What do you think?
Rate this book
Thornleigh #4
A Aposta da Rainha
Sinopse:
O caminho para o trono da jovem rainha Isabel I foi muito arriscado, e acabada de ser coroada já enfrenta uma crise perigosa.
Tropas francesas desembarcaram na Escócia para dizimar um exército protestante rebelde, e Isabel teme que por estarem entrincheirados na fronteira, possam invadir a Inglaterra.
Isabel ornleigh voltou para Londres após regressar do Novo Mundo com o marido espanhol, Carlos Valverde, e o filho. Sempre foi uma serva fiel da rainha e é recrutada para fazer chegar dinheiro aos rebeldes escoceses. No entanto, a confiança de Isabel I é limitada, e para que tudo corra como pretende, faz do filho desta refém, até que acabe a missão que lhe foi atribuída. Mas a situação agrava-se quando o marido de Isabel é contratado como conselheiro militar dos franceses, colocando assim o casal em lados opostos e numa guerra-fria mortal. Tendo como pano de fundo uma corte exuberante e vibrante com personagens inesquecíveis e figuras históricas, é uma história de coragem, ambição, paixão, e o preço muito alto da lealdade.
O caminho para o trono da jovem rainha Isabel I foi muito arriscado, e acabada de ser coroada já enfrenta uma crise perigosa.
Tropas francesas desembarcaram na Escócia para dizimar um exército protestante rebelde, e Isabel teme que por estarem entrincheirados na fronteira, possam invadir a Inglaterra.
Isabel ornleigh voltou para Londres após regressar do Novo Mundo com o marido espanhol, Carlos Valverde, e o filho. Sempre foi uma serva fiel da rainha e é recrutada para fazer chegar dinheiro aos rebeldes escoceses. No entanto, a confiança de Isabel I é limitada, e para que tudo corra como pretende, faz do filho desta refém, até que acabe a missão que lhe foi atribuída. Mas a situação agrava-se quando o marido de Isabel é contratado como conselheiro militar dos franceses, colocando assim o casal em lados opostos e numa guerra-fria mortal. Tendo como pano de fundo uma corte exuberante e vibrante com personagens inesquecíveis e figuras históricas, é uma história de coragem, ambição, paixão, e o preço muito alto da lealdade.
432 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2011
20 people are currently reading
1045 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Kyle
15 books340 followersThanks for visiting!
Here’s a little about me. Before becoming an author, I enjoyed a twenty-year acting career playing Shakespearean heroines on stage, leading roles in daytime TV dramas, and characters in Disney made-for-TV movies. It felt like a natural extension of my acting to create characters for fiction, and I hope you'll enjoy my novels. Over half a million copies have been sold worldwide.
My seven-book Thornleigh Saga series is set in 16th-century England and follows a middle-class family’s rise through three generations and three tumultuous Tudor reigns. ("Riveting Tudor drama" - USA Today). I’m also the author of acclaimed thrillers.
My new novel, THE DEADLY TRADE, is a murder mystery. I hope you’ll love it!
As a writing mentor I’ve launched many writers on the path to published success. My video course YOUR PATH TO WRITING A PAGE-TURNER shows how to craft a book that excites publishers and thrills readers. It's a Udemy Bestseller! See: https://www.udemy.com/course/your-pat...
My husband and I live in Guelph, a university city in southern Ontario where we enjoy its riverside walks, vibrant arts community, and good-neighborliness.
Happy reading!
Barbara Kyle
P.S. Follow me on Instagram @BarbaraKyleAuthor
Here’s a little about me. Before becoming an author, I enjoyed a twenty-year acting career playing Shakespearean heroines on stage, leading roles in daytime TV dramas, and characters in Disney made-for-TV movies. It felt like a natural extension of my acting to create characters for fiction, and I hope you'll enjoy my novels. Over half a million copies have been sold worldwide.
My seven-book Thornleigh Saga series is set in 16th-century England and follows a middle-class family’s rise through three generations and three tumultuous Tudor reigns. ("Riveting Tudor drama" - USA Today). I’m also the author of acclaimed thrillers.
My new novel, THE DEADLY TRADE, is a murder mystery. I hope you’ll love it!
As a writing mentor I’ve launched many writers on the path to published success. My video course YOUR PATH TO WRITING A PAGE-TURNER shows how to craft a book that excites publishers and thrills readers. It's a Udemy Bestseller! See: https://www.udemy.com/course/your-pat...
My husband and I live in Guelph, a university city in southern Ontario where we enjoy its riverside walks, vibrant arts community, and good-neighborliness.
Happy reading!
Barbara Kyle
P.S. Follow me on Instagram @BarbaraKyleAuthor
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
August 24, 2011
I am the first to admit to a historical knowledge deficit, alarming (or maybe more embarrassing) considering my father was a history teacher for 30+ years. But I can't deny my fascination with Barbara Kyle's ability to weave true history with her own brand of fiction--complex story lines, unexpected twists, seething passion and drama galore. Add in rich characters with seemingly insurmountable conflict, stakes high enough to spear clouds and a smooth, engaging writing style ... you've got a real can't-put-it-down read.
I could go on and on about how this book held my attention and gave me a read beyond anything I anticipated, but RT Reviews and Publisher's Weekly -- the REAL reviewing professionals -- already do it so well:
" ... action-packed adventure that expertly blends fiction with history ... a pulsating story of valor and greed, love and passion, and the tremendous cost of loyalty." - Publishers Weekly blog
"Not only does Kyle create memorable characters, but she infuses her stories with lush historical detail, fascinating intrigues and court drama. History and romance merge, loyalty and passions run high and readers are riveted to the pages of her highly addictive novels." - RT Reviews
I could go on and on about how this book held my attention and gave me a read beyond anything I anticipated, but RT Reviews and Publisher's Weekly -- the REAL reviewing professionals -- already do it so well:
" ... action-packed adventure that expertly blends fiction with history ... a pulsating story of valor and greed, love and passion, and the tremendous cost of loyalty." - Publishers Weekly blog
"Not only does Kyle create memorable characters, but she infuses her stories with lush historical detail, fascinating intrigues and court drama. History and romance merge, loyalty and passions run high and readers are riveted to the pages of her highly addictive novels." - RT Reviews
September 30, 2012
Fast-paced and filled with details that readers of historical novels crave, The Queen’s Gamble by Barbara Kyle is fourth in the Thornleigh series and set in the first year of Elizabeth I’s reign, when even her supporters doubt the young queen will survive to rule a second year.
In The Queen’s Gamble, Scotland is the focus of political contention. The teenage Mary, Queen of Scots, is living in France, married to Francois II. Scotland is ruled by a regent, Mary of Guise, who is French. Tthe Scots lords fear their country will become no more than a province of France, and support the rebel Protestant preacher John Knox in what will become the Scottish Reformation. With no standing army and a token navy, Queen Elizabeth is poorly-equipped to defend England’s interests in a rebellion that is drawing in France and Spain.
Meanwhile, after five years abroad, Isabel Thornleigh and her Spanish husband Carlos Valverde have built a prosperous life in the New World. Concerned for Isabel's parents, they sail back to London and almost immediately get pulled into schemes that threaten their prosperity, the Thornleigh's lives, and the life of their little son, Nico.
Isabel and Carlos’ allegiances are split along complex and multiple rifts. Isabel’s brother Adam and her parents, Honor and Richard, are Protestants loyal to Elizabeth. Carlos is a Spanish subject and for now, Spain is nominally on England’s side. Adam’s wife Frances, however, is Catholic and furthermore, an unwelcome addition to the Thornleigh clan because she is from the Grenville family. To say there is bad blood between the families would be an understatement. To top it off, during her years in Peru, a Spanish colony, Isabel has become a Catholic, more for the sake of social convention than any true religious feeling.
Isabel has not been kept abreast of all the Thornleigh’s intrigues and she feels hurt that her parents and brother evade her questions , thinking they don’t trust her now that she is a Catholic. This changes when her mother, a confidante to Queen Elizabeth, takes her to see the queen. Elizabeth entrusts Isabel with a mission to the Scottish rebels; then to guarantee Isabel’s cooperation, the Queen takes little Nico as a hostage. At the same time, Carlos, who needs a good word in the right ears at the Spanish court to ensure a privileged position of wealth in Peru, agrees to go to Scotland as a neutral Spanish observer on the French side. His neutral role doesn’t last very long.
I’m happy to admit that I gobble up the Thornleigh novels like candy. One of the most satisfying traits of a Kyle novel is how her story folds in events that often receive nominal attention in general history texts. OK, to be perfectly honest, events I have skipped over because they sounded boring in textbooks. She always proves me wrong by adding a human dimension that explains why I should have been interested.
Then, as if there isn't already plenty of intrigue in Tudor England, Kyle delivers plots and subplots that keep the pages turning practically by themselves. Her theater background is evident in the way her chapter endings leave you hanging. Just as a situation seems to improve, the tension escalates. Her characters are driven further and further apart, time and again, their desires thwarted by outside influences and human frailty. You know that Isabel and Carlos will come together by the end of the novel, but it’s impossible to imagine how. Yet Kyle pulls it off.
What I Learned About Writing from Reading This Book
If there is one thing that stands out for me in Kyle’s novels, it’s how she manages to make her characters’ change of heart as interesting as the action. As writers, we learn about the importance of a character’s inner journey: by the end of the novel, a character must have changed or grown in some way.
Kyle sets the bar very high in this respect. In The Queen’s Lady, the first Thornleigh novel, she had my jaw on the floor at how she achieved a 180 degree change of heart in her main character, Honor Larke. In The Queen’s Gamble, I made a conscious effort to study how Kyle achieves this about-turn without overstretching our credulity.
Carlos Valverde, a bastard and professional soldier of fortune, finally manages to build a stable life in Peru. Respectability and wealth mean more than anything else to him when he thinks of the advantages his son will have – and this bright future depends on total obedience to the Spanish monarch. Throughout the novel, Kyle pulls him in different directions and exposes him to conflicting points of view. When he rejects his wife Isabel for helping England instead of Spain (and in doing so, working against him) it seems inconceivable that he will be able to change his position.
But he does change, and there are two reasons why it works. First, even though they are at odds, when events come to a head, Carlos still loves Isabel. For her sake, he helps her family. Second, when he does this, it’s a decision that strips away all hope of ever finding favour again with Spain. Freed of obligation to a country that will never truly accept him because of his lowly birth, Carlos finally can process everything that Isabel and others have been telling him in previous chapters. He realizes where his true allegiances belong.
From now on, when I plot a character's inner journey, I'll be careful to avoid a sudden single pivot. Instead, I'll sprinkle the seeds of change throughout the novel and nudge the character along.
Barbara was gracious enough to let me interview her (read here)
In The Queen’s Gamble, Scotland is the focus of political contention. The teenage Mary, Queen of Scots, is living in France, married to Francois II. Scotland is ruled by a regent, Mary of Guise, who is French. Tthe Scots lords fear their country will become no more than a province of France, and support the rebel Protestant preacher John Knox in what will become the Scottish Reformation. With no standing army and a token navy, Queen Elizabeth is poorly-equipped to defend England’s interests in a rebellion that is drawing in France and Spain.
Meanwhile, after five years abroad, Isabel Thornleigh and her Spanish husband Carlos Valverde have built a prosperous life in the New World. Concerned for Isabel's parents, they sail back to London and almost immediately get pulled into schemes that threaten their prosperity, the Thornleigh's lives, and the life of their little son, Nico.
Isabel and Carlos’ allegiances are split along complex and multiple rifts. Isabel’s brother Adam and her parents, Honor and Richard, are Protestants loyal to Elizabeth. Carlos is a Spanish subject and for now, Spain is nominally on England’s side. Adam’s wife Frances, however, is Catholic and furthermore, an unwelcome addition to the Thornleigh clan because she is from the Grenville family. To say there is bad blood between the families would be an understatement. To top it off, during her years in Peru, a Spanish colony, Isabel has become a Catholic, more for the sake of social convention than any true religious feeling.
Isabel has not been kept abreast of all the Thornleigh’s intrigues and she feels hurt that her parents and brother evade her questions , thinking they don’t trust her now that she is a Catholic. This changes when her mother, a confidante to Queen Elizabeth, takes her to see the queen. Elizabeth entrusts Isabel with a mission to the Scottish rebels; then to guarantee Isabel’s cooperation, the Queen takes little Nico as a hostage. At the same time, Carlos, who needs a good word in the right ears at the Spanish court to ensure a privileged position of wealth in Peru, agrees to go to Scotland as a neutral Spanish observer on the French side. His neutral role doesn’t last very long.
I’m happy to admit that I gobble up the Thornleigh novels like candy. One of the most satisfying traits of a Kyle novel is how her story folds in events that often receive nominal attention in general history texts. OK, to be perfectly honest, events I have skipped over because they sounded boring in textbooks. She always proves me wrong by adding a human dimension that explains why I should have been interested.
Then, as if there isn't already plenty of intrigue in Tudor England, Kyle delivers plots and subplots that keep the pages turning practically by themselves. Her theater background is evident in the way her chapter endings leave you hanging. Just as a situation seems to improve, the tension escalates. Her characters are driven further and further apart, time and again, their desires thwarted by outside influences and human frailty. You know that Isabel and Carlos will come together by the end of the novel, but it’s impossible to imagine how. Yet Kyle pulls it off.
What I Learned About Writing from Reading This Book
If there is one thing that stands out for me in Kyle’s novels, it’s how she manages to make her characters’ change of heart as interesting as the action. As writers, we learn about the importance of a character’s inner journey: by the end of the novel, a character must have changed or grown in some way.
Kyle sets the bar very high in this respect. In The Queen’s Lady, the first Thornleigh novel, she had my jaw on the floor at how she achieved a 180 degree change of heart in her main character, Honor Larke. In The Queen’s Gamble, I made a conscious effort to study how Kyle achieves this about-turn without overstretching our credulity.
Carlos Valverde, a bastard and professional soldier of fortune, finally manages to build a stable life in Peru. Respectability and wealth mean more than anything else to him when he thinks of the advantages his son will have – and this bright future depends on total obedience to the Spanish monarch. Throughout the novel, Kyle pulls him in different directions and exposes him to conflicting points of view. When he rejects his wife Isabel for helping England instead of Spain (and in doing so, working against him) it seems inconceivable that he will be able to change his position.
But he does change, and there are two reasons why it works. First, even though they are at odds, when events come to a head, Carlos still loves Isabel. For her sake, he helps her family. Second, when he does this, it’s a decision that strips away all hope of ever finding favour again with Spain. Freed of obligation to a country that will never truly accept him because of his lowly birth, Carlos finally can process everything that Isabel and others have been telling him in previous chapters. He realizes where his true allegiances belong.
From now on, when I plot a character's inner journey, I'll be careful to avoid a sudden single pivot. Instead, I'll sprinkle the seeds of change throughout the novel and nudge the character along.
Barbara was gracious enough to let me interview her (read here)
February 1, 2013
The saga of the fictional Thornleigh family in Tudor times continues in this novel. One need not read the previous books, but one may wish to, in order to enjoy the well-crafted, tightly woven story of an English family's service to England and Queen Elizabeth I.
Isabel Thornleigh's parents serve Elizabeth, in her first year as Queen. Isabel is married to Carlos Valverde, a former Spanish mercenary turned Peruvian grandee. He wants nothing more than to have a position confirmed in Peru, so that he, Isabel, and their young son can live a good life in the New World. They have travelled back to England after years to see Isabel's parents. Once there, Isabel and Carlos learn of the problems with rebellion in northern England (as Mary de Guise, Queen Regent in Scotland and mother of Mary who will be Queen of Scots, seeks to overthrow the Protestant Elizabeth). Carlos is ordered to travel to Scotland to serve de Guise and her allied forces. Isabel meanwhile must undertake a mission for Elizabeth. The conflicts, personal and political, get upped and upped, and even the heroes find themselves forced to commit to things and to do things that are less than admirable.
The characters are well written, the political, religious, and personal conflicts weave in and out of the story, with empathetic understanding given to all sides. One can cheer equally for Elizabeth and the Protestants, as well as for the Catholics who struggle to hold on to their fervent devotion.
This is possible because the story centers on Isabel and Carlos, and their own struggles to make the best political and personal choices.
Read this and then wait for the next one. While waiting, read the earlier books and see the story from the beginning.
Isabel Thornleigh's parents serve Elizabeth, in her first year as Queen. Isabel is married to Carlos Valverde, a former Spanish mercenary turned Peruvian grandee. He wants nothing more than to have a position confirmed in Peru, so that he, Isabel, and their young son can live a good life in the New World. They have travelled back to England after years to see Isabel's parents. Once there, Isabel and Carlos learn of the problems with rebellion in northern England (as Mary de Guise, Queen Regent in Scotland and mother of Mary who will be Queen of Scots, seeks to overthrow the Protestant Elizabeth). Carlos is ordered to travel to Scotland to serve de Guise and her allied forces. Isabel meanwhile must undertake a mission for Elizabeth. The conflicts, personal and political, get upped and upped, and even the heroes find themselves forced to commit to things and to do things that are less than admirable.
The characters are well written, the political, religious, and personal conflicts weave in and out of the story, with empathetic understanding given to all sides. One can cheer equally for Elizabeth and the Protestants, as well as for the Catholics who struggle to hold on to their fervent devotion.
This is possible because the story centers on Isabel and Carlos, and their own struggles to make the best political and personal choices.
Read this and then wait for the next one. While waiting, read the earlier books and see the story from the beginning.
September 9, 2011
This is the fourth book in Ms. Kyle's Thornleigh series and after reading it I so want to read the first three. Not because I felt like I missed anything - The Queen's Gamble can stand alone perfectly well - but because it was such an enjoyable book. While this book takes place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth the focus is more on the fictional family, the Thornleighs.
Isabel Thornleigh is coming home to England with her husband Carlos. They live in the "New World," in Peru where Carlos is making a name for himself as a planter, a soldier and as the owner of a silver mine. He is a citizen of Spain and loyal to the King. Isabel is a child of England and upon her return gets caught up in the religious turmoil going on as young Queen Elizabeth tries to keep her kingdom together. Isabel is nominally a Catholic since she lives in a Spanish country but she does not feel any strong feelings towards one religion or the other. She feels people should just be able to worship in peace.
Isabel becomes embroiled in Queen Elizabeth's dealings with the Scots through her husband. He is sent as an Spanish envoy to the French who are aiding Scotland. Will this tear their marriage apart?
Ms. Kyle has created a wonderful series of characters to live in the dangerous times of Queen Elizabeth's early years on the throne. I was swept up in the lives of Isabel, her husband and her family as they worked to keep the Queen informed. There are many twists and turns and Elizabeth's mercurial temper is quite in play.
The book was a page turner that I had a hard time putting down. It was historical fiction and mystery/thriller all tied up into one fascinating package. I do hope I find time somewhere in my reading life to enjoy the other books in the series.
Isabel Thornleigh is coming home to England with her husband Carlos. They live in the "New World," in Peru where Carlos is making a name for himself as a planter, a soldier and as the owner of a silver mine. He is a citizen of Spain and loyal to the King. Isabel is a child of England and upon her return gets caught up in the religious turmoil going on as young Queen Elizabeth tries to keep her kingdom together. Isabel is nominally a Catholic since she lives in a Spanish country but she does not feel any strong feelings towards one religion or the other. She feels people should just be able to worship in peace.
Isabel becomes embroiled in Queen Elizabeth's dealings with the Scots through her husband. He is sent as an Spanish envoy to the French who are aiding Scotland. Will this tear their marriage apart?
Ms. Kyle has created a wonderful series of characters to live in the dangerous times of Queen Elizabeth's early years on the throne. I was swept up in the lives of Isabel, her husband and her family as they worked to keep the Queen informed. There are many twists and turns and Elizabeth's mercurial temper is quite in play.
The book was a page turner that I had a hard time putting down. It was historical fiction and mystery/thriller all tied up into one fascinating package. I do hope I find time somewhere in my reading life to enjoy the other books in the series.
September 13, 2011
In this book, Elizabeth is now Queen after her half sister, Mary’s fall from reign. Elizabeth has a lot of prove. Most of the people are just waiting for Elizabeth’s fall as well. This is probably why France has decided now is the best time for the country to make a move and try to over take England.
Isabel, her husband Carlos and their son, Nicholas have arrived from Peru to England. Things have changed quickly as Isabel soon discovers after coming back home. Isabel was sheltered from the dealings of an upcoming war living in Peru. Since arriving in England, Isabel becomes friends with Queen Elizabeth. In addition to getting close with Queen Elizabeth, Isabel shares her view on the war and that France must be stopped. This causes a huge rift between Isabel and her husband, Carlos when he is dispatched to help the French.
The Queen’s Gamble is the fourth book in the Thornleigh series. This series feature round the Tudor era. This book can be read as a stand alone novel. While, I have read many favorable reviews about this book, I can not fully jump on the band wagon as everyone else. On one hand I rally wanted to like this book more than I did ad I enjoy reading this era and can not wait to get my hands on a book that focus on this time period bit for some reason I could not fully embrace this book. It took me a little while to really get into the story. Not for a lack of the story line or the characters as I did like Isabel and Carlos. They made a good couple and I liked Isabel’s fierceness. It seemed that the author stuck close to historical facts with this book. I did appreciate this. Fans of the Tudor era should check this book and series out as it is worth your time.
Isabel, her husband Carlos and their son, Nicholas have arrived from Peru to England. Things have changed quickly as Isabel soon discovers after coming back home. Isabel was sheltered from the dealings of an upcoming war living in Peru. Since arriving in England, Isabel becomes friends with Queen Elizabeth. In addition to getting close with Queen Elizabeth, Isabel shares her view on the war and that France must be stopped. This causes a huge rift between Isabel and her husband, Carlos when he is dispatched to help the French.
The Queen’s Gamble is the fourth book in the Thornleigh series. This series feature round the Tudor era. This book can be read as a stand alone novel. While, I have read many favorable reviews about this book, I can not fully jump on the band wagon as everyone else. On one hand I rally wanted to like this book more than I did ad I enjoy reading this era and can not wait to get my hands on a book that focus on this time period bit for some reason I could not fully embrace this book. It took me a little while to really get into the story. Not for a lack of the story line or the characters as I did like Isabel and Carlos. They made a good couple and I liked Isabel’s fierceness. It seemed that the author stuck close to historical facts with this book. I did appreciate this. Fans of the Tudor era should check this book and series out as it is worth your time.
November 9, 2011
The newest installment of Barbara Kyle’s Thornleigh series, The Queen’s Gamble, is a great historical mystery novel set in the early reign of Elizabeth I. Readers meet up again with the Thornleigh family, but this time it’s the Thornleigh’s daughter, Isabel, and their son-in-law, Carlos, who are in the spotlight. Isabel has been blackmailed by the queen into aiding the rebels in Scotland who are fighting the French (and thus keeping them too busy to invade England) and her husband, Carlos, is called upon by duty to assist his lord, the French king. Spouses now find themselves on either side of a war neither of them wants and their small family is now at the mercy of a queen who will do anything to save her country. Beyond the religious strife running rampant through England and the threat of an invading French army, there is also inner-conflict within the Thornleigh family that makes for some interesting reading!
This is my second foray into the Thornleigh series and I have found both books to be really enjoyable. All four novels can be read as stand-alone novels, and while I don't feel I missed anything with not reading the first two books, I still wish that I had more knowledge on the background of the characters.
Historical mysteries are great escape reads for me, fictional characters set during real historical events, and Kyle has a real talent for writing page-turning action. All in all, I found The Queen’s Gamble to be a fun and entertaining read, jam packed with intrigue and adventure and I am looking forward to the next book in the series!
This is my second foray into the Thornleigh series and I have found both books to be really enjoyable. All four novels can be read as stand-alone novels, and while I don't feel I missed anything with not reading the first two books, I still wish that I had more knowledge on the background of the characters.
Historical mysteries are great escape reads for me, fictional characters set during real historical events, and Kyle has a real talent for writing page-turning action. All in all, I found The Queen’s Gamble to be a fun and entertaining read, jam packed with intrigue and adventure and I am looking forward to the next book in the series!
September 29, 2011
The Queens Gamble by Barbara Kyle is the fourth installment of the Thornleigh family series. I have to be honest, I read the first but not the second or third but I had no trouble following along with the family dynamics from the second novel. The story is the fictional account of Isabel (Thornleigh) Valverde and her husband Carlos's part in the Scottish uprising (with the aid of the French) to try to gain the control of the English throne and oust Elizabeth I with Mary Stuart who they felt was the true Queen of England. The story is the continuing saga of the Thornleigh family along with notable figures of history, Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Regent of Scotland, Marie de Guise, John Knox and Sir William Cecil. Barbara Kyle's combining of fact and fiction makes for a very exciting, suspenseful and wonderful read filled with real characters in this period of history. With authors like Barbara Kyle, I know why I love this period in history the most. For any fan of historical fiction and the England in the 1600's needs to have this book on their to be read stack, or on their shelf....
September 26, 2011
This fourth book in the Thornleigh series was as good as the others. I really enjoyed it, without a doubt.
I think what I really loved about this book is no character is perfect. And, this is mostly true for Queen Elizabeth. She's mean and holds Isabel's child and she's a bit mean and what not. I like ti because I've found that in some HF books the monarch is made to always be the "good guy." Instead, here Elizabeth is real. Like she would have been.
I'm excited for the next. Unfortunately, the whole thing between Mary and Elizabeth will be featured. While I find this period interesting I've read one too many books about this part of Elizabeth's reign. Still, I'm excited, no doubt about it.
After reading this book, I'm more interested in Mary de Guise. I know a lot about her daughter and almost nothing about her! i think she would be very interesting to read about. Anyone know any great Historical Fiction books on her?? Or, is there a lovely HF author out there who would write one for me???? Haha :D
I think what I really loved about this book is no character is perfect. And, this is mostly true for Queen Elizabeth. She's mean and holds Isabel's child and she's a bit mean and what not. I like ti because I've found that in some HF books the monarch is made to always be the "good guy." Instead, here Elizabeth is real. Like she would have been.
I'm excited for the next. Unfortunately, the whole thing between Mary and Elizabeth will be featured. While I find this period interesting I've read one too many books about this part of Elizabeth's reign. Still, I'm excited, no doubt about it.
After reading this book, I'm more interested in Mary de Guise. I know a lot about her daughter and almost nothing about her! i think she would be very interesting to read about. Anyone know any great Historical Fiction books on her?? Or, is there a lovely HF author out there who would write one for me???? Haha :D
April 21, 2014
Barbara Kyle é uma excelente contadora de estórias e de História. Já o tinha constatado no primeiro livro da série Thornleigh, A Aia da Rainha, e comprovei-o agora com o último volume da série.
Se no primeiro livro (e só posso falar dele porque foi o único que li da série antes deste), Kyle centra a sua história na personagem de Honor e no tempo de Catarina de Aragão, neste último volume traz à cena novamente Honor, mas a personagem principal é a sua filha Isabel. O tempo também é outro e bastante conturbado. Depois da morte da meia-irmã Maria (a rainha sanguinária), Isabel Tudor, 25 anos, herda o trono inglês. Encontra-o à beira da ruína e com a população bastante dividida entre o catolicismo e o protestantismo. Protestante convicta, Isabel de Aragão transforma-se num alvo a abater por parte da sua prima, Maria I, rainha da Escócia, católica.
Opinião completa: http://marcadordelivros.blogspot.pt/2...
3,5*
Se no primeiro livro (e só posso falar dele porque foi o único que li da série antes deste), Kyle centra a sua história na personagem de Honor e no tempo de Catarina de Aragão, neste último volume traz à cena novamente Honor, mas a personagem principal é a sua filha Isabel. O tempo também é outro e bastante conturbado. Depois da morte da meia-irmã Maria (a rainha sanguinária), Isabel Tudor, 25 anos, herda o trono inglês. Encontra-o à beira da ruína e com a população bastante dividida entre o catolicismo e o protestantismo. Protestante convicta, Isabel de Aragão transforma-se num alvo a abater por parte da sua prima, Maria I, rainha da Escócia, católica.
Opinião completa: http://marcadordelivros.blogspot.pt/2...
3,5*
September 22, 2011
This book started out very slow to me, it took about 100 pages for me really to "get into it." However once it took of it was a thriller with drama, lust, fights etc. I was really pulling for the characters even though they were doing things so "out of character" for what appeared to be their personalities. I enjoyed the book, found the ending to be a bit unbelievable for the times and found the best part of the book to be the "meat" the middle 250 pages. I read this as a stand alone book, however there are two books before it.
November 7, 2011
The Queen's Gamble is an engrossing novel that captures its readers from the first page. The intensity starts on a high and continues throughout the novel like a rolling wave; just enough time to catch your breath before the next shocking moment occurs...
Read the full review on my blog:
http://muse-in-the-fog.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-queens-gamble-by-barbara-kyle.html
Read the full review on my blog:
http://muse-in-the-fog.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-queens-gamble-by-barbara-kyle.html
July 2, 2012
I'll be honest, I skimmed about the last 3rd of this because it was so predictable that I just wanted to be sure what I thought would happen, did. The pacing was off and the writing was nothing special.
September 14, 2013
This was My first time reading Barbara Kyle's book! I like the way Barbara writes it was a bit slower read for me then Philippa Gregory books but I loved reding it!
History, Romance, passion and fascinating court drama! I will deffenetly check out her other books as well!
History, Romance, passion and fascinating court drama! I will deffenetly check out her other books as well!
August 5, 2013
A really enjoyable read. After initial reservations regarding the plausibility of certain plot elements I got caught up in the suspenseful events of the story. Finished it therefore very quickly as I simply couldn't stop reading, eventually reading far into the night to get to the end.
Want to read
September 30, 2011Give away book received from Goodreads first read give-away.
April 17, 2012
Great book! It took me quite awhile to get through it, but it was worth the wait. I look forward to going back and reading the rest of Barbara Kyle's novels!
March 20, 2012
Absolutely fantastic!
February 16, 2013
Okay. Not as good as Phillipa Gregory's books. Drags in places.
June 2, 2013
Clearly leading toward a fifth book, but a good historical fiction series focused around the Protestant reformation in England during the Tudor reign.
August 12, 2013
Oh my goodness, I couldn't put it down! Power, passion and intrigue!
September 25, 2011
Review pending...
October 26, 2017
I did enjoy this instalment of the Thornleigh series more than the previous ones. In my historical fiction reading I've been stuck on the King Henry VIII so I'm enjoying going a little farther into England's history. I have the same complaint for this book as the previous ones tho, that the family is always split up on different sides, in different disasters and yet everyone makes it through unscathed. I wish there was a little more realism then that, I understand the series would be difficult to finish if all of the characters died but the constant danger-escape scenarios are getting repetitive and old.
August 5, 2022
Hate read.
All the stupid decisions in this book were completely unnecessary. Isabel may be one of the worst MCs I've ever read. Elizabeth is still insufferable. Perfect Carlos immediately cheats on his wife after they have an argument about nothing and then murders a dying prisoner instead of helping him escape...and Adam's okay with it because he never leaves a comrade behind, but doesn't mind you murdering one. And Frances has had a complete personality change?
This whole family is constantly either on death row or being knighted.
All the stupid decisions in this book were completely unnecessary. Isabel may be one of the worst MCs I've ever read. Elizabeth is still insufferable. Perfect Carlos immediately cheats on his wife after they have an argument about nothing and then murders a dying prisoner instead of helping him escape...and Adam's okay with it because he never leaves a comrade behind, but doesn't mind you murdering one. And Frances has had a complete personality change?
This whole family is constantly either on death row or being knighted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2017
This one, like the first 2, was slow for me until around halfway through, then it got more interesting. I got very confused at the beginning trying to keep straight which country was allies with who, and I kept forgetting. Once it got where Isabel was with Frances at her brother's house, I finally got more engaged with the story. I just got the next 2 books from the library, am looking forward to see how their story ends.
September 2, 2018
This story takes place in England at the time of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Isabel Thornleigh has returned to England with her Spanish husband, Carlos Valverde and their son Nicolas. Elizabeth takes Nicolas hostage in return for Isabel's loyalty while smuggling money to the Scottish rebels, so they can fight the French, who want to take over Scotland and then invade England to put Mary on the throne. This is a tangled web of deceit, brutality, conspiracy , intrigue and drama. A good read!
Read
January 24, 2023Unfinished
July 11, 2022
This book started off slow and it was difficult to get into it but once I got about a third of the way through it got really interesting and I found myself looking forward to reading it. I didn’t follow a lot of the war-related things, but I do enjoy reading books about that period.
December 19, 2013
I began Barbara Kyle's novels by reading "The King's Daughter", which featured Isabel Thornleigh and Carlos Valverde in the context of the Wyatt Rebellion. I loved both characters and found the pair to be a brilliant match for each other. I then read "The Queen's Captive" about Isabel's mother Honor and although I enjoyed it I did find myself wondering what Isabel and Carlos were up to and wishing they would join the story. In this novel they are back in the midst of the adventure once more.
Barbara Kyle's novels are unique in how they weave many known events from history into a fictional storyline that makes for one heck of an absorbing read. Her novels are not for those who either want their historical fiction factually driven or not at all, yet for those of us who don't mind reading a little bit of creative fabrication set in a period of history that we love then these novels are great.
Isabel and Carlos have returned from Peru to find a divided England under the threat of a French invasion. Isabel places no major emphasis on religion herself, however as the wife of a Spaniard who lives in a Spanish land she is presumed Catholic and therefore the Protestant majority of London rebuke her for it. What makes it especially hard for Isabel is that her parents are among this Protestant number. In her sister-in-law Frances however, she finds an unexpected ally.
Aside from the religious battle going on in England, the French are posed at the Scottish border threatening to invade England and depose the 'heretic' Queen Elizabeth from her throne. Isabel's mother is close to the Queen and therefore Isabel finds herself drawn into the Queen's circle and into a situation she would rather not be in...
Carlos on the other hand is doing what he believes is in the best interest of his family by aiding the Spanish ambassador, whose sovereign King Philip of Spain is on the side of the French. This therefore puts Isabel and Carlos on opposing sides of a potential war. The suspense that Ms Kyle built throughout this novel was excellent and I found myself staying up late to finish the story because I just had to know what happened next.
Overall, I feel as though the novel ended well and everything was summed up nicely. However (and there will be no spoilers here) there is one thing that Carlos did that Isabel does not know that I just cannot shake from my mind. Although I have not yet read the next in the Thornleigh series "Blood Between Queens" I have read that it does not include Carlos and Isabel and therefore their story must be done. I am therefore a little disappointed with the ending of their story as I'm a reader who likes closure, especially when it comes to characters that I have formed such an attachment to. Nonetheless, I did enjoy this novel and will be reading the next in the series.
Barbara Kyle's novels are unique in how they weave many known events from history into a fictional storyline that makes for one heck of an absorbing read. Her novels are not for those who either want their historical fiction factually driven or not at all, yet for those of us who don't mind reading a little bit of creative fabrication set in a period of history that we love then these novels are great.
Isabel and Carlos have returned from Peru to find a divided England under the threat of a French invasion. Isabel places no major emphasis on religion herself, however as the wife of a Spaniard who lives in a Spanish land she is presumed Catholic and therefore the Protestant majority of London rebuke her for it. What makes it especially hard for Isabel is that her parents are among this Protestant number. In her sister-in-law Frances however, she finds an unexpected ally.
Aside from the religious battle going on in England, the French are posed at the Scottish border threatening to invade England and depose the 'heretic' Queen Elizabeth from her throne. Isabel's mother is close to the Queen and therefore Isabel finds herself drawn into the Queen's circle and into a situation she would rather not be in...
Carlos on the other hand is doing what he believes is in the best interest of his family by aiding the Spanish ambassador, whose sovereign King Philip of Spain is on the side of the French. This therefore puts Isabel and Carlos on opposing sides of a potential war. The suspense that Ms Kyle built throughout this novel was excellent and I found myself staying up late to finish the story because I just had to know what happened next.
Overall, I feel as though the novel ended well and everything was summed up nicely. However (and there will be no spoilers here) there is one thing that Carlos did that Isabel does not know that I just cannot shake from my mind. Although I have not yet read the next in the Thornleigh series "Blood Between Queens" I have read that it does not include Carlos and Isabel and therefore their story must be done. I am therefore a little disappointed with the ending of their story as I'm a reader who likes closure, especially when it comes to characters that I have formed such an attachment to. Nonetheless, I did enjoy this novel and will be reading the next in the series.
March 4, 2017
I love reading novels that take historical people, places and events to create fictional stories. Kyle did a good job with her writing as well as weaving overtones from religion and politics to showcase everyone's side. As an Irish Catholic I was able to equally enjoy the portrayals of the struggling Catholics as well as the Protestant stories.
This book is part of a series so make sure you read them in order
This book is part of a series so make sure you read them in order
May 27, 2015
Este é o quarto livro da série Thornleigh, e centra-se em Isabel Valverde, filha de Honor e Thornleigh, que regressa a Inglaterra, com Isabel Tudor como Rainha, num período conturbado. O trono de Isabel é ameaçado pela sua prima Maria da Escócia, que no período em que decorre a acção do livro, é Rainha da Escócia e, através do seu casamento, Rainha da França. E para defender o bem-estar da sua família, Isabel Valverde envolve-se no meio da política, quase como uma espia dupla.
Apesar de ter gostado bastante não senti tanta empatia por Isabel Valverde. Preferi a cunhada Frances. Frances é católica e pertence à família que tantas dores de cabeça tem dado à família Thornleigh, e que teve um papel importante nos acontecimentos deste livro.
Uma vez mais, Barbara Kyle mistura factos históricos com personagens fictícias de uma forma bastante interessante, criando um livro mais leve e com alguns factos históricos. A escrita de Barbara Kyle é simples e bastante acessível, com capítulos curtos, que nos permite avançar rapidamente na leitura. Gostei bastante da forma como a autora abordou as dificuldades que os católicos enfrentaram após a subida ao trono de Isabel Tudor, centrando-se nas dificuldades de Isabel Valverde após os cinco anos que passou no Peru ao lado do marido. O que permite criar ainda mais expectativas na missão que tem que desempenhar.
Gostei mas, tal como já referi, não senti tanta simpatia por Isabel Valverde e gostava que tivesse um bocadinho mais desenvolvimento sobre os confrontos escoceses (católicos vs protestantes).
Apesar de ter gostado bastante não senti tanta empatia por Isabel Valverde. Preferi a cunhada Frances. Frances é católica e pertence à família que tantas dores de cabeça tem dado à família Thornleigh, e que teve um papel importante nos acontecimentos deste livro.
Uma vez mais, Barbara Kyle mistura factos históricos com personagens fictícias de uma forma bastante interessante, criando um livro mais leve e com alguns factos históricos. A escrita de Barbara Kyle é simples e bastante acessível, com capítulos curtos, que nos permite avançar rapidamente na leitura. Gostei bastante da forma como a autora abordou as dificuldades que os católicos enfrentaram após a subida ao trono de Isabel Tudor, centrando-se nas dificuldades de Isabel Valverde após os cinco anos que passou no Peru ao lado do marido. O que permite criar ainda mais expectativas na missão que tem que desempenhar.
Gostei mas, tal como já referi, não senti tanta simpatia por Isabel Valverde e gostava que tivesse um bocadinho mais desenvolvimento sobre os confrontos escoceses (católicos vs protestantes).
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews