The Maiden's Hand

By Susan Wiggs

Book Overview

Roguishly handsome Oliver de Lacey has always lived lustily: wine, weapons and women are his bywords. Even salvation from the noose by a shadowy society provides no epiphany to mend his debauched ways. Mistress Lark's sole passion is her secret work with a group of Protestant dissidents thwarting the queen's executions. She needs no other excitement--until Oliver de Lacey drops through the hangman's door and into her life. As their fates become inextricably bound together in a struggle against royal persecution, both Oliver and Lark discover a love worth saving...even dying for.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0778327396
• ISBN13: 9780778327394
• Release Date: August 2009
• Publisher: Mira Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

The Maiden's Hand

I enjoy historical adventure and romance novels and this one along with the Horseman's Daughter kept me going. I am looking forward to the next releases in these trilogies.

Refreshingly Original

I read plenty of Tudor-period stories, so when I picked this book up in my local romance section, I felt apprehensive. I've just started to write romance, and I don't have all-too-many romance-labeled books. Generally, I read more (almost exclusively sometimes) historical fiction when it comes to this time frame. My praise goes to Ms. Wiggs and the wonderful journey that she has taken me on. The book starts with an original and unexpected premise, and as the plot unwinds, the reader becomes privy to a world of the secrets, twists and turns of Lark and Oliver's two, totally separate and different lives. With a hero who suffers from asthma, and a stuffy heroine who seems too wrapped up in her bible to care about much more, the reader is immediately drawn to the forbidden and unusual attraction between the two. As England is on the brink of a religious turnover, their Catholic Queen dying, and a protestant princess lined up for the throne, the social and political realm remains in turmoil -- a realm Lark and Oliver are both very involved in. You will not be displeased when you put down this book. It's a quick read, as there's hardly a place in the plot that allows you to put the book down and not feel like you are missing something. The characters are well-written and wholly original, and the plot is wonderfully enticing! I am excited to read the rest of the trilogy!

Read and Weep

The book starts out with a humorous bang that draws the reader in from page one. After one page you can't help wanting to know how it all turns out. The characters are fresh and the plot is fast paced. The romance feels genuine and the author really makes the reader care about them. I was actually crying near the end when it looked like all was lost for the hero and heroine even though I know romance novels have a happy endings 99.9% of the time. Only a truly gifted author can make a reader care that much about the characters. There was only one little part that was off the wall unbelievable to me and that is near the very end when a secondary character suddenly has an expertise in something that no woman would have during this time period and then she proceeds to save the day. So there was a happy ending after all even if how it came about was a little unbelievable.

Excellent!

Susan Wiggs' style is a mixture of sophistication, history and humor all of which are very enjoyable and poignant. Haven't yet tried her recent novels but also highly recommend the Lily and the Leopard, Lord of the Night and Circle in the Water.

Never Read A Book Like This

I'll always remember this book for the emotions that I went through while I read this book. I can honestly say that this book made me cry , cry so hard that I couldn't read for awhile because of the tears, and I couldn't stop. I loved it, and will keep it, and read it again. I like Susan Wiggs she a great writer, with a great imagination.