Tarnished Rose of the Court

October 15, 2012
Finally free from an unwanted marriage with a man who made her miserable, Celia Sutton arrives at court to petition Queen Elizabeth to grant her title to a family estate. Unfortunately, the estate has already been willed to a distant relative of Celia's, but Elizabeth does have a counterproposal. Celia will travel to Scotland, take up her post as lady-in-waiting to Queen Mary, and report back on the success of Elizabeth's plan to match up her cousin Mary with Lord Darnley. Once Celia's mission is completed, Elizabeth will arrange a suitable marriage for her back in England. The only problem is that Celia must travel to Scotland with John Brandon, the very same rogue whose seduction and abandonment of Celia forced her into her ill-fated marriage. What's even worse is John's intent to resume their romance. In her latest lusciously sensual romance, RITA Awardwinning McCabe mixes and matches historical and fictional characters with exceptional aplomb, and her bold, vividly detailed writing perfectly captures the flavor and feel of the rival queens' courts.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)