I read this because I'm a botanist and so the plant aspect interested me. However, I had a hard time believing the plant propagation techniques, especially with the frequency of the plants roots being exposed and handled.

Under the guise of the plants was a strange love story... and while interesting, it was perhaps more religious in tone than I normally would read.

I just had a hard time getting into the characters... I'm glad I finished it but I would not read it again. ( )

This is a great read! She draws you into the story immediately and the characters really come alive. Great historical fiction. ( )

'The Lady's Slipper' was a great book and a Goodreads first-reads giveaway. I have been fortunate enough to actually see a lady's slipper in the wild. It is a beautiful flower. I was intrigued to read a book that had it's plot encircled around this one lovely plant. I loved the character development of Alice how she starts off admiring the beauty of the lady slipper and later comes to realize that that one flower can have a dark side (so to speak) and send one's life spiraling towards an ending that you don't quite expect. This was an excellent read set in 1660s England. I will definitely be recommending it to my friends who enjoy books set it different periods. ( )

I read reviews of this story before I began reading it and found out it was a love story. I was slightly disappointed because I wanted "meat", not sappy material. At the end, I am torn between a 3 and a 4 rating because I was surprised at some events and have unanswered questions, while on the other hand, I became wrapped up enough in the characters to choose sides. Also, the story did not feel sappy as I feared it might be. I don't even want to read the next book that tells Ella's story because I dislike that character so much.

The description of Richard's physical attraction to Alice seemed to come out of nowhere. I found it difficult to believe he would start to get a hard-on while simply thinking of her during a Quaker service when there seemed to be no indication of his attraction to her earlier. He did have nice thoughts of her throughout, the description of how pretty she was when she had color in her cheeks, but that didn't seem enough to warrant a hard-on.

What happened to Francis, and how did Richard's relationship with her shape his character? There's only one reference to this woman in his past.

His confession of his part in the murder of Geoffrey's mother seemed rushed and underdeveloped in the end. The events leading up to Richard and Alice's journey across the Atlantic seemed almost surreal, as did the events that took place on the ship. Could all those successive bad turns really have happened? However, the way Stephen rescued Richard and Alice from prison seemed in line with reality - the story did not rely on sheer, unbelievable good fortune to save Alice's life. Instead, desperate characters did desperate things. That seems believable to me. But how did Stephen and the Quakers fare after the prison escape? No mention was made of the repercussions of the events of that night.

I did like the way the story unfolded so that Geoffrey had a chance to come to terms with events from his past and to forgive Richard.

The sex scenes between Richard and Alice seemed to happen all at once and too early. This story line was not given enough time to develop. But maybe that's what people do when faced with imminent death by execution. I missed the part when they were married, so mention of Alice's wedding ring on her finger was a surprise.

The epilogue describing Alice's return to Westmorlund was touching and came to a satisfying full-circle. I appreciated the historical details of Quaker life in 17th century England and the laws of the land during that time. I also liked the insights into the lady's slipper plant, its medicinal qualities and its history in England (described after the epilogue). I would have liked a little more information on the side effects described in the story of taking the elixir of lady's slipper.

I might be interested in reading the story from Richard's point of view. That might explain Francis' role in his life and more on how his character was influenced by the past. ( )

It is 1660. The King is back, but memories of the Civil War still rankle. In rural Westmorland, artist Alice Ibbetson has become captivated by the rare Lady's Slipper orchid. She is determined to capture its unique beauty for posterity, even if it means stealing the flower from the land of recently converted Quaker, Richard Wheeler. Fired by his newfound faith, the former soldier Wheeler feels bound to track down the missing orchid. Meanwhile, others are eager to lay hands on the flower, and have their own powerful motives. Margaret Poulter, a local medicine woman, is seduced by the orchid's mysterious herbal powers, while Sir Geoffrey Fisk, Alice's patron and a former comrade-in-arms of Wheeler, sees the valuable plant as a way to repair his ailing fortunes and cure his own agonizing illness

My Thoughts:

I really liked this book and found that although it’s a historical book it is not Kings and Queens but something different.

The story had a good mixture of characters and my favourite was the devilish maid Ella who does appear in the next book ‘The Gilded Lily’. The story also had plenty going on and not only was it historical, it was also a thriller and a love story.

I really enjoyed the book and there was plenty to keep my interest and it the story flowed along at a nice pace. I wanted to keep reading the story to see how it was going to pan out for all the characters.

I would highly recommend this book for a historical read but with a difference. Who would have thought that a little orchid could set of the chain of events that it did ! ( )