A Constant Heart by Siri Mitchell
In Queen Elizabeth’s court where men and women willingly trade virtue for power, is it possible for Marget to obtain her heart’s desire or is the promise of love only an illusion?
A riveting glimpse into Queen Elizabeth's Court ...
Born with the face of an angel, Marget Barnardsen has always been fortunate. Now, with her marriage to an earl, her security - and destiny - are guaranteed. The Earl of Lytham makes one request of Margret: to help him win favor with the Queen.
But when her introduction to court goes awry, the queen's wrath turns on Marget. Fearing she may lose her husband forever - and all that he has gained - she'll risk everything to gain favor with the queen, and her husband, again. Even her life.
A Constant Heart looks at the life of a young bride during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and her experience at court. Marget and Lytham, newly weds, struggle to obtain and hold the Queens favor. The problem is the two fall in love and love is not allowed unless it is toward the Queen. The novel is written in first person but the reader has to jump between Lytham's head and Marget's. In the beginning I had difficulty following who was telling the story but as the story progressed and I fell in love with the characters the transition became easier. Readers who love historical fiction will appreciate the detail that Siri Mitchell has poured into this novel. I was fascinated by the natural way she wove historical details into the novel.
The theme that runs throughout this novel is beauty. I was amazed at what women did to themselves to create a beautiful image based on societies definition. The facial creams and lotions they used were filled with Mercury and lead. This novel made me think about how often we as women search for beauty in a bottle. A Constant Heart is a beautifully told story about love and the struggles placed on marriage. Siri also does an excellent job of providing more information on her website at http://www.sirimitchell.com/ about England during this time period. It would be worth your time to stop by and visit.
Visit with Siri Mitchell here
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What do you think beauty is?
