The Queen's Vow

I thought that I had read every book written by C. W. Gortner but I missed this one.  It did not disappoint.  I was engaged from the first page until the last and enjoyed every bit of the story.  

The publisher's summary:  

"Isabella is barely a teenager when she becomes an unwitting pawn in a plot to dethrone her half brother, King Enrique. Suspected of treason and held captive, she treads a perilous path, torn between loyalties, until at age seventeen she suddenly finds herself heiress of Castile, the largest kingdom in Spain.  Plunged into a deadly conflict to secure her crown, she is determined to wed the one man she loves yet who is forbidden to her - Fernando, prince of Aragon.  As they unite their two realms under "one crown, one country, one faith," Isabella and Fernando face an impoverished Spain beset by enemies.  With the future of her throne at stake, Isabella resists the zealous demands of the Inquisitor Torquemada even as she is seduced by the dreams of an enigmatic navigator named Columbus.  But when the Moors of the southern domain of Granada declare war, a violent, treacherous battle against an ancient adversary erupts, one that will test all of Isabella's resolve, her courage, and her tenacious belief in her destiny."

I did not know much about Isabella before reading this novel.  In the beginning she seemed to be a sympathetic character but her decisions later in life were guided by something other than what was good for Spain. Perhaps it was the pursuit of power, perhaps she did not know herself.  The author shows that her ultimate decision to allow the Inquisition to go forward was based on her desire to be faithful to her Catholic religion.  In my opinion, she did it to maintain personal power.  This is not exactly a glowing attribute.  Her earlier decisions were based on what was good for Spain. She and Fernando had just succeeded in uniting all of the Spanish realms into one country. With such a fantastic accomplishment one might think that they could settle in for awhile. Allowing the Inquisition was not good for Spain. It ruined an already ruined economy by expelling the money makers who had loaned her the money to fight the wars that united Spain. I can't imagine why she decided to expel them when she owed her success to them. It shows Isabella to be an unscrupulous woman.

The writing was smooth making the book a joy to read. I naturally expect this from C. W. Gortner as every book of his is written in a first person narrative. I think that's what makes the pace of a novel quick.  If there is any criticism of the book it would be that the mention of Christopher Columbus at the end of the story has nothing to do with the part of Isabella's life that Gortner has chosen to tell us. Columbus is a footnote.  Why is he in the book?

5 out of 5 stars.