The Queen's Almoner by Tonya Ulynn Brown

 

The Queen's Almoner is set at the court of Mary Queen of Scots. When she returns to Scotland from France after being widowed at a very young age her childhood friend Thomas Broune is waiting to greet her. Thomas feels great loyalty to his Queen and protective towards his childhood friend. Mary's court is peopled with a rich cast of characters and Thomas feels mistrust towards those who would use Mary for their own advancement. As Rizzio and Bothwell are introduced Thomas feels powerless to stop his Queen falling under the spell of these powerful men. There is a sense of impeding doom which never strays into melodrama and the storytelling is excellent. Thomas cannot deny his growing attraction to the Queen and struggles with his conscience having dedicated his life to the church. Tonya Ulynn Brown is a talented writer of historical fiction, her writing brings alive the royal court at Holyroodhouse and the town and outskirts of Edinburgh with it's distinctive landscape. Thomas is very much a man of his era but he also gives the reader a window onto this world and an insight to some of history's most fascinating characters. Thank you to The Coffee Book Club for a copy of the book.