There is a brutal beginning to this book as we are party to the graphic detailing of the hanging, quartering and beheading of a priest. Set in the 1600’s during the English civil war years I was intrigued to follow the actions of our protagonist Jayne Swift. Her character is an intelligent, brave and humane heroine and throughout the book she never lets the reader down. She sticks to her principles and goes above and beyond her duties as a doctor, yet as a woman during this era she is not able to be known as a physician and her safety is often compromised. All the other characters of the book are vividly portrayed and returned to. But it is her meeting with the Harrier and their connection that is the key storyline that is interwoven into events and like Jayne my curiosity about William continues as he surprises and appears at different places and times throughout the story.
I really enjoyed reading this and as with other good historical fiction the sense of being in that era is strong and I was drawn along wanting to know what would happen next.
I really enjoyed reading this and as with other good historical fiction the sense of being in that era is strong and I was drawn along wanting to know what would happen next.