Courtly Pleasures

I have been reading many novels from the Victorian era but I was pleasantly surprised by “Courtly Pleasures” which is set in the Elizabethan era. Ms Kane has presented a romance that is interwoven with the historical events surrounding St Bart’s massacre and has included many characters that were involved in the time period. I often wish that the author’s note actually appeared at the beginning of the novel, as this aspect was a particularly fascinating part of the story. The novel centres around Frances LeSieru who has joined Queen Elizabeth’s court, to escape her depression, after the loss of one of her twin baby girls. Having been married to Henry for ten years of which he has been largely absent, Frances also demands a separation from their marriage.
What made this novel different was that all appears to be lost between the couple who married at age 15. The story follows Frances and how she manages to overcome the depression that threatens to overwhelm her. Henry also has to revaluate how he has behaved over the past ten years if there is to be any chance to save his marriage. What evolves, is a courtship between two determined characters. Not only was there romance but the threat to Frances’ life, kept this story moving at a fast pace.
I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyed the historical aspect of this book, this was a different time period than I usually read and it had some fascinating details. I also appreciated the romance of the story, hard to believe this couple knew so little about each other after 10 years old marriage,, but glad they found their way to each other.

Courtly Pleasures brings to us the difficulty of living at court and arranged marriages of the time period. Our sweet couple, Frances and Henry LeSieur have been married for ten years and have several children, both living and deceased. Frances has been dealing with the loss of two of her children by herself. Her husband lives at court and works for the queen, only coming home on occasion. Although married for ten years, they do not know each other, never spend time together and bed only to have children.

Ms. Spock, obviously, did her research as you can see in the authenticity of the book. Your heart breaks for Frances and Henry, marrying at the young ages of fourteen and fifteen. They were still children themselves. But, each did as they were told and as was expected of them. Until, ten years into their marriage, Frances decides she can no longer live that way. Frances goes to court to ask her husband for a separation. Henry did not know there was a problem. Again, he is living as expected, letting his wife raise their children and deal with ‘home’ issues.

Henry’s wake up call and tenderness towards his still very young wife is so endearing. Once he looks at her, truly looks at her, he realizes there is more to his wife than he ever knew. She appears to become a different person from they ‘child’ he married. She draws the attention of others, overhears a plot and holds her husband to his vow not to touch her, to let her decide her fate as long as she does not embarrass him.

I loved the growing connection between Frances and Henry and the care they had for each other. Ms. Spock allowed them to grow in trust, respect and love. All great aspects of any romance. As an author new to me, I look forward to more of Erin Kane Spock’s work.

This is Frances and Henry’s story. They were married when she was 14 and he was 15. The marriage was all about duty. She lost children. She was in a depression. Her mother suggested that she go to court. This a story of how Frances finds herself with the help of Henry. There were many twists and turns in their relationship. They make their marriage about love. I will definitely read more by this author.