The September Queen by Gillian Bagwell

Until I heard about this novel, I didn't even know the historical figure Jane Lane had existed.  I knew of the Royal Miracle, King Charles II flight from England after his disastrous loss at the Battle of Worcester, but I never knew the details of his escape, or that a simple gentlewoman helped to make it possible.  It took tremendous courage, and a little bit of wrecklessness on her part, but without her extreme sacrifice and bravery Charles II would likely have been caught and beheaded like his father before him.  Charles II's escape and Jane Lane's life story are fascinating, and I enjoyed reading this book and filling in some of the gaps in my knowledge immensely.  It reads quickly and brings to life the emotions that some of the characters of that time period must have been feeling.  It's so easy to judge the cold, hard facts of a person's life without trying to understand the emotions and motivation behind them.  Bagwell forces us to see historical figures as the living, breathing human beings they were and not simply the words in a history textbook.