Daughter of Silk
The Silk House Series #1
by Linda Lee Chaikin
Rachelle Dushane-Macquinet, Huguenot and heiress to a silk empire, accompanies her famous couturier grandmother to the royal court of the evil Queen Mother, Catherine de Medici; there to create a trousseau for Catherine’s daughter, Princess Marguerite Valois. Under the excitement and intrigue of court life, however, lies a web of political treachery and religious persecution. Before long, Rachelle finds herself under the scrutiny of the Queen and her cronies as a tide of recrimination begins to rise against the Huguenots. Uncovering an evil plot to slaughter the Protestant dissidents, she turns for help to the handsome Marquis de Vendome. Love and danger increase in equal proportions as the rebels find themselves in a race against time; their mission to thwart the machinations of diabolical factions who have their hearts set upon the throne of France.
One of the pitfalls of writing historical fiction is that intensive research can lead to a story that bombards the reader with so many facts, figures and players that it is hard to retain anything. There were several moments in the early pages of this book where I felt my eyes crossing and found myself having to flick through previous pages in order to get my facts straight. That, combined with occasional incorrect French grammar (for example, constantly referring to male cousins as cousines, which is the feminine form of the noun) made this a frustrating read for me at times. I don’t blame Ms Chaikin however; it’s the job of a competent editor to deal with those issues.
Despite the slow start, the story picks up pace nicely and there’s a good building of suspense. I found myself quite captivated by the end, curious to know more. Fans of historical Christian fiction will enjoy this one.
Reviewed by Rachel Koopmans
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