Setting: England 1537

Sensuality: 7

Beautiful, brilliant, and sophisticated, Lady Guinevere Mallory is only 28 but has buried four wealthy husbands. When seasoned soldier Hugh of Beaucaire contests her ownership of a parcel of land, he brings Guinevere's rich estates to the attention of financially needy King Henry VIII, setting in motion events that threaten her status and her life. Traveling to her estate on the King's orders to investigate her fourth husband's death, Hugh expects to find a woman who has earned the label "The Black Widow." Instead, he discovers a lady whose elegance, quick wit, and warmth threaten to make him her next willing victim.

Despite the danger that Hugh poses to her family and holdings, Guinevere finds herself drawn to the handsome soldier but knows she dare not give in to the attraction nor can she allow herself to trust him. In the end, perhaps only Hugh has the power to save her from Henry and Thomas Cromwell's scheme to claim her wealth and destroy her family. Cromwell is not a man who gives up easily, and family members may die if Hugh doesn't learn to trust in Guinevere in time to save them.

Jane Feather has a fine hand for detail in colorful 1530's costuming and the minutiae of life in Henry VIII's England. That vivid scene setting combined with the political scheming and terror instilled by Thomas Cromwell, the equal balance of strength, intelligence, and wariness in hero and heroine, and the warm charm of secondary characters all add up to an excellent historical novel well worth reading.--Lois Faye Dyer


From Publishers Weekly
At age 28, beautiful Lady Guinevere Mallory has been widowed four times, and each bereavement has brought her more land and more wealth. Is she a murderess, a sorceress or simply a clever, though unlucky, woman? Set during the reign of Henry VIII and his dreaded minion, Thomas Cromwell, Feather's (The Least Likely Bride) latest historical romance is rich in detail and rife with intrigue. Lord Hugh of Beaucaire, himself a widower, believes his young son Robin has a legal right to some of the lands left to Lady Guinevere in the four marriage contracts she apparently wrote herself. He seeks the king's aid to secure his son's rights, and Cromwell, the king's Lord Privy Seal, encourages his investigation of Lady Guinevere. Lord Hugh does not know that the Privy Seal has plans of his own for the widow's riches. Hugh's stay on her estates gives him both reason to believe he may be right and reason to hope he is not, for he falls in love with Guinevere and her two daughters. He learns that two of her husbands apparently met their ends naturally, but discrepancies in her servants' stories about the most recent death require him to take her to London, where her saucy tongue sends her to the Tower. Will Lord Hugh save Lady Guinevere, and if he marries her, can he ever trust her? Typical of Feather's novels, the story succeeds as romantic fiction, with fine characterizations, sound historical background and an effective evocation of the precarious times when a king's favor or disfavor meant life or death. Striking cover art, romantic yet dignified, will draw in readers. (Jan. 9) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Following up The Least Likely Bride, the last in her "Bride" trilogy and her first hardcover, Feather introduces 28-year-old Lady Guinevere Mallory, who has been widowed so many times that the king sends Hugh of Beaucaire to investigate. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Lady Guinevere Mallory is placed in a precarious position when her fourth husband dies, and her wealth is brought to the attention of King Henry VIII and his avaricious Privy Seal, Lord Cromwell. They send Hugh of Beaucaire, who has a personal interest in the widow, believing that his son is entitled to some of her first husband's property, to investigate the deaths of all of her husbands. As Hugh looks into her past, he becomes intrigued with Lady Mallory herself, whose story seems full of contradictions. Although she is direct and well educated, she is very closemouthed about her last husband, whom everyone refers to as a drunken brute, and all of her servants tell different stories about their whereabouts when he died. Hugh is sure of only two things when he takes Lady Guinevere to London to face the Privy Seal: his passion for her and the fact that she is in great danger. Filled with period detail and dynamic characters, Feather's appealing historical romance exemplifies the qualities that make her perennially popular. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Powerful passion and wonderfully wrought history are the hallmarks of a Jane Feather romance. And in her suspenseful tale The Widow's Kiss there are plenty of both. Emotions run hot and passions run high when a feisty widow and a determined soldier lock horns over the widow's fate -- for the soldier must determine if the deaths of the woman's four husbands were due to simple misfortune or cold-blooded murder.

By the time Lady Guinevere Mallory buries her fourth wealthy husband, she has become a woman of considerable means. The wealth and marital bad luck of this 28-year-old beauty draw the attention of King Henry VIII, who decides to investigate by sending along one of his most seasoned soldiers, Hugh of Beaucaire. Guinevere is greatly disturbed by Hugh's arrival, not only because the man is incredibly handsome and stirs up longings Guinevere would rather ignore, but because he believes her guilty of murder. What's more, he claims that a piece of property Guinevere inherited upon the death of one of her husbands should rightfully be his, which puts his objectivity in question.

Despite Hugh's suspicions about the true fate of Guinevere's four unfortunate husbands, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to her blonde beauty, quiet sophistication, and clever mind. Unsure if she is a scheming murderess or simply unlucky, he sets about trying to uncover the truth by staying on at her estate. Utterly charmed by the woman as well as her two daughters, Hugh wants to believe in Guinevere's innocence. But when conflicting evidence surrounding the death of the fourth husband raises doubts about what actually happened, Hugh is forced to bring Guinevere to London, where King Henry and his court will decide upon her fate. Guinevere is forced to fight for both her love and her life, and Hugh is forced to look deep inside his heart when he must choose between two courses of action. One choice may lead to his own death, the other to Guinevere's.

Feather provides an irresistible blend of mystery and intrigue along with vivid details that bring this period of history to life. The precariousness of an independent woman's position during the reign of this notorious king becomes a harsh reality that overshadows the characters' attempts to find happiness. But in the end, trust, love, and the inviolability of their spirits bring triumph over adversity.

Contributing editor Beth Amos is the author of three novels, including Cold White Fury and Second Sight.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Dear Reader,

When I first saw her, I realized that the miniature portrait I had shown to the king did not do her justice. Lady Guinevere Mallory’s beauty transcended even a portrait painter’s skill. It was nearly impossible to believe that this woman, who had buried four husbands before her thirtieth birthday, could have used murder and the dark arts of witchcraft to achieve her great wealth.

I carried the king’s writ to investigate Lady Guinevere’s oft-repeated widowhood. Was it mere coincidence that each death had left her wealthier than the last? The fact that I believed she also held lands that rightfully belonged to my family made my investigations all the more personal and all the more thorough.

Surely, I thought, such a woman would bear some obvious mark of treachery on her countenance, in her manner. But when we met I saw only the beauty of her pale blond hair and her deep violet eyes that seemed to me to offer a glimpse into the intriguing world of her brilliant mind and spirit. I began to wonder how the gentle hands of such an elegant woman, whose cool composure belied her dubious past, could have committed cold-blooded murder.

Now as I learn more about the mysterious widow, I find myself growing more curious about the secrets of her heart–and more determined to reveal those secrets. Guinevere is the most captivating and intriguing woman I have ever met. I have but one question:

Will my interest in her prove to be a fatal one?

Hugh of Beaucaire

FROM THE CRITICS

Joan Hammond - Romantic Times

Ms. Feather combines the imagery and intrigue of Henry III￯﾿ﾽs court as she sweeps the reader into a sensual, masterful love story.

Publishers Weekly

At age 28, beautiful Lady Guinevere Mallory has been widowed four times, and each bereavement has brought her more land and more wealth. Is she a murderess, a sorceress or simply a clever, though unlucky, woman? Set during the reign of Henry VIII and his dreaded minion, Thomas Cromwell, Feather's (The Least Likely Bride) latest historical romance is rich in detail and rife with intrigue. Lord Hugh of Beaucaire, himself a widower, believes his young son Robin has a legal right to some of the lands left to Lady Guinevere in the four marriage contracts she apparently wrote herself. He seeks the king's aid to secure his son's rights, and Cromwell, the king's Lord Privy Seal, encourages his investigation of Lady Guinevere. Lord Hugh does not know that the Privy Seal has plans of his own for the widow's riches. Hugh's stay on her estates gives him both reason to believe he may be right and reason to hope he is not, for he falls in love with Guinevere and her two daughters. He learns that two of her husbands apparently met their ends naturally, but discrepancies in her servants' stories about the most recent death require him to take her to London, where her saucy tongue sends her to the Tower. Will Lord Hugh save Lady Guinevere, and if he marries her, can he ever trust her? Typical of Feather's novels, the story succeeds as romantic fiction, with fine characterizations, sound historical background and an effective evocation of the precarious times when a king's favor or disfavor meant life or death. Striking cover art, romantic yet dignified, will draw in readers. (Jan. 9) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal