The Tudor Secret is the first book in C.W. Gortner’s The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles series and let me just say, I can’t wait until the rest of the series comes out! If they are even a fraction as good as The Tudor Secret, I will be thrilled.
The main character is fictional Brendan Prescott. He comes to London and is immediately dropped in the center of the intrigue and mystery and danger that is the Tudor court. I should mention that it is set during the time of Edwards VI’s rule and later on Mary I, but really, the story mainly focuses on Brendan, a man who knows nothing of his past, and his relationship with Elizabeth, Robert and all the Dudley clan, and a few other fictional characters that helped round out the story in a wonderful way. Ohhh, how I hate the Dudleys – in this book they are particularly nasty – and all I wanted the entire book was for them to get their comeuppance.
What a nice change from other Tudor era novels I’ve read recently. Such a different perspective and a breath of fresh air. I enjoyed reading something from a male point of view – the character and the author. It’s more action packed than ‘love packed’. Some liberties were taken with the historical accuracy at times, but it wasn’t blatant. The characters were easy to keep track of and they didn’t get confusing. In the end, it’s just a very entertaining, well written and quite simply, one of the best books I’ve read this year.
Thank you, Martina, for this incredible review. I’ve been so honored by the great reception THE TUDOR SECRET has received from bloggers and I sincerely hope your readers will enjoy it.