Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I’m a bit slow to review it. I wish that I could have said that I loved it. But I didn’t realize that it was the 8th book in a series. I feel like I lost a lot of backstory because of that and therefore it was less enjoyable. I do love historical fiction and maybe at some point I will revisit this series.

Another heartfelt step in the Lassair chronicles where murder and mystery hold sway!

Healer Lassair "wasn’t leaving Cambridge, [she] was running away" to Aelf Fen.
Her mentor Gurdyman warned her to be alert. Someone had been attacked on the track. And so under the cloud of that warning, the dark side of love and mercy, hate and revenge, pursue those Lassair cares for and skirts around her, enough that she is embroiled in a dangerous dance. One that is explained fully near the end. My heart went out to Lassair as she struggles to ground herself. To my mind she is off balance without knowing how to restore that. For the moment she is more or less going with the flow, moving in a fog, unable to make more determined choices.
Ah 1093! The Fens in medieval times! Mystery or magic, lore or something more? That is indeed the question. A question that bubbles along in the background that we occasionally take note of, cock an ear to listen to, then quickly hasten on.
Once more I was ensconced so deeply in the continuation of all that happens to Lassair that I just had to keep reading to the resolution of this part of her life's journey.
It's not a happy chapter. Indecision, loss and murder come in equal parts. Jack Chevestrier, Cambridge law officer, is injured and Lassair supports him before heading back to her Fens home-place. Only to find things have changed and she's out of place.
Meanwhile Rollo appears on the scene. He is being tracked by a determined killer and asks Lassair to accompany him to blur the search. Heartsore and somewhat disillusioned she acquiesces.
Throughout this, Jack is back in Cambridge, gathering his strength and investigating murder and arson. That investigation turns full circle for both himself and Lassair, although neither of them communicate enough, and I can understand why, to determine the links. We the readers know so much more than they do.
Things ends on a sad note with a promise for the future, when hopefully Lassair's balance will be restored. One can only guess about Jack's.
BTW Rufus apparently means red headed and is a reference to King William. Rollo is a spy for the King. There's still much about Rollo that is hidden from view.

A NetGalley ARC

I had never read these mystery series before. So, reading this ARC was a pleasant surprise. The medieval setting was a break from the historical mysteries that I usually read. Because I am new to the series, I found it hard to grasp the characters and their personalities. There were some parts of the novel that I thought were particularly slow. Still, the ending surprised me. I’m eager to go back to the first novel and read the entire series to get a better understanding of the characters and their world.

A medieval mystery that falls short of the mark

Perhaps my rating would have been higher had I read the series of books leading up to this one but as I had not, I had to base my review on this as a stand-alone book. Whilst I enjoyed the character development and the very descriptive writing which sets the background for the book, I did not feel that the plot was particularly thrilling or clever.

Set in 1093, Lassair is a young woman that becomes embroiled in a murder mystery when one of her friends is badly beaten and she returns home to nurse him. It seems that a killer is targeting young men that all look very similar and her former lover Rollo, is afraid of being murdered as he, too, looks like the victims.

Lassair and Rollo, posing as man and wife in order to travel together, go in search of King William Rufus in order to enlist his help.

I felt that the story lacked depth and this may have to do with the fact that the previous books may have expanded on the backgrounds of the characters. Best to read this as part of a series and not a one-off.

Gillian

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

The Rufus Spy, medieval mystical mystery, continues the adventures of Lassair, a girl of the Aelf Fen and Cambridge, whos loves both Rollo, a spy for King William, and Jack, a lawman of Cambridge. The mystical side of the series is largely absent while the conspiracies and crimes of medieval Cambridge dominate. Somewhat interesting.

The Rufus Spy is the latest novel in Alys Clare's Aelf Fen series. It's a fantasy novel under the guise of historical fiction. A decent historical fiction story should attempt to fit into the context of the time period in which it is taking place. The Rufus Spy fails that on all counts. If the story had been told in the context of a medieval society in another world, it would have worked, but not Cambridge, England, in the era just after William the Conqueror.

Presumably set during the tumultuous reign of William II of England, (called William Rufus because of his red hair), our heroine, Lassair, is apprenticed to Gurdyman, who appears to engage in sorcery. Lassair is pregnant out of wedlock, dithering between two men, is peasant born but is able to pass herself off as the highest of the nobility, and solves crimes. One of the men that she is in love with, Rollo, finds Lassair in her home village, sleeping on a pallet on the floor in a hut, and asks her to pose as his noble wife while he is in disguise, as he tries to find the king. It turns out that Rollo is being hunted by a gentleman intent on murdering him. Lassair and Rollo stumble about the countryside, leaving mayhem in their wake.

I have a few questions to ask the author. Perhaps they would be answered if I had read the several novels leading up to this one. Alas, I'm a newcomer to the Aelf Fen series. When William Rufus was king of England, the Norman nobility spoke French, and not the peasants tongue, which Lassair, a peasant would have spoken. How and when did she learn Norman French? When did she learn how to pass as a noblewoman?

How on earth was Lassair apprenticed to a sorcerer? This was a deeply superstitious time period. Outsiders were often killed, and certainly not respected by the common people. A man like Gurdyman would have, probably, been burned at the stake. Lassair certainly would have burned. A woman healer would have been reviled and the first sign of illness in the community would have been cause for her to burn. Lassair also has high flalutin ideas for a woman during the time of William Rufus. She talks about the "patriarchy" and women's rights. This was not an issue that people, especially peasants, were concerned with during that time period. Women were little better than chattel, be they peasant or noble.

Long story short, this book was not my cup of tea. The historical inaccuracies and the assumption that the reader was up to speed on all that had passed in previous novels were almost more than I could bear. If you read this novel, do yourself a favor and pretend that this story takes place in an alternate universe, where a peasant can be educated enough to pass as a noble on short notice, and society cares about women, then you could enjoy a passable fantasy novel.


I offer my thanks to Netgalley, for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

I have had such fun following along with the travels and challenges of Lassair and her companions in The Rufus Spy by Alys Clare. She is a brave Medieval healer who is always willing to help but that, of course, leads to risks and adventures. This is the first book by Alys Clare that I have read and I will definitely be hunting for more! Full Disclosure: I was allowed to read a copy of this book for free as a member of NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not influenced to give a positive review.

Set in 1093, when William Rufus was ruler of England, this is the latest in a series of historical novels featuring Lassair a healer from the fens. I think it helped that I had read the previous novels in the series, though I'm sure anyone who hasn't read the previous books will enjoy it too. Lassair is a very likeable character and is someone any reader will warm to, and the way she interacts with other characters brings them to life so you can picture them in your mind. The description of the fens is very evocative and you can almost feel their atmosphere. When you add a mystery that doesn't unfold in the way you're expecting it to it all adds up to an excellent read. This is one of those books you want to finish because you want to know how it ends, but on the other hand you don't want it to end! I loved it.

This was fun. Admittedly, I was a tad lost initially because I hadn't read the earlier books in the series but Clare has written clear, interesting characters in Lassair and Rollo. What a dynamic duo! Crime fighting in 1093 England is a whole different kettle of fish (no DNA ;). but motives and actions are the same as they are today. Loved the setting and the time frame. There are great descriptions of the area. I liked that part of the book was written from Lassair's perspective (she's a kick). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Recommend this one for fans of historical crime fiction.

1093 and two young men of similar appearance have already been killed. Will there be more and why. Meanwhile Lassair, the healer, has gone home only to find her ex-lover in need of help.
This is the first of the series that I have read and would say it would be best read after the others in the series to get all the background of these characters, and to give them some depth. I found I didn't really care for the characters and therefore the plot, and have preferred other series written by Alys Clare.

I love historical fiction and even better if it is a mystery set in medieval England. I love reading tales set in that time period. What I did not realise was that this was an eighth book in a series. Although it worked fine as a standalone, I did feel I missed a chunk of background information on a number of the characters which would have improved my reading experience.

As it is, I enjoyed the book. Lassair, a young woman and healer, is the main character and I liked her a lot. I understood her, which is always a great advantage when connecting with a character through the pages. The book is partly written in first-person when it is Lassair’s narrative and part third-person when it is written from other POVs. I kind of like this technique and it works very well here.

I loved the atmosphere the author managed to create and overall The Rufus Spy is a well-crafted novel that pulled me in and kept me reading. I will be keeping an eye out for the previous books in the series.

The Rufus Spy takes place in 1093 and involves Lassair, a young woman with magical gifts. When two young men are murdered and a third savagely beaten. Lassair, who has returned to her home village, is old friends with the third victim and stays in his home while treating him.

Within days, Rollo, Lassair's former lover, arrives and requests her help in escaping from a mess he has gotten himself into. Rollo, too, bears a resemblance to the three young men who have been attacked. He believes he knows who pursues him, but is he correct? Lassair agrees to pose as his wife and accompany Rollo on his search for King William and his aid.

Lassair, too, is carrying a secret.

I like this series better than Alys Clare's Hawkenlye series and her Gabriel Taverner series and enjoyed Lassair's latest adventure. Oh, and I like Jack, who is dealing with strange goings on back in Cambridge.

Read in October; blog review scheduled for Jan. 21.

NetGalley/Severn House

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishing for allowing me to read a digital galley of this novel.

I've been following this series for some time now and am impressed by how fresh and entertaining the author has kept the characters and stories. This latest story picks up exactly as the previous one left off so new readers might feel a little lost until they get the characters and situations clear in their mind. Lassair is a wonderfully developed character and in this story she is torn between two men who are in love with her. How does she feel about Jack and Rollo? While Jack recovers his strength from wounds he received in the previous novel Lassair accompanies Rollo from the fen country to the north of England in search of King William. Rollo has information regarding William's brother plus he is anxious to get Lassair away from nursing Jack back to health. The fen country outside of Cambridge is particularly dangerous right now with men being attacked or killed. The common denominator seems to be their physical resemblance to each other. Rollo will need to be very careful.

I enjoyed this eighth story in the Aelf Fen mystery series set in England around 1090. The descriptions of the landscape as well as the characters makes me feel invested in the lives of these people and the circumstances they have to deal with. This is a great series to follow.

"Apprentice healer Lassair heads on a perilous journey north in the absorbing new Aelf Fen medieval mystery."

Happily I received this ARC from NetGalley and #8 was the best of the Aelf Fen series so far. I have good expectations that there are more to come, "When I emerged once more, perhaps the world would be a happier place. It right even be all right again." Pretty sure Lassair will return- to Jack? I am not sure of that.

I find the fens intriguing and this trip by Lassair and Rollo, that seemed to skirt them, was even more perilous to read about. Usually there is a threat of the fenlands taking lives but this time? Well..

The plot was suitably complicated, although I figured it out a few pages ahead of time. Very well done.

Lassair has always been very well developed as a character, Rollo has his ups and downs but he ended well here ( read it and see). Jack has definitely evolved but will he return? Also I am wondering how the relationship will develop between Lassair's father and his newly discovered father?

Here is hoping that Aelf Fen book 9 is in the works. Preorder your copy now !

The story is quite a pleasant and interesting read. Set in medieval times but written from a modern perspective with two parallel themes of a serial killer on the loose with the addition of a mysterious assassin intent on killing a Kings Agent. The Cambridge law men are puzzled as to how the victims were selected and are searching for clues as to the killer’s identity. The Kings agent is on the run trying to evade the unknown assassin. It seems that the story is one of a series although it can be read stand alone. However one mystery that is not revealed is who is Rufus Spy? Is he a spy and who does he work for as there is no mention of this character that is apparent.

The Rufus Spy, A medieval mystical mystery, Alys Clare

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Historical fiction

I'm an occasional historical fiction reader, and this novel appealed to me from the description.
I didn't realise it was so far into an established series though, but the book is so contained that it was easy to follow the story despite not reading the other books.
I have to be honest here - I thought this was part of another series where I'd read many of the earlier books several years back. And - its not...though both involve the same early medieval time period, a single, independent female healer, and set in the Fens in the UK ( I know the area living in the next county)
The other series is Mistress of the Art of Death, Ariana Franklin and if you like that you'll love this. 

Its an excellent read, felt very real and I enjoyed the feeling of living back in historical times.
I felt I was there with Lassair, and she has some heavy events to content with in this book. I loved Jack, understood his frustration with his sheriff boss, a crooked man, out for himself not justice. Something not uncommon in that time sadly...
I'd like to read earlier books and see where Lassair became involved with him, and earlier with Rollo. I really didn't like Rollo, found him quite selfish but had I read earlier books maybe I'd have liked him more - who knows? 

I loved the slant of magic introduced, it's very subdued but comes up at appropriate times, and was a fascinating addition that allowed the story to go further than it would otherwise, while still retaining credibility.
There's something about those old beliefs in magic that appeals to me, and I have no trouble believing when its placed as it is here. 

Lassair has a number of changes to her life here, a troubled and dangerous journey to undertake, and I get the sense her life is taking a big change.
The story kept me reading, interested to see what would happen, who was behind the murders, whether they were connected and if so how? I was wrong - actually I love being wrong, love a book that's not a predictable read.
I was sad when a certain event happened, didn't expect that and very unhappy for certain people at the ending. I'm hoping the next book brings a positive change.

I haven't read any other of Alys Clare's novels but I'd certainly like to, she can write exactly they type of story I want to read. One that feels real, is true to the time period and has me guessing who is behind events and why...

Stars: five, a great read, felt very real and I look forward to the next book. 

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers