Girl on the Golden Coin: A Novel of Frances Stuart by Marci Jefferson

Final Rating: 2.8/5

   Girl on the Golden Coin: A Novel of Frances Stuart is an interesting collaboration of historical fact and speculative fiction that centers around the 17th-century English court and follows the narration of Frances Teresa Stuart as she recalls her past conduct, pivotal role concerning the hearts of kings and her ultimate quest for freedom. When a poisoned whisper can herald the downfall of one's honor, one must step lightly and la Belle Stuart takes the reader into the bowels of the scandalous court of King Charles II and steps with silk shoes around the muck that threatens to sully. The reader is confronted time and again with the noble choices or forced obligations that are thrust at Frances as she straddles French, English and finally familial loyalty and is pressed by those only desiring power or a king's favor. Will she find the freedom and unconditional love she so desperately desires and leave a legacy of her quiet virtue and golden strength? The answers to these questions and lasting impression are inevitably up to the reader, so may I introduce Girl on the Golden Coin: A Novel of Frances Stuart.

   In the end, this novel unfortunately had too much and not enough for me. Girl on the Golden Coin sparkled in the beginning and created a lustrous pearl strand of delight and enjoyment as the novel continued to capture the sheer opulence of the 17th-century English court while balancing important historical details, characterization and exceptional debut writing. That strand of happiness snapped though when chapter after chapter was pitted when drama and history was interrupted by modish scenes and the pace of the story slowed to a dull finish that sadly left this reader shaking her head in disappointment. That all aside, readers who loved Dark Angels may find another historical romance favorite with Girl on the Golden Coin or those readers who just love a story about the famous or the notorious of history and enjoy a naughty twist to their fiction are sure to be enchanted by this debut.

-read and purchased on kindle