I thoroughly enjoyed this book and demolished it in one day.

I love anything Tudor, and Ransom did a fantastic job of transporting the reader to an Elizabethan world of intrigue, politics and authenticity. From the court of Elizabeth 1st, to the home of Robert Dudley and to woods and countryside in between, the world is believable and has plenty of variety.

Catrin was such a great character: very relatable and humorous. She wasn’t a brash or loud heroine, but was quietly confident, powerful and smart. Lucy was also a vibrant and empathetic character. The story had other great characters, including Sir Nicholas who stirred a plethora of emotions, from good to bad and demonstrated some anti-hero qualities.

The plot was kept intriguing with twists and turns, and the true killer not revealed until a dramatic end.

Although the novel had plenty of blood and dark moments, it was a very readable and easy read - one of those books that is easy to get lost in.

It felt full of energy, it was interesting and it was just an overall great historical mystery. I will be reading more in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy.

This was a Catrin Surovell Tudor mystery, the first in a series. It was set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and I have always been interested in the time period, which is why I chose this book.

I found Catrin an interesting protagonist, and I would like to read more murder mysteries featuring her as the investigator. When I read historical fiction, I hope to escape and feel as though I'm somewhere else for a little while, and this book was written in such a way that helped me to escape. It was an intriguing murder mystery, and light enough to read in one sitting, if so desired.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

I loved the use of Elizabethan times for a mystery novel, I enjoyed that the main characters were ladies-in-waiting and that it worked so well in the story. The characters were everything that I was hoping for and enjoyed getting through this mystery. Angela Ranson writes a great story and characters and left me wanting more.

Conspiracy and intrigue are a huge part of life at court in this Elizabethan adventure. The book is full of rich descriptions and is a thoroughly good read. I enjoyed it immensely.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me ARC of Shades of Death.

I requested a book because I enjoy reading about historical and royal concepts, which is why I also love reading historical manhwas. In the end, the book managed to capture my attention. However, it was difficult to concentrate at the beginning due to the complex writing style and the large number of characters introduced. It took me a week to finish reading it.

SPOILERS:
I love a golden retriever boyfriend with a black cat girlfriend but we couldn't have that. I am still devastated over Sir Nicholas, he was really sunshine and made me smile but then again it wasn't a romance genre.
Catrin was a strong character, despite her abusive stepfather. She was so strong and went through a lot without anyone's help.

Overall, It was a good read and I enjoyed it a lot. I wanna give it 3.5 stars but GoodReads doesn't have that option.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will make sure to catch the next in the series. The author is new to me and did a very good job mixing fiction and fact in this story. The characters were interesting and the plot is full of twist turns and intrigue. The book was an easy page turner that I read in one go. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The court of Elizabeth in 1560 was a hotbed of intrigue. The queen was very aware that despite her popularity there were strands of dissension, kept hidden for the most part but there were several attempts on the queen’s life throughout her reign.

Her relationship with Lord Dudley was not looked on favorably because there were many suitors for her hand and a married Lord was just not acceptable. WhenDudley’s wife is found dead in her castle the suspects are her husband and the Queen who supposedly wanted Dudley for herself.
Banishing Dudley from the Court, the Queen sets up a private investigation (which was not private at all) as every move seemed to be known to their enemies beforehand). Catrin and Lucy two ladies in waiting known for their loyalty and discretion are the Queen’s agents to find out what lies behind the Lady Amy’s murder.

A web of deceit, greed and a desire to get rid of Elizabeth hold a group of courtiers together and this is the group that has to be penetrated to get to the mastermind.

Descriptive both in background as well as characters, this was a good read not just of the detective genre but history as well.

Shades of Death by Angela Ranson was a solid medieval mystery that, despite a rather confusing beginning, kept me relatively engaged from start to finish. Ranson weaved a complex narrative filled with twists and turns, ensuring that the suspense was maintained throughout the story. However, at times, the pacing was a bit uneven, with certain sections feeling rushed while others linger too long. While the resolution was satisfying, some aspects of the conclusion left me with unanswered questions. Additionally, the writing style, while generally solid, could benefit from a bit more polish in certain areas as I found typos and grammatical errors. Despite a few minor flaws, Angela Ranson delivered a well written story with memorable characters and an engaging plot. I will likely read the sequel!