A very creative and richly historical novel set during the English Civil War. I would definitely be interested in reading more from this author!

I'm afraid I haven't managed to connect with the book., as I occasionally found it too confusing. It wasn't...anything special? I expected it to feel more interesting in a way. It could have been that I wasn't in the right mindset to read it, but all in all, I was left disappointed.

England is being rocked by a civil war. King Charles is trying to keep his kingdom together. HIs wife does her best to help him out, but she is reviled by the majority of the English people. They do not like her Catholic faith or the ties that she has to other countries.
As she leaves to try and gain support for the war her husband is waging, her children are left in the care of different families. Lucy Hay takes Princess Elizabeth and the youngest son, Prince Henry.
She once served the queen but retired from court. Now she must determine where her loyalties lie, and the time is quickly approaching for her to make a firm decision - no matter the cost.

Interesting read! There were some sections that seemed a bit slow, but overall I enjoyed the book. Looking forward to seeing what happens in the second installment!

This was bit of a confusing read for me. I had expected this novel to be more about Queen Henrietta of England. Instead, the story is told from multiple perspectives of various characters. The characters were hard to get to know and made it hard for me to follow the plot. The story itself dragged and ended with an unexpected cliffhanger! I don't know if I will ever continue this novel for it was not my cup of tea.

Great storyline with good strong characters. Very well written. I would recommend this book to anyone.

What a wonderful book. Story of an history era I am not familiar with and it was so good, I was upset that the rest of the story is in another book! Thrilling - a great fictional insight into life in the 17th century and the struggle between the royalists and parliamentarians. Loved it and will definitely be looking for the follow-up book.

Anya Leonard rated it liked it
Having read other books by this author before, I was excited to see what is in store for Charles and Henrietta. I really enjoyed the storyline of Caroline and Lucy Hay, but was severely dismayed to find that the book ends in a true Cliffhanger - not giving any sort of resolution to the story of Caroline in search of her husband! The writing was very well done, and it was clearly very well researched but I am not sure that I would have read it knowing what I do now - that I would be left emotionally invested in a few of these characters (for some reason Henrietta did not pique my interest at all?) but that I would be forced to wait until volume two came out to find out what becomes of them

The Queen's Promise takes place during the war between the King and Parliament in 1642. But this is not a book about the battles of that war, but about the politics that led up to it, and two women doing their best to navigate the challenges and stay alive while doing so.

Henrietta Marie de Medici is Queen of England, but as a Frenchwoman she is not a popular one. Queen Henrietta flees England, leaving her two oldest sons in the hands of their father, King Charles, and her daughter and youngest son in the good hands of Lucy Hay, the Countess of Carlisle. Although Henrietta is out of England, she never stops working to raise funds and soldiers to support the royal cause. The life or death of monarchy in England is literally at stake. Lucy is loyal to Henrietta and King Charles, but also has connections with top leaders of the Parliamentary cause, some of whom would take the royal children and charge Lucy with treason if they could. How these two women walk the tightrope of politics, power and religion is what The Queen's Promise is all about.

Being a historical fiction buff, and not having seen many historical novels set in this time period, especially not with two women as the main characters, I found that the story was engrossing, well researched and well written. At times I felt it wandered a bit, but always came back to these two remarkable women. The Queen's Promise left me looking for answers about the fate of Lucy and Henrietta, and also others who have disappeared; I am looking forward to reading the next book in hope of finding out what happens!

Honestly in the first few chapters of this book, Lucy Hay is goals. Unfortunately I did get lost several times in regards to who was who and on which side, but that would be on me for watching and reading so much historical fiction but never thinking to read in chronological order.

Overall though, it was a nice read and I would definitely get others that come from this author.

Vantrease’s long-awaited return to the historical fiction scene showcases her painstaking attention to characterization and period atmosphere. Opening with a prologue depicting the execution of Charles I’s advisor Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, in 1641, the novel follows a wide array of individuals as tensions between the king and Parliament erupt into civil war. In 1642, Queen Henrietta Maria, detested by England’s people for her extravagances and fervent Catholicism, travels abroad to deliver the 10-year-old Princess Mary to her future husband and convince the Dutch to buy England’s crown jewels. She has promised to help finance her husband’s battles and return to her younger children, but her words may be as empty as those of her husband, who had vowed to save his friend Strafford. Meanwhile, young Prince Henry and Princess Elizabeth are quietly taken into the care of Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle—Strafford’s former lover, Henrietta’s sometime friend, and current lover of Parliamentary leader John Pym.

Lucy, a courtier who was one of the era’s most intriguing personalities, tended to serve both sides simultaneously when it suited her purposes. In Vantrease’s portrayal, this doesn’t demonstrate fickleness on her part but a unique blend of survival instinct and human compassion. Although Henrietta and Lucy are the ostensible protagonists, the narrative splits into many different strands that take a long time to form into a cohesive story. The chapters with Caroline Pendleton, wife of a wool merchant turned knight, succeed in evoking the desperate plight of women left alone during wartime. Others focus on James Whittier, a nobleman, printer, and one-time highwayman whose path crosses Caroline’s. While their stories are interesting when taken individually, the overlarge cast makes the novel lose focus. And so the Broken Kingdom series has a fairly slow start; hopefully Part Two will draw all the stories together more tightly.

(from the Historical Novels Review, August 2018)

Having read other books by this author before, I was excited to see what is in store for Charles and Henrietta. I really enjoyed the storyline of Caroline and Lucy Hay, but was severely dismayed to find that the book ends in a true Cliffhanger - not giving any sort of resolution to the story of Caroline in search of her husband! The writing was very well done, and it was clearly very well researched but I am not sure that I would have read it knowing what I do now - that I would be left emotionally invested in a few of these characters (for some reason Henrietta did not pique my interest at all?) but that I would be forced to wait until volume two came out to find out what becomes of them, I would recommend this book when the second in the series comes out, because I don't think I would want to be recommended this book by someone and then left in the lurch!

I’m aftpraid I just couldn’t get into this book and gave up about half way through. The premise was great and the book started well but it quickly descended into pages name dropping and random scenes. The story was disjointed and I didn’t care about any of the characters they simply did not have enough depth.

I absolutly loved Brenda Rickman Vantrease her first couple of novels. So I was pretty excited to dive into The Queen"s Promise. But I am ashamed to say that after 2 weeks of batteling with this novel I won't finish it.
It is just one really long, pretty borning list of name dropping.

Such a shame....

I'm so sorry but I just couldn't get into this book. I tried, but it didn't happen. However, my thanks to NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

Queen Henrietta Maria and her friend, and lady-in -waiting, Countess Carlisle are separated because of war. Each woman is forced to go their separate ways. The Queen because she doesn't agree with the disagreement between the king and parliament. The Countess is siding with the king. Each woman is leaving their men behind. They are standing up for what each believes in. Their journey will take them to places unknown. They are also finding out what each one is made up in strength and courage and determination.
Very well written historical fiction. Written like you are right there, descriptive, entertaining and a pleasure to read.
5 Stars

This saga has a lot of characters, some may say too many. It has a lot of different stories and varying angles. Why?

To make it all the more clear that a war, a conflict does not have 'nice sides'. It does not differentiate between royals and peasants, between men and women. It is all simply ugly and unjust.

The Queen's Promise starts telling the story of conflict between Charles I and British Parliament. The conflict intensifies and military action is taken on both sides. People fight, people die, families are broken, ruined and destroyed...

Author did a great job by bringing many different stories together. Yes, this book is not a simple story of friendship between Henrietta Maria and Lucy Hay. It is way much more than that.

It is the story of Henrietta Maria as a wife and a queen for better of worse. It is the story of Lucy Hay as a courtier and a survivor for worse and better. It is the story of small knights and their estates, maundering soldiers and free press (yes, even free press by all means).

I enjoyed this story. It made me gasp in places, especially when the story came very close to 'the land' and simple people. Somehow, the war through their eyes was the ugliest. All the sufferings of the queen and her quest to support her husband did not feel like much (especially given the hindsight of our times)...

Would I read more of this saga? When I find the time. As this book needs time and attention. This book needs to be lived and felt to understand it fully.

Thank you, Ms Vantrease

When King battles against Parliament, the women of England must decide where they stand. Queen Henrietta, hated by the kingdom for her devotion to her faith, seeks to find help for her husband. Lucy Hale is caught between the men in her life who support Parliament and her own experiences as a courtier. Carline, a newlywed, must protect her husband's estate when her husband is conscripted into the fight.

The story brings to light a time when the fight for power was fierce. For the most part, we see events through the eyes of the ladies named above, with occasional glimpses from a few men. The struggles of the time leap off the page.

The main struggle I had was with the large cast of characters. Although all of their stories intertwine, I found it difficult to keep each one straight.

Overall, I found it to be an interesting book and one I would recommend to fans of historical fiction

I was looking forward to a different story surrounding King Charles I. However, the book started slowly and kept on at the same pace. Various characters were seemingly 'thrown in', for example Inigo Jones and William Laud, the Archbishop of Canterbury without any real characterisation. Considering how dramatic some of the events of 1642 were, there were few historical facts woven into the writing. All I gathered,was that Queen Henrietta was abroad a lot trying to raise money for her husband during his conflicts with Parliament. I was not happy with the proof reading which had connectives without a comma, and the incorrect use of the word 'practise'.. A struggle to read and enjoy from the start.

This book was a DNF for me. I really tried to get through this, but between the incredibly slow pace and trying to keep up with the NUMEROUS characters, I finally threw in the towel at the 47% mark.

I thought this story was going to focus on Queen Henrietta Maria and her friend Lucy Hay, the Countess of Carlisle, however there were so many background characters thrown into the mix that showed up sporadically, that I had a hard time remembering who was who, and what role they played in the story. You'd meet someone in, say, Chapter 3, then you wouldn't see them again until Chapter 8, yet you're expected to remember what little information was shared about them 5 chapters earlier.

While what I read was well written, I just couldn't get into it. I kept waiting for something big to occur, yet the story just plodded along with nothing really interesting happening. It took me almost three weeks to get through the 47% I did read, so I finally just stopped. I clearly wasn't into it, so I chose to move on. While this wasn't quite what I expected or enjoyed, I wouldn't discourage anyone interested in the topic from giving it a go. If you love all things Stuart, then you may enjoy this.

1642, England is on a brink of the Civil War. A war between King Charles and the Parliament.

Catholic Queen Henrietta Maria of France is forced to leave England behind, as well as her husband Protestant King Charles I and their children. She arrives in the Netherlands to raise money for her husband by trying to sell crown jewels.

Meanwhile, her friend and former lady-in-waiting, Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle, remains in London and continues to entertain Court society.

There are many chapters introducing new characters, for example Sir Edward Hyde, Sir William Pendleton – a wool-merchant, Archbishop William Laud, but none of the characters in the whole story is well-developed. There are many characters and not much cohesion to the story. It feels as each character’s story just keeps going on and on without any connection to the whole story.

If you are not familiar with this author, I highly recommend The Illuminator (Book I) and The Mercy Seller (Book II).