Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth I

by Andrea Renee Cox

Roses Have Thorns was an intriguing look into the life of Queen Elizabeth I and the people who served her. The author's research shined brightly throughout, and I loved the themes of friendship, loyalty, and trust. The complexity and subtext in every chapter was exquisitely written and kept me wondering what the indomitable Elizabeth would say or do next.

A few things I didn't appreciate (though, according to the information in the Afterword, they may be historically accurate) were the usage of mythology, innuendo, overtures of premarital sex and marital affairs, lewd and bawdy jokes, and at least one expletive (there might be one or two others, but I cannot be sure as they were written in a foreign language I am unfamiliar with; going on context, they might have been expletive phrases).

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I found it very informative, especially after having read the Afterword and realizing just how much of the content within the novel was historically accurate. I do not often read books based upon the Elizabethan Era, but Roses Have Thorns was interesting enough where I am now more interested in reading further novels and non-fiction books from this time period.

I was not compensated for this honest review.