My thanks to Sapere Books for an eARC via NetGalley of Alexandra Walsh’s ‘The Elizabeth Tudor Conspiracy’ in exchange for an honest review. I have since bought my own Kindle edition.

This is the second in her Marquess House Trilogy and although some background is provided I would urge new readers to obtain the first book, ‘The Catherine Howard Conspiracy’ in order to understand the situation that twins, Perdita and Piper, find themselves in as well as the 16th Century conspiracy that underpins the trilogy.

The narrative moves between the present day and the Court of Elizabeth I in 1586 as she deals with various threats to her throne. I am not going to say anything further about the plot in order to avoid spoilers for this and the previous novel.

I will note that there are a great number of characters in the historical sections, which can be confusing. I feel that a list of characters, their titles and codenames (where appropriate) would have been of assistance.

Overall though I felt that Walsh has created an intriguing historical mystery/conspiracy thriller that while is a ‘what if’ also has a great deal of research into the Tudor period at its heart. I also appreciated the emphasis upon Elizabeth’s relationships with other women as confidants, advisors, and intelligencers (spies).

I found it very entertaining and certainly I am looking forward to the final book in the series.

I love this series!
I read The Catherine Howard Conspiracy earlier this year and was so excited to read the sequel. And it did not disappoint. While this does stand alone, I think the full intricacies of the plot and characters' relationships can be more fully appreciated if you read them all.
It's hard to write a review that doesn't give any spoilers! But this is thrilling, interesting and thoroughly enjoyable.
Definitely 5 stars!
Thank you Netgalley for the digital copy in return for an honest review

I loved the first book in this trilogy, The Catherine Howard Conspiracy, so I jumped at the opportunity to review the second. While it didn't disappoint, I didn't find it quite as good as the first. This book follows the same format as the first with several chapters in current time and several in the past. I did like the pace of the time shift better in this book.

The dual story line works well and I still love the "what if" aspect based on historical research. I liked that it didn't take the whole book to find out who the Howard twins are, even though it wasn't immediate for both. For the Elizabethan portion my main fault was keeping the characters straight. My knowledge of late Tudor historical figures is weaker than earlier ones so keeping up with who's who and how they were all related on top of their code names was slightly confusing. I also found the "twist" in this book much more far fetched, but that really doesn't affect my rating because it did make me wonder if it was actually possible, if extremely unlikely.

I was happy with the pace the present day followed. It wasn't as action packed in some ways, but I think it fit well with what was happening in the other portion. I liked how Walsh built onto to MI1 Elite/conspiracy part of the first book. Since this portion still focuses mainly on Perdita and her twin sister Piper and Kit Mackensie and a handful of minor characters it was easier to keep track of the characters and I feel invested in them at this point. That said, my main fault with this part was over clarifying who the characters were. They aren't difficult to keep track of, but it seemed like Walsh was frequently repeating how they are connected.

Overall, Walsh keeps the good aspects of the first book & the lead up to the conclusion is extremely promising. Everything that I enjoyed about the first book continued into this one. I'm looking forward to finding out the release date for the conclusion!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sapere Books, and Alexandra Walsh for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Like the first book in The Marquess House Trilogy, this sequel is a ‘timeshift thriller’ and takes place in two locations and times. 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!). As the twins continue tracing the history of the ring that Perdita found in the last book, they find themselves on a quest to discover what happened to Catherine’s twins – a boy and girl – and how these unknown heirs could have affected the Tudor monarchy.

I haven’t done the math yet, but I 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!

I had two small quibbles with this book (and really, more personal quirks than any problem with the book):

1. I wanted to spend more time in the present-day storyline 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. I’m quite fond of these characters which is why it probably didn’t feel like I spent enough time with them in this book.

2. I got a bit confused whenever I was in the Tudor era. Don’t get me wrong, 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 even I had trouble keeping up with all the similarly-named ladies, the titles AND the multiple codenames that were thrown about whenever this novel shifted to the Tudor storyline.

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.

*** 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. ***

I think this was a really awesome follow-up to the last book. I figured out the mystery quite early on which I'm sure most readers did but there was still sorting out the fact from the extraordinary fiction which I loved doing because it made me research while reading the book to see which parts were entirely made up and which part were made up in truth. I enjoyed the book I did think its predecessor was a little better but now I'm anxiously awaiting the third title

Really enjoying The Marquess House Trilogy and the fictional slant of different historical characters. I loved the first part in the trilogy and was really excited for this one. The two timelines are woven together brilliantly and I enjoyed the characters, I'm now avidly awaiting the final story in the trilogy!

The second book in the Marquess House trilogy picks up with Perdita and Piper safely in Andorra, having escaped their pursuers at the end of book 1.  Having uncovered the secret of Catherine Howard, the girls are keen to continue their research and follow the trail of the missing ruby rings that have been passed down through the Howard line for generations.
Jumping back in time, in this book we're following Queen Elizabeth I as she faces threats from King Philip II of Spain. 
The two timelines are inextricably linked, through the ruby rings that Perdita and Piper now have, and the girls are on a quest to unravel the secrets and determine the true version of history.

After a long book hangover, and a week or so of reading graphic novels for a change up, I saw this available on NetGalley and knew it was time to go back to novels.  I really enjoyed the first book in the series, and it seems like it wasn't long ago that I read it so I was surprised this was coming out so soon afterwards.

The book follows the same format as book one, shifting between the present day and the late 1500s, spending several chapters in each time period.  I found that worked well again, with us getting a decent stint in each time rather than jumping backwards and forwards too much.

The book jumps straight into the story, without really going over book 1 too much.  I liked this, especially having read the first book only a few months ago.  You could probably read this without having read the first one if you wanted to, although you would miss out on a lot of the character development and backstory.  Much as those details aren't essential to the storyline, they add a richness to it that helps to make the book enjoyable and keep you engaged.

I did find it harder to follow what was going on this time, especially in the chapters set in the 1500s. There were so many characters to try keep track of, and they all had not only names and official titles this time, but many had codenames too.  Add in to that Perdita and Kit going over both the accepted timeline and their theories on the secrets they are unravelling and I found things got quite confusing in this book.

The other issue I had with this book was that I didn't feel the adventure aspect during the present day held it's own as much.  It felt like most of the present day chapters involved the reading of letters and recapping the new version of events that we are hearing about already from the chapters following Elizabeth I.  My history isn't great, so in some ways it was good to have the differences pointed out between the accepted version of history and the version being uncovered in the book, but I felt this aspect took over a bit too much.  I would have liked the book to focus more on the research and finding these discoveries rather than recapping what we had already been told. 

Ultimately l I was hoping this book would step up the game a bit from book one, throwing in more danger, more adventure and more discovery, and I didn't feel it hit that mark.
I still enjoyed reading the book though, and I'm still intrigued by the plotline.  I'll definitely be reading book three, I'm looking forward to finding out where Walsh takes the story and how the twins fit into this alternative history.  If you are looking for something a bit different the series is worth a look.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This second book in the Marquess House trilogy, is as brilliant and plausible as the first!! So well researched, it fills in gaps in our knowledge of Tudor history, and could almost convince people of an alternative slant to that taught in schools.
Told in two timelines, both stories flow strongly. There may be ' lucky' discoveries, but who cares? This is fiction, isn't it?! Loved the idea of the Ladies of Melusine, I have come across this name before, and the idea of ladies at court, listening to statesmen, and passing on secrets between them, seems reasonable to me. There were always intrigues of this nature, and we have documents to prove this.
Still not keen on the names of Perdita and Piper, but Perdita was a name in the court of Charles the second, and Rivers also has a royal connection.
As conspiracy theories go, these books are turning out to be amazing and jaw dropping in every way. I have studied Mary, Queen of Scots for many years, and have taken yearly holidays in Scotland, in order to visit all the places known to have an association with this Queen. I shall look at every castle and memorial with new eyes!! Mermaids on coat of arms, Tudor jewellery with secret cavities, portraits that have been recently rediscovered at Boughton House in Northamptonshire , I've been busy looking at grand families of that county for the past thirty years. I have also used the same reference books and made many visits to Fotheringhay castle mound and Peterborough cathedral .
The last book is eagerly awaited. It will probably be about the search for the locket, and will show who are/ were the missing Royal heirs. My world was rocked in part 9, those revelations took me completely unawares, and they are such a spoiler, I will not reveal them.
My only complaint was that the first chapter, went into too much detail about events from book one. That really annoyed me, as I wanted to plough straight into the story!!
In 1968, my history teacher was Irish/Catholic, and was insistent that the succession went Henry 8 th, Edward, Mary and Mary, Queen of Scots. When we pointed out Elizabeth, he would always say that' that was a secret waiting to be told!' Just saying!!
I have rated this book as a 5 star read. I will leave a copy of this review on Goodreads. I will be anxiously scanning NetGalley for part three!! So many more surprises to come!!

Wow, what if this was really real! I really enjoyed reading this book, it was such a page turning and so well researched. It is the second of a series and I do think I was at a disadvantage at not reading the first but the first book is referred to throughout so you can get the general gist. There are a lot of Mary's, Catherine's, Elizabeth's in it, which does get a bit confusing at times but this is not the author's fault, blame the Tudor's! I do think a fairly good knowledge of the Tudor's is required to fully understand what's going on, what with all the characters, who is related to who, foreign powers etc but to be fair to the author does give little reminders when characters pop up. I had forgotten how much i love reading about the Tudors so I will go and search out the first book and eagerly await the third!

Alexandra Walsh's second novel in her Marquess House Conspiracy series is as great a read as the 1st. The first portion was a bit convoluted with all of the names and history on how each family is related; however, as you moved through the book this became less confusing. It is really interesting to think that there may be an alternative view on historical events than what we are taught. The story was well researched and pertinent information included to significant events in history to make this fictionalized version interesting. There were some glaring grammatical mistakes that were a bit annoying; but overall this didn't change my enjoyment of the book. Looking forward to book 3 in the series.

I was very excited to see this book available on Netgalley. I had read and reviewed The Catherine Howard Conspiracy and loved it. The 2nd book in the planned trilogy continues the story of Perdita and Piper who in the 1st book received an interesting inheritance from their estranged Grandmother. Along with millions of pounds, an organization that investigates and documents historical finds, and an amazing house, they inherited the enemies that killed their mother and possibly their Grandmother. On the run in the second book they continue to investigate their history which is threaded through the history of the Tudors.
As the title of the book suggests, the 2nd book takes us from the court of Henry VIII to Elizabeth Tudor. Elizabeth has been on the throne for almost 30 years and is dealing with the plots of Phillip of Spain, The Catholic Faction and other sundry plots. Luckily she has her loyal Ladies of the Melusine who assist her. The ladies are some of Tudor time period’s most notorious, Bess of Hardwick, Lettice Knollys (that is a shocker for anyone who knows Tudor history) and other sundry ladies of the court. Oh and Mary Queen of Scots? Well that story may not be how we were taught it. They assist Elizabeth in counteracting the machinations of men like Walsingham, and Lord Burghley , and the Babington plot, but their main goal is to keep the children of Catherine Howard and England safe. The fascinating and fun part of these books for me is that it turns accepted Tudor history on it’s head. I would like there to be an index of characters though, as there are a lot to keep up with, even I as an amateur Tudor history buff was getting confused. There are a lot of Katherines, Kates and Elizabeths to keep up with. I really enjoyed the 2nd installment of this series and look forward to the next one. Probably not the books for serious Tudor purists, but an enjoyable romp through a very notorious time in history. Thanks to NetGalley and Sapere books for the opportunity to read and review this books.

I was thrilled when Book 2 of the Marquess Trilogy was ready for review. I have read book one and was happy when Book 2 became available. Most reviewers are correct, this is an excellent book.! So very entertaining. It can actually be read as a stand-alone, because there are a lot of details that give you an inside view of what happened in book one.

I had a hard time putting the book down, and pretty much read it from start to finish. I adore stories set in Elizabethan/Tudor era and found this book to be excellent. The author was very though with her character development. It was very well researched, had an historical setting and events, and an excellent plot.

I look forward to the third and final book of the trilogy. I highly recommend this book.

I would like to thank the author/publisher/Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and exchange for a fair and honest review.

Elizabethan History Turned on it’s Head.
I had high hopes for this book having recently read and enjoyed the first in the trilogy. However I found the conspiracy harder to swallow and the sheer volume of characters, in both time periods but particularly the Tudor one where there was also numerous codenames, meant I was constantly referring back to notes I had to make to remember who was who. The story was too convoluted for me but others may enjoy it. You don’t have to have read book one but equally this is not a true standalone.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the character introductions early in the book. It’s worth the little struggle to get to an amazing story.

Was that really Elizabeth I or an imposter? We’re there other Tudor heirs that we never knew about? Is there really a branch of government rewriting history?

I’ve always been a great fan of the British Monarchy, so this suited me to a T.
now i need to go back to read the first. book in this trilogy and wait impatiently for the third.

Second volume of a fairly interesting conspiracy thriller. The history bits don’t seem especially evocative -probably because the language (as well as the characterizations) have been overly modernized. The conspiracy aspects are rather ridiculous, but that’s not a flaw in this sort of book, really. I’m looking forward to the final book in the trilogy.

I'm happy I requested this book even if I've got ton of books to review but as I read so many good reviews I wanted to read it.
The reviewers were right, this is a very good book, engaging and entertaining.
It can be read as a stand alone as there's plenty of details and it's a page turner that will keep you hooked till the last page.
I like stories set in the Tudor era and this was really good.
I liked the way the characters were developed, the great plot and the well researched historical setting.
I look forward to reading the next book by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I was pretty excited to discover this book, having somehow missed the first one, and loving all things Tudor! I’m at a slight disadvantage reading them out of order, but this book can stand alone. Now I’ll have to go back to the first one! I love a good mystery, and this one goes back and forth between present day and the mid 1500s when Elizabeth the first was on the throne. It has all the elements of a super entertaining read for me! And I’m happy to know it is a trilogy!

If only I could give this book more than a 5/5 star review. I had never heard of Alexandra Walsh before receiving this book. The book is a cross between James Becker and Philippa Gregory but with her own twist. Although the second in a trilogy don’t let that put you off. It can be a stand alone book. However, I’ve already downloaded the 1st book and I’m really hoping the author is well on the way with the 3rd.

Perdita and her twin Piper have inherited a legacy from their Grandmother. To ensure their safety they must unlock the stories from letters written by Queen Elizabeth I. And her ladies.
Researching the royal bloodline they discover story we know about the Tudors might not be how we think it’s always been.

The book swaps between modern day and the Tudor court. Be prepared to set aside a day as once you’ve started you won’t put this book down.

Elizabeth I and her closest circle of friends keep a big secret. Elizabeth is not the last Tudor heir.
Catherine Howard delivered twins fathered by Henry VIII. Can present day Perdita and her twin Piper figure out what happened to the twins? Who were the Tudor heirs and how will this discovery change history?

The story switches between the Tudor period and present day as Perdita and friends work to discover the Elizabeth conspiracy. Their lives are in danger as they work to uncover the secrets hidden for hundreds of years.

Without giving anything away I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this but I loved it! I haven't read the first instalment but will be reading it now and look forward to the third instalment! It's a good twist on the Tudor history.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Alexandra Walsh, and Sapere Books for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

After an explosive opening novel in her Tudor trilogy, Alexandra Walsh returns with another instalment, building on some of the mysteries revealed in the opening piece. Perdita Rivers and her sister, Piper, are still trying to wrap their heads around the fact that their grandmother left them a massive estate and countless pieces of her research. However, with that comes the fear of being hunted by an elusive part of the British Government. While away for a wedding, the sisters discover new mysteries tied to the knowledge that Catherine Howard—Henry VIII’s fifth wife—had twins by the king, but they were hidden away. Now, in a mystery that ties to the reign of Elizabeth I, Perdita and Piper learn what became of the twins and how Elizabeth contemplated the Tudor secession based on this information. In secret correspondence, Elizabeth and her closest ladies discussed the news, using jewels to pass the most important of all their news. However, with Philip II of Spain seeking to overthrow Elizabeth and trying to take over the English Throne, the Tudor line (and England herself) are in dire straits, particularly because news of the Howard twins has somehow made it to the continent. As Perdita learns more, she stumbles to discover how it was all revealed and what Elizabeth did to protect herself and the Crown from Spanish interference. Told in two timeline narratives, Walsh keeps the reader hooked until the final pages with this mystery that still has one final piece to tie it all together. Wonderful in its presentation, fans of Tudor history will enjoy this piece, as long as they can keep an open mind about fictional accounts. Recommended to those who love a good historical mystery, as well as those who love the life of the Tudors.

Having read a few other books by this publisher, I was offered an early copy of the first novel in the series. When I noticed a second book was ready for pre-release, I leapt at the opportunity, knowing that Alexandra Walsh would not disappoint. The detail found in this book forces the reader to decipher truth from fiction throughout, hoping the find the thread of the story and using newly unearthed pieces of the historical narrative to entertain the curious reader. Perdita’s character has less of a backstory in this novel, but her ability to piece together some more of the Tudor history keeps the reader enthralled throughout. Seeking to uncover some of the lesser known aspects of Tudor history and genealogy fuels a great narrative and allows the reader to feel fully involved in the process. Other characters in the novel, including Elizabeth I, provide an exciting flavour to the story, serving not only to propel the history of the story forward but also offering exciting plots for the reader to enjoy throughout. The premise of this book was as exciting as the first, building on some of the scandalous revelations. Walsh spins an effective and plausible version of events, which she substantiates in her author’s note at the end of the piece. So much to digest and some ideas that could offer Tudor fans much to consider as they rush to the history books to cross-reference some of the narrative’s most outlandish claims. All in all, a wonderful read and it has left me pining for the third book.

Kudos, Madam Walsh, for another wonderful novel. This series has me curious and I hope to learn more in short order.