Publisher: Boldwood Books
‘A king adorns the throne… He has no subtlety, no grace but he does not deserve to die in the way that has been planned and this is why we shall stop them, our men, our kin and save us all.’
1605
Bess Throckmorton is well used to cunning plots and intrigues. With her husband Sir Walter Raleigh imprisoned in the Tower of London, and she and her family in a constant battle to outwit Robert Cecil, the most powerful man in the country who is determined to ruin her, Bess decides to retreat to her beloved home, Crestwell Hall. But there she is shocked to hear talk of a new plot to murder the king. So, unbeknownst to their menfolk, the wives of the plotters begin to work together to try to stop the impending disaster.
Present Day
Isabella Lacey and her daughter, Emily, are excited to be starting a new life at her aunt’s home, Crestwell Hall in Wiltshire. During renovations, Isabella discovers an ancient bible that once belonged to Bess Throckmorton, and to her astonishment finds that it doubled as a diary. As Isabella reads Bess’s story, a new version of the Gunpowder Plot begins to emerge - told by the women.
When Emily’s life is suddenly in terrible danger, Isabella understands the relentless fear felt by Bess, hundreds of years ago. And as the fateful date of 5th November draws ever closer, Bess and the plotters’ wives beg their husbands to stop before a chain of events is set into action that can only end one way…
Firstly thank you to Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books and Alexandra Walsh for having me on the tour and sending me the book.
Firstly I have to comment on the cover, it's beautiful! It drew me in before I'd even read the blurb. But I was intrigued by this book from the moment it mentioned the gunpowder plot, It is a part of history that I only know the basics about and having it as a key element of the plot really sounded interesting, especially hearing it from the female point of view.
I loved the fact that in both timelines we have a strong set of women who support each other and help one another with whatever they need without really questioning it too much. Issy has The Coven, I love that her aunt named them that by the way it made me smile every time it was said, and they instantly are there by her side as soon as they even hear in her voice that she's struggling. I loved getting a bit more of Bess's story and then flipping back to Issy and waiting for her to gradually uncover that bit of the story for herself it was very clever the way that Alexandra Walsh flips between the two at the points she chooses to, and how we get to piece together and fill in gaps in the history with Issy. I think the pace of the story is just right, it moved with enough speed that I just kept telling myself that I'd read just one more chapter before sleeping/cleaning etc and I'd find myself 4 chapters later caught up in what was happening. I really enjoyed the writing style of it too and I definitely think I need to go read more by the author, she's brought the period and the characters right off the page for me, it's been a fantastic read.
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