Book a Month Challenge: January

Um, okay. I've been really busy lately so I need you all to forgive me for my Book a Month Challenge selection. Because I did not intend for this book to be my pick. But, the end of January is nigh so here it is: The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll.

This month's theme was "time." The Dark Queen loosely fits into this category as a work of historical fiction that takes place in France during the time of Catherine de Medici. When I say "historical fiction" please note that that would be light on the historical and heavy on the fiction.
Plot: Ariane is the oldest of the three Cheney sisters who live in (I'm pretty sure fictional) Faire Isle. Ariane is known as the Lady of Faire Isle and is renown for her abilities as a healer. Ariane is courted (oh, good grief, this is the part where I can't believe I'm telling you I read this book) by Justice Deauville, the Comte de Renard. He is, "a man cut on a grand scale, a veritable giant, well over six feet of solid muscle and long limbs. . . Uneven lengths of golden-brown hair fell past his shoulder. . .Although clean-shaven, his face was rough-hewn, with a square jaw and a nose that appeared as if it had been broken at some point in his past." So he is basically one of those ugly, good looking men. Right. Onward.
Ariane is reluctant to marry this hunk of meat so he (of course!) whips out a pair of magic rings and through a little persuasion, convinces her to accept one. Whenever she is in trouble, she can slip on the magic ring, call for him, and he will come running. If she does this three times, she has to marry him. I know, I know, brilliant plot!
In the mean time, Ariane is secretly harboring an injured soldier, who sought her out in order to implicate the Queen, Catherine de Medici (I think the Queen is the historical part), in the assignation of the mother of a Huegenot royal who is supposed to marry the Queen's son. Needless to say, by harboring this dude, Ariane brings down the wrath of the Queen and she has to use the ring twice to save herself and her sisters who are being harassed by witch hunters sent by the Queen. The Comte de Renard eventually comes to feel bad about his deal with Ariane, because he wants Ariane to marry him for love. Ariane (here's a shocker, brace yourselves) realizes she loves the Comte! They have sex. The Comte does some more gallant things but I can't remember what they were because I got all distracted by the sex. Then some bad things happen and looks like the Comte and Ariane will never get together. Then some things are resolved and Ariane uses the ring a third time, but not because she needs saving (and not as a booty call--how could you even think that!?). I won't tell you how the book ends just in case you want to rush out and read this masterpiece yourselves. So there you are, January's book: two short steps short of an all out bodice-ripper. I have no brilliant literary analysis to offer on this book because, . . .well . . ., it is beyond literary analysis.
(If you're wondering why I read this book, it came up as a recommendation for people who enjoyed The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant, which I totally did, and which was not anything at all like this book. I highly recommend The Birth of Venus if you haven't read it.)