Harriet Klausner's Review Archive
As Ardys tries to move on in her life, Queen Elizabeth sympathizes with her loss, but though the young woman is capable of being THE QUEEN’S FENCER, a female in what the nobles recognize as a male position would cause too much trouble. However, Desmond Kirkconnell has his own plans for the lass; he abducts her taking her to Ireland. As she falls in love with her rogue pirate, a rival Francois de la Roche abducts Ardys to use as a pawn to trap and destroy Desmond, who risks death to rescue his beloved.
Elizabethan romance readers will want to take the plunge into this intriguing tale. The lead couple is a wonderful intrepid pairing though it seems the competent Ardys is too easy a victim. The story line is fast-paced whether the action occurs in England, Ireland or the High Seas. Elizabeth’s court and other secondary protagonists provide a late sixteenth century feel to the fable, but it is Ardys the fencing master who makes the tale hum.