The best bits are in the middle, so to speak. After a slow start, we get stuck into an adventure story, after which the narrative is somewhat flat.

The author composes several quality action scenes. The fights are vivid and expertly drawn.

I like the title character very much. She’s an interesting and enchanting lady.

In all, I found this to be an entertaining story. ( )

Completely contrary to what the terrible book cover conveys, this is a romance of the classical variety-a combination of swashbuckling action, adventure, love and honor.(Think Don Quixote, King Arthur, and The Three Musketeers all rolled into one.) Although named for the female protagonist, Maria Clemenina Sobieska, who would become the consort of James Francis Edward Stuart (The Old Pretender), the story is told through the eyes of Chevalier Charles Wogan, an Irishman, poet, and devoted servant to the exiled king.Although I thought I knew the truth of James and Clementina, history has made of her a disillusioned, dour, and pious figure. I don't think history has truly been fair to Clementina given the facts of her early life. Although a work of biographical fiction, the author has stayed very true to historical record, particulalry in regard to Wogan's famed rescue of the imprisoned Clementina as recorded by Wogan himself (by request of the Queen of France!)The excitement of this tale truly left me breathless and in love with the knight-errant, Charles Wogan and rather sorry for the brave and faithful young woman who never quite became his queen. ( )

You read some books and you know the author was hoping to get a screen deal. Clementina reads that way. Mason's plot development and scene descriptions are concise, visual and plenty entertaining.

One of his other books, The Four Feathers, has been made into film twice. I'm sorry this one was overlooked. I'm also sorry he didn't write more in this vein. ( )

A very interesting story of very interesting times ( )