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The Silk House #2
Written on Silk
A royal wedding masks the unfolding of Catherine de Medici’s murderous plot against the Huguenots. Will any of the Huguenot princes survive? Life and death rest with two people …Rachelle Dushane-Macquinet, couturiere from a celebrated silk-making family, has come back to the Louvre Palais to create the royal wedding gown. Recruited into the evil Queen Mother’s ring of women spies, she must use her wits to preserve her honor—and the lives of her fellow Huguenots.Marquis Fabien de Vendome has also returned from a buccaneering venture against Spain. The Queen Mother plans to implicate him in an assassination. But Fabien has designs of his own.A man and a woman caught up in history’s deadly swirl and love’s uncertainties seek to escape the venom of Madame le Serpent. Faith in Christ must uphold them, and all who stand alone, in a city gone diabolically mad.
352 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2007
16 people are currently reading
524 people want to read
About the author
Linda Lee Chaikin
47 books231 followersLinda Chaikin is a Christian fiction author with a focus on historical fiction. She sometimes publishes using the name L.L. Chaikin.
Linda was the youngest of 10 children and her father died shortly after she was born. She wrote her first full-length novel with pen and paper at the age of 14 - this novel was later rewritten as Wednesday's Child, part of the Day to Remember series.
She met her husband, Steve, in a Bible study, and they were married 6 months later. They both went to Multnomah School for the Bible, now known as Multnomah Bible College and Biblical Seminary in Portland, Oregon.
Linda was the youngest of 10 children and her father died shortly after she was born. She wrote her first full-length novel with pen and paper at the age of 14 - this novel was later rewritten as Wednesday's Child, part of the Day to Remember series.
She met her husband, Steve, in a Bible study, and they were married 6 months later. They both went to Multnomah School for the Bible, now known as Multnomah Bible College and Biblical Seminary in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 9, 2015
This was the first Christian Historical Fiction I had ever read. If any of your readers watch the current television program Reign, they will recognize the actual historical figures in the book. So the setting is France mid 16th century. Francis II is on the throne with Mary Stuart of Scotland as his wife. The real ruler at this time is his mother, Catherine di Medici, Queen Mother. France is heading towards a civil war over religion. The Huguenots, French Protestants were being persecuted by those in the Roman Catholic Church. The protagonist in this book is a young, middle-classed Huguenot girl who is a grisette, dressmaker in training, in her family's business of the finest silks. She is in love with a Catholic. There are many related characters with interesting stories themselves. As a Catholic myself, it was a little hard to hear how terribly some in the Church treated the Huguenots, but we can't escape history and I know that just 20 years before across the pond, King Henry VIII had waged war on t he Catholics to proceed with his move to embrace Protestantism. I didn't know that this book is part of a series when I started it, but that explains why I felt a little lost in the beginning but it didn't take long to understand what was happening. This book ended with a cliffhanger, so I will be looking for Book 3 immediately. If you are a Christian, who enjoys history and stories set in a historical setting, you will likely enjoy it.
August 7, 2014
(I was listening, so forgive misspelling of names, please!) Rachelle was a total whiner in this book. UGH!!! She seemed more upset about Fabian leaving than about the atrocities that occurred to her family. She did not seem to grow up at all, and the ending of this book left a lot to be desired; meaning, wrapped up a bit too quickly for Fabian and Rachelle not having seen each other much during the entire book. Characters seemed to know what was happening with other characters, though their movements were supposed to be secret. And I get the whole spying thing, but how did others know what was going on in her family, when Rachelle had no clue? Also, how Rachelle ended up alone, without her family, at the end, was totally ridiculous. Totally out of character of every member of her family. I will probably listen to the last book of the series because I am interested in what happens to the Huguenots.
August 9, 2017
Written in Silk is an exciting follow up to Daughter of Silk. The second book is serious and perilous with scenes that will stick with me for years to come. There is turmoil at every turn with attacks, plots, and schemes doing everything they can to bring the heroes down. The pages of this book went by much faster than the first book. I also did not find this one as bogged down in historical commentary as the first. This kept the plot moving at a good pace along with allowing for more moments to break my heart and thrill me. The only slow moments seemed to come when certain characters who were not going through as intense drama were focused on for a length of time. While their story lines were interesting they didn't have the same grip on me as the other deeper story lines. There are a lot of great plot points still swirling at the end of this book. I can't wait to see how they play out in the future. The ending is dramatic, exciting, and romantic, a great way to end a book and keep a reader intrigued for the next story.
January 24, 2023
A bit disappointing three-star read, since I've begun to trust this author to write smashing good books. It still had the amazing historical aspects--the French royalty with their power struggles, the Huguenot struggle under persecution, and therefore fleeing to England, and the beginning of colonization in the New World.
But the characters sort of ruined the book. Fabien was rather wishy-washy and unsure of himself and everything else--including his faith, which remained muddy to the reader throughout the book. Plus he had too many similarities to another Chaikin character (one of the best men ever written), setting a bar so high that Fabien's failures seemed even more stark and lame.
Rachelle, too, strongly disappointed me, with her stupid and completely unwise and un-thought-out actions. Against every wise counsel. Her goals were also not strong at any point in the book, even in the face of a (supposedly) wonderful opportunity.
I have never really liked Andelot--too much like the sheep nowadays, I suppose--but he did possess quite a nice character arc in this one. Still extremely naïve and fairly stupid, though. Seriously, is the only one in this book who can think more than one step ahead Catherine de Medici??
Also, poor Sebastien. He's earned my pity.
Plot: I don't know if it was a slow book, or if the long completion time was due to life circumstances (likely a combination of both). Regardless, I had two major negative takeaways: one, that very few conflicts were actually resolved; the climactic problems the arose were barely addressed at all, merely delayed until the next book. Two, there were heaps of aspects that seemed a blatant copy of Chaikin's previous books. But worse, because the characters were so much weaker.
And yet, the book leaves no other option but to read Book #3. Real historical facts go a long way in forgiveness.
But the characters sort of ruined the book. Fabien was rather wishy-washy and unsure of himself and everything else--including his faith, which remained muddy to the reader throughout the book. Plus he had too many similarities to another Chaikin character (one of the best men ever written), setting a bar so high that Fabien's failures seemed even more stark and lame.
Rachelle, too, strongly disappointed me, with her stupid and completely unwise and un-thought-out actions. Against every wise counsel. Her goals were also not strong at any point in the book, even in the face of a (supposedly) wonderful opportunity.
I have never really liked Andelot--too much like the sheep nowadays, I suppose--but he did possess quite a nice character arc in this one. Still extremely naïve and fairly stupid, though. Seriously, is the only one in this book who can think more than one step ahead Catherine de Medici??
Also, poor Sebastien. He's earned my pity.
Plot: I don't know if it was a slow book, or if the long completion time was due to life circumstances (likely a combination of both). Regardless, I had two major negative takeaways: one, that very few conflicts were actually resolved; the climactic problems the arose were barely addressed at all, merely delayed until the next book. Two, there were heaps of aspects that seemed a blatant copy of Chaikin's previous books. But worse, because the characters were so much weaker.
And yet, the book leaves no other option but to read Book #3. Real historical facts go a long way in forgiveness.
June 26, 2017
The second book in this series held my interest more than the first. Rachelle Dushane-Macquinet, from the famous silk producing family of France becomes involved with the diabolical Catherine de Medici who is a plotter par excellence. While the love interest, Marquis Fabien, is off destroying Spanish supply lines, Rachelle and her family are Huguenots trying to survive in a country that wants them exterminated. Through much of the book you are left wondering which of the relatives will make it through the tragedies befalling the hunted Huguenots. On to the third book to see what happens next.
September 29, 2019
Another great read in this series by Linda Lee Chaikin!!
This book surrounded Rachelle's marriage to Marquis Fabian and how she deals with his leaving for a voyage to blow up a Spanish supply line and she's left to fend for herself etc.
You could really feel the pain for her when he left which I felt bad for her.
If you love 16th Century French History than this book/series is definitely for you!!!
This book surrounded Rachelle's marriage to Marquis Fabian and how she deals with his leaving for a voyage to blow up a Spanish supply line and she's left to fend for herself etc.
You could really feel the pain for her when he left which I felt bad for her.
If you love 16th Century French History than this book/series is definitely for you!!!
February 11, 2020
An interesting historical fiction novel about the "reign" of Catherine de Medici. I learned a lot about the religious wars with the Huguenots and the political intrigue that Catherine was a part of while her son, Francis, was king. I apparently started the series in the middle, and this seems to be a bridge book between the first and last in the trilogy. I will go back and read book 1 and continue book 3. The story was enough to hold my attention.
August 9, 2021
3.5/5 Stars
January 23, 2023
I liked this so much better than Book 1. Great story line with interesting history woven throughout.
October 16, 2024
Audiobook.
January 19, 2025
Too dark for me to finish.
September 5, 2011
Lush with rich historical details, brimming with action, and romance, Written on Silk will not easily disappoint. Fans of Linda Lee Chaikin will welcome her second novel in The Silk House Series.
I would recommend reading the first book in the series, first. This series is written sequentially, and some important things happen in the first book and the full result is shown in the the second book, without a full explanation of what happened first.
I really enjoyed this book, but I might not have if I had not read the first book before devouring this one. I love how Ms. Chaikin brings the tumultuous historical setting of Catherine de Medici's court to life, vividly depicting characters, fictional and real alike. The pages of this book turned steadily for me, but not with a fierce urgency. I wasn't exactly staying up late past 2 a.m. for this book, but that's totally okay, I need my sleep ;)
I really like the way Ms. Chaikin combines the fictional characters with the non-fictional ones so flawlessly. I felt no difference in the depth of the characters and how I responded to them, which is something that happens occasionally with Historical Fiction. Sometimes the fictional characters are more real than the real-life historical figures, but not in this book. Ms. Chaikin does a fabulous job of perfectly finding that balance, which is one of the many things that make this story great!
This book made me think about how thankful I am to have a Bible in my own language. We have often heard stories of Tyndale and his translation of Greek and Hebrew into English, but this is a tale of the Huguenots and their fight for the French Bible. I learned alot.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy historical intrigue. Also, I should warn you that this book has some elements to be aware of as it deals with a mass massacre of many Huguenots, the violation of a young lady, and the immorality if the French court at that period of time. All handled very well by Ms. Chaikin, in a non-graphic way that made it easier to read without too much detail. But overall a satisfying read.
ISBN: 978-0-310-26301-2
Buy it HERE
Thanks so much to Bridgette Brooks and Zondervan Publishing for furnishing me with a review copy of this book free of charge in return for an honest review.
I would recommend reading the first book in the series, first. This series is written sequentially, and some important things happen in the first book and the full result is shown in the the second book, without a full explanation of what happened first.
I really enjoyed this book, but I might not have if I had not read the first book before devouring this one. I love how Ms. Chaikin brings the tumultuous historical setting of Catherine de Medici's court to life, vividly depicting characters, fictional and real alike. The pages of this book turned steadily for me, but not with a fierce urgency. I wasn't exactly staying up late past 2 a.m. for this book, but that's totally okay, I need my sleep ;)
I really like the way Ms. Chaikin combines the fictional characters with the non-fictional ones so flawlessly. I felt no difference in the depth of the characters and how I responded to them, which is something that happens occasionally with Historical Fiction. Sometimes the fictional characters are more real than the real-life historical figures, but not in this book. Ms. Chaikin does a fabulous job of perfectly finding that balance, which is one of the many things that make this story great!
This book made me think about how thankful I am to have a Bible in my own language. We have often heard stories of Tyndale and his translation of Greek and Hebrew into English, but this is a tale of the Huguenots and their fight for the French Bible. I learned alot.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy historical intrigue. Also, I should warn you that this book has some elements to be aware of as it deals with a mass massacre of many Huguenots, the violation of a young lady, and the immorality if the French court at that period of time. All handled very well by Ms. Chaikin, in a non-graphic way that made it easier to read without too much detail. But overall a satisfying read.
ISBN: 978-0-310-26301-2
Buy it HERE
Thanks so much to Bridgette Brooks and Zondervan Publishing for furnishing me with a review copy of this book free of charge in return for an honest review.
July 3, 2010
Summary: Rachelle experiences firsthand the terror against Huguenots and joins with the other members of her family to stop the persecution while seeking romance and standing strong through the grace of God.
Thoughts: I was so confused when I started this. It picks up in a different place and doesn't immediately address any of the questions I had when I finished the first book. It also has a shift in that it is more explicitly religious with many prayers to God in the first sixty pages than in the whole of the first book, in my opinion (I didn't actually count). Chaikin also spends a lot of time stressing the revelations when one actually reads scripture and pressing the corruptions of the Roman Church and how they had disfigured those texts. One problem I had was the emphasis on justification by faith although I think the issue is more faith in salvation solely through Jesus Christ rather than through paying indulgences to corrupt church officials. I consider myself Protestant but I believe faith without works is useless and I did not like that element.
The influence of Spain in persecuting Huguenots is more emphasized in this book and the importance of the colonies is brought out more too. It could have been emphasized more instead of the angst.
I was sad that there was less about the royalty; Catherine Medici is one of the few we follow and even then it is not very much. Because there is less about the royalty, there is more about the other characters such as Andelot and Sebastian who were less prominent in the first book. There also didn't seem to be very much Rachelle although she is ostensibly the main character because it jumps around a lot to follow all of the other characters.
Overall: 3.5/5. Not as good as the first but setting up some interesting threads for the third.
Cover: I love the pink of the fan but I think the style is really ugly even if it's historically accurate.
Thoughts: I was so confused when I started this. It picks up in a different place and doesn't immediately address any of the questions I had when I finished the first book. It also has a shift in that it is more explicitly religious with many prayers to God in the first sixty pages than in the whole of the first book, in my opinion (I didn't actually count). Chaikin also spends a lot of time stressing the revelations when one actually reads scripture and pressing the corruptions of the Roman Church and how they had disfigured those texts. One problem I had was the emphasis on justification by faith although I think the issue is more faith in salvation solely through Jesus Christ rather than through paying indulgences to corrupt church officials. I consider myself Protestant but I believe faith without works is useless and I did not like that element.
The influence of Spain in persecuting Huguenots is more emphasized in this book and the importance of the colonies is brought out more too. It could have been emphasized more instead of the angst.
I was sad that there was less about the royalty; Catherine Medici is one of the few we follow and even then it is not very much. Because there is less about the royalty, there is more about the other characters such as Andelot and Sebastian who were less prominent in the first book. There also didn't seem to be very much Rachelle although she is ostensibly the main character because it jumps around a lot to follow all of the other characters.
Overall: 3.5/5. Not as good as the first but setting up some interesting threads for the third.
Cover: I love the pink of the fan but I think the style is really ugly even if it's historically accurate.
December 8, 2008
Second in the Daughters of Silk Series.
Has it all... suspense, history, romance, faith lessons...
This book besides being a fun read, also reminded me to treasure the freedom of religion that we hold dear! Without spoiling anything innocent men, women and children are brutally murdered because of their faith. How nice that I can read my Bible anytime I choose without fear of death! So silly that I allow myself to get upset by being called Holy Roller at work... if I had lived at another time and place I wouldn't been called that because I would have to keep my faith a secret!
Also there is a line in the book saying something to the effect of how can I say why my sister? Everyone persecuted is someones brother and sister, why should mine be spared and theirs not? How many times I have asked that question... why Lydia- this is an interesting thought. I need to think about it more!
Has it all... suspense, history, romance, faith lessons...
This book besides being a fun read, also reminded me to treasure the freedom of religion that we hold dear! Without spoiling anything innocent men, women and children are brutally murdered because of their faith. How nice that I can read my Bible anytime I choose without fear of death! So silly that I allow myself to get upset by being called Holy Roller at work... if I had lived at another time and place I wouldn't been called that because I would have to keep my faith a secret!
Also there is a line in the book saying something to the effect of how can I say why my sister? Everyone persecuted is someones brother and sister, why should mine be spared and theirs not? How many times I have asked that question... why Lydia- this is an interesting thought. I need to think about it more!
March 4, 2013
Written on Silk for me turned out to be not as good as Daughter of Silk. I will probably eventually read the third in the series to have read it, but overall the book was a bit dragging to me. There were parts of it that stood out like the poor massacre of the Huguenots but over all it just seemed to be sluggish and drag. There were a lot of mentions of scripture of course, but this was to be expected given the subject material however I felt it might have been a little bit over done and rather than add to the story it started to sound a bit like you were being preached at.
It is not a bad book just slow moving and I would have liked to see a bit more historical information put into than what was.
It is not a bad book just slow moving and I would have liked to see a bit more historical information put into than what was.
August 7, 2023
As with book #1, this plot was interesting enough to keep me reading, but also had some problems. The conflict between Catholics and Protestants in France is interesting, and a fairly unfamiliar topic to me. Here is one of the drawbacks, however.I know it probably sells more books, but one of my pet peeves is when you have to read all three books of a trilogy for things to resolve, and this series is that way. Most situations are not yet resolved, and this is the end of the second book. This kind of makes a little sense because it is based on history, but it annoys me as a reader. I am interested in how the Queen Mother is eventually exposed, so I may read the third book to find out.
August 24, 2008
I would actually give this a 3 1/2. Why is there no 1/2 star? I want to read the next book, but not buy it, and the library doesn't have it...
Okay so I like these books, but I find the romance a tad confusing/unrealistic. I guess I liked her books set in India a bit more because well...the romance was less confusing aaand less realistic? And there was a pirate? I really have no answer to this, but I am learning a lot about the protestant reformation in France which is pretty interesting.
Okay so I like these books, but I find the romance a tad confusing/unrealistic. I guess I liked her books set in India a bit more because well...the romance was less confusing aaand less realistic? And there was a pirate? I really have no answer to this, but I am learning a lot about the protestant reformation in France which is pretty interesting.
May 10, 2016
Chaikin has a wonderful way of making history come alive, though when you are reading about such horrific events it isn't an easy read. I liked this novel better than the first one. The basic questions of faith were dealt with in this story, such as: Why bad things happen to people who are following God? And why do the people I love suffer when I escape without injury? The portryal of faith found in the midst of suffering was my favorite part of this book. And I still like that the main character bears my name. :)
March 5, 2008
The story is exciting and the book is difficult to put down. This is written by a Christian author. I read some Christain fiction if the story is good because it tends to be clean, but I find the really religious parts become distracting from the rest of the story (I end up just skimming over it-which when I do that it's fine). When I read about religion in a book I prefer them to be non-fiction.
August 14, 2014
This book started off very sad and frustrating (of course I always put myself in the character's position), but by the end of the book I was much happier. Of course I have to read the next one to find out the ending, but I love suspense and I love learning aobut the history of the Huguenots in France and how they stood up for what they believed and had faith that God was in control.
May 13, 2009
This book is the second in a series of three. I really enjoyed this book. The author does a great job of talking about the Christian faith without being too preachy. If you like books that take place in the Elizabethan era, than I encourage you to read this one.
December 28, 2011
Somewhat boring and tedious until about half way through the book. Really struggled to finish the book and I normally love historical fictions. The story became more interesting at the mid point and I was able to breeze through the latter half.
June 28, 2012
I liked the first book, but this one felt more like a bridge. There wasn't as much meat to this one, more character and plot development that never really got anywhere. Hopefully things will go somewhere in the next book.
December 22, 2007
in series of Rachelle Dushane-Maquinet – silk makers of the Huguenot era.
June 17, 2011
I loved the story,adventure,characters, writing(strong vocabulary and excellent sentence structure that flows),
September 17, 2009
Hard to follow, historic, long story.
April 17, 2010
In the middle, the book was a little bit slow, but the beginning and the end were great.
January 5, 2011
I have enjoyed the intrigue and characters also I have enjoyed learning a little of the history of France.
March 14, 2011
interesting, murder, intrigue, a little romance, suspense... a little slow
February 18, 2013
Het was echt leuk om te lezen, je kreeg echt een goed beeld van het vroegere Frankrijk en hoe het er aan toeging!
echt een aanrader!!
echt een aanrader!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews