Book Review – A Plague on Mr Pepys by Deborah Swift

Elizabeth Bagwell figures in the diary of Samuel Pepys, the seventeenth century Naval administrator, as one of his most enduring mistresses. The diary provides us with no hint of how Elizabeth, a married woman, achieved this position, especially as Pepys initially described her as ‘a virtuous modest woman’ who he had ‘a kindness’(!) for. In … Continue reading Book Review – A Plague on Mr Pepys by Deborah Swift

Book Review – A Murder by Any Name by Suzanne M Wolfe

A Murder by Any Name is set in 1585, a time when England was providing arms and support to the Dutch in their fight against Spain, the King of Spain had already begun building his great armada and the English government was ever alert to plots against the life of Queen Elizabeth I. The story … Continue reading Book Review – A Murder by Any Name by Suzanne M Wolfe

The Devil’s Dye by Jeni Neill

Today, I’m delighted to be sharing an excerpt from Jeni Neill's debut novel, The Devil's Dye which is set in and around Norwich in the 1560 and 1570s and follows the fortunes of a family of Strangers, Protestant refugees escaping persecution in the Spanish Netherlands. Excerpt Apprenticing the two Wright boys to Jowan has been … Continue reading The Devil’s Dye by Jeni Neill