Fieldnotes:
Whitehall Palace, London, Christmas 1564

12 Days of Christmas
1 Frost Fair
Ice-Skating

1 Handsome Swede
1 Challenged Petition for an Estate
1 Maid of Honor Sent to Court to Weaken an Unsuitable Attachment
2 Wagers (Dancing Related)
1 Unsuitable Suitor

1 Irascible Queen
3 Delegations of Royal Suitors
2 Candidates for Mary Queen of Scots, including
1 Sulking Royal Favorite
1 Sulking and Drunk Lord Darnley

2 Unsettling Incidents
1 Useful Resemblance
1 Kidnapping
1 Daring Rescue (Involving Ice Skates)

1 Happily Ever After

The Not-So-Short Version
An unusual time period for a historical romance, and one I enjoyed a great deal. Having Elizabeth throwing things and generally being Tudoriffic is great fun. Honestly, I would have enjoyed either more intrigue (I'm not buying that Cecil's involvement at the climactic kidnapping was not intentional) on page and rather less lustful groping behind tapestries, but the category length means a tight focus on the couple getting together rather than the plot points around the estate / the conspiracy around the Queen / Robert Dudley.

I liked that Elizabeth's input involved making sure our leads were thrown together to dance the volta and that there were masquerades and merriment (except for Dudley who sulked around dramatically as was his wont).

Our central romance is a bit light (again, expected for a category). Rosamund has formed an unsuitable attachment with the young man at the neighboring estate, so her parents send her to Court to be a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I (who dislikes her ladies forming romantic attachments/leaving her). Before she even gets there, she sees a handsome man ice-skating who is struck by her "winter fairy" beauty. Turns out Anton is a member of the Swedish delegation for Her Majesty's hand, but also has his own petition as he has been named heir to an estate in England (by his now-deceased grandfather), though a cousin is contesting this. Elizabeth wagers that Rosamund can teach Anton to dance and we're off.

We have masquerades, a hunt, a visit to the frost fair, dancing practice and ice skating parties, not to mention plenty of illicit smooching. And then the unsuitable suitor shows up to be villainous (of course), and Anton's skill at ice-skating helps him save the day. Because why not?

Enjoyable, but not move-across-an-ocean. ( )

Minu arvamuse leiab blogist https://triinuraamatud.wordpress.com/2018/01/28/amanda-mccabe-talvekuninganna-er... ( )

In December, 1564, nineteen-year-old Rosamund Ramsey is sent away from her home in the country (Ramsey Castle) by her parents after they try to break up a romance she is having with a young man (Richard) they don't approve of. Rosamund is sent to London where she is to serve as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I.

While traveling to London in a litter she stops and goes in the woods for a short break. She sees a small group of people and a handsome man ice-skating on the frozen pond. She is quite captivated by this man and his astonishing skills at ice-skating. Someone calls the man Anton. He sees Rosamund and goes over to speak to her, but she runs away. Anton was quite intrigued with this lady and would have liked to know more about her.

Rosamund eventually arrives at the Palace of Whitehall. There she meets Queen Elizabeth and makes friends with some of the other ladies-in-waiting. She is also surprised to see the man she saw ice-skating in the woods, Anton, who is also at court, with his fellow Swedish delegates. Anton can't dance well so the Queen persuades Rosamund (as a wager) to give Anton dance lessons. Rosamund agrees, and Anton suggests he will give her ice-skating lessons. They both get to know each other better and start falling for each other. But what happens when Rosamund's former love Richard shows up at court?

Anton is both Swedish and English. Besides being in court on behalf of King Eric, he is also battling with his cousin, Celia. They both want an estate in Suffolk (Briony Manor) that Anton’s grandfather left him when he died.

Rosamund lived a very sheltered life before she came to court in London. She was living in the country and thought herself in love with Richard. Her parents didn't approve so they sent her away to London and hoped she'd get over her infatuation. And, as time goes by, Rosamund sees her parents were right after she falls in love for real with Anton.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were so many things I liked about it. I liked the time period in which it was set, during 1564, Queen Elizabeth I's reign. I haven't read many books with this setting so it was new and interesting to me. I liked all the activities at court. I liked how it was set during the weeks around Christmas and New Year's. It gave the story a very festive feel to it. The descriptions were really good. And the story had fun elements like the Frost Fair, a masquerade ball for New Year's Day, etc... It also had a little suspense. Anton was a handsome and dashing hero with his dark, wavy hair, he was quite appealing. I also liked Rosamund. Anton thought of her at times as his "winter-fairy" with her silver-blonde hair.

This was a charming and highly enjoyable story, perfect to read around Christmas. ( )