing to do with him. She senses that he is hiding dark secrets. He blackmails her into wearing a show more magic ring that she can use to summon him. Little by little we learn of his past and his character growth was well done and I grew to like him immensely. Ariane seemed a bit timid at first but her serenity and quiet strength make her a good match for Renard.

When a wounded stranger arrives on Faire Island with evidence against the evil Queen of France, Catherine de Medici, Ariane must call upon Renard to protect her family. The Dark Queen essentially rules France through her weak son. She is rumored to be a witch and practices black magic to destroy her enemies to retain her power. I found her wickedness a little overdone but fascinating. The secondary plots with Gabrielle and Remy, as well as young Mirabelle and Simon were very fully developed and compelling .

The characters are very well drawn and though not deep, the plot was entertaining. Her prose flows smoothly and I finished it quickly considering it was over 500 pages :). The Dark Queen expertly meshes together romance, history, royal intrigue, religious persecution, magic and witchcraft into a very readable book I am looking forward to the next book, The Courtesan, Gabrielle's story. Mirabelle's story is titled The Silver Rose and will be released in March, 2006. (Grade: B+) show less

Title: The Dark Queen
Author: Susan Carroll
Source: library
Rating: ★★★★★
Review Summary: I wasn’t sure I liked this book at first – as a historical romance, with more sex and a more serious plot than the “chick flick” style romances I occasionally I read, it was a little outside my comfort zone. But I ended up loving it and the other four books in the series enough that I would definitely read more books like them, partly for the great plot and partly because I’m a sucker for a happy ending

During the late 16th century in Renaissance France, Ariane Cheney, a daughter of the earth and lady of the faire isle, is duty bound to prevent the misuse of power by other daughters of the earth. Although the true witches are those show more she defends against, she also faces the superstitious minds of the time, some of whom would brand her a witch as well. When a stranger arrives seeking Ariane’s help against the dark queen, Catherine di Medici, even the strong Ariane needs some help. She has no one to ask but the Comte de Renard, although she hesitates to do so because of both their mutual attraction and her uncertainty his intentions are as straightforward as he would have her believe.

Read more here... show less

Marriage is the last thing on Ariane Cheney’s mind, but the Comte de Renard has other plans. Ariane does her best to resist him, but when an injured soldier arrives at her beloved Faire Isle bearing a dangerous item with political ramifications, she finds herself turning to Renard more and more often.

I quite enjoyed this fun, engaging read. I really liked how Carroll developed the relationship between Ariane and Renard. The two of them are bound and determined not to be in love, and that’s always a good place to begin. I thought she did a good job of showing us how their relationship changed over the course of the book. There's not a whole lot of tension between them - there's that predictability at work - but oh well.

I also found show more the magic interesting. There are a few genuinely mystical things, (including necromancy and a form of mind reading), but Ariane is mostly a scientist. She prepares medicines and agricultural soil-boosters. In one scene, she gives someone CPR. It makes for a nice mix of actual magic and the sort of knowledge that would’ve been considered magical back in the day.

On the downside, Carroll doesn’t really capture the historical feel I was hoping for. The book definitely doesn’t feel modern, but neither does it feel like something set in sixteenth century France. The romance is quite predictable, too; the outcome is never in any doubt.

But if you want something quick and enjoyable, I'd certainly recommend this. It was a fun read, and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina). show less