THE COURTESAN

Author: Susan Carroll ISBN: 0645437977 7/2005 HISTORICAL Publisher: BALLANTINE
Time Period: Latter 1500's

Paris, 1575. The consort of some of Europe's most influential men, Gabrielle Cheney is determined to secure her future by winning the heart of Henry, the Huguenot king of Navarre. As his mistress, Gabrielle hopes she might one day become the power behind the French throne. But her plans are jeopardized by Captain Nicolas Rémy, a devoted warrior whose love Gabrielle desires-and fears-above all. She will also incur the malevolence of the Dark Queen, Catherine de' Medici, whose spies and witch-hunters are legion, and who will summon the black arts to maintain her authority. With the lives of those she loves in peril, Gabrielle must rebel against her queen to fulfill a glorious destiny she has sacrificed everything to gain.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Once again, Susan Carroll treats us to another action-packed blending of the historical, mystical and romantic worlds of the Cheney sisters.

In THE COURTESAN, Gabrielle Cheney has become one of the most sought after courtesans in Paris. Even though her position has brought her notoriety and wealth, her mind is haunted by the shadowy figure of Nicholas Remy, the man she loved but now believes dead. She befriends a blind recluse, Cassandra Lascelles, whose own family was tortured and executed at the hands of the witch hunters. Skilled in the black arts and forbidden practice of necromancy, Gabrielle begs Cass to summon Remy's spirit, in return exchanging her promise of a favor to be granted at Cass's whim (and what a favor it turns out to be when Cass later demands it). Instead of Remy, the vision of Nostradamus appears, prophesying Gabrielle's rise to becoming the mistress of Henry of Navarre. When Gabrielle finds out that Remy's not dead, this prophecy appears to make any love between the two impossible.

Gabrielle, strong, willful and estranged from her family, in many ways seems so much more vulnerable this time around. She gives her body but not her heart, afraid of the disappointment and loss that might result. Remy, living day-to-day and still obsessed with freeing his king—Henry of Navarre and Gabrielle's future lover, if Nostradamus is right—harbors confusion over his sense of loyalty to his king and mixed emotions for the woman he once set upon a pedestal. Finding that the rumors about Gabrielle might be true, Remy is unwilling to see the courtesan she has become, instead fixing her as the laughing, beautiful woman he first fell in love with on Faire Isle.

Back on the isle, all things are not well with Arian, either. Her attempts at pregnancy have ended in miscarriages and now she fears she's barren. Her obsession with bearing a child, as well as her estrangement and worry over Gabrielle, cause much friction between she and Renard. Miri, who appears later in the story, has matured a great deal. She's a young woman now and knows more than ever that the world can be a violent place, filled with evil men and evil doings. However, she still has not learned to hate, and believes that in everyone there dwells a goodness of the heart. Her re-acquaintance with Simon Aristode, now the most feared witch-hunter in Europe, and the introduction of Martin Le Loup, Remy's young squire who's hopelessly in love with Miri, should present some pretty interesting situations when this trilogy returns next February with Miri's story in THE SILVER ROSE.

THE COURTESAN is chockfull of court intrigue, spy games and so many plot twists that you can't help but become entranced. The 1570's are vividly brought to life in such rich detail that Carroll draws you into the period and doesn't let you go. Each of the characters, with their own stories to tell, weaves seamlessly into the other making THE COURTESAN an impossible read to put down. Without a doubt, this is one trilogy that lovers of historical fiction and historical romance should all have upon their keeper shelves.

Nancy Davis