A Stunning Historical Journey

Five bright stars!

Everything about this book drew me in. I was first caught by the fleur-de-lis and hooked by the premise of a book set amidst France's religious wars. French history is something I'm interested in and have studied extensively, but I haven't read a lot of fiction that is set there.

Minou Joubert and her husband Piet go to Paris to attend the royal wedding of Henry of Navarre, which is intended to finally bring peace between the warring Catholics and Huguenots. Minou is herself very open-minded and tolerant of her Catholic countrymen and is confident that the majority of both religious groups feel the same. But their oldest enemy, Vidal, is in Paris as well, looking for a relic that will change history. And just days after the marriage, blood will run in the streets and Minou's family will be scattered.

Author Kate Mosse's writing is just lovely, as is her attention to historical details. The story flows at a nice pace and I found myself instantly compelled to read to the end. My only regret is that I didn't read The Burning Chambers, to which this book is a sequel, first. I'm not sure what I missed reading out of order, but I am eager to go back and complete that book too.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for providing this advance review copy for review.