At the Queen's Summons

A Novel (Tudor Rose, Book 3)

By: Susan Wiggs

Narrated by: Alex Wyndham

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Feisty orphan Pippa de Lacey lives by wit and skill as a London street performer. But when her sharp tongue gets her into serious trouble, she throws herself upon the mercy of Irish chieftain Aidan O'Donoghue.

Pippa provides a welcome diversion for Aidan as he awaits an audience with the queen, who holds his people's fate in her hands. Amused at first, he becomes obsessed with the audacious waif who claims his patronage. Rash and impetuous, their unlikely alliance reverberates with desire and the tantalizing promise of a life each has always wanted - but never dreamed of attaining.

©2009 Susan Wiggs (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

Almost Outstanding

Really enjoyed this book, but found a few parts to be carelessly -- almost hastily -- written, and a few other parts to be annoyingly trite and repetitive.

The GOOD: Even though the plot was entirely predictable, the action was good and the story generally carried along well (but: see "the bad," below, for exceptions to the plot carrying along well). The characters were mostly compelling. There was witty dialogue (almost all on the part of the heroine). Once you accept that you have purchased a rather silly Elizabethan-era romance to begin with, there is little necessity to suspend further disbelief; the author takes care to fill most potential plot holes.

The BAD: There are FAR too many moments of: "Oh! He/She suddenly realized that he/she was truly/deeply in love with him/her" (for the fourth, fifth, sixth time?), as he/she could tell by the special "look" in his/her eyes or by some revelatory comment. TOO MANY EPIPHANIES!!!

Also BAD: There were some "skips" in the story line. At a few points I wondered if I had inadvertently skipped ahead in the story. (I had not.) It was disconcerting to discover (well after the fact) that the characters had spent weeks at a certain venue in England (as the heroine reminisces about this), but this was all glossed over during the time it happens within the story, and was only revealed in retrospect. Similarly, I apparently missed a plot point during which the heroine reacts (I will not say how) to a servant's warning. Maybe I really did miss the warning and the heroine's reaction, but I don't think so. (This interaction is casually referred to near the end of the book.)

It is as if the author had outlined the book, but was too lazy or too rushed to actually WRITE all of the sections in the outline, and too lazy to even sketch in the missing parts.

Overall, it's a good romance. Could have been really excellent. Not worth a re-read or re-listen, as is, but I did enjoy it.

Not sure the narrator was the best choice; he's fine, and I thought he was good in a different series he narrated, but in this story, I grew tired of his ever-gravelly voice.

The Queen’s Summons

An Excellent Read. The characters caught me at the beginning. It made me laugh and cry.
I would recommend to anyone!
Thanks,
Lin