The Winter Prince by Cheryl Sawyer
review by guest reviewer: Sandy M

I have to admit first thing that I’m not a fan of history, at least how we had to learn it in the classroom. Of course, reading history in an historical romance novel is much different, you have more invested in the story and don’t mind learning about all that background to go along with it. I’m also not one who cares about historical accuracy when I’m hoping my hero and heroine finally get together and realize they’re in love. Oh, I heard that collective gasp of all of you out there who go crazy when you find inconsistencies in your historical romance books. Fortunately for me, and those of you like me, Cheryl Sawyer has taken the love story of Prince Rupert of Bohemia, Mary Villiers, the Duchess of Richmond, and her husband, James Stuart, cousin to King Charles I and uncle to Rupert and given us a rich tapestry of love, war, loss, and, yes, history called The Winter Prince.

Rupert has just returned to England after being released from an Austrian prison, and Charles is delighted to have his nephew at his side, a consummate soldier and devoted to the crown. What timing for the king since he has decided to have five members of Parliament arrested, men who have given him nothing but trouble since he appointed them to their positions. The Duke of Richmond has tried to talk Charles out of such an ill-advised act, but there is no moving the monarch. Thus, James enlists the help of his wife, who is like a daughter to the king since her father, the Duke of Buckingham, was killed. Mary is sure her opinion will not alter the king’s course, but she agrees to try because her husband has never asked her for such a favor before, and she knows the country will be headed in the direction of civil war if the king has his way in this matter. Mary even takes a further step when her words to her king fall on deaf ears and goes to the Earl of Essex, a supporter of those in Parliament, to apprise him of what Charles intends — an act of treason if she is ever found out — with the hopes that something can be done to staunch the king’s decree of war on his own people.

Amid all the mounting turmoil at court, when Mary first spies Rupert after so many years, she is surprised by her reaction to him, a reaction she has never had to any man before, even James, who is her second husband and chosen by the king. But she is a married woman and will be faithful to her husband and is definitely blindsided by her growing feelings for the prince during the time she spends with him after his return and treats him accordingly. With civil unrest advancing, Queen Henrietta-Maria heads to Europe where she will be safe, taking Mary with her, along with Rupert, who is none too happy with this arrangement and would rather be in England when all hell eventually breaks loose. When it is suggested to him being in the Duchess’ good graces would more than likely hie him home henceforth, he wastes no time in garnering her friendship. Thus begins a friendship and ultimate love affair to two people trapped by their feelings that can never be publicly shared without hurting those who are closest to them and without creating the scandal of the century.

Heated, amorous glances, stolen moments, and news of each other through friends and relatives are all Mary and Rupert can ever have. Mary has a husband who does not deserve to be humiliated if she acts on her feelings, a husband she realizes she loves, and Rupert is finally thrust into being the soldier he was born and trained to be when Charles and Parliament declare war on one another. Ms. Sawyer has taken the simple act of love between two young people who can never be together and woven threads of their lives into one of England’s most desolate times. I do not remember knowing anything about this particular episode in English history, and while I still probably will not pick up a history book for the sake of history itself, I did become enmeshed in the tumult of the country and these real-life people’s world of love, hope, and dreams. I found myself being interested in the workings of Parliament of that age, as well as how war was fought, won, and lost due to the dictates and sentiments of one man.

Three-quarters of the way through this book, I began to wonder how Ms. Sawyer was going to end this story, if the hero and heroine were going to be allowed to be together, whether by taking license with actual history or staying true to what really happened. All I can say is she ended it the only way she could, the only way real life and history allows such stories to end, one that gives the reader hope that love will win, but one that throws that hope in a different direction than you imagined. I’ve been given an appreciation for accuracy in historical storytelling, thanks to Ms. Sawyer, and will look at those types of books differently in the future, but I’m still a long way from being a fan of history when a happily-ever-after is not assured for me or for my hero and heroine, the main reason I get lost in a romance novel.