The Flower Reader
ISBN: 0451235819 (ISBN13: 9780451235817)
Edition language: English
Five Stars
Rinette
Leslie of Granmuir has the ancient gift of divining the future in flowers, but
her gift cannot prepare her for the turmoil that comes when the dying queen
regent entrusts her with a casket full of Scotland's darkest secrets. On the
very day she means to deliver it to newly crowned Mary, Queen of Scots,
Rinette's husband is brutally assassinated.
Devastated,
Rinette demands justice before she will surrender the casket, but she is
surrounded by ruthless men who will do anything to possess it. In the end, the
flowers are all she can trust-and only the flowers will lead her safely home to
Granmuir.
From the author of The Second Duchess comes a rich tale
of heartbreak and triumph, dangerous political intrigue, and all set in the glitter
of the royal court of Mary, Queen of Scots.
The
Flower Reader is absolutely a riveting story that will grab you and not let you
go. This story is, at heart, a political thriller set in the reign of Mary,
Queen of Scots, and begins the day of her mother, Mary Guise, Queen Regent of
Scotland, death.
The
story is centered on the silver casket, which is given to Rinette Leslie to
deliver to Mary Queen of Scots upon her arrival at Leith, Scotland. The casket
has letters from Mary of Guise to her daughter but also ledgers of secrets on
the lords of the land and quatrains (prophesies) by Nostradamus as to the
throne of Scotland, France, and England and guide Queen Mary in her choices.
(This is actually not far fetched as many notables and rulers of the day did
consult with him as well as receive horoscopes from him).
Secret
agents and professional assassins are dispatched to take the casket. The court
of young (she is a teenager) Mary becomes a very dark and dangerous place and
Rinette, a lady in waiting and the heroine, is the target because only she
knows the whereabouts of the casket.
Elizabeth
Loupas puts us in the court of the young queen and Rinette tells the events as
she bravely fights to keep her family and manor safe and in her control. She
bargains with Queen Mary—the casket for justice in the assassination of her
husband. That is her focus throughout the story. Revenge for her murdered her
husband.
The
Flower reader is, by turns sweet and loving, harsh and dark, filled with danger
and sometimes brutality. Through it all Rinette’s focus is on finding the safe
path. Her bravery shines through the harshness and betrayal she has to face.
She is someone this reader cheered for as both Rinette and I tried to discover
who was behind it all. I cheered for her happy ending and all the more so
because she deserved it, by god.
For
me, this was an engrossing tale from start to finish; rich in historical detail
but never let up in tension or excitement of the story.
