'A Noble Cunning' is a book inspired by real-life Winifred Herbert Maxwell, Countess of Nithsdale, who, after the failure of the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion, and the subsequent arrest of her husband, attempted to free him from his imprisonment in the Tower of London.

Bethan and Gavin, Earl and Countess of Clarenfield are secretly practicing Catholics living in Scotland, at a time when Catholics are regularly, and increasingly, persecuted by Protestants and other religious factions, 'But nowadays we must be careful because the heathens and the fanaticals have taken over my dear land, and we are strangers here'. When Queen Anne dies, an uprising rebellion forms, in an attempt to restore the true, exiled James Stuart, to his rightful crown. Gavin decides he must join the call to arms but is soon captured and sent to the Tower of London. Bethan rushes to London to try and save her husband from imminent execution. Everything seems hopeless and, as a Catholic in London, it's hard to know who to trust. 'But what was coming now and could not be avoided would be the trial of my lifetime'.

'A Noble Cunning' is well written and uses an authentic tone of voice and historical context. Methodically told in the first person, the book does take a while to build momentum, however, once it does it draws to a quick conclusion. I was left wanting at least an epilogue to tie up loose ends. Ultimately I did enjoy the read and learning about a brave woman who took on some daunting odds in an attempt to free her husband.

In A Noble Cunning: The Countess and Tower , Patricia Bernstein brings to life the political and religious situation in Scotland and England. This novel is historical fiction set in the early 1700’s, but based on real events with names changed and fictional individuals added.

The story is told from the point of view of Bethan Glentaggart, Countess of Clarencefield, who lives in Scotland with her husband Gavin and their children. It’s the story of how people of different religions were treated. There’s fear, anger, hatred, and cruelty to others. When Gavin joins a group of rebels, he is captured. Bethan is determined to rescue her husband from the Tower of London before he is executed. She must face mob attacks, snowstorms, a cruel king, and more. Will she succeed?

The novel starts with a startling event that immediately grabs reader’s attention. There are a few unpredictable moments in the story, and even a couple of humorous moments to give readers a breather from the tension. The book is also very descriptive, which does a great job of giving readers a feeling of the time and place. However, it also slows the pace and adds to the instances of telling versus showing. Additionally, at the 95% point in the book, there is a fast jump in time with no transition. Despite this, the significant amount of danger, bravery, and plotting kept me fully engaged.

Overall, the book was atmospheric and full of suspense. The author has included a historical note at the end of the book. Since it contains spoilers, readers should not read this before reading the book. There are also two family trees, a timeline of events before and during the novel, and an extensive bibliography.

History Through Fiction, Independent Book Publishers Association, Members’ Titles, Patricia Bernstein, and Stephanie Barko provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for March 7, 2023.

A Noble Cunning - The Countess and the Tower - by Patricia Bernstein is another throughly enjoyable story published by History Through Fiction who I thank for pointing me to this book via Netgalley.

The lead character Bethan Glentaggart, Countess of Clarencefield, a persecuted Catholic noblewoman, is based on Winifred Herbert Maxwell, Countess of Nithsdale who is said to have rescued her own husband from the Tower of London in a similar fashion as Bethan does in A Nobel Cunning.

It is a fascinating tale of one woman's bravery, determination and endless ideas to achieve her goal. Considering this is set almost 300 years ago I am astonished what she managed to accomplish.

History and fiction combined to perfection!

I loved this book. If you are a fan of British History esp. during the Stuart dynasty and the Jacobite uprisings you'll love this book too. I'd also recommend to fans of Outlander (the books). The author uses the same descriptive form of writing. Although if you are a fan of the spice in Outlander, I have to caution that this book does not have that.

This book is based on a true story of a woman who's husband is imprisoned in the Tower of London. The book starts with her family's persecution as Catholics in Protestant Scotland and takes you through the uprising and her husband's imprisonment in the Tower of London. The author does a great job of weaving a lot of historical fact and context into the narrative. Some reviews have complained about her writing style; however, I enjoyed it. The writing felt authentic to the main character, she had a clear voice and viewpoint, and I felt really immersed in her mind.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher History Through Fiction for this ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Bethan Glentaggart is the Duchess of Clarencefield. Her family is Catholic and have long been supporters of the Stuarts. The throne passed over many heirs, 50 to be exact, because they were Catholic. In its place they put George I. The Electress of Hanover passed away two months before Queen Anne. The heir of Hanover was George; he was elected under the Act of Settlement 1701 as a staunch Protestant. Bethan's home was invaded by a riot of men, looking for a Catholic priest they thought was hidden there. Bethan kept her cool, along with her loyal lifelong friend and former tutor.

When her husband returns home following the riot, he seeks redress for the damage done to the house. Once George I was put on the throne, The Duke of Clarencefield joined forces with several men to raise support for the real Catholic heir, James Stuart, son of James II. Bethan sends her husband on with love and the realization that he will face danger. She receives word from her husband regularly. The Battle of Dunkirk sees her husband and his co conspirators imprisoned in The Tower of London. Bethan panics, setting plans in motion to send their children to family somewhere safe, and packs for the journey to London.

Bethan leaves the Scottish Lowlands during one of the worst winter storms. When she finally arrives, she has a place to stay thanks to a traveler she met on the road. It wasn't easy to trust anyone especially with regards to religion and secret loyalties. Bethan depends upon the generosity and largesse of these good people that take her in. She reconnects with her sister after decades, bringing her into her quest to save her husband from The Tower. At the trial, the men are sentenced to a traitor's death, which is extremely gruesome and usually reserved for commoners. Bethan goes to Court to plead for her husband's life, actually hanging on to King George's coat as he walks away and ignores her pleas.

The sentence has been commuted to a beheading. Bethan is running out of time to save her husband. She sets an intricate plan into place. The very interesting part is that Bethan is based off of a real person that saved her husband from The Tower in the same way; Winifred Maxwell. It shows a strong, committed wife. The machinations of politics and the anti Catholic sentiment are vital to this story. I admit that I almost quit reading the book a couple of times at the beginning. It started slow. I found the end of the book a bit too succinct. It was such a buildup to Bethan saving her husband. I suppose the author wanted to focus on that instead of what happens after. Overall, an interesting read- 4 stars.

It took me a while to get into this book and I am glad I stuck with it because I ended up enjoying the story, even though I found the writing style hard to engage with at times. I loved the character development in the book and the story was compelling, I had never hear dof this before and so I was thrilled to find out it is based on true events and I ended up looking it up afterwards.
Overall an enjoyable read.

A Noble Cunning by Patricia Bernstein

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

2/5 stars

I wanted to love this book. I love this time in history and, thanks to the Outlander series (books and TV show), I love Scottish fiction.

I did not love this book.

Bethan is the heroine of this story. It begins with locals searching her home for a Catholic minister, who she has been hiding. Luckily, the minister has escaped before the search - but not before she makes an enemy of one of the locals.

The story goes on (slowly) over several years. Bethan’s husband, Gavin, joins the war, along with other local men. Subsequently, Gavin is captured. Bethan and her ladies maid, Lucy, set off to break Gavin out.

And that’s where I stopped. I couldn’t read anymore.

One star awarded because I love the story itself - and it was based on a true story, which makes Bethan and Lucy true badasses.

Another star awarded because I love Lucy’s character. It is clear that she is a strong woman and a great female supporting character.

Three stars knocked off because the writing itself was hard to read. I had a hard time because Patricia’s writing style is dry.

I wanted to finish this but simply could not.

A Noble Cunning, by Patricia Bernstein, follows the story of Lord and Lady Clarencefield after the Rebellion of 1715 against George I. This novel is based in a true story and exposes the religious persecution suffered by Catholics at the hands of Protestants fanatics, the fate of the Scottish lords leading the rebellion and the courage of a woman desperate to save his husband.

Sadly, this book felt way too longer than the 266 pages it has. I’ve struggled to read it. The story and the narrative dragged like the snowstorm in which the countess had to travel to London. Had to put it away and read something else. In the end, I did finish the book just to find out if she succeeded. I could have read one of the appendixes and save myself the trouble.

I really didn't know anything about Bethan Glentaggart so I was glad I was able to read this historical fiction novel about her. It was so well written and it did what I was hoping for. It was a great historical novel and did what I enjoyed about the genre. Patricia Bernstein has a great writing style and I was glad I was able to read this. It worked so well in the time-period and I really loved that it had a tense atmosphere.

"There is to be no talk of forgiveness,” she insisted. “You didn’t ride to London through the worst snowstorm in decades to lose your nerve now. It is understandable that you will quail at the task before you from time to time, but you will take a deep breath and summon your fortitude. I’ve never met a more intrepid woman.”