This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
Jack is the bastard son. Or so he’s been told. But is he? Or is he really the true heir to the Fitzwarren estate? And would it even matter? It’s the early sixteenth century: King Edward VI is on his deathbed; his cousin, Lady Jane Grey, is being used as a pawn to steal the throne when he does die; his sister, Mary, is waiting in the wings to take the crown and dispose of any who may oppose her; and another sister, Elizabeth, has her own plots brewing. It is a difficult time to be a noble, a difficult time to choose loyalties because being loyal to one royal means being a traitor to another. It's like playing cards and Jack is very good at cards, most of the time. His half-brother, Richard, is always taking the bigger gamble. Will it cost him his life in the end? Perhaps. For Jack, the bigger gamble is always whether or not to trust Richard, to even be associated with him in his lavish schemes of espionage.
Samantha Burnell’s historical novel, A Queen’s Spy: The Fitzwarren Trials, is a highly charged cloak and dagger mystery set in the troubling times that followed the reign of King Henry VIII, an era where siblings had only one goal in mind: seeking and maintaining their own power, even at the cost of family. The plot rolls along rather slowly as the characters are introduced along with their alliances and plots. With the death of King Edward VI, the action picks up and the plots thicken and interweave to make for a very realistic drama. Dialogue and descriptive narrative carry this story along and give the reader a sense of time and place. A thrilling and educational read.
