3.5 ⭐

What if the best-known plays in the English-speaking world were written under a pseudonym? Is it possible that three women (a frustrated poet, a court musician and a seamstress) collaborated to create ‘Shakespeare’?

Had it not been for one of the Queen’s spies noting their suspicious behaviour, their identity may have been concealed and their secret kept … a secret. Now Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke Emelia Bassano and Jane Daggett are put in a compromising position of outing each other or dealing with the accusations of a plot to kill the queen.

Nix’s story highlights friendship and trust and relies on startling revelations to propel the mystery. It has a great sense of humour, a true-to-history setting, good pacing and a fantastic premise.

This imaginative historical fiction novel was a satisfying read.

Gorgeous cover!

I was gifted this copy by Alcove Press and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

A noblewoman, a court musician, & a theater troupe seamstress walk into a room....
The setup that three women are really behind the plays of William Shakespeare is a fun plot for a historical novel. The initial few chapters quickly set up our trio (who despite their different social statuses all dream of writing plays that will be consumed by an adoring public), and the plot moves at a fairly good pace. I did think that the three women decided on their secret playwriting a little too quickly, and wanted a bit more setup & initial growth of their friendship.
The secret playwriting activities soon gets the trio unwanted attention from one of the Queen's spies, and that leads them (and their small group of co-conspirators) into a whole lot of trouble. The novel has plenty of fun & quippy dialogue like: "Sheath your sword, my lord, lest your sternness dislodge your codpiece and shock the finer ladies present".
Not all the characters felt very well developed (like the spy sent to spy on the women, or the ever supportive Captain Dansby), and not all really get to participate in the final plan that emerges towards the end of the novel. All the different plot threads do come together at about the 70% mark, and the level of danger & court intrigue really picks up (the parts with Jane hiding out in London, and Shakespeare struggling to maintain his part in the great ruse were my favorite parts).