Abduction of the Scots’ Queen
Abduction of the Scots’ Queen is a novel concerning the attempted abduction of the baby Mary Queen of Scots by various factions, all acting, if loosely, for Henry VIII and all for their own ends. It is a tale of intrigue, plots and traitors, all very familiar to lovers of the Tudor era.
Jen Black has a writing style that is pleasing and fluent. Her work is well edited and there seems little that is superfluous. However, the book is let down by a lack of action and energy. There is a great deal of conversation, many vivid characters, all beautifully portrayed, and Ms Black is particularly good at conjuring a love scene that is tingling but not at all sentimental or tawdry, but there is little action to encourage the reader to keep turning the pages. There is also a strong reliance on the reader already being knowledgeable about the era and the historic personages that populate the pages – as a half-hearted aficionado of the era, I struggled to keep up with the sub-plots and who was who. That being said, it is a well-written novel and will appeal to many Tudor fans.
e-edition reviewed
