Born with the face of an angel, Marget Barnardsen is blessed. Her father is a knight and now she is to be married to the Earl of Lytham. Her destiny is guaranteed...at least, it would seem so. But when her introduction to court goes awry and Queen Elizabeth despises her, Marget fears she's lost her husband forever. Desperate to win him back, she'll do whatever it takes to discover how she failed and capture the love of a man bound to the queen.
Average Rating: 4 out of 5 stars(4 out of 5 stars)
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5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Rel Mollet (Australia), August 28, 2009
Siri Mitchell has penned a compelling and moving story of a young girl striving desperately to please her husband and appease the whims of an jealous Queen. The pursuit of physical perfection as decreed by one woman resulted in disfigurement, miscarriage and early death of many women. Set in the sixteenth century during the reign of Elizabeth 1, A Constant Heart sadly reveals that not much has changed in five hundred years with society today still enforcing an unnatural expectation of acceptable beauty and woman, young and old alike, tormented by it's pursuit, even unto death.
Written beautifully in the first person, Siri has captured a sixteenth century feel to the dialogue without resorting to thees and thous. Descriptions of the court and society of the day are excellent and Siri's characterisation shines. Lytham, is particularly well developed, torn between his devotion to his Queen and his blossoming love for his young wife. His desperation to climb the social ladder to gain wealth and acceptability is palpable and seems destined to fail.
There are many contemporary truths exposed by this novel which are challenging yet the story is ultimately uplifting. A Constant Heart is an excellent start to Siri's new series and I eagerly look forward to Siri's next book, Love's Pursuit, set in a Puritan community in Massachusetts.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Rachel (Palm Bay), August 27, 2009
What an incredible book. Well written, well researched and such a vivid picture of Queen Elizabeth's court and how it impacted the women in her kingdom.
Mitchell is an skill story teller. Spiritual themes are woven in the lives of the characters. In the love of Marget for her husband -- giving her all to please him, to please the Queen. Are we all not called to be as devoted and wholehearted to Jesus?
The story ends with a satisfying, happy ending of love prevailing.
I highly recommend this book.
1.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Hannah Martin (Arcadia, CA), June 04, 2009
This book really disappointed me because there were hardly any references to God and the whole time the main character was worried about whether her husband loved her and was faithful to her or not. It depressed me because she was constantly doubting and trying to make herself fit in, something I've struggled with and tried to overcome.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by myrtia (gr), May 13, 2009
i hesitated in ordering this book and now that i have read it, i can't believe how much i would have been missing had i not read it.
first of all, the historical information was fascinating and also given in a way that made you always want for more to be said on the subject. (i usually skip these parts in other books).
i loved the romance between the two characters, it was so tender and so real and the fact that they were married made it even more romantic. especially the scene where they are flirting by the language of food..... i have never read about a couple quite like them.
and finally, after i had finished it, i found it had contained in it a great deal of spiritual messages, but they were woven through it so gently and the plot was so fascinating, that i almost missed them. the message about being who God made you to be and putting His priorities as your priorities was really strong. also, the vanity of the queen quite shocked me, as i had known her to be a very beloved queen, but finally i realised the facts mantioned in the book are the result of what begins as a "little sin" and slowly becomes this monster that finally, most probably, killed the queen. (you know, the poisoning through the dyes on her hair and face)
i recommend this book very highly as a christian book, as a historical novel and as a beautiful romance.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Tori Smith (Hollywood FL), March 14, 2009
This book was an amazing read. I didn't want to put it down. It was so well researched and very well written. Siri Mitchell has become one of my favorite authors.
Her ability to capture you in the story is so powerful that you never want to leave the characters and the story. Marget and Lord Lytham are some of the best characters I've ever read about. They are so real that you never want to lose them!
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Melanie Dickerson (Huntsville, Alabama), January 31, 2009
From the author of Chateau of Echoes comes a very well-researched novel about Queen Elizabeth and her court life. It is also a love story involving an arranged marriage. Imagine marrying someone you’ve never met, and having him take one look at you and shun you. Imagine being a virtual slave to a queen who holds your future in her hands. One false move—including falling in love with your husband or wife—will ruin you forever.
Marget wants nothing more than to please her new husband, but he seems to want nothing more than to hate her. She desperately wants to be accepted by the queen and the members of her court, but they seem to hate her without cause. How is she to win her husband’s love? How is she to figure out the rules to the game of court? She does eventually figure it out, but not without grave consequences.
Wow, this book is truly unique. And if you’re a true historical romance fan, you can’t help but lose yourself in the story and the details. It is a bit depressing to learn how Queen Elizabeth treated her subjects, and what the heroine and hero, and everybody else, has to go through, but I promise it has a happy ending. And the romance—ooh la la! It is very romantic, in spite of all the sad things the heroine goes through. I have to recommend this book. It will stay with you for a long time.
3.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Cara (Indiana), October 14, 2008
This book is a fascinating look at the court of Queen Elizabeth the First. I found myself swept into the book, with the author's attention to speech, customs, and dress making it easy to find myself in the throes of the dream. I enjoyed this book even as it twisted and turned through hard places like the stillbirths and miscarriages of the heroine. This book also confronts the lengths women have gone through to look beautiful as well as the consequences of those choices. If you like novels that place you fully in a time, even though they deal with hard topics, then this is one you will like.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Michelle (AZ), October 10, 2008
Siri always makes me think about our culture and other cultures when she writes. I could see how women over the centuries have done just about anything to look beautiful. I found that concept fascinating and told many people about this story because of it. What a great premise! I'd always wondered why courtiers had such a high rate of infertility. If you wanted to be a mother, chances were better if you stayed far away from the queen and her court.
I also found the portrayal of Queen Elizabeth to be very well done. There was so much richness and depth to this story, I could go on for hours. But in short, the definition of love and faithfulness is explored in detail in A Constant Heart, and the way the author showed the many different perspectives was nothing short of brilliant. If you love realistic historical fiction that is honest and contains some edgy content, you'll want to devour this book!
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