The Court of Henry VIII – 1527

As a spy and assassin for the French king, Marguerite Dumas earned the name ‘Emerald Lily’ for her exploits as a femme fatale. However, in a Venetian whorehouse, something stays her hand from the fatal knife thrust long enough that her assigned target, the Russian, Nicolai Ostrovsky, escapes. The handsome man and her failure to kill him haunt her mind. King Francois gives her a chance to redeem herself by helping his envoy arrange a marriage alliance between Henry VIII’s daughter Mary, and his son Henri. It is believed that Henry is tired of his old, Spanish wife, Katherine, and interested in Anne Boleyn, giving France the chance to woo England from Spanish influence. The Spanish also want a marriage alliance with Henry’s daughter. Marguerite goes to England under the guise of companion to the pregnant wife of one member of the delegation, the Comte de Colonne.

Nicolai Ostrovsky, actor, tumbler, entertainer, can't forget the Emerald Lily. Only chance saved his life the night she tried to kill him. The beautiful woman has remained in his thoughts ever since. When his best friend asks Nicolai to go to England and protect his mother, the new wife of the Spanish envoy, he readily agrees. His friend’s wife is about to deliver their first child and cannot travel. At the first banquet Henry gives for the Spanish and French delegations, Nicolai recognizes the woman of his dreams, the Emerald Lily, or, as he learns, Marguerite Dumas. He doesn’t doubt she will try to kill him given the chance, but to satisfy his own desires, he will try to seduce her.

A SINFUL ALLIANCE tells a riveting tale about false appearances and the shifting sands of political tides during the Renaissance and, in particular, that of the Tudor Court. Accepting the early-twenties-something heroine as an unfeeling killer-spy is difficult when looking forward to a romance. Cold-blooded killing implies a certain immorality. Only toward the end of the story does the reader learn of Marguerite’s unhappy past and hints of her extraordinary training and the formation of the Emerald Lily. Why the king selected Nicolai as a target for the Emerald Lily is also somewhat of a mystery. However, after the initial arousing but off-putting introduction, the characters’ introspection and their behavior redeem them into worthy love interests. There is no doubt both heroine and hero are smart players, brave and dedicated to their causes, be it a king or a friend’s mother. The question becomes whether they can change, whether it is right to switch alliances, or to follow an emotional heart rather than dispassionate logic. The perilous action and the elegance of the writing took me beyond my first speculations about the characters and allowed me to thoroughly enjoy an unusual and fascinating story of an intriguing era.

I have not read author Amanda McCabe's previous Renaissance romance, A NOTORIOUS WOMAN (Harlequin Historical, August 2007), but suspect, based on A SINFUL ALLIANCE, that it is a story well worth reading.

Robin Lee