St. Martin's Griffin
Featuring: Frances Stuart; King Louis XIV; Charles II
335 pages ISBN: 125006094X EAN: 9781250060945 Kindle: B00EGJ7LFI Paperback / e-Book (reprint) Add to Wish List
With the unexpected introduction to George Villiers,
second
Duke of Buckingham, Frances Theresa Stuart, the lovely,
but
penniless young Royalist in King Louis XIV's court took
her
chance to ask him. Frances is not only beautiful, but
intelligent and could pull together from little whispers
what her fate could be. She knew what her mother expected
of her, but she knew that was not the path that could save
her and her family.
Now with the restoration of King Charles II after the end
of Cromwell and the Puritan rule, Frances is anxious to go
to England. It is 1660 and her beloved older cousin,
Princess Henriette Anne is unhappy to marry the brother of
King Louis as she is in love with the King himself. It is
a situation that has Frances walking a very dangerous
tightrope, fraught with conflicting family dynamics and
unexpected dangers. As Frances unintentionally captures
the
King's attention, he is determined to bed this untouched
and beautiful virgin. What can Frances do? How will her
cousin react?
GIRL ON A GOLDEN COIN is the fascinating debut novel by
Marci Jefferson about Frances Stuart, "Le Belle Stuart",
the darling of Kings and whose image that not only became
the face of Britannia but also graced British coins for
centuries. With her vivid descriptions of French court
life
in 1660, Jefferson instantly pulls you into the story and
the danger and dynamics of the times. Life can change
with just one glance.
I love historical fiction, although I had not been as
familiar with the Restoration period as I am with The
Tudors and other times in British history, and I
thoroughly
enjoyed GIRL ON A GOLDEN COIN. I found Jefferson's
writing
easy to read and the plotting spellbinding with its
undertones of danger from family loyalties to the
background court intrigue and shifting political
alliances.
Jefferson has done an awesome job in bringing all this
larger than life, but relatively unknown to many
characters
to vivid life. Frances is a very likeable heroine (as well
as in real life beloved by many) with the intelligence and
inner strength to know when to be obedient and when to
make
her own way. One of the Jefferson's strengths is
depicting
the tensions, dynamics and love between the many strong
willed characters, such as the Queen Mother, Henriette,
the protestant Lady Castlemaine (King Charles' official
Mistress) and Queen Catherine, Charles' young Portuguese
bride and Frances.
If you like historical fiction or just love an intrigue
tale of romance and suspense, I heartily recommend that
you check out Jefferson's book and go back to the
seventeenth
Century to the glittering and bejeweled courts of two
powerful Kings and a chance to meet the GIRL ON A GOLDEN
COIN!
In 1660, the Restoration of Stuart Monarchy in England
returns Frances Stuart and her family to favor. Frances
discards threadbare gowns and goes to gilded Fontainebleau
Palace, where she soon catches the Sun King’s eye. But
Frances is no ordinary court beauty—she has Stuart secrets
to keep and her family to protect. King Louis XIV turns
vengeful when she rejects his offer to become his Official
Mistress. He sends her to England with orders to seduce
King
Charles II and help him form an alliance with England. The
Queen Mother likewise orders Frances to become her son's
mistress, in the interest of luring him away from the
Protestant mistress he currently keeps.
Armed in pearls and silks, Frances maneuvers the political
turbulence of Whitehall Palace, but still can’t afford to
stir a scandal, determined to keep her family from shame.
Her tactic to inspire King Charles to greatness captivates
him, and the two embark on a tenuous relationship. Frances
survives the Great Fire, the Great Plague, and the
debauchery of the Restoration Court, yet loses her heart
to
the very king she must control. A startling discovery will
leave her with no other choice but to break his heart,
while
the fate of England hangs in the balance.
In Girl on the Golden Coin, Marci Jefferson brings
to
life a
captivating woman whose beauty, compassion, and intellect
impacted a king and a nation.
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