The Queen's Lady

Born just as the violent overthrow of the Catholic Church begins in 1527 Tudor England, Honor Larke is alternately pulled and pushed by her conscience: she wants to save heretics from burning, but desires to see her once beloved guardian, Thomas More, punished for his reforming ways. Meanwhile, Erasmus, Catherine of Aragon, Henry Tudor, Anne Boleyn and More himself charm, pummel and sweep their way through history. Fully grown, Honor meets and employs Thomas Thornleigh, a merchant and courtier who she vastly misjudges—at first. Firsthand experience with the horrors of persecution on both sides forces Honor into an unusual decision of where to put her faith. Compelling narrative and characterization make Kyle's debut comparable with the likes of Margaret George and Kathleen Windsor. (Aug.)