Lady Nicola never planned on becoming a refugee, but after strangers break into her home and her father entrusts her with dangerous secrets, she doesn’t know who to trust. Running from all she’s ever known, she falls in with someone who she isn’t sure is friend or foe, but who promises to take her where she needs to go. Though she doesn’t realize it, the information she has is treasonous and may cause the rise of a new dynasty.

This work is set in England during the tumultuous time preceding Henry Tudor’s reign. Throughout the work, the vast amount of historical research and knowledge the author had was quite apparent. There were many characters (historical figures and fictional) that were incorporated into the plot and subplots and were often somehow connected to each other.

Unfortunately, I think the author was too broad with the scope of this work. The number of characters and the shifting POV made it difficult to keep track of who was doing what when and who they knew and who they were against. The quality of the characters also suffered – I found none of them to be realistic, engaging, or well written, leaving them all feeling bland and interchangeable.

There was a slight magical aspect included in this otherwise very historical work, which was never explained or grounded in any sort of way. It felt out of place and seemed like a convenient way for the author to simply direct the plot where it needed to go. There were also several instances where things just coincidentally fell into place so the plot could continue, which felt like lazy writing.

Overall, this read was lacking in many important elements, which made it difficult to get through or enjoy. My thanks to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group for providing me with a copy of this work to review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I enjoy reading historical fiction about the War of the Roses, but had a tough time getting into this book. I do appreciate the advanced copy and send my thanks.

Lady Nicola Weldon was shocked with the death of Garret and the big question, did Cruz do it? Nicola showed her bravery by embarking on a journey to ensure of Henry Vll's reign after the death of King Edwards.
I was looking forward to reading reading the a novel that focused on the subject of the Tudor era and my interests was peaked with the death of King Edward. The author did diligent with the research of the novel., which I enjoyed.
The War of The Roses took place 100 years after the civil war, which occurred in order to gain control of the throne. The War of The Roses was a fight between houses of Plantagenets, Lancaster, and York. This reminds me of the popular series "The Game of Thrones". There is much literature on the subject of Richard ll including Shakespeare's Richard and Dante's placement of him into the circle of hell for the murder of his nephews.
Although the subject of the Tudor' and The War of The Roses was an interest of mine, unfortunately I lost interest with the novel, and it was difficult to stay engaged towards the ending.
Thank you NetGalley for the privilege of reading the novel and I wrote an honest review.

This adventurous story, set in 1400s Britain and Europe, has kings and assassins, lords and ladies, artisans and prostitutes, and even some psychic interplay all in the intrigue to establish the new King of England after the death of Richard III.

Nicola loses her home, her wealth and her position when her father is killed. But she has a mission in life, having to do with symbols on a piece of jewelry her father made before he died. For his part, the mysterious Drue loses his heart to Nicola.

This is a romance novel with enough surprises to thrill any fan of the historic romance genre.

Symbol Maker’s Daughter by Clare Gutierrez is a tale of intrigue, mystery and destiny as the fight for the English throne continues. The War of the Roses has been ranging between two houses of the Plantagenets: Lancaster and York since 1455. In 1483, Edward IV died, leaving his throne to his young son, but his ambitious brother, Richard, took the throne in the young boy’s place. Edward’s two sons were placed in the Tower under the guise of their protection. But there is a growing, secret support for another claim to the throne, a young man named Henry Tudor.. Lord Weldon began to have dreams, dreams with vivid images that he recreates the symbols for the images he saw. He entrusts his daughter, Nicola, to deliver these symbols. Nicola sets out on a perilous journey that could be life and death for her and the crossroads of history.
The War of the Roses has always been taught in passing and I know very little how it began or how it ended. This book is the tail end of the war as Richard, Duke of Gloucester, becomes Richard III and meets Henry Tudor on the battlefield. While history already tells us Henry wins the crown to become Henry VII, political alliances, rumors of witchcraft and murder, everyone questions who or what they can trust. History could have been different. Symbol Maker’s Daughter is an interesting take on the events that lead to the end of the War of the Roses. It is a very detailed story with many moving parts. I read the book in about a week, which is a rarity for me. However, because the story was so detailed and intricate, this story requires a slow read to understand the events. I recommend Symbol Maker’s Daughter.

Symbol Maker’s Daughter is available in paperback and eBook

Symbol Maker's Daughter is historical fiction set in England during the 1400s. After losing her family and her home, Lady Nicola Weldon must travel around Europe to deliver something precious to Henry Tudor, one of the men vying for the crown of England. Along the way, she is hunted by those who would prevent her from completing her mission, while others seek to help her.
The parts of this novel that I enjoyed the most were the historical elements regarding the crown of England and the fight between Richard and Henry Tudor, as well as the mystical elements of visions and prophecies. The romance felt a bit stiff, and the novel was longer than it felt like it needed to be, but overall, I still enjoyed reading it.

Set in the 1400s, the Symbol Maker’s Daughter is an historical story beginning with the struggle to remove King Richard from the throne of England. Lord Weldon, also a jeweler he created a fine piece of jewelry that foretells the future demise of King Richard and his heirs and the beginning of the Tudor reign with Henry Tudor, King Henry VII. When Lord Weldon’s home is seized an his death is eminent, he asks that his daughter Nicola take the jewelry directly to Henry Tudor and show him that his destiny is to become King of England. Nicola faces many obstacles along the way not the least of which is that she is the assumption that she is a witch bringing a message from the unknown. Enter a young mercenary Drue, that is actually prince from a fictional country. There is danger at every twist and turn and of a budding course romance between Drue and Nicola. A bit lengthy but the book has a great deal historical detail to make it interesting.

A strong female character, so you cannot go wrong. I found myself wanting the best for Nicola.

Nicola goes through numerous situations to try and follow her father's wish. Who can she trust?

Very adventurous.

An historical fiction set in England in the 1400's and is about the destiny of the king and it was as tory full of mystery and intrigue and it took my to places I could never have imagined. So long ago and life was so different.

This is a story that has been well researched and the characters for the most part are what makes this a good book. But having said that I did find that there were far too many characters which at times confused me. There is also a lot happening and it is a bit long-winded which hampers my reading experience as I get dragged down and have to look for the parts that will again excite me and bring me back to the real story.

I am glad I read it and it is a great story, just a bit too long. It has adventure, intrigue, mystery and excitement. I give it 3 /2 stars and would have given it more if it had been toned down just a touch.

The best historical fiction book I've read in several years! A secret prince, a lady, an underdog king, battles, betrayals, secrets, etc. All the makings of a great story based loosely on English history back in the 1400s. Highly recommend this book, but you need to devote an entire weekend as you won't be able to put it down!

What a good book! If you like Phillipa Gregory, you will love this, the characters feel real along with the murderous fight for the English Throne, which we know the Tudors won. I loved Lady Nicola, and Drue, who made the whole book believable. I enjoyed the book, and the history lesson. I highly recommend to history lovers, I am looking forward to reading other books by this author Clare Gutierrez, it was well written, fast paced, and more than anything, interesting. The Second Sight wasn't so out there, if you're of Scottish ancestry. I tried to give it a 4.5
I highly recommend. Thank you #Netgalley #RiverGroveBooks
carolintallahassee

This book is too busy trying to have the reader understand what is happening by switching between too many POVs. This book seems to be a depiction of how the author wanted English society and culture during the War of the Roses to be, rather than how it actually functioned.

This was a different view than I usually see about the War of The Roses, and I enjoyed it. It was nice to have strong women characters too. Thank you

Another great book of historical fiction. It explores the superstitions of the day, and so many things yet to be discovered at that time in human history. Loved it.

The “Symbol Makers Daughter” is my first Clare Gutierrez novel. I loved the premise of this historical fictional novel- King Henry VII quest for the throne from King Richard III. Unfortunately the middle of this story was quite slowing moving and quite a bit unbelievable. Some of the back and forth foolishness between Nicola and Drue could have been eliminated- especially when they were on the ship together.

If you enjoy reading Phillipa Gregory historical fiction you will love this book. The story of Henry Tudor is probably familiar to many. The Symbol Maker's Daughter puts a unique spin on it that's easy to read and hard to put down.

So much intrigue during the last 1400’s in England. The nobility is trying to stay on the winning side. The story revolves around a young lady sent by her father to the Tudors with symbols to show they will reign. But there is murder and other tribulations to overcome. It was an good read and covered a lot of history, even if it was only briefly mentioned.

Thank you Net Galley for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review. I love to read about the Tudors. This book provides an interesting mix of historical fact and fictional elements that fit nicely within the framework of the story. Even though the book was slow at times, I still enjoyed the book.

For many years Henry Tudor had unsuccessfully attempted to rise up from exile during the Wars of the Roses. When upheaval resulted in the deaths of numerous royal heirs, Henry didn’t want to fight for the throne anymore because years of futile struggle had robbed him of the will to keep going.

Sir Weldon had a special gift of seeing the future. Despite the fear of being considered a traitor, he created unique symbols that foretold Henry’s ascension to the throne and would motivate him to fight. Before Sir Weldon was killed, he passed the symbols on to his daughter Lady Nicola. Her task would be to get them to Henry and encourage him to keep fighting to become King of England.

Readers are taken into the political maelstrom of murder, treason and romance of 1400’s England. Light is shed on historical events that ultimately led to the crowning of the man whose infamous son (Henry VIII) would become England’s most well known king.

Highly recommended for Adults.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Nice read for historical fiction fans. Interesting time period and what women's roles and choices were back in time.