Life is not going well for Mercia
Blakewood. A widow with a young son, she lost her husband in
the Civil War and now her father, condemned as a regicide, is
about to lose his head. Her greedy in-laws want her son and
her uncle is trying to get his hands on her estate. But after
her father leaves her a cryptic message just before his execution,
she has a slim chance to appeal to the King and gain his favor.
Her task is to restore to him his father’s missing paintings,
but this is going to be anything but simple.
I do like a book that hits the ground running and this one does,
with Mercia in jail and about to embark on her adventures. She
certainly has plenty of these, with both her late husband’s
best friend Nathan and her new and rather roguish acquaintance
Nicholas Wildmoor in tow. From London to the burgeoning settlement
of New Amsterdam and during a sea crossing, there is always
something going on and all the time Mercia has no idea who she
can trust. It makes for exciting reading and it is easy to root
for the protagonist as a woman trying to survive in a man’s
world, and one where even the men are not safe. There are far
fewer books set during the eventful 17th century that deal with
Tudors, Georgians or Victorians, which surprises me as there
is so much to write about, and this one helps to redress the
balance. Set in 1664, it not only shows London on the cusp of
a new age under Charles II, but New Amsterdam under the Dutch
and about to become New York. Fictitious events and characters
are woven seamlessly into some well researched history, and
the end result is the first of a two book set that is well worth
reading. I will be looking out for this author in future –
one not to miss.
Reviews of previous titles in this series
Birthright
#1
Puritan
#2
Traitor
#3
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