

I loved this one and had a hard time putting it down. No more fancy dresses, jewels and balls with elegant courtiers, Angélique wants nothing but revenge for the horror she was put through, and she finds herself at the head of a revolt against the crown as tensions explode and Poitou erupts info flames. Angélique might be Catholic, but she's outraged at the the barbaric treatment her countrymen receive from the King's dragoons, and she eventually finds herself on the receiving end of it - a night that will forever change her. Rescued in the nick of time from her calamitous adventures in the East, Louis XIV banishes Angélique to her estates in Poitou, a region that is at the core of the disputes between the Catholic church and those of the Huguenot faith. **This review might be considered spoilerish for those who have not yet read the first three books in the series. I hadn't known anything about the Huguenots prior to reading this book. One of the wonderful things about this series, aside from their being exciting romantic stories, was the history I learned through them. With a whole kingdom set against her, only Angelique's beauty, wit and hatred of injustice save her from a traitor's death and prepare her for the most exciting and unexpected journey of her life. She becomes the most hunted woman in France. Poitou is the centre of resistance to the harsh measures the King is taking against the French Protestants, the Huguenots, and the soldiers whom he has sent to enforce conversion have become the hated oppressors of the peasantry, Huguenot and Catholic alike.Įven as Angelique agrees to humble herself before the King, tragedy strikes after a night of horror and destruction she places herself at the head of a crucade which strikes at the foundations of the Sun King's throne. Molines, the wise steward of her estates, pleads with her to restore herself in the King's favour, not only for her own sake, but also in order that she can intercede on behalf of the ravaged land and people of Poitou. Angelique returns to her beloved Chateau in Poitou but she finds herself a prisoner in her own home, for King Louis XIV, furious that she has turned her back on the magnificent Court, demands a public submission from her before she regains her privileges.
