Laura Frantz’s fabulous newest: “The Rose and the Thistle” (a review)

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Lately, I’ve taken to reading historical fiction again. Years ago, I gorged (you get this, if you love reading) on tons of books about several particular eras–so much so that I got to where I couldn’t even think of reading any more about them. And I gave up the genre as a whole. But, there are some amazing writers who’ve drawn me back to centuries and historical events that I knew only a little about. And they’ve provided a banquet of images about these–with periods of time I’ll remember because they peopled their books with such memorable, wonderful characters.

And so! That’s what Laura Frantz has done for me with her lovely The Rose and the Thistle, and its main characters. Scottish laird (or lord) Everard Hume. Protestant. War hero. Eldest of many brothers. And English Lady Blythe Hedley. Catholic (or Jacobite), Brilliant. Learned. Multilingual. Beloved only daughter. These two (and their families) live on the edges of England and Scotland in 1715, when the British crown has changed hands yet again, with Catholics and Protestants regarding each other as abhorred enemies. Yet circumstances throw these two not only into each other’s path, but into the very same home. (Or castle, as it were.)

My thoughts

The Rose and the Thistle is just breathtaking.

This is a book that you must, must read. Exquisite character creation and development. Wonderful world-building. Descriptions of both the animate (be they people, animals, or birds) or the inanimate (like the gorgeous clothing you see on that fabulous book cover). And language! (Not coarse, mind you; but the enormous difference between the spoken British English and the Scots tongue.) Blythe and Everard are from different worlds; they speak different languages; and although they both profess the Christian faith, the ways they worship have placed them on two sides of a war.

And yet.

Frantz brings these two worlds together with great skill and flair. Her protagonists, and those dearest to them, are fascinating. And it seems as though there’s no way that the two of them could ever become friends, much less connect in any meaningful way.

This is a book that so richly brings to life the world of 1715, with (in England and Scotland, anyway) dangerous intrigue and the desire of two almost equally matched groups who wish to enthrone their own choice of ruler. Yet far away from the throne are individuals with their own private lives and wishes. And perhaps, love.

This is a marvelous book. I adored every single minute I spent reading, and I don’t think I’ll every forget Blythe and Everard, and their story. Highly recommend!

Enjoy! –Wren

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Revell Reads. All opinions and thoughts expressed here are my own.