Deno's sexual relationship with 14-year-old Elizabeth made me so uncomfortable that I couldn't enjoy the rest of the story. The power levels between the too are just too uneven, and the implication is that Elizabeth was doomed to repeat her mother's mistakes. ( )

More politics, more Underhill. This one is rather depressing, with all the disasters attending the good guys. Actually, having read the next book before I wrote this review, I can't remember where this book stops and the next one starts. With all the various viewpoints, the whole series is a bit choppy, and there's no sharp demarcation between books - though each one ends on a reasonably solid note. Not bad, definitely not among my favorite Lackeys. ( )

Well, this one left me with cold shudders and a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. A load of "eeeewwww" remains. Never would I have expected warm n'fuzzy Mercedes Lackey to present (borderline ?) child sexual abuse as a desirable thing. In this tale, young Elizabeth Tudor's Bright Court elvish protector, friendly Lord Denno, deflowers her on the night of their first "date" away from Court, during a party Underhill. This is okay, the characters think, since he can disappear into Faerie in a moment and never be caught defiling her honour. Shortly after this encounter, Elizabeth is puzzled by her stepmother, Queen Catherine Parr's, morning sickness. The sticking point here for me, I think, is that I cannot think this version of a young, naive teenage Elizabeth could hafve given fully-informed consent to having a physical relationship. This series is full of treacly sentimentality about the sacred nature of childhood, but horny old men may lie in wait just outside its gates, pricks at the ready? Especially in a culture that valued a woman's virginity as much as the medieval English did? A world of yuck, sez I! If a girl of 14 was my daughter, I'd hope that her sexual awakening would occur in a nice orderly progression from kissing and hand holding and a chance to think about it all, to smooching and petting and then some information about birth control, veneral disease, heartbreak, and possible social repercussions before proceeding to a "fully sated" state of contentment. I am not one of those who would hate to believe the Virgin Queen ever managed to have herself some fun. I'd have liked this story just fine for a slightly older and wiser, less childish Lady Elizabeth.

This book was the perfect mix of history and fantasy. I am alway fascinated with English history and the Tudors - this book added mystery to an already exciting story. ( )

The Fey World and old England mix in this remarkable book. A Midsummer Night's Dream provides many of the Good Side Fey characters, as they try and protect the to-be- queen Elizabeth from the Dark Side fey forces that are trying to ruin her. It's a must read!