The Elizabeth Tudor Conspiracy is the second book in Alexandra Walsh’s The Marquess House trilogy and the sequel to The Catherine Howard Conspiracy (which I reviewed here). If I’ve enjoyed the first book (like I did in this case), I’m always nervous when it comes to their sequels. But this one was just as enjoyable as the first one.
Title: The Elizabeth Tudor Conspiracy
Author: Alexandra Walsh
Series: The Marquess House Trilogy #2
First Published: June 2, 2019
Publisher: Sapere Books
Categories: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Acquired: from the publisher via NetGalley
*** Thank you to the publisher, Sapere Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. ***
Like book one, this is a ‘timeshift thriller’ and takes place in two locations and times. You spend time in the present for several chapters before taking you’re taken back to the past, and vice versa. The book is written in a way that you could read it as a standalone, but it’s more enjoyable as a sequel.
The first book focused on the “truth” behind Catherine Howard, Henry VII’s fifth wife. Now in book two, Dr. Perdita Rivers and her twin sister, Piper, are safely ensconced in Andorra, at the Mackensie home (I say home, but really, it’s a castle fortress!). With the help of Kit Mackensie and a few of the Marquess House staff, the twins continue their investigation into the past, with new clues leading them to a series of letters written during Queen Elizabeth I’s reign.
I haven’t done the math yet, but it felt like the book focused a lot more on the Tudor time-period than the present-day storyline. Even when we were in the present-day, the characters were focused on reading Tudor-era letters or fact-checking timelines. This made the book feel unbalanced, but considering how much information was conveyed, I can understand the need to spend more time on the Tudors.
And trust me, there’s A LOT going on. If you thought the historical “twist” that the author revealed in Book One was a surprise, you are not going to believe what happens to the Tudor history we know and love in this one! There are multiple twists this time and I had to read one section THREE times to make sure I understood it correctly because the conclusion (which the author only implies indirectly at first) is so mind-boggling I couldn’t believe that I had read it correctly!
I had two small quibbles with this book (and really, more personal quirks than any problem with the book):
- Not enough time for the present. I want to spend more time in the present-day because I still have so many questions! I didn’t feel that there was as much character building as there was in Book One, which was kind of disappointing since I was really looking forward to getting to know the characters better in this book. Perdita and Piper still aren’t out of danger, but now, there’s a second threat to deal with, plus the unfinished business with their two exes, PLUS questions have been raised about the Mackensie family, PLUS Perdita’s blossoming relationship with Kit (and who is this Suki person? Why was she introduced as a potential-but-not-really-rival for Kit’s affections?). Like I said, this is a minor quibble. I’m quite fond of these characters and I want to know more about them, which is why it probably didn’t feel like I spent enough time with them in this book.
- Keeping track of everyone in the Tudor timeline. I read quite a bit of historical fiction, and much of it is based in Tudor/Elizabethan England so I’m used to the dozens of Katherines, Marys and Thomases, but I had trouble keeping up with all the similarly-named ladies, the titles AND the codenames that were in play whenever this novel shifted to the Tudor storyline. Escaping to the modern-storyline didn’t give you much of a break from the confusion since most of the time, Perdita and Kit were reading correspondence written by the Tudor characters.
A BREATHTAKING ENDING
I read most of this book in one sitting, but I had to stop when I got near the end (darn “real life” responsibilities) and didn’t pick it up again until a day or so later. And that’s probably a good thing because the ending? Let me tell you, IT IS CRAZY. Aside from the gazillion huge twists to Tudor history (ok, probably not a gazillion, but at least 2-3 solid changes), Perdita and Piper have a heart-stopping adventure of the own.
And even when I got to the last sentence and the scene is quiet and calm, my mind was abuzz with SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.
Thank goodness this is a trilogy – I just hope I don’t have to wait too long for the third, and final, book. My personal quibbles aside, this was another great read. The story is incredible and the characters, both past and present are well-written.. I’m not sure what Alexandra can pull out of her hat to top the revised Tudor history twists that she threw at me in The Elizabeth Tudor Conspiracy, but I bet it will be a doozy.
READ IT FOR YOURSELF
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