The year is 1450, a dangerous time in medieval Britain. Civil unrest is at its peak and the legitimacy of the royal family is suspect. Meanwhile, deep in the forests of western England, a baby is born. Powerful forces plot to kill both mother and child, but somehow the newborn girl survives. Her name is Anne.

Fifteen years later, England emerges into a fragile but hopeful new age, with the charismatic young King Edward IV on the throne. Anne, now a young peasant girl, joins the household of a wealthy London merchant. Her unusual beauty provokes jealousy, lust, and intrigue, but Anne has a special quality that saves her: a vast knowledge of healing herbs. News of her extraordinary gift spreads, and she is called upon to save the ailing queen. Soon after, Anne is moved into the palace, where she finds her destiny with the man who will become the greatest love of her life -- the king himself.

I work in a major bookstore in Australia and it was by chance that i came across this book whilst putting stock out. The cover itself caught my eye, and being a fan of historical fiction, i decided to give it a go. The fact that the author is Australian didnt escape my notice either- support local talent lol.

The only thing i knew about the author was that she co-wrote a popular tv series called McCleods Daughters, and i thought she was another one of those people that dabbles in all professions- tv, singing, dancing, writing etc etc. Needless to say i was shocked to discover how easily i fell into the story itself. Her writing is very descriptive, but doesnt go overboard and make you feel like your reading a text book, and the story itself has all that you would hope for- romance, mystery, intrigue, deception, courage etc etc.

The story focuses on a "peasant" girl called Anne, who is sent to work for a merchants wife in London by her foster mother. Anne has had a rather pagan upbringing, learning from a young age about the power of herbs and believing in a greater diety, not neccessarily God. Her talent for healing is noticed by King Edward, the young handsome man who won his throne after the War of the Roses, and when his frail Queen is close to death, he calls on Anne to save her. A mutual attraction develops between the King and Anne, and eventually grows too powerful to ignore, putting them both in danger as political factions aim to bring the King down anyway they can. Information is discovered about Anne that could lose Edward his throne and ruin all that is between them, and the book ends on a cliffhanger as Anne leaves England, but is it forever?

The story is absolutely absorbing, i finished the book in half a day. I loved the suspense emotion that the author created- i was scared when she was scared, i was happy when she was happy, and at times i was so reluctant to change the page in case something bad happened! There were times when i considered stopping the book at happy times, simply because i didnt know what i would do if bad things happened. I grew rather fond of the characters as well.

The book has copped alot of critiscism for the sex scenes and the violence, however i think that it adds to the book, when you are as in depth in the book as i was, it seems natural that such things are in it and it added to the emotions and overall storyline as well.

All in all i truly believe this is a five star, intense, beautiful book, and book two and three in the series are brilliant as well. The author has done alot of research in the period and has provided beautiful detail, which overall enhances the story itself. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Read if you like Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir, Karen Harper, Robin Maxwell etc.

This is a Romance Novel with a thin backdrop of a very diluted 15th century England where Edward the IV is king.

Anne, a young peasant girl, comes to London where she is able to...
leap tall buildings in a single bound
...not exactly but pretty close.

Anne is amazingly skilled with herbs and is able to apply her skills where no one else can. She assists in the healing of her employer and then goes on to offer her aid to the queen.

There are so many logic defying turns in this story that by the end I really couldn't wait for it to be done. It was as if the entire story was contrived for the sole purpose of bringing us to the conclusion of this book.

There was a lot of sex, I don't mind sex in my fiction as long as it's believable and tastefully done. But this sex wasn't believable for these characters. I don't fault the writer for including the rape scene and the abuse at the hands of the masochistic pervert. I thought that part of the story actually gave the book some drama and tension but it was resolved very quickly and somewhat simply and then that story line was finished.

The relationships between the characters do not ring true, the events that unfold do not ring true. The characters reactions to events are contrived. Deborah who has known Anne's heritage all along suddenly wants to bow to her now that her parentage has been revealed to the reader? It doesn't make any sense. And the woman who was present for Anne's birth forgot about her? Again I didn't find it believable and there's more I didn't find believable but I can say exactly what without revealing too much of what happens. There is a mystical theme that felt forced and underdeveloped, it just wasn't well done.

The characters are flat and suffer from 'flip-flop' where they contemplate a situation, make a decision to do one thing and then actually do the complete opposite which usually involves sex. I never felt that Anne did anything because she actually wanted to, it felt like she did it because Posie Graeme-Evans made her do it.

The story itself falls flat from beginning to end. There are just too many things that don't make any sense. I will say that some of the details were done well, the lice and the smells and sounds of London.

If you don't mind logic and common sense lacking in the books you read you might just like this story. If you really just like a lot of sex in your fiction pick this one up.

If you are a critical reader I would suggest you keep looking for your next favorite book, you might want to try Sharon Kay Penman's 'Sunne In Splendour' which is so well done.

Posie Graeme-Evans has an incredible talent for blending a little bit of fiction with a large of amount of researched history to create spell- binding historical novels. The Innocent is the first of a trilogy (includes The Exiled and The Uncrowned Queen). These books allow today's readers to understand the many intricacies and nuances of past royal families. Women of noble birth were mercilessly groomed to "catch the eye" of the King, in order to benefit the family through the relationship, be it as eventual queen or as favorite mistress. However, in the blink of an eye, those fortunes could change - as could the fortunes of any King, who was constantly challenged to retain his kindomship. In The Innocent, the lady in question possesses a talent for herbal healing and as a result, finds the love of her life. All three of the books are intriguing, revelatory and just plain downright fun to read!

The Innocent is the first in the Anne trilogy by Aussie author Posie Graeme-Evans. We are first introduced to Anne as a body servant to a wealthy English merchant's wife. Using her doctoring and knowledge of herbs, Anne soon finds herself in the Kings houshold attending Queen Elisabeth. Through a series of intrigues she begins a torrid affair with King Edward and soon discovers the secret surrounding her birth.

This book had a very powerful opening that hooked me in from the start. Graeme-Evans has crafted a compelling narrative arc that keeps you turning pages in this non-traditional Cinderella story. I genuinley felt for the young protagonist as she tried to fit in to a completely foreign court life. Through the pages of this book, Anne really is stripped of her innocence.

Graeme-Evans is a beautiful writer who is naturally gifted with the art of description withouth over-indulging in it. She also isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. She is crass when she needs to be and doesn't shy away from describing the less delicate aspects of life in the 1400's. I must admit that I love all these gritty details and although at times I found myself cringing, it really adds to the authenticity. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I wasn't phased by the S&M sex scenes too much although I can see that some may find them offensive.

If it didn't end on such a cliff-hanger, I'd recommend reading this book without the following two. It really is an enjoyable read however I felt that Graeme-Evans failed to maintain the character of Anne through the next two novels.

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THIS BOOK IS ONE OF A TRILOGY. IF YOU ENJOY HISTORICAL FICTION OR JEAN PLAIDY YOU'LL LIKE IT TOO. THE TRILOGY WAS AN EASY READ AND ENJOYABLE. I FINISHED ALL THREE BOOKS BY POSIE GRAEME-EVENS WITHIN TWO WEEKS.
I LOOK FORWARD TO MORE TITLES FROM THIS AUTHOR.