The Serpent Garden

The book alternates between the first person of Susannah Dallet, the Dutch-English heroine paintrix, and the third person descriptions of evil deeds of an evil doing demon master and the demon he conspires with. Susannah is just hoot. She's innocent, but intelligent, not quite blissfully unaware of all the rotten stuff going on around her, and she sees the world through her art, in terms of color and pigment, and has quite a bit to say about faces and how to paint in miniature. Not to mention that she must resort to subterfuge to keep practicing her trade in the man's world that is Tudor London and the rest of Renaissance Europe, for that matter. Susannah just wants to paint and be a good girl, but unfortunately her society won't allow her to do both. Through a series of adventures she ends up employed by Cardinal Wolsey to serve in the train of Mary Tudor, bride of the old King Louis of France. The historical detail is excellent here, right down to Jane Poppincourt's affair with the Duc de Longueville, Francis 1 rst libido, and Louis' sending Mary servants back to England. Riley does a wonderful job fusing characterization with Historical fact, and then moving from art to the beyond with demons and angels. At first the demons are a bit boring, but when the angels show up, the whole supernatural element fits right in, and makes for a wonderful tale.

This book was amazing. As a lover of historical fiction set in France and England, this book has the best of both worlds. Susannah, the main character, is a paintrix who paints under the names of two different dead painters, both men, one her husband. She was an intriguing character, human and flawed, beautiful and talented. Bishop Wolsey was another great character. His manipulations of Susannah kept the plot going. Robert Ashton, the love interest, was at first frustrating because of his stubborness and changeability, but his depth of emotions makes one really want him and Susannah to be together. I have read two other Riley books and this was my favorite. I strongly recommend her books, especially this one, and I plan to read the rest of her books.

Judith Merkle Riley's "The Serpent Garden" is another clever blend of her imagination and historical tidbits. I highly recommend this book for those very selective readers who enjoy historical romance novels; particularly those written by Bertrice Small, Theresa Medeiros, or Virginia Henley, yet wish for a bit less romantic fare and a bit more adventure. Riley has followed her established formula of a young woman bucking propriety, probably because it is such a wonderful formula. My favorite feature of this book is the dividers between chapters detailing paintings-written as from an actual art history book-and followed by comments from our paintrix about the paintings. Riley has again treated us to a feast of imagination.

Judith Merkle Riley consistently writes wonderful and accurate historical fiction. This latest work lives up to her high standards. The strong female hero adjusts her behavior as well as she can to fit well within society's conventions, making her believable and sympathetic. Throughout her travails, she remains true to character and delightfully down to earth.Ms Riley's portrayals of Cardinal Woolsey, Henry VIII, and other notable figures of the day entertain and intrigue. She created a wonderful good-versus-evil plot with unexpected twists, realistic heros and nefarious villains. A great read!

JMR has written a charming, humorous novel of courtly intrigue and occult mischief set amid King Henry 8th's Tudor England. The fiesty heroinne, Susanna, is a delightful creation realistically portrayed: though restrained by the social conventions of Tudor England, by wit and talent (and a little divine inspiration) she rises above difficult circumstances. If you liked JMR's "In Pursuit of the Green Lion," you're really going to love this one! Terrific fun!