Thanks Netgalley for a arc copy of this book for a honest review.. 


The Queen Spy was a enjoyable read.  I hardly read historical fiction I have to find the ones that I would like. This book did not disappoint me. 4 star 




Happy Reading 

Lisa

I enjoy historical fiction and dual timeline narratives so this was right up my street! I’d read the previous book by this author and was pleased to meet some of the same characters. I was also glad that it worked as a standalone story!

The story is split between Tom, a deaf/mute apothecary assistant in Elizabethan London and Mathilde in the present day, a photojournalist who discovered she has inherited a house in Norfolk.

Both stories are interesting, though I was more gripped by Tom’s, probably as it was a part of history I was only vaguely aware of. I loved the descriptions and the palace really came alive to me.

The author writes well and the story is well paced with good characters and an interesting plot. I’m hoping for a 3rd book to find out what happened to Richard! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

If you're going to spend your time reading, it should definitely be reading this wonderful book. This book is the perfect blend of historical and modern and you will have fun reading it, I promise. The writing quality is superb and the character's in this story are authentic and genuine.

This story includes mystery, history and will enchant you from the very start.

Review: I loved the weaved history within this story. Historical moments and persons on the modern day context add something for the. reader to enjoy and immerse themselves in the story more fully.
The history part of this story takes place during Elizabeth I's reign, and if it's Tudor era history I am here for it. I loved the royal aspects of the political plots and spy craft just as much as Mathilde goes in search of the truth of her family history.
This book has a rich story to tell with stories and intrigue even I didn't see coming.

Synopsis: 1584: Elizabeth I rules England. But a dangerous plot is brewing in court, and Mary Queen of Scots will stop at nothing to take her cousin’s throne.
There’s only one thing standing in her way: Tom, the queen’s trusted apothecary, who makes the perfect silent spy…

2021: Travelling the globe in her campervan, Mathilde has never belonged anywhere. So when she receives news of an inheritance, she is shocked to discover she has a family in England.
Just like Mathilde, the medieval hall she inherits conceals secrets, and she quickly makes a haunting discovery. Can she unravel the truth about what happened there all those years ago? And will she finally find a place to call home?

I love novels that cross between the past and the present, add Tudor history to the mix and I am beyond thrilled! This was a great novel and very hard to put down. I applaud the author!

After my book club read "The Secrets of Saffron Hall" a couple of months ago, I was delighted to find out that Clare Marchant had written somewhat of a sequel to it. We all definitely had questions regarding what would happen to the characters, and we thought the book would lend itself well to beginning a series.

In the Queen's Spy, Tom Lutton returns. The adopted son of Eleanor, Tom is now a grown man. While still deaf and mute, his apothecary skills have become impressive and he finds a place in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Espionage and plots surround the court, with those scheming to return the throne to the Catholic Queen Mary, and Tom is drawn into that ring.

In the present day, Mathilde is summoned to the historic home of her late father, who she believed perished in a bombing in Beirut many years before. He survived the bombing, but was unable to find Mathilde and her mother, spending his remaining life searching for them. His estate has been left to Mathilde, who find secrets of her own within the family chapel.

Another 5 star read for 2021 for me. While I still have more questions about the families (hopefully there will be a third book), this book definitely extended the Lutton storyline. Marchant brings the Tudor period to life and does an amazing job at the historical research regarding that era. Even better, the story continues without the need to continually compare to the first book, something I love about a sequel.

First of all thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for an arc copy of this lovely book. I hadn’t heard of Clare Marchant, but the title intrigued me. as I enjoy historical fiction.
This story has a dual timeline. The modern part is set in 2021. Mathilde, who is a photo journalist and lives out of a camper van since her mother died in a fire, receives a letter asking her to come to Lutton Hall in Norfolk. There, she is told her father hadn’t been killed in a Lebanese car bomb as she had always believed. He had spent his life searching for her and her mother. On her father’s death, she inherited the mediaeval family home, and found a family she didn’t know she had. She experiences something unknown drawing her to the building.
The earlier timeline was set in the reign of Elizabeth 1, starting in 1584. Tom and his mother had escaped from England and went to France to live. She taught him about herbs and healing remedies.. He returned to England on his mother’s death, and started working as an apothecary at the Queen’s Court. Being a deaf mute, Walsingham decided he would be useful as a spy to lip read and discover the secrets of Mary Queen of Scotts and her plans to kill Elizabeth. Tom met Isabel who became his wife at Court. The story continues to tell of Tom’s secret assignations, some of which he depicted on a triptych, which was hidden at Lutton Hall and found by Mathilde.
The two story lines come together neatly at the end.
Although I found Tom’s story more captivating than Mathilde’s one, I enjoyed the whole book and will read more books by Clare Marchant.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I loved uncovering Mathilde and Tom’s stories over the course of the book. I enjoyed how this was a sort of sequel to Clare’s first book and I really liked that the main character was disabled as this is rarely ever seen in historical fiction. I also liked what it had to say about refugees and how they are treated in our society.

A timeless tale of intrigue and the balance of spying with family life. Tom is both deaf and mute, making him the perfect spy for Queen Elizabeth while she waits for an assassination to come for her from her cousin Queen Mary of Scots. With Tom's ability to read lips and melt int the background he becomes entangle in the web of the Queen's spymaster but will it be too much for the family he leaves behind?

Mathilde has never known home to be a place of refuge. Always on the run with her mother and then alone at the age of 16 her beloved van as seen her home and has always provided a way to escape. When she is summoned to England she learn her father left her his estate despite being told he died in an explosion when she was very small. Now with new found family, and dare she say even love, will she finally put down roots?

Seeing how Tom and Mathilde's stories intertwine and mirror was fascinating and I enjoyed going back and forth in time between resent day and the Tudors!

First thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an e-arc copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

The story centers on two characters over two different timelines. They intertwine but I found I was far more interested in Tom's story than in Mathilde's. I found the story to be original in its subject matter but hard as I might, couldn't connect well with it.

A solid 3.5 stars.

I just loved this book. I couldn’t stop reading it. It switched between the two time zones perfectly and also reminded us of the first book The Secrets of Saffron Hall.
Mathilde finds love for the first time after an eventful early life. Tom likewise finds the love of his life. His life at the court of Queen Elizabeth I is so well told. Especially as he’s deaf. If only he’d known he had to pollinate the vanilla flowers himself. But the fact he works out a code to convey messages is very clever.
I can’t recommend this book enough. I can’t wait for another one

I was privileged to have a zoom call with the author after reading her last book published. So I was very excited to get an ARC via Netgalley of the Queen's Spy. In her last novel, my friends and I had wondered whatever became of Tom and his family-as his adoptive mother was forced to flee King Henry. This book wrapped up some of those details, and gave us more insight into Tom-a true hero to Queen Elizabeth.
Like her other book-it builds slowly, until the anticipation is almost too much to bare-and then it all starts to come together. Tom is a deaf and mute adult-who finds love in a place he least expects it. But his job as an assistant apothecary isn't what is dangerous-it's what he's being required to do for the Queen-spy on Mary, Queen of Scots, and make sure she doesn't overthrow Elizabeth.
The story flashes from the future to the past-tying the characters into a heartbreaking, but beautiful story. Ms. Marchant has written another great story from this time period-and I look forward to reading more.

In 2021 Mathilde is a photojournalist travelling the world in her beaten-up old campervan after her emotionally fragile mother died in a house fire when Mathilde was just sixteen years old. She receives a mysterious letter from an English solicitor demanding she appear at an old manor house in Norfolk. On arrival she discovers that her father did not die in a car bomb in Lebanon when she was five years old as she had always believed, instead he had survived and spent the rest of his life trying to find Mathilde and her mother, he has recently died and left the manor house to Mathilde. Although initially determined to sell the house and resume her travels, Mathilde finds herself drawn to the house, haunted by dreams of historical events and a mysterious figure.

In 1584 Tom Lutton, a deaf mute apothecary, lands in England from his home in France. His skill at healing the captain of the ship that brought him to England lands him an interview and a position as assistant apothecary in the court of Queen Elizabeth I where his lip reading skills bring him to the attention of the Queen's spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham.

There are many similarities between Tom and Mathilde's lives, similarities which only become more tangled when Mathilde uncovers some of her new home's secrets.

I have read several of these split narrative stories previously, Nicola Cornick's The Forgotten Sister being a recent example and, in my opinion, they work best when you get immersed into one story for long periods then metaphorically yanked into the present day, or vice versa. Unfortunately, in this book it felt like the two narratives were told in alternate chapters and so I never really got invested in either story. Also, perhaps because it was written in the third person, or perhaps because of the alternating timelines, I felt like the book was all telling and no showing, I didn't feel any increase in tension as Tom got drawn deeper and deeper into spying on the courtiers plotting against the Queen and the present day dramas felt equally lukewarm.

Finally, did the person who chose the cover read the book? It's about an Elizabethan male apothecary spying for the Queen, who is the woman on the cover and what is the significance of the gold cup? Surely a man in a blue jacket would have been more apt? Or at least a picture of Queen Elizabeth if it had to be a woman?

Overall, I felt the book just skated across what could have been a gripping historical tale and I didn't feel any investment in the characters, everyone felt a bit one-dimensional, even Tom and Mathilde.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Absolutely fascinating read!
I love this author, the way she writes about the Tudor period mixed in with modern times is so amazing.
It was brilliant to find out Tom’s story and the link to Mathilde’s own life.
It’s such an interesting story and I can only guess how much work Clare did to get all the research done for this detailed book.
Duel timeline historical books are always incredibly interesting to read and Clare does this perfectly.

Having read Clare’s debut last year, The Secrets of Saffron Hall (buy it immediately if you haven’t read it) I jumped at the chance to read an early review copy of her second novel. I already have it on pre-order so am looking forward to having the actual book in my forever collection.

Saffron Hall was my number one book of 2020, and I had a feeling book two would not disappoint. It didn’t. Clare has produced another enthralling, page turning book of exquisiteness and I absolutely loved it!

Again, Clare has written this historical fiction novel along a dual timeline.

The historical element gives us a very satisfactory conclusion to what happened to Eleanor and Tom after they fled England at the end of Saffron Hall. What a cliffhanger that was! Tom who is deaf and mute, moves back to England from France in 1584 and finds himself working as an assistant to the Queen’s apothecary, having learned his craft from his adoptive mother, Eleanor. The Queen’s spymaster, Walsingham, soon sees the benefit of Tom’s lip reading abilities and he is made to spy for the Queen. The Babington plot is under way to remove Elizabeth from the throne and replace her with the Catholic Queen Mary. One of Tom’s only personal belongings is a triptych which is a 3 part painting he is completing with snippets of his life.

The present day part is set in 2021 where Mathilde receives a solicitor’s letter urgently summoning her from her converted ambulance moving home to Lutton Hall Norfolk. Mathilde has lived alone and on the road, selling her photographs to make her living, since her mother died when Mathilde was only 16. She has always longed for a proper family. When she arrives at Lutton Hall she is astounded to find she has a half sister, a niece and an Aunt and Uncle waiting for her. Her father, whom she thought had died when she was a baby, had actually been searching for her all of her life but had sadly just died without ever finding her. He left Lutton Hall to Mathilde in his will in the hope that his solicitor would find her. She initially thinks she will stay a short while and sell the property, but when she finds the Triptych on a wall in the chapel behind a boarded up wall, she becomes determined to find out who painted it and the story behind it.

The past and present story lines are equally as enjoyable. The characters are developed extremely well, the plot intertwines perfectly, the research into the historical part is obviously thoroughly completed and I didn’t want it to end! Although the conclusion to both parts in extremely satisfying. It’s going to take me a few days to pick up another book as I’m still living in the worlds of Tom and Mathilde.

I can’t recommend Clare’s books highly enough.

Thank you to Avon books and NetGalley for allowing me early access to this book in return for a review.

Wow! This book is simply stunning! I was absolutely hooked right from the beginning! I didnt want to put it down once started, it was so immersive. I had work so had to put it down at 60% and felt bereft the rest of the day! I sat reading until the early hours just so that I could finish it!
I was so excited to get a copy of the book from Netgalley, I loved the previous book by Clare Marchant and this second book didnt disappoint, The dual time storylines are set between modern day Norfolk and Elizabethan London . The protagonists are both strong characters that are so relatable . the unusual thing is that the protagonist in the past is male , Tom is a wonderful character , he doesnt let the fact he is deaf and mute interfere with his goals . It was easy to empathise and identify with both main characters.
Mathilde is a photo journalist who travels around the world in her converted ambulance, never putting down roots anywhere. She has been alone since her mother died and has just discovered her father diidnt die in an accident as she always thought, but spent years searching for her and her mother. She discovers a sister she knew nothing about and an inheritance she doesn't want.
There are; parallels between the past and present storylines , interlinking the intricate details of the plot.. Tom is an apothecary's apprentice. He is skilled in herbal medicines .He is often underestimated because of his disabilities. He comes to the notice of the Queens Spy master and proves to be a valuable addition to his team of agents. The plotters he infiltrates are lulled into a false sense of security thinking that because he cannot hear or speak he is harmless.
Lutten Hall has been passed down through the family for generations and now belongs to Matilde. As she spends time there with her newly discovered sister, Rachel and Niece Fleur , they uncover an artefact that has been walled up in a private chapel.
As they try to uncover it's history , with the help of Oliver , who has expertise in the area , the plot twists and turns as the mystery unfolds.
The research that went into the book was obvious. The historic detail was vivid and richly portrayed. The atmospheric and eerie setting reminded me of early Barbara Erskine .
I thoroughly recommend this book to readers who enjoy Nicola Cornick and Kathleen Mcgurl
It gets 5 massive stars from me!

I found this to be an incredibly moving story. Mathilde discovers that her father has been searching for her for years, before he died, and by chance the solicitor finds her. She discovers that her father has left her the house, and with it, her sister Rachel, and her niece Fleur. She has been living off the grid with her mother, who has also died, moving from place to place, and sleeping wherever they could before they were moved on. When she discovers she has a home and family,her initial reaction is to say she will leave in a few days. Then she reconsiders. A mystery is keeping her at the house, in the form of a painting and a hidden letter. A mystery she must solve before moving on. And will she move on? That is the question which the reader must answer, before I spoil the novel by revealing too much. An enjoyable read, and, as I said, moving. I would recommend this novel to those who like historical novels combined with time slip novels.

An intriguing book which takes you back in time and let's the magic weave through the tales of Tom and Mathilde.

I loved this dual timeline historical fiction book. It centres on Tom Lutton an apocathery assistant in the court of Queen Elizabeth 1 and Mathilde a young woman who discovers she has inherited Lutton Hall in 2021. Tom is deaf and dumb and for this reason is assigned as a spy for Lord Walsingham. Mathilde has never had a proper home so struggles with having a roof over her head and a family she never knew existed
With this novel Clare has written a great book, I felt involved with a the characters and there was some real descriptive elements. A definite 5 stars from me. Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review, my opinions are my own

A nice interesting story from a different perspective to the norm. Preferred the 1500s timeline to the more recent one. Felt invested in Tom's story but less so on Matilde's. The way in which they intertwined at the end was lovely. Good story, lots packed in, nice to see an Elizabethan time period.