Royal Flush

Royal Flush: the Story of Minette will introduce readers to events transpiring in the French and English courts in the period before, during and after Cromwell’s revolution.  Minette’s father was Charles I, removed from the English throne and beheaded.  Her brother became Charles II.  Her mother, Henrietta, raised in France and a Catholic was by English law forbidden from being crowned Queen when Charles assumed the throne, which complicated her life when her husband was killed.  Minette was married to the brother of the French king, and it is through her offspring that the Jacobite Stuart’s made their claim to the English throne. The author has written an informative historical novel that captures the essence and the intrigue of the period, suitable for readers of all ages.  This reviewer was a huge fan as a teenager of Margaret Irwin’s books on the first Princess Elizabeth:  “Young Bess,” “Elizabeth, Captive Princess,” and “Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain.”  I credit these books for my lifelong interest in all things Tudor, so I was very excited to see Royal Flush by a favorite author offered on NetGalley.  I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book.  Most highly recommend.

The story of Minnette is such a rich seam of historical romance; the last child born to Henrietta Marie and Charles I, smuggled out of the country as a baby, years spent in near penury in the French court, the restoration of her brother and her eventual marriage to Philippe de Orleans. Then her later role brokering a peace treaty between England and France. It is surprising there has been more written about this fascinating character.  I remember reading this book about twenty years ago along with the 'Stranger Prince'. Irwin was fascinated by the English Civil War and her work was praised for it's historical accuaracy.  It is a little dated then but having said that I enjoyed it as much as I did then. I found the characters well drawn, in fact they had more to them than the TV series Versailles.

I've read this book previously, not for a few years .though, so I jumped at the chance to read a review copy, to refresh my memory.
I have always been fascinated with this period of history and  the research that went into ithis book was thorough. The storyline revolves around Princess Henrietta Anne ,daughter of the ill fated King Charles 1 ( Minette as her brother Charles calls her) and her early life with her Mother Queen Henrietta Maria , living in near penury  at the court of her cousin,King Louis in France . It follows the years of their exile on the fringes of the French court , where they are treated as the poor relations to the restoration of King Charles Ii  and the families rising fortunes. Minette is now a favourite of the court and marries the kings brother Phillipe  Duc D'Orleans.  My only criticism is that at times there was too much detail about the underlying historical aspects ,which helped you to understand the characters later motivations ,but made it appear   more like a biography than a work of fiction. For this reason I think it made it harder for the reader to connect with the characters in an emotional way. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who likes historically correct fiction.