Review and Giveaway: The September Queen by Gillian Bagwell

The September Queen

by Gillian Bagwell

Release Date:  November 1, 2011

Berkley Trade

400p

SYNOPSIS

Charles II is running for his life-and into the arms of a woman who will risk all for king and country.

Jane Lane is of marrying age, but she longs for adventure. She has pushed every potential suitor away-even those who could provide everything for her. Then one day, adventure makes its way to her doorstep, and with it comes mortal danger...

Royalists fighting to restore the crown to King Charles II implore Jane to help. Jane must transport him to safety, disguised as a manservant. As she places herself in harm's way, she finds herself falling in love with the gallant young Charles. And despite his reputation as a breaker of hearts, Jane finds herself surrendering to a passion that will change her life forever. 

MY REVIEW

When I read and reviewed Gillian Bagwell’s first novel, The Darling Strumpet, last year {READ REVIEW} I knew she would be an author to watch, and boy was I right!  Gillian’s sophomore novel of the woman who helped King Charles II escape from the grasp of his enemies and return to his rightful place on the throne of England is an extraordinarily engrossing read!

At twenty-five years of age, Jane Lane still lives at home, is unmarried and unsure of what she wants in life.  All she knows is that she isn’t ready to settle down and become a wife to a man that she doesn’t feel passion for.  When the exiled and penniless Charles Stuart lands in England to fight for his crown Jane’s royalist family supports his cause and her brothers take up his fight.  She’s envious of the freedom their gender enables them and desires more than anything to be able to fight for her king, so when the opportunity arises and Jane is the one person who can help Charles escape from Cromwell’s army, she doesn’t hesitate to accept the challenge.  Risking her life and the lives of her family Jane and her cousin race Charles to safety - sidestepping danger and capture along the way. 

King Charles II and Jane Lane by Isaac Fuller, NP

Charles would not be Charles if he wasn’t charming a lady out of her chemise and Jane succumbs most willingly to his magnetic allure, and a passionate love affair between the two begins, ignited by the dangerous circumstances they find themselves. 

I have read quite a few HF novels on Charles II, but none that dealt with this part of his life or his time with Jane Lane, so this was quite a treat for me.  Jane was a fabulous heroine and the sacrifices she made to restore Charles to the throne are what earned her a place as an important figure in the history of England and I am so glad to have read about her.  Gillian did a wonderful job of bringing Jane and Charles’s story to life, and it’s such an important story to tell because it shows us that despite the limitations of the female gender in the 17th century a woman can and did affect the history of the world.

My congratulations to Gillian for another fabulous historical fiction novel!  I loved The September Queen, it had everything that I look for in a novel – drama, romance, danger and adventure.  I devoured it in two sittings and my copy is now sitting comfortably on my keeper shelf.  Highly recommended!  

**Gillian's next novel will be on the life of the formidable Bess of Hardwick and I, for one, cannot wait!

For more information please visit Gillian Bagwell's WEBSITE

FTC DISCLOSURE:  I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thanks to the generous people at Berkley Trade, Passages to the Past has one copy of The September Queen up for grabs!

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