The Black Madonna
By Stella Riley
4.5/5
()
About this ebook
By July 1639, England has become a simmering cauldron of discontent. Less concerned by this than by his ailing finances, King Charles seeks ways of filling his empty treasury. Enter Luciano Falcieri del Santi - master-goldsmith and money-lender; a man known to London as The Italian ... and possessed of a hidden agenda.
From his seat in the House of Commons, Richard Maxwell watches the inexorable approach of Civil War. His eldest son, Eden, struggles to save his marriage to Royalist-bred Celia whilst taking up his sword for the Parliament; and daughter, Kate, vows to hold their home against both Cavalier and Roundhead should the need arise.
A spirited red-head, Kate takes most things in her stride. The only thing she finds impossible to handle is her involuntary and growing attraction to the razor-tongued, magnetic and diabolically beautiful Luciano del Santi.
The paths of Richard Maxwell and Luciano cross by chance one dark night and a friendship is born. But while, on the surface, Luciano merely operates his business from Cheapside, he actually has a much darker purpose; that of learning the truth behind his father's execution. This, with the country becoming a battlefield is difficult - but it is not Luciano's only problem. Soon, he also begins to realise that unless he is extremely lucky his quest will cost him his life.
His own safety and that of everyone he cares about rests on success. Only this will allow him to reclaim the Black Madonna and offer his heart to the girl he loves.
From the machinations within Parliament to the last days of the King's cause, The Black Madonna is an epic saga of passion and intrigue at a time when England was lost in a dark and bloody conflict.
Stella Riley
B.R.A.G. Medallion honoree and Readers' Favorite award-winning author Stella Riley trained as a teacher in London and now lives in Kent. She enjoys theatre, dancing, reading and travel. She is fascinated by the English Civil Wars and has written six books set in that period. She loves the extravagant fashions of the mid-Georgian period, likes men with long hair and her current passion is for Baroque harpsichord music.All 6 books of the Rockliffe series (recommended in The Times newspaper!) are also available in audio, narrated by Alex Wyndham - as is the first in the new Brandon Brothers trilogy, A Trick of FateVisit Stella at https://stellarileybooks.co.uk for all the latest information on her books and her 'Who's Who' and Extras pages.Or find her at https://www.facebook.com/stellariley.books
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Reviews for The Black Madonna
17 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wonderful book ,historical fiction at its best.After reading this book I want to find out more about the roundheads and cavaliers,the time that this book took place.Hats off to the author,she wrote her characters that I wish they had existed,also wonderful love story between Kate and Luciano.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The first installment of her four-volume Roundheads and Cavaliers series, set during the English Civil War, Stella Riley's The Black Madonna unfolds the story of Luciano del Santi, a Genoese goldsmith and money-lender intent on finding the Englishmen who betrayed his father to his death, and Kate Maxwell, the independent-minded daughter of a large and happy English family, whose father and brother espouse the Parliamentary side of the conflict. Opening in 1639 and closing in 1646, the book chronicles the fortunes of the Maxwell family: Parliament member and paterfamilias Richard, a moderate in an age of growing extremism; loving wife and wise mother Dorothy; eldest son Eden, a trained soldier and a Roundhead who marries a Royalist; daughter Kate, prone to many enthusiasms, and inexplicably drawn to Luciano; the rather shallow and promiscuous Amy, who has to be married off at a young age; and twins Tobias, who becomes Luciano's apprentice, and Tabitha, who befriends Luciano's sister. The narrative alternates between the Maxwell's story-line, and that of Luciano and his Turkish servant Selim, as they pursue the shadowy figure who orchestrated the murder of Luciano's father many years before. Eventually these two story-lines become one, and the Maxwells are drawn into Luciano's dangerous quest...Originally published in 1992 and then revised and republished in 2013, The Black Madonna is the second novel from Stella Riley that I have read, following upon her A Splendid Defiance, that is set during the English Civil War. That earlier book chronicled the love story between a Cavalier soldier and a young Puritan woman, and although it is apparently not considered part of the Roundheads and Cavaliers series, it is connected to it. Both Justin Ambrose and Abigail Radford appear in the story here, the former on multiple occasions, the latter just once, in a memorable scene in which the appalling Celia slaps her across the face. As someone who greatly enjoyed Justin and Abigail's story, it was good to encounter them again, however briefly, and I particularly appreciated the scene in which Kate offers some aid to a clearly struggling Captain Ambrose, only to be informed that she is not the first Puritan maiden to do so! Leaving that aside, I found the story here immensely engaging, and appreciated the wealth of well-drawn characters. The historical events were fascinating - I really need to track down a good history of this period! - and the narrative emotionally involving. I found the death of Richard distressing, the ill-fated relationship between Eden and Celia horrifying - the latter's heartless behavior was infuriating to witness - and the growing rapport between Kate and Luciano quite satisfying. I don't know that I found the romance between Kate and Luciano quite as compelling as that between Justin and Abigail, but it was still immensely engaging. This is one I'd highly recommend, to anyone who enjoys good historical fiction with a romantic element to it. I look forward to reading the next entry in the series, A Garland of Straw.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Without a buddy read (with my dears Whiskey/Kyra and Joanna...) I might have DNFed. I'm so glad I didn't. I also don't really have the energy to write about this-it was a hugely intricate (more-historical-fiction than-romance) novel with so many threads (the first 20-30% was hard to keep straight, and POVs switched often), but after the styling and set-up was there, there was wonderful interactions, family dynamics etc.
And Kate. And Luc, and Luc and Kate. Who get all the stars. After Richard and Dorothy anyway. The middle 40% was mostly about the historical, family and dramatic intrigue, and the final bit was so exciting and paced so nimbly it was near impossible to put down. If you like your romance with a heavy historical bend, not to mention another interesting subplot or six, rich/ nuanced characters and a perfectly matched couple...this is well worth a read.
I have a bunch of highlights, but I'm feeling drained...like I said before I started babbling.