The Beggars’ Queen
Kathleen M. BasiHistorical romance
Available from The Wild Rose Press
ISBN: 1-60154-052-3
May 2007
| What a greatly detailed, wonderfully developed, and a magnificently plotted story this was! The Beggars’ Queen presented the lengthy story of Cecily Worrill, heir to the throne of her father, the King. The nearest town was Darrenby, which was full of subjects to the throne who had watched Cecily and her younger sister, Anna, grow from childhood. Their mother and older sister, Mercy, died of the plague six years ago. The father had been experiencing some type of mental deficiency which caused Cecily to “help” him rule. Her nearest, and closest, confidant, Sir Neville Grenville, was her right-hand man and helped her keep her father’s mental state out of the public eye.
On her 18th birthday, the King decided that Cecily should take a tour of their kingdom, their country and its people, so that she would better understand how to rule the people. Her goal was, and always had been, to treat the common people as if they were important to her! Cecily and Anna, her younger sister, were extremely close. During the tour, Cecily had Anna come travel with her. This introduced a secondary love relationship between the younger sister and their gypsy messenger, Markus. Then there was the complication of Her Highness, Cecily, and her love interest. Sir Neville had two sons—the oldest, Price, had run away as a child, and Ernest, the younger, more volatile one, was planning to overthrow the king. While traveling, Cecily met a common man, a blacksmith, Phillip, who seemed like he might be Price, but then Price showed up! Ms. Basi’s novel absolutely got better with each page; there were quite a number of characters, but each was distinguishable and uniquely believable. There were only a couple of times I got a little lost trying to keep up with the myriad of the cast. The ending was such a surprise! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and expect great things from this author! As you read this beautiful love story full of intrigue and suspense, you, too, will discover why Cecily was known as The Beggars’ Queen.
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Reviewer: Brenda Talley |
