This book charts the colorful life of Janet Leslie from birth to death. Born in Scotland, she ended up one of the chief wives of an Ottoman prince and comes to play an important part in his reign.
Firstly, this is not a romance. We do not see much of the relationship between Janet/Cyra and either of her love interests. Instead, we get a lot of political intrigue, historical facts, and some lovable gal palling between Cyra and Selim’s other wives. It’s not serious historical fiction either – Cyra is too perfect for that. But I learned a surprising amount about Ottoman battles in this period all the same.
I enjoyed the first hundred or so pages of this book, full of Bertrice Small’s typical over-the-top storytelling. The story slows toward the middle, but it didn’t really begin to drag until when Janet returns to Scotland. Small seems to have run out of ideas and ended up dumping and dumping facts and cousin marriages all over the place. I was disappointed.
06/01/2024
Clearly I was a bit miffed by the last hundred pages or so – which really are a mess of battles that Janet’s family don’t even fight in – when I rated the book last. It’s pretty solid until that point, and on this pass at the book I appreciated how Small showed how the women adapted to an alien culture, working inside the system to amass power and influence.
I also redoubled in my hatred of Colin Hay, who after the complex Selim appears even more the boor. That Janet succumbs to his charms defies explanation. The book really should have ended right after Janet’s escape, but I guess we can’t have everything.
Raising my rating to three stars.
