This is a tale with no definitive hero or heroine. Rather, we have a handful of actors and actresses sharing the stage, several of which take turns in the lead role for numerous pages before giving way to someone else. This is good in one sense, as it offers more variety, but on the other hand the reader is at times baffled by these change-ups.

I like most of the characters, including Nana, Felipe, Ralph, Jane, and Pablo. Little Donna is best portrayed by the author. Donna’s half-English, half-Spanish, and chiefly appears at the ages of seven and eight and it’s hard not to like her.

I was less keen, however, with the author’s efforts to make Donna “womanly”, especially when Roger – over ten years her senior – develops a love/lust interest in her after seeing her performing a “sexy” Spanish dance. He reckons her Spanish blood makes her older than her years, but all I can think of is, “She’s only bloody seven, Roger! No excuses!” Anyway, this storyline’s a bit creepy, though Donna’s hateful responses towards him are amusing.

The plot revolving around the dangers of crossing fanatical Catholics is well-written. Certain parts set in sunny-yet-sinister Spain when the Inquisition was at its height are suspenseful and frightening. Similar horrors arise in England when fanatical Queen Mary I marries the even more fanatical Prince Phillip of Spain.

Would’ve given this book a five-star rating but the ending lets it down somewhat. I won’t give anything away, but will state that the story closes too abruptly, leaving the fates of certain characters unresolved. I was thinking, “What about him? What happened to her? Did this or that problem get sorted out?” Ideally Ms Plaidy should’ve written an additional few pages to round it all off satisfactorily.

Therefore, apart from the rushed ending and feeling uncomfortable with a grown man bearing lustful passions for a girl whose age is in single figures, this was a very good read. ( )