The Fallen Angel by Tracy Borman

The Stuart era was an intriguing one. The earlier times were filled anyway with intrigue and it was always a King who had to defend his throne either against foreigners trying to do away with one, or worse still within your own family or clan. King James was not a bad sort, just an indolent one. Fixated on hunting and having a good time it led to the rise of smarter courtiers amongst his household all vying for more and more benefits. The chief amongst them Somerset and Buckingham were in constant rivalry until Buckingham was able to lead the downfall of Somerset and it seemed that Buckingham would one day take the throne through the downfall of the present King's appetities. Courtiers who were on the periphery did not fare well as the entire family of the Buckinghams wanted a piece of the pie and Thomas and Frances fared very badly. Frances had a secret of her own to hide, and she knew that once this was known the end would be near for her family. Thomas held on to his position because he was badly off financially, and the investments he had made for Lord Raleigh turned out to be a huge disappointment leading to abject financial failure and the loss of his ancestral property. When Prince Charles's own position (King James's son) becomes precarious Frances decides to step in to help in whatever way she can - to bring back the treasures from France which were kept to help Charles financially and to oust Buckingham from his position at court. Frances's role precarious and extreme showed her steadfast courage and her belief in the Catholic faith, against all the persecution and odds against her. At times putting aside the well being of her husband and children she stood by what she believed in. Ideal for lovers of English history, and pageantry this was a good read. Sent by Grove Atlantic for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.