Alice Verney is a young woman intent on achieving her dreams. Having left Restoration England in the midst of a messy scandal, she has been living in Louis XIV's Baroque, mannered France for two years. Now she is returning home to England and anxious to re-establish herself quickly. First, she will regain her former position as a maid of honor to Charles II's queen. Then she will marry the most celebrated duke of the Restoration, putting herself in a position to attain power she's only dreamed of. As a duchess, Alice will ...
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Alice Verney is a young woman intent on achieving her dreams. Having left Restoration England in the midst of a messy scandal, she has been living in Louis XIV's Baroque, mannered France for two years. Now she is returning home to England and anxious to re-establish herself quickly. First, she will regain her former position as a maid of honor to Charles II's queen. Then she will marry the most celebrated duke of the Restoration, putting herself in a position to attain power she's only dreamed of. As a duchess, Alice will be able to make or break her friends and enemies at will. But all is not as it seems in the rowdy, merry court of Charles II. Since the Restoration, old political alliances have frayed, and there are whispers that the king is moving to divorce his barren queen, who some wouldn't mind seeing dead. But Alice, loyal only to a select few, is devoted to the queen, and so sets out to discover who might be making sinister plans, and if her own father is one of them. When a member of the royal family dies unexpectedly, and poison is suspected, the stakes are raised. Alice steps up her efforts to find out who is and isn't true to the queen, learns of shocking betrayals throughout court, and meets a man that she may be falling in love with--and who will spoil all of her plans. With the suspected arrival of a known poison-maker, the atmosphere in the court electrifies, and suddenly the safety of the king himself seems uncertain. Secret plots are at play, and war is on the horizon--but will it be with the Dutch or the French? And has King Charles himself betrayed his country for greed? The long-awaited prequel to Koen's beloved "Through a Glass Darkly," "Dark Angels" is a feast of a novel that sparkles with all the passion, extravagance, danger, and scandal of seventeenth-century England. Unforgettable in its dramatic force, here is a novel of love and politics, of romance and betrayal, of power and succession--and of a resourceful young woman who risks everything for pride and status in an era in which women were afforded little of either. "From the Hardcover edition."
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Add this copy of Dark Angels to cart. $18.95, good condition, Sold by The Yard Sale Store rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Narrowsburg, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Books on Tape.
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Seller's Description:
Good. 14 AUDIO CD set withdrawn from the library collection. Library sticker and stamp. Each audio cd is polished for your satisfaction. Enjoy this Audio CD performance!
Add this copy of Dark Angels to cart. $18.97, good condition, Sold by The Yard Sale Store rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Narrowsburg, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Books on Tape.
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Seller's Description:
Good. 14 AUDIO CDs in clean condition withdrawn from the library in the clamshell case with the original printed insert. Some library markings and stickers on the outside of the box. Some shelf wear and edge wear to the box. The AUDIO CDs are in individual slots, protected and clear sounding. Enjoy this AUDIO CD performance!
Add this copy of Dark Angels to cart. $18.99, good condition, Sold by The Yard Sale Store rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Narrowsburg, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Books on Tape.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. 14 AUDIO CDs, polished for your satisfaction for a worthwhile set, withdrawn from the library in the clamshell case. Library sticker and marking to the box and the CDs. Some shelf wear and edge wear to the box. The AUDIO CDs are in individual slots, protected and clear sounding. Enjoy this unabridged AUDIO CD performance!
I bought this hoping to read it first as the "prequel" and get the next book after. I don't think I'll be purchasing the other. While the details of court life were wonderful and roles played in such a world interesting, I found no suspense or intrique to the story. Unfortunately you are told who the bad guys are right away by the author and there are no twists or turns in the plot. Very predictable. But if you want historical fiction just for the colorful time period you'll be satisified.
Cariola
Apr 1, 2007
Does it get any better?
Maybe not. This was the first novel by Kareleen Koen that I have read, and I loved it so much that I immediately read Through a Glass Darkly and am now looking for a reasonably priced copy of Now Face to Face. (So I'm reading the books in reverse order of publication--but in chronologically in terms of the story lines.) I was completely captivated by the lush French and English courts she depicts, as well as the political and romantic intrigue that characterized them. Alice Verney is a wonderful heroine, smart but flawed, ambitious but romantic. What's not to love about this wonderful historical novel? Illicit affairs, poisonings, marraige brokering, broken hearts--this one has it all.
