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Dark Angels (Through a Glass Darkly #1)

by Karleen Koen (Goodreads Author)

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 2,049 ratings · 229 reviews

Alice Verney is a young woman intent on achieving her dreams. Having left Restoration England in the midst of a messy scandal, she has been living in Louis XIV’s Baroque, mannered France for two years. Now she is returning home to England and anxious to re-establish herself quickly. First, she will regain her former position as a maid of honor to Charles II’s queen. Then s...more Alice Verney is a young woman intent on achieving her dreams. Having left Restoration England in the midst of a messy scandal, she has been living in Louis XIV’s Baroque, mannered France for two years. Now she is returning home to England and anxious to re-establish herself quickly. First, she will regain her former position as a maid of honor to Charles II’s queen. Then she will marry the most celebrated duke of the Restoration, putting herself in a position to attain power she’s only dreamed of. As a duchess, Alice will be able to make or break her friends and enemies at will.

But all is not as it seems in the rowdy, merry court of Charles II. Since the Restoration, old political alliances have frayed, and there are whispers that the king is moving to divorce his barren queen, who some wouldn’t mind seeing dead. But Alice, loyal only to a select few, is devoted to the queen, and so sets out to discover who might be making sinister plans, and if her own father is one of them. When a member of the royal family dies unexpectedly, and poison is suspected, the stakes are raised. Alice steps up her efforts to find out who is and isn’t true to the queen, learns of shocking betrayals throughout court, and meets a man that she may be falling in love with—and who will spoil all of her plans. With the suspected arrival of a known poison-maker, the atmosphere in the court electrifies, and suddenly the safety of the king himself seems uncertain. Secret plots are at play, and war is on the horizon—but will it be with the Dutch or the French? And has King Charles himself betrayed his country for greed?

The long-awaited prequel to Koen’s beloved Through a Glass Darkly, Dark Angels is a feast of a novel that sparkles with all the passion, extravagance, danger, and scandal of seventeenth-century England. Unforgettable in its dramatic force, here is a novel of love and politics, of romance and betrayal, of power and succession—and of a resourceful young woman who risks everything for pride and status in an era in which women were afforded little of either.

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Paperback, 544 pages

Published May 29th 2007 by Broadway (first published 2006)

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Historical Fiction: England's Second Civil War and Restoration

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Feb 03, 2008 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: other, general-fiction

Since it had been so long since the publication of "Now Face to Face," the sequel to "Through a Glass Darkly," I was operating under the dim reminiscences of books I read twenty years ago, which were favorable enough that I picked this one up with alacrity. Once I picked it up, I was trapped in it.

Here the main character is the architect of everything that happens in the other two books (to an extent): the woman who becomes the duchess of Tamworth, whose granddaughter Barbara is the focus of the...more

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Sep 12, 2007 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: historical fiction fans

Shelves: 2007, favorites, historical_fiction

This was a treat for me... it's a well crafted historical novel set in the reign of Charles II of England. And that has to be one of my favorite periods in English history. This is the prequel to Through a Glass Darkly Koen's earlier novel and the main character in this novel is the grandmother in the earlier novel. I reread Through a Glass Darkly after reading this novel and doing so definitely lent a new flavor to it. Dark Angels is set mostly in the court of Charles II, which is a court full...more

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Apr 20, 2007 Joy rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: more horny girls

Another Cracker Barrel pick. I'm reading another Koen book now - Through a Glass Darkly - that a friend recommended. They're both cute page turners with the occasional hearty sex scene.

So there you are, calmly driving through, let's say, Ohio looking at the cows, and the silos, the giant Jesus crosses scattered throughout the picturesque countryside and then - bam! - he takes her (who turns out to be him) from behind, pleasuring 'her' as he does so, and just as she's about to reach orgasm, pull...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Taylor rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I picked this up at a whim at the library with no knowledge of the book (Through a Glass Darkly) that it is a prequel to. Overall, my review is positive--I finished it in two days--for reasons to do with the plot and main character, but I do have some serious reservations about the writing itself.

The main character, Alice, is refreshingly ruthless and wily--a "born courtier," I think she's called. She's not one-dimensional, though; most of her ruthlessness is devoted to doing what she thinks is...more I picked this up at a whim at the library with no knowledge of the book (Through a Glass Darkly) that it is a prequel to. Overall, my review is positive--I finished it in two days--for reasons to do with the plot and main character, but I do have some serious reservations about the writing itself.

The main character, Alice, is refreshingly ruthless and wily--a "born courtier," I think she's called. She's not one-dimensional, though; most of her ruthlessness is devoted to doing what she thinks is best for herself or those close to her... regardless of what they might wish. She's smart, sneaky and suspicious and also ridiculously obsessed with having whatever is the latest fashion (I guess that's in keeping with the time and her character, though). One plot point seems to force her out of character, however: (view spoiler) I also appreciated that she came to recognize how much her pride was costing her, tried to change and did so with only limited success. That's a lot more believable than a complete personality transformation.

I enjoyed many of the other characters, as well--and there are quite a few! I imagine it would be hard to make so many supporting characters distinct without making them caricatures, and for the most part Koen achieves that. There is a glaring exception, which may be explained by her other books--perhaps this character figures prominently in a later book? Nearly 3/4 of the way through the book, a character's mother appears and is described as being witch-like and pagan--frankly iconoclastic in a way no other character was. It felt forced and unnatural, especially because she was suddenly the solution to a lot of problems.

It's hard to know if the plot or main character is meant to be the star of this novel, and I think it suffers for that. As I said above, I really enjoyed Alice as a character. The majority of the novel is written from her first-hand perspective and in her sense of time, but when she is no longer at court later in the book, suddenly the narrative jumps away to other players and leaves her development to be summed up in short passages. But at the end, (view spoiler)

This brings me to my criticism of the writing. What I'm about to say next might seem nitpicking, but is it nitpicking if it distracts you throughout the book? The author jumps back and forth from different narrators--mostly Alice, then another character, then perhaps an omniscient narrator--but wait, it's not an omniscient narrator, it's actually another character and you just didn't realize it yet! A lot of books change narrators and voices. The problem was that Koen did so without any demarcation (e.g. an extra space between paragraphs or a new chapter). I think at one point she switched between two narrators within a span of eight paragraphs, giving the second narrator two of those. It was completely random and incredibly confusing. To me, it looks like lazy writing and editing.

My final criticism is definitely nitpicking, but again, this was something that distracted and confused me as I read. Koen has an affinity for run-on sentences and an abhorrence for the proper use of commas and conjunctions. I found myself re-reading sentences over and over just to understand what they meant, when a simple "and" would have cleared everything up. A lot of authors bend the strict rules of grammar for stylistic effect, and I appreciate that. But this was unwieldy, unnecessary and confusing.

Overall, good characterization and an exciting plot, but the balance between the two was off. (less)

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Oct 19, 2012 Brandy rated it 2 of 5 stars

I usually stay away from "historical romances." In fact, I usually stay away from most romances, a habit I developed when I was quite young and began to see my education--most easily accessed through my reading--as a way to transcend what seemed like the fairly limiting prospects for me as a woman in my hometown. Few people I knew back then were what I would have called "serious" readers, and fewer still were women. The women I knew who did read generally rode the tidal wave of Harlequin romance...more I usually stay away from "historical romances." In fact, I usually stay away from most romances, a habit I developed when I was quite young and began to see my education--most easily accessed through my reading--as a way to transcend what seemed like the fairly limiting prospects for me as a woman in my hometown. Few people I knew back then were what I would have called "serious" readers, and fewer still were women. The women I knew who did read generally rode the tidal wave of Harlequin romances, and without having ever actually read one, I wrote off the entire genre as shallow and inconsequential.

This, of course, was after spending copious amounts of time during my preteen years reading Phyllis Whitney novels. As I recall, her books weren't straight romance, but it played a heavy role. Moreover, I came of age just as the teen fiction genre was beginning its current climb to popularity, and I seem to recall a good bit of my eleventh year as devoted to the sagas of Sweet Valley High. None of this is even to mention that I remember the days of Luke and Laura, Eugene and Calliope, Robert and Ana, and Roman and Marlena. It's a fair assessment to say I was a pretty confused kid, not sure whether to follow the themes which interested me or the ones which I was told were "worthy."

Oddly, though, the conflict continued. One of the most important books I read a few years after those soap opera days was Jane Eyre, clearly one of the romantic pinnacles of the western canon. That was when I was thirteen, yet throughout high school I continued to follow the steps of the serious boys I knew, away from books like this and towards the admittedly valuable Vonnegut, Steinbeck, Greene, Hemingway, and (though I found him on my own and he remains one of my all-time favorites) Faulkner. I can't complain about the ways these books--and these writers--influenced my thinking as a teenager. They made me more demanding of fiction and of ideas as a whole.

Once in a while, of course, romance made its way back into my reading list-- stumbling upon A. S. Byatt's Possession in my late teens was a revelation: stunning writing and romance could actually work together. I should admit here that I am thinking here primarily of romances written by women and perhaps even for women--Anna Karenina, though the term "romance" may be stretched here a tiny bit to include it, was and is a book which held deep significance for me since I first encountered it. But I generally met romantic tales by women with, at the very least, a raised eyebrow. Yes, I know it's all a story much too complicated and inundated with feminist cultural theory to do justice here.

As I'm certain she did for many, many other people, Jane Austen changed all that in one fell swoop when I went back to finish college in my late twenties. I was introduced to her by a diminuitive, doting woman who was teaching part time well into her retirement age, a woman who did little to inspire me other than offer this one staggering introduction. It's hard to explain how much Pride and Prejudice changed the game for me. It crystallized how wit and intelligence could be equally as important in the parlor as they are in politics.

This is such a long-winded way to get at the book I set out to comment on. Maybe I don't have much to say about this book in particular: it's a fascinating dip into reformation England, a filigree of political intrigue and courtly decadence. The character depth comes and goes, and there aren't any passages which stood out to me enough stylistically to want to quote them here. But Dark Angels is a good example of the way a lot of romance writing has changed with the times-- in this novel, at least, the focus is as much on the historical moment as on the romantic entanglements. It was an enjoyable read that was on the edge of engrossing at times. I didn't engage in the prolonged prelude because this book led the pack of romantic fiction. Instead, it's a meditation on how glad I am to have grown to be able to understand that, while being a lit snob has its benefits, there's a lot to be missed, too. In this case, there was a quick perspective on two worlds which fascinate, overwhelm, and confuse me--the glittering court of Charles II and another world much more personal--an insight far outside what I would have expected from this book at one point in time. All roads, seemingly, lead right back to ourselves.(less)

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Oct 19, 2012 HÜLYA YILMAZ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Başlarda beni biraz sıktı çok fazla detay vardı ama okumayı bırakmadım.Ve iyi ki bırakmamışım muhteşem bir kitap saray entirkaları,kişisel hırsları,aşk ve tutkuyu saray halkının ahlaksızlığını her şeyi anlatıyor.Yazar olayları o kadar iyi kurgulamış ki elimden bırakamadım.17.Yüzyıl İngiltere'sini okumuyorsunuz resmen yaşıyorsunuz.Yazarın yakın takipçisi olacağım dan emin olabilirsiniz. Historical değil bu roman tam anlamıyla bir tarih romanı,sanki bir belgesel gibi. Romandaki kadın karakter olan...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Jenny Brown rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book!

I had put off reading it because many of the negative reviews had made me think it would be a lesser book than Through a Glass Darkly and Now Face to Face. In fact, I thought it was a better book. But I'm coming to realize that there is a younger reader who doesn't seem to be able to get what the writers I most enjoy are doing with their stories. Maybe this is because they no longer value being able to sink into a whole new world and spend a week happily making their way throu...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Jenni rated it 3 of 5 stars

Dark Angels tells the tale of Alice Verney, a maid of honor to both a Princess of France and a Queen of England. Most of all she seems to desire nothing more then becoming a Duchess and rising in position. Alice isn’t above scheming to get what she wants, and her youthful self-absorption and occasional vindictiveness bring some tragic consequences. Stepping on toes and hurting others doesn’t seem to effect her until almost all those that she most cares for are lost to her. Karleen Koen writes of...more

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May 17, 2011 Hannah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Dark Angels by Karleen Koen
"She had stepped atop a huge coil of rope for this view, and a sailor, eyeing her statins and the single strand of fat pearls at her neck, had warned her to be careful, but she'd sent him off with a withering comment to mind his own business. She wasn't one to suffer fools--or even those who weren't fools--telling her what to do."
And with these lines we are introduced to Alice Verney (and with these lines I immediately loved her).Alice is a courtier in the court of Ki...more

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Sep 16, 2010 Gaile rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

The central character is Alice Verney. Alice is a manipulator. At the beginning of the book, she has lost her finance to a girl he got pregnant. Maid Of Honor to King Charles's sister, she returns to England when the princess dies and becomes Maid Of Honor to the queen Of England. Her she strongly disapproves of her friend's choices of finances. She decides on the aged Duke Of Balmoral for herself.
In the meantime, the Duke is managing a large spy network.
All around Alice, everyone falls in love...more

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Sep 14, 2009 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Alice Verney, a maid of honor to Princess Henriette of France returns to England after her mistress's mysterious and horrible death, with the ambition to marry the elderly Duke of Balmoral. This ambition holds firm in spite of her attraction to Richard Saylor, an enterprising soldier who, while he appreciates Alice's wit and political savvy, is competing with the king himself for the affections of Renee DeKaroulle, a French beauty who cannot quite make up her mind whose affections she truly desi...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Litchick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, historical-fiction

I love this book. I can't say enough about it. I've read it and re-read it and will continue to go back to it. The supporting characters that are based on real historical figures were well researched and their stories (Charles II, Madame) are a pleasing mix of historical fact and fictional intrigue.

The main character, Alice Verney, might not be the most likeable person in the beginning. She can be petty, vindictive and scheming but as the book continues and her history is revealed you begin to...more

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Apr 19, 2011 Carole Rae rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Yes, I read the prequel first. I did it purposely. If I don’t read the prequel I get confused. That happened when I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time. There’s 20 times more information in the books then in the movie, so I had to stop and read ‘The Hobbit’ first.

Anyways, this was a long book. Long but oddly entertaining. It held my attention the first page I read. I had to force myself to put it down and go to work or do my homework. Karleen Koen is a wonderful author. I love...more Yes, I read the prequel first. I did it purposely. If I don’t read the prequel I get confused. That happened when I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time. There’s 20 times more information in the books then in the movie, so I had to stop and read ‘The Hobbit’ first.

Anyways, this was a long book. Long but oddly entertaining. It held my attention the first page I read. I had to force myself to put it down and go to work or do my homework. Karleen Koen is a wonderful author. I love her writing style. As you may know, I hate when books change narration in the middle of a chapter. I usually get confused, however Karleen Koen did an amazing job with writing in a flowing manner and making sure the reader didn’t lost when she switched to another narrator (aka me).

Even though Alice is arrogant and proud, I still really liked her. She reminded me a little bit of my friend Sarah, just a little. I loved every character in some way, even the mysterious and dangerous Henri Ange. Karleen Koen, I believe, forces you to understand each character and why they do what they do. She has a way to make you sympathize with even the most evil and murderous character. I love when authors do that! I also love when you can find yourself in a character. I found a lot of myself in Barabra, Alice’s best friend. That always makes the book even more wonderful.

However, I was VERY angry at a couple points in the book. There were two scenes and then the ending. I hated the ending. It seemed very forced and a little cheesy too. I was very upset that not only did Barabra die, but that the author had Henri Ange kill Pharaoh, the horse. I hate when movies or books kill helpless and innocent animals.

Overall, I loved this book. The ending could use editing, but besides that it was great! You should read it if you love intrigue, romance, betrayal, humor, and history. This book gives a large glimpse into the courts of two great kings: King Louis XIV of France and King Charles II of England. Out of five stars I grant this book 4 stars.
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Nov 24, 2010 Erica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction-obsession

This is the most enthralling piece of historical fiction I have ever read. I have often thought of myself as born into the wrong century. But would I have been able to survive the political scheming and romantic drama experienced by Alice Verney, a lady in waiting, during England’s Restoration period? Rich with period detail and a flow of events so captivating that you will find yourself thoroughly caught up in the drama and mysteries surrounding the scandalous court of Charles II. Alice’s pursu...more

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Aug 13, 2010 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first four-fifths of this book were great, and I felt that they really embedded me in the time. They gave a full, rounded sense of the social mores and machinations of the courts of the era.

Unfortunately, Koen essentially winds up what could be a tense thriller and then just lets all the pieces fall, rather than giving a thrilling climax. All of our main characters have things done to them rather than taking action, which is pretty dull. Also, there's one fairly important character in the no...more

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May 13, 2009 Rhlibrary added it

Shelves: erica-s-picks

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Sep 16, 2011 Sarah Wagner rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: england, historical-fiction

Set in the Restoration court of Charles II, Dark Angels tells the tale of young Alice Verney, a headstrong woman determined to be a duchess. Already betrayed by her first fiance, Alice plots her revenge in a court teaming with poison, passion, and politics. She encounters the handsome young Richard Saylor, a soldier with promise, and while a mutual attraction slowly forms between the two, Alice remains dedicated to becoming a duchess. While I always enjoy historical fiction set during the Restor...more

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Oct 06, 2010 Kelly A. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1600s-1700s, historical-fiction, some-i-own, since-may-2010, england

This was one of those books that I bought on a whim. I was actually going to buy Through a Glass Darkly: A Novel[Image] when I noticed that a prequel had recently been written, this book. I wasn't sure if I should read the books in the order the author published them, or in chronological order. I went with the latter; I'm not really sure it made a difference.

The book is set in the mid/late 1600s, alternating between France and England as the main character, Alice Verney, travels to both. Alice i...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it · review of another edition

Karleen Koen has been largely absent from the literary scene for 20 years, and critics who enjoyed Through a Glass Darkly herald her return. Reviewers agree that Koen's deep knowledge of world politics and daily life during the Restoration contributes to the strength of her writing, which appears undiminished by her time off. Her handling of romance is delicate, with passion confined to a few kisses and clearly peripheral to the plot. The real focus is scandalous intrigue, much of it based on hi

...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Roderick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, aboslutely-amazing-reads, favorites, trashy-novels

After reading Karleen Koen's 'Through a Glass Darkly' and corresponding with her about my own historical fiction novel. I was anxious to read another of her books. I'm delighted that I chose Dark Angels, it took me about 4 days to get through it and it was wonderful. A prequel to the aforementioned. Dark Angels is about young Alice Verney--the old Duchess of Tamworth in Dark Angels--set in Restoration England under the rule of King Charles II this book did not disappoint! It was much better than...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Katie Rekowski added it

Story contained many characters and plots. In the end, the plots were unresolved. Was there a secret treaty? Did Buckingham's activities ever get discovered? Suddenly King charles & Queen Catherine disappeared from the story. Why did Barbara die? What was there a problem with the pregnancy? Why didn't the baby live? Why did all of Alice's efforts to put a baby in Barbara's arms not happen? Why did Onge get away with killing Richard's horse, The Duke and Walter? Why did no one suspect foul pl...more

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Oct 31, 2010 Sherry H rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: hist-fiction-europe-royalty

Huh. That's it, it's over?

I was impressed by the author's ability to make me cheer for a thoroughly unlikable protagonist. Selfish, manipulative, unforgiving, arrogant Alice was a rich character. Most of the other characters were believable, as well - their flaws, their inconsistencies were presented with clarity and gave them great depth. Richard, however, needed more development - his powerful feelings at the end of the novel came out of (almost) nowhere.

I enjoyed this book throughout... but...more

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Sep 18, 2009 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, england, charles-ii

Dark Angels by Karleen Koen

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

Dark Angels is a prequel to Through a Glass Darkly, and accordingly I read this first (but that was an accident. At the time I didn’t know there were other books by her). Set in the court of the licentious Charles II an amazing romance springs forth (what could be a better place to set a historical romance?). Alice Verney is the female protagonist – and an amazing heroine as well! She is a courtier to Queen Catherine of Braganza and pla...more Dark Angels by Karleen Koen

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

Dark Angels is a prequel to Through a Glass Darkly, and accordingly I read this first (but that was an accident. At the time I didn’t know there were other books by her). Set in the court of the licentious Charles II an amazing romance springs forth (what could be a better place to set a historical romance?). Alice Verney is the female protagonist – and an amazing heroine as well! She is a courtier to Queen Catherine of Braganza and plays the role of courtier well – sneaky, smart, well-connected. Her greatest goal in life is to marry the Duke of Balmoral – a very old man – she’s in it for the title and money of course. Yet somehow her attentions are turned by Richard Saylor, who is after Renee (Louise de Keroualle). Who will she choose and how will her ambitions play out?

Koen creates an amazing world and cast of characters who inhabit this word. She easily mixes real historical characters (Charles II, Queen Catherine, Duke of Balmoral etc) with characters of her imagination (Alice, Richard, etc) and even mixes a little of the real with imagination (Renee). I absolutely loved the character of Alice and she kept the story moving with many twists and turns – you are never really sure what she will do next!

I read this book quite a while ago – it was one of my early historical fiction reads. I must confess – I didn’t realize that the king in this book was Charles II while I was reading it. I am pretty sure I didn’t even know about Charles at that point – I think I would have enjoyed it even more had I read it recently (after reading The Merry Monarch’s Wife by Jean Plaidy).

Koen creates a vivid world and great characters that you can care about. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the antics of the court of Charles II or enjoys a great historical romance. I now have acquired her sequel (written before Dark Angels) Through a Glass Darkly and its sequel, Now Face to Face and am very excited to read both of them.

5 out of 5 stars!
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Sep 22, 2010 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

the reign of King Charles II and his wife, his lovers, and their courtiers, on 17th century England and France. Hopefully very based in history, it was a fascinating intrigue that kept me interested until near the end. Sometimes it would be interesting to see the behind-the-scenes machinations at work and be reminded how the role of women was so limited. I actually found the Queen to be the most interesting. She certainly was the only character that had some sense of self-awareness and realizati...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Eve rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, first-in-series, 1600-1800, reviewed

Dark Angels is the prequel to Through a Glass Darkly and Now Face to Face, and was written after the first two. I don't know in which order the books were meant to be read, but I read Dark Angels last. Maybe this explains why I did not enjoy it nearly as much as I did the other two books. I already knew what happens to the main character, Alice, and therefore was not held in suspense as I expected to be. However, I'm the type of person who won't read a book if I've already seen the movie. . . ....more

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Nov 30, 2011 Lee Ellen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

I read this as an advance reader copy even though I have reservations about historical fictions that take place in time periods with excessive frills on clothing. It wasn't horrible - it was an interesting behind-the-scenes peek into the court of Charles II; however, I really want more politics than pomp, and this book delivers more on the pomp. I have no doubt this is would be an excellent book for readers that enjoy escapist period fiction: it is reasonably well written and the author ably bri...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Lori McD rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012_read, british-lit, coming-of-age, drama, historical-fiction, british-monarchy, suspense, spies, some-steam, social-issues, romance, intrigue, tough-subject-matter

This book about Alice Verney isn't nearly as wrenching as the two books about her grand-daughter, Barbara (Through a Glass Darkly and Now Face to Face). But it's gripping, none-the-less. As much as I think I know about the history of the British monarchy, the more I discover I don't know.

In Dark Angels, Alice Verney is a 20-year old maid of honor who grew up motherless in the English court, full of intrigue. Her father Sir Thomas is deep in the intrigues of politics, always seeking to better him...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Vicky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At the moment I am reading the latest book by Karleen Koen. I became a fan after reading the "Dark Angel" years ago. It was the first book of a very interesting historical trilogy. We are at the court of Charles II, it is time of Restoration and the court is brimming with intrigues and deception. Actually this book was a prequel to the "Through a glass darkly". The last book of the trilogy was "Now face to face". All of them followed the story of the same aristocratic family through many years...more

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May 19, 2009 Rowena rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: worthy-of-re-reads

Dark Angels plunges the reader into the swirling intrigues of Charles II's court. Alice Verney is a lady's maid to the Queen. Being so close to royalty affords Alice the opportunity to discover all the various secrets and plots that speckle this brash English court. Alice herself is not without her own schemes as she coquettes and intrigues her way to the top.

I appreciate KK's books for her vivid and striking descriptions of court life. Nothing is left out, from the depictions of Queen Catherine...more

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May 11, 2010 Peg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Being an historical novel afficionado, when a neighbor loaned me this book I became very involved in the characters and the history. Then I discovered that the book was a prequel to "Through a Glass Darkly", which resembles a slightly historical romance novel (although I did find the information on John Law and his establishment of the first central bank of France in 1716 of interest). "Dark Angels" was written 20 years after the original story, and the author definitely improved as a writer and...more

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About Karleen Koen

My childhood was filled with glorious books, Little Women, Lad A Dog, Black Beauty, Little House on the Prairie, Caddie Woodlawn. They were as real to me as the life around me, a lower middle class one in a small oil refinery town in Texas. My grandfather, an invalid, was a huge fan of the writers Frank Slaughter, Frank Yerby, and Zane Grey. By the time I learned to read, I was sneaking his square...more

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Quotes from Dark Angels

“I have this dream, she and I side by side in life, turning front to front in lovemaking, back to back in threat, protecting each other.” — 2 people liked it

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Dark Angels (Through a Glass Darkly #1)

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