The entrapment of Mary Queen of Scots by Elizabeth under the care and great expense of the Earl of Shrewsbury - George Talbot - and has new wife Bess of Hardwick at Tutbury Castle. The book dragged on with themes of failed plots and escape in the context of a Queen the enchantress who stole hearts but wasn't true to honour and support shown to her. Portrayed Bess of Hardwick and Cecil (Elizabeth's spy-master) in the light of self-made people in it for money and estate.

Historical Fiction

For a character who has featured for the majority of this series, it was great to read from her point of view. From this it shows the significance of Elizabeth I's heir. ( )

Not my favorite in the her tudor series but not as bad as The Virgin Lover. The last 100 pages drag and become a bit redundant. I liked the implied comparison of Mary and Bess with common goals but different backgrounds and means to accomplish them. ( )

Having enjoyed other Philippa Gregory novels I was disappointed to find this one often repetitive and lacking in substance. To me it felt as if she didn't have enough material and so had the characters constantly repeating the same thoughts. The book is written from the point of view of three characters; Bess, her husband George and Mary. The characters have chapters in turn and they are written from their point of view as an internal monologue or a diary. This worked well, you always knew who was talking to you and if it wasn't for the repetition I would have enjoyed this. The story is, of course, fascinating and, as usual Philippa Gregory does an excellent job of trying to put herself in the characters shoes and imagine how they would think. ( )