What if King James VI of Scotland didn't succeed in amalgamating Scotland with England? What if there had been another heir to the throne of Scotland? One who would secure its independence? Would Scotland have remained free and independent and a nation of its own well into the twenty-first century? And would Scotland, this independent version, make its own decision to join the European Union when its southern neighbor was choosing to pull away?
"Queen Mary's Daughter" presents another plausible timeline, one that incorporates both historical fact and fiction with the endless possibilities of time travel.
Emily-Jane Hills Orford is an award-winning author of several books, including Gerlinda (CFA 2016) which received an Honorable Mention in the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, To Be a Duke (CFA 2014) which was named Finalist and Silver Medalist in the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and received an Honorable Mention in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards. She writes about the extra-ordinary in life and her books, short stories, and articles are receiving considerable attention. For more information on the author, check out her website at: http://emilyjanebooks.ca
This was quite the adventure—both time-travel and
action-wise—as characters moved between the 16th century and modern
times. After her grandmother’s death, a modern Mary Elizabeth living in 21st
century feels compelled by her grandmother’s earlier urgings to return to Loch Leven
castle in Scotland. There she learned of her amazing heritage and is introduced
to people who have played a role in the past, and now guide her as she learns
her destiny.
My suggestion, especially to those from the United States
who may not be as familiar with British history, is to first read at least the short
version of the history of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the ascensions to the
Scottish and English thrones for the next couple of generations. It took me
several chapters to sort some of this out, and the only thing that saved me was
I recently read a novel from this time period. However, once I sorted out the
characters, I was able to focus on the action which included a lot of movement
between centuries.
Mary Elizabeth encountered difficulties from the time she
was born prematurely, one of two twins who were reported to have died. Family
life among the royals was not “love at home” as several sought to kill those
family members that might claim the thrones of Scotland and England in their
stead. Others from the future go back in an effort to not allow Mary Elizabeth,
the princess who lived, from claiming Scotland and changing history and the
right of royal ascension.
This story ended with an interesting twist. Regardless of
what the reader thinks of the royals and who should have ruled where. I think most
will agree Mary Elizabeth in this book is a lovable character. I found my empathy stayed
with her. A thought-provoking “what if” read.
Excerpt
#1:
As the wind picked up, blowing her deep red,
unruly curls helter-skelter over her face, Mary Elizabeth’s eyes focused on her
hands. She stretched out the left hand, revealing the old ring that sat on her
baby finger. It was a tiny ring and it only fit on the one finger. At the same
time Gran bestowed the heirloom gift on her granddaughter, she had shared her
story of the ring, at least as much as she was willing to share. The ring had
been in the family for generations and only the firstborn daughter of the
firstborn daughter (and so on and so on) could wear it. The ring was her
connection to a past she wasn’t sure she believed in, a past that had been
shared from one generation to the next. Or was there more? Was there a story
her grandmother never managed to share?
What would she find at Loch Leven Castle? The
clues had to be there. But the boy said it was mostly ruins, crumbled walls and
tumbled stones, except for the tower. Queen Mary’s tower. What could she
possibly unearth to collaborate Gran’s story? And she only had two weeks to do
it. She couldn’t afford more time away from work. Even though it was a poorly
paid entry level job, she didn’t want to risk losing it.
A glow emanated from the ring on her
outstretched hand. She felt a warmth spread up her arms. The wind picked up,
violently tossing her hair in every direction, swishing her coat ends like
laundry hanging loosely on a clothesline. She faced into the wind, allowing its
vicious impact to draw her forward. She took a step, then another, until she
felt the cold wet of the lapping waves of the loch splash over her feet. The
water was cold; it jolted her back to reality. What was she doing walking into
the loch? What was the strong pulse pulling her forward? She allowed her eyes
to glance out across the loch, now almost obliterated by the darkened storm that
raged all around her.
“Miss.” She heard a voice from behind her as
the power continued to drag her into the loch. “Miss!” A hand gripped her arm,
yanking her back toward the dry shore. “Miss!” The hands tightened their hold
as she tried to pull away, tried to return to the loch. A scream pierced the
air. She didn’t know where the scream originated. It sounded like it came from
across the water.
It also sounded like it came from deep within
herself.
Another scream and everything went black.
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