Review: Twilight of a Queen by Susan Carroll


Twilight of a Queen
by Susan Carroll

Rating:  3.5 / 5

The year is 1588. The Spanish Armada is threatening Elizabeth’s Protestant England, the Duc de Guise is harassing the cross-dressing, Metrosexual French King, Henri and Henri’s mother, Catherine de Medici, is still on the hunt for the Silver Rose.

The aging Catherine is not growing old gracefully and is desperate to find the Silver Rose. Louis Xavier, a necromancer, is Catherine’s last hope and she hires him to go to Faire Isle and to abduct the Silver Rose. Unfortunately for Catherine, she has been played false and Xavier is actually a pirate with no intention of going to Faire Isle. But fate has another plan in mind.

The Silver Rose, now called Meg, is safe among the Daughters of the Earth on Faire Isle. Ariane, the oldest of the Cheney sisters, heads up this coven of healing women and is busy preparing for the naming of her successor when a stranger (Xavier) washes ashore of Faire Isle. She is quite shocked, to say the least, when it is revealed who this stranger truly is.

Jane Danvers, has been persecuted and exiled for her religious beliefs by Queen Elizabeth and is now living on Faire Isle. Jane feels a strange connection with this stranger from the beginning and offers to care for him while he recuperates. They eventually fall in love. However, the “and they lived happily ever after” part is going to have to wait – Xavier’s rouse has been found out by Catherine and she is one ticked off lady. Now he must do whatever possible to save himself, the Silver Rose and the other women on Faire Isle from The Dark Queen.

Twilight of a Queen is the fifth book in Susan Carroll’s Dark Queen series. While it is not a required to have read the other four before this one, you would really miss out on some good reading and I am ever the neurotic one when it comes to reading a series in order. I do have to say that I was a bit under-whelmed by this one. I found the other four books in the series more entertaining …Twilight of a Queen was more a love story, which is fine, but I wanted more Catherine and more drama!

Best Line: “Steel sheathed in velvet, that is what a woman must be in order to survive.”

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9 comments:

  1. I really need to read this series one of these days. I loved her Bridefinder series to bit. Winterbourne however went flying before page 50.

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  3. I was a little underwhelmed with this one as well. As much as I loved the rest of the series, this one just seemed like that "which one is not like the others" game.

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  4. Sounds good. I am also a succor for reading a series in order. I would definitely look for the others in the series!
    That last line is really strong one! I liked it!

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  5. Yes I had a feeling the others were better, which is why it made it to book 5 in the first place. It probably wasn't a fitting conclusion for her previous titles; someday I will get to them also, AND all the Bridefinder ones also which I also have, waiting patiently..

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  6. I have collected the first three books in this series, but have not yet read them. I think that based on your review, I have been missing something great and I need to move these up on the TBR pile. I'm glad you enjoyed the book and great review!

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  7. Amy, I feel you...I'm totally neurotic in that way too when it comes to series! But I really wanna read this one. I just don't know why I have that darn fascination whenever I hear the Medici name. Great review- marking this one down for sure:)

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  8. Well there is certainly a lot going on in this book. I think I'll need a scorecard. Sounds good though. deMedici was always up to something, wasn't she?

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  9. I've only read the first three books in this series, I really need to catch up! Thanks for this review.

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