THE GRAND DESIGN
By
A sequel to No Common Glory and a good one, though it cannot be typed as of the pop historical romance genre. The story continues the career of James de la Cloche, in the service of his father, Charles of England. The eldest bastard, Jamie, is a King' Messenger, privy to machinations at home and abroad. He submerges his identity in behalf of sustaining secrecy; he deals with Rome, scheming for bringing England back under the Papacy; he finds conflict in his love for Snubs, raised as his sister in Jersey. Sober-paced historical romance, intimately detailed in regard to the delicate statecraft of the late 18th century, livened with adventurous incidents, and stressing the importance of Catholicism in the questions of the day. Actually, the story itself bogs down a bit in the international and religious questions of the period.