The Rose and the Thistle
Historical fiction is fantastic at teaching us about true events while engrossing us in a story at the same time. The Rose and the Thistle did just this. It’s 1715 and Great Britain is in turmoil. It is a time of great change and fear as the people of England and Scotland decide if their loyalty lay with the new King George I or the Stuart line, i.e. the Jacobite rebellion. At its core is also a religious freedom issue, as Catholics are being persecuted and judged as traitors. Having prayer beads in your possession may mean your very head is forfeit. In the midst of this political turmoil is plain, tall Lady Blythe Hedley. Studious in nature, preferring her spectacles and books to much else, Lady Hedley is out of place in France, where excess is the expectation. However, she must await news from her Father, as he is a passionate Jacobite sympathizer and their England home is not as safe as it once was. Returning home to their beautiful household is not the balm she hopes it will be, th...
