England, 1461… Bronwyn Rouet is a peasant girl faced with tragedy.  In the space of a single night, she witnesses her father, a disabled soldier, being killed by a King’s Man intent on revenge against His Majesty’s opposition.  A year later, she’s faced by the same man, this time bent on seduction though he doesn’t recognize her as the hysterical child who cried as the innocent old man died.  This time, he offers money for her virtue and Bronwyn takes the purse, then disappears before he can touch her.  The coins allow her and her orphaned sisters to live fairly well for a while.  Bronwyn has another reason to keep herself hidden from public eyes.  She’s a Healer, someone who can cure by simply the laying on of hands and as such, she runs the risk of being accused of being a witch if the wrong person finds out. 

Hired as a barmaid at the Red Boar Inn by Jack the owner, Bronwyn becomes friends with his wife, Martha, who runs the kitchens, and the enemy of Molly, Jack’s mistress. She also meets two men.  One is a handsome blond youth of twenty whom she recognizes as the man she’s seen so many times in her dreams.  He swears he knows her from dreams also though Bronwyn believes he’s simply flattering her.  The other man is the dark soldier, murderer of her father and her attempted seducer.  She discovers he’s the Earl of Warwick, called the Kingmaker because his machinations have put the current sovereign on the throne.  Then she learns her youthful admirer is that king…Edward IV, a man who goes among his people in disguise, to learn how they feel.

Warwick recognizes Bronwyn, also, and is determined to get from her what he decides his stolen purse was worth.  Seeing that Edward also wants her, he realizes he’s tired of giving in to his younger, more noble cousin, and plans to take the girl for himself.  With Molly’s help, he abducts Bronwyn and rapes her, only to have Edward in pursuit.  Realizing Warwick stole her away because of jealousy, Edward’s now faced with a dilemma:  does he punish his cousin for what he’s done or let it go?  Edward’s well aware he needs his cousin’s power to defeat the threat the recently-deposed king Henry offers, so, against his personal judgment, he ignores this insult to himself and the woman he loves.  He openly takes Bronwyn under his protection, transporting her to his personal apartments where she’s treated by his own physician.  Warwick, however, isn’t finished with the two; now he seethes with secret anger for he’s discovered Bronwyn’s secret, and he has no compunctions of using it to get his revenge.

Thus a young peasant girl, beloved by a king, becomes a pawn in a war of aggression and deceit…between blood kin as well as political powers, as Henry’s forces march from the north and Edward and Warwick gear up to meet them…into the destiny of a much greater and more dramatic period of history to come.

MY OPINION:  A historical romance of depth and color with some deep characterizations.  Edward is contrasted vividly with Warwick, callow in his youth perhaps, but a king nevertheless, concerned for what his people think and with keeping his newly-won throne.  He’s a man seeking sincere love; Edward can have all the women he wants but he’s never found one who didn’t want tangible rewards in return…until he meets Bronwyn who wishes nothing from him but his love.  Warwick is a man of contradictions, cruel, callous, powerful and crafty in intrigue and war.  He commits acts of violence, then worries himself as to why he did so.  Warwick would like to be gentle with women as Edward is but he doesn’t know how, yet, in his own twisted way, he appears in love with Bronwyn, too—he simply doesn’t have the capacity to show it properly.  Bronwyn herself is feisty and steadfast to her beliefs.  Though not physically strong, she’s morally strengthened to stand up to Warwick, even when faced with beatings and possible death.  Her love for the king, enabled by her dreams of him before they meet, is pure, even if Edward wants the same from her as Warwick, though in a much gentler, more caring way.

The historical facts ring true, painting a picture of a cruel, yet colorful time, when the nobility had it all and everyone else had to fend for themselves, and those who were in any way different—be it in their thoughts, actions, or just their appearance—might find themselves accused of witchcraft or worse.  An enthralling story, one all historical fiction readers will love.

The Heart of the Rose is available from Eternal Press www.eternalpress.biz

This novel was supplied by the author and no remuneration was involved in the writing of this review.