*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

Shakespeare scholar here who's been to Stratford numerous times, published articles on his works and absolutely adored Upstart Crow. I'm not against challenging Shakespeare's status as The Bard or against narratives that center female lives in a historic setting. However, this book did not really work for me. All the female characters felt artificial and wooden and I genuinely doubt that these women would've been able to write the plays as they are (look at linguistic examinations and other Shakespeare research that investigates exactly these claims), not because they are women but because the plays do not work that way. Again, please challenge Shakespeare but this felt so very...un-English as well... I only later looked up the author's origin and seeing that he is an American man, I'm no longer surprised. It is an entertaining read but I couldn't just do away with a decade of Shakespeare research in my life. Sorry. Maybe also watch Upstart Crow, it's truly hilarious.

“What if … we … wrote in secret. The three of us.”

The Shakespeare Secret by D.J. Nix is a thriller that merges historical intrigue with literary mystery. The plot follows a trail of hidden codes, lost manuscripts, and secret societies - all connected to the works and legacy of William Shakespeare.

As the story unfolds, characters find themselves caught between academic discovery and dangerous conspiracies, navigating clues buried in centuries-old texts. The novel moves across locations and time periods, exploring the intersection of literature, power, and secrecy.

A layered narrative that draws on real historical elements while weaving a fictional mystery around one of the world’s most studied writers.

‘How she wishes that everyone knew her name instead. Knew that the lines belonged to three women who labored in secret. Knew that they are, even now, working on two new plays. But this cannot happen. The fact that she knows must be enough.’

Have you heard any good secrets lately? I have certainly read about a good secret. Why don’t you join me? What do a countess, a courtesan and a seamstress have in common? Let’s find out…They conspired to write a play in secret.

Mary, Emelia and Jane came from very different walks in life. They were frustrated creatives with a love and passion for words and storytelling. As fate would have it, their paths crossed and a shadow sisterhood was born. During clandestine remarkable meetings, imagination and creativity flourished while friendships (tentative at first) formed. As they learned to trust, they nourished and encouraged each other. Their new friendships and trust were tested as they dealt with a ruthless patriarchy intent on evil and layered with corruption.

Tired of the limited options available and the multitudes of restrictions placed on women during the 1590’s in London, our trio decided to pool their talents. Their writing efforts became some of the most enjoyed and best known plays of their era, perhaps in all of history.

They still needed a man to present their work to the world and claim it as his own. That is where Will comes in…William Shakespeare.

Some secrets are hard to keep, instead, they must be managed.

Read this well imagined and well written book to see how it all plays out!

I received copies of this book from Alcove Press through AustenProse and NetGalley. All thoughts expressed in this review are mine.

Intriguing, thought-provoking, great plot, strong, intelligent characters - I really enjoyed this novel and can't wait to read more by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press and D.J. Nix for an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Three women of contrasting social levels meet by chance. The play they watch is mediocre and they think they can do better. But play writing is forbidden for women. They meet in secret but enemies within the Royal circuit read more into the meetings than what is actually happening. Their writings are a huge success, and Shakespeare presents them as his own. Trying to remain secret as well as proving themselves loyal to the Queen is the trouble they have to face and face it they did, in the most ingenious way possible.

This was a very good story with three strong women, a lot of history woven into it with court intrigue, and a masterful plot which kept me guessing till the end.

Was Shakespeare a woman? Author D.J. Nix’s son pitched the idea to him and he then read Elizabeth Winkler’s article in the June 2019 edition of The Atlantic, “Was Shakespeare a Woman?” This inspired D.J. Nix into writing a compelling story.

Three women in Elizabethan England share a secret – they are the true authors of Shakespeare’s sonnets and plays. Mary Herbert, the Countess of Pembroke is a frustrated poet who has suffered a loss. Emelia Bassano is a court musician and mistress to the Lord Chamberlain. Jane Daggett is a seamstress for the Queen’s men’s players and invents stories of her own. As one of the Queen’s spies (Robert Cecil) zeroes in on them, they hire an actor named Will Shakespeare to be their “face.” Will they be discovered?

My thoughts on this novel:
• I’ve been down and out without my computer for the past couple of weeks, so I am sadly behind on reviews. Now that my computer is repaired, I will work on getting caught up.

• The Shakespeare Secret has short engaging chapters and was a fast-paced historical fiction read.

• Robert Cecil thinks the three ladies are plotting to kill Queen Elizabeth. How do they get out of this accusation?

• I really loved the Elizabethan time period and setting.

• This novel made me want to read Shakespeare. I took a Shakespeare class in high school and in college, but it has been a while. We have a play slotted for next year for my Back to the Classics Book club. I am looking forward to it.

• I loved the strong women characters during this perilous time in history.

• It was fun to read the process of them writing the plays, such as Taming of the Shrew. I can get behind the reimagining of a terrible play and making it into a better story. It sounds like fun.

Overall, The Shakespeare Secret by D.J. Nix was a great historical suspense novel with a feminist twist.
Book Source: Thank-you to @david.nix.author @alcovepress @austenprose for a review copy of this novel as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour.

I really enjoyed this one! The 3 women were all written very well, and I love how their friendship and determination propelled them. I would have liked a bit more development with their relationships with their men, since the role of women in relation to their men was one of the main points (Emilie kind of realizes she cares for Alfonzo, but more evidence would have helped... Dansby knows Jane is brave, but what real conversations did they have? ...Mary gets Pembroke to trust her, but will he really support her?). But I loved the secret playwriting, and Shakespeare was a really fun character (the side story with his sonnets was great!). And the big scene with the queen hearing her own words in the play was perfect! Overall, well written and very enjoyable.

Content: references to rape (not graphic), references to adultery (not graphic), mild violence, references to death (mildly graphic), some innuendo.

Thank you Partner @austenprose @alcovepress for the #gifted NetGalley link.

This was a very unique book. I was very intrigued by the description and I was excited to read it. The author does a great job with introducing the reader to the three women Mary, Jane, Emilia. Each of them needing an escape from their situation when meeting each other. I liked how the author brought them together and showing the women’s frustrations with the limitations of the time period with their different stations. I enjoyed how they were each from different backgrounds, but with similar interests.

I loved how Shakespeare is brought into the story and the complications of their meetings and what comes of it. There is so much to enjoy with this story. Add in the plague, spies, suspenseful and tense moments, impossible decisions, friendship, sacrifice, and so much more. I loved this play on the conspiracy theory of Shakespeare’s works.

I received a NetGalley link for tour purposes. All views are my own.

This was a really fascinating read of the possibility of how Shakespeare could have gotten wrapped up in women writing his plays. This novel follows three women from very different backgrounds that all have put their lives at risk with this endeavor. But they are all following their hearts and doing what they love and that's writing and storytelling. But when their meetings start to get noticed, they become under scrutiny and a tale like their own stories has gotten spun. Their lives are on the line for a supposed plot to kill the queen, however if they give one of them up to take the fall, the other two can go on with their lives as if nothing has happened. Jane knows she has to do this for the other two and decides she will do what it takes to keep their secret. Emelia very heavy with child, doesn't agree with the decision of Jane taking the fall and Mary, one who often knows how to work things in her favor has come up with a plan to save them all, but will it work and will the queen understand the truth behind what Mary has planned? I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline of each woman as well as Shakespeare himself. I haven't read much about him, but this novel makes me want to read more about him and that time. Thank you to the author and publisher for the complementary novel and to Austenprose PR for the tour invite. This review is of my own opinion and accord.

What if Shakespeare was in fact NOT Shakespeare as we know him, but THREE women who hired an actor to be the face of their craft? Mary, Emelia, and Jane come together to write anonymously and soon become entangled in some interesting plots when they are suspected of being in league to kill the queen.

This story was such a fun twist. It was a fun feminist twist and @david.nix.author has a writing voice that is easy to read and enjoy. I thought the characters were well written and even with nods to Shakespearean language it’s written with enough modern wording that it stays a fast paced read.

It was an interesting historical fiction read and a unique premise! I recommend it to lovers of classic literature and stories with a twist!

In this brilliant and fascinating historical fiction novel, DJ Nix explores what might have happened if three women -- Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke and frustrated poet, Emelia Bassano, a court musician and lover of stories, and Jane Daggett, a seamstress with a gift for complex plots -- wrote the plays that William Shakespeare became famous for. Trapped by and frustrated with the patriarchal restrictions of English life under Elizabeth I, the three women meet in secret to create their plays, but this draws the attention of one of the Queen’s spies, and the women must find someone -- William Shakespeare -- to be the face of their project, but the stakes are high and the risks even greater for Mary, Emelia, and Jane. A detailed and immersive feminist story, readers will love the complex characters and high stakes of the Tudor court, and the attention to detail really brings the complicated and exciting nature of the story to life. The historical details and setting really add additional drama and tension to the book, and the character development all three women go through really pulls readers into their stories as individuals and as a team. Fun, entertaining, and absolutely enjoyable, historical fiction readers will absolutely love this brilliant new release.

D.J. Nix commands the historical landscape with remarkable precision, especially when it comes to the limitations and quiet rebellions of women in the Elizabethan era. His portrayal of women's power is not loud or sweeping—it’s careful, coded, and deeply personal. It was beyond delightful to encounter the women I studied in my Early Modern British Women Writers class—Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, and Emelia Bassano (soon to be Lanier)—and to see them step off the page as living, breathing, and disruptive forces. Their presence alone makes this book shine, and the depth of Nix’s research is wonderfully reflected throughout, adding to the book’s ability to wake me early just to steal more time within its pages.

These names may be familiar: the titled Lady of Letters and the courtesan-musician often dubbed the “Dark Lady.” But this book completes its representation of the many varied roles of women by adding a third voice to the imagined authorship of Shakespeare’s early plays: Jane Doggett, a seamstress for the Queen’s Men acting troupe, recently escaped from charges of witchcraft. With this triad—noblewoman, courtesan, and working-class artisan—we see Elizabethan society refracted through multiple lenses. Their stories challenge us to ask: who truly penned the plays that interrogate gender, power, and the transformative force of language?

What makes Nix’s narrative even more striking is how his own convictions seem to echo through the male characters as well, while firmly anchoring these progressive historical men within the world of the novel. Alfonso Lanier, court musician and soon-to-be knight; Captain Dansby, a survivor of the Spanish Armada’s defense; and William Shakespeare himself—all offer textured counterpoints to the women’s stories. They reflect the idea that what allowed the Elizabethan era to shine in the art of letters was that not all people were limited by sectarian and gendered myopia. Their empathy, ambition, and quiet defiance stand in stark contrast to the cold conviction of William Cecil, the Queen’s Master of Spies. Through these men, Nix explores masculinity not as dominance, but as complexity—mirroring the layered negotiations of power faced by the women.

Nix’s world is rich, vivid, and meticulously detailed. He doesn’t just reconstruct the political moment—he resurrects the emotional truths of individuals navigating a codified and confining world. He brings to light the dynamics that shaped each of them in distinct ways. This book is a celebration of imagination, resistance, and the radical act of storytelling. This is book whose quiet cover reflects the beauty and anonymity of women in this period, yet the power of the women whose story is at the heart of this novel is not diminished by it, but rather safely disguised within it.

Thank you D.J. Nix, AustenProse PR, Alcove Press, and NetGalley foe the arc I read.

Book Review: The Shakespeare Secret by David Nix

Rating: 5 Stars

I recently picked up The Shakespeare Secret by David Nix, and I have to say, it was a fantastic journey, especially as a big Shakespeare enthusiast. The cover alone caught my eye—absolutely stunning—and it pulled me right back into the world of historical fiction, a genre I hadn’t explored in a while. But this book reminded me exactly why I love it, combining rich historical detail with a compelling, well-paced story.

The novel offers a fascinating twist on the Shakespeare authorship question, imagining that the plays we all know weren’t penned by the man himself but by three remarkable women: Mary Herbert, the Countess of Pembroke and a frustrated poet; Emelia Bassano, a talented court musician with a flair for intricate storytelling; and Jane Daggett, a skilled seamstress who crafts extraordinary plots. Bound together by their shared passion and the constraints placed on women in the 16th century, they write in secret, hiding behind the public persona of an actor named Will Shakespeare.

As the story unfolds, these women find themselves under suspicion by one of Queen Elizabeth’s spies, who believes they might be involved in a dangerous conspiracy against the Queen. To protect their secret and divert attention, they enlist the real Will Shakespeare to be the public face of their work. Against the backdrop of a plague-ridden London and political intrigue, the stakes grow higher: revealing their secret could mean betrayal and punishment, but silence might risk more than just their own safety.

What I really appreciated about The Shakespeare Secret was how it blends feminist themes with historical suspense. It’s not just about who wrote the plays—it’s about perseverance, friendship, and standing up against societal restrictions. The characters felt vivid and authentic, and the writing kept me hooked from start to finish.

If you enjoy books like Hamnet or The Tower, or if you’re simply intrigued by Shakespeare’s world with a fresh perspective, this one’s definitely worth reading. Overall, The Shakespeare Secret is a beautifully crafted, thought-provoking novel that I highly recommend for anyone who loves history, literature, or a great story well told.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

William Shakespeare is among the most important authors in history, and his works endure to this day. There has been some speculation about his authorship—a fringe theory, but one that inspires a fascinating new novel, The Shakespeare Secret by D.J. Nix.

Here, it is late 1591 when three women of different social class happen to meet and commiserate over their shared dislike of a play they just saw. They think they could write something better, something that represents women characters better. Thus a plot is born to write plays, but they need a man’s name to publish them under. And even with Will Shakespeare’s agreement, they still face scrutiny from the queen’s spies as speculation of treasonous plots threatens their lives.

What I Liked:
- Three women creating together. As unlikely as this trio is (Mary, a countess; Emilia, a musician and mistress of a noble; and Jane, a seamstress), I love their shared feelings about how women are portrayed in plays and their desire to writing something better. They form a sisterhood, lift each other up despite their differences, and shield each other from dangerous scrutiny.
- Better representation of women. The plays Mary, Emilia, and Jane write aim to offer a more layered and complex portrayal of female characters. They call out the hypocrisy of society and do so with witty dialogue. Their plays easily surpass those of the male playwrights. If only 16th-century women were allowed to be playwrights, too!
- Will Shakespeare’s role. He’s more interested in being a poet than a playwright, but he’s happy to put out plays under his name. He doesn’t know who the true authors are, but I enjoyed seeing his role in everything that unfolds here.
- Spies, plots, and treason! It’s not only dangerous for women to dare to write plays; it’s dangerous if their clandestine meetings are misconstrued as something more threatening. Spies and politics add a sense of urgency and danger when all these women want to do is write smart and diverting plays.

Final Thoughts
The Shakespeare Secret is such a fun and thoughtful novel that reimagines the authorship behind William Shakespeare’s plays. I love the focus on women achieving more and changing how society is able to view women through their art. This novel is engrossing and perfect for fans of Shakespeare, Elizabethan era England, and a strong dose of feminism.

It begins as a question of identity – or rather an obfuscation of identity. The question of whether Shakespeare was really Shakespeare.

A question that has been hotly debated for centuries.

There’s not a question that a man named William Shakespeare existed, that he was a player (actor) upon the Elizabethan stage, and that the events that are attributed to his life did happen to a man named William Shakespeare – however he might have signed or spelled that name.

The question has always been about whether or not the actor named William Shakespeare was the true author of the brilliant and captivating plays attributed to him. The reasons for those questions have always been cruel and elitist and classist and a whole bunch of other ‘ists’ that basically boil down to the idea that a man from the middle class with a middle class education (at best on both counts) couldn’t possibly have had the brains or the wit or more importantly the education and the background – to have written the plays published under his name.

After all, history only has his word for it – and his motives for pretending to be the author are fairly obvious.

This book takes that centuries-old question and pushes it further, well, out there. If William Shakespeare wasn’t the author, then who was – and why would they need to hide behind him so thoroughly and successfully?

In this fascinating, compelling historical novel, Shakespeare isn’t the author of his plays – he’s the front man for a group of authors who society of the time would have found even less believable – and more dangerous – than a middling player from Stratford-upon-Avon.

Mary Herbert, Emilia Bassano, and Jane Daggett each have a bone to pick with the way that female characters are written – and performed – by the entirely male theater companies that ‘grace’ the stages of Elizabeth I’s court.

Because those plays and performances are utterly cringeworthy, ruining their stories while reinforcing the prevailing stereotypes of women in their world. Stereotypes that not a one of the three women embodies at all. If anything, they are all the exact opposite – but constricted by the roles that their world places upon women no matter their class.

Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, is a poet forced to hide behind editing her late brother’s work. Emilia Bassano, court musician, is a brilliant composer who is reduced to her beauty and her voice in a court where rank has its privileges – including the privilege of relegating her to the role of courtesan. Jane Daggett, the lone fictional protagonist in this proposed quadrumvirate, is a storyteller par excellence whose low position means that no one expects this illiterate seamstress to be able to piece together a good story under any circumstance – or even understand one when she sees it.

They each seek escape from the sly, spying, conniving, voracious members of the court as a terrible performance is questionably entertaining the queen. Together they hatch a plan to save their collective sanity – even if they can never own up to what they’ve done.

Jane imagines the plot of what the terrible hack-job of a play should have been. Emilia and Mary write the dialogue. Jane, the wardrobe mistress for the company of players currently onstage, volunteers to present the scene they have just written to one of the more personable but downtrodden players – the hapless Will Shakespeare – to learn if their collective imaginings might possibly be worthy of presenting before an audience.

What they’ve created, together, is the opening scene for The Taming of the Shrew. But what they’ve done, with their secret writing and clandestine meetings, is to draw the attention of the court’s spymaster. Because secret meetings, especially secret meetings with noblewomen that produce reams of even more secret documents might sow the seeds of a plot against the Queen.

And in his zeal for investigation, for seeing treason where there is merely a revolt against the natural order of literature instead of a rebellion against the crown, the Queen’s spymaster places the cabal that would be Shakespeare at hazard of not just their liberty but their very lives.

Escape Rating A-: This was absolutely fascinating – and all the more so because the germ of the original idea is rooted in an original article written by journalist Elizabeth Winkler that became the book Shakespeare Was a Woman and Other Heresies. The original article just asked the question – the one that is explored in this work of fiction. The resulting storm engendered Winkler’s book, even as the idea generated this one.

Writing is generally a lonely activity – or it certainly was in Shakespeare’s day. The image of the writer holed up in a lonely room with a drink and either a pen (or later a typewriter) is pretty much baked into the collective consciousness. We don’t expect anyone else to be in the room where THAT happens.

There are plenty of writers – even in the present day – who, when unmasked, turn out to be something or someone other than they presented themselves to be. The idea that William Shakespeare the player was not William Shakespeare the playwright has been around for centuries.

What this story does is tell that ‘what-if’ story in a way that catches the heart and mind of the reader and makes them feel like they ARE in the room where it happens. It may initially seem like the women are more of our time than their own, but Herbert and Bassano are both real historical figures and their works still exist. It’s more plausible than it initially seems.

I loved this for the way it presents a much different view, not just of the literary and cultural icon that is William Shakespeare, but a portrait of women’s lives and hopes and dreams at a time when the prevailing male perspective claimed they had none of the above. While the portrayal of the scheming, conniving and absolutely paranoid court of Elizabeth I rang true even as the story peeked behind its glittering curtain into a strong, defiant, class-breaking found sisterhood.

One last reflection; the way that The Shakespeare Secret takes a story we believe we know and pokes hard at all the ‘accepted’ truths reminds me a lot of Josephine Tey’s classic The Daughter of Time. That mystery performs the same service for an entirely different popular image – an image that has its deep and indelible roots in one of William Shakespeare’s famous plays. Whoever William Shakespeare might have been.

What an enjoyable take on who actually wrote Shakespeare's plays! Three women from very different worlds, Countess Pembroke, Emelia Bassano, a court musician and mistress of a powerful man, and Jane Daggett, a seamstress with a theatrical troupe, come together to write and they form a bond. The bond is tested when they are accused of a crime against the Queen and they must figure out how to prove their innocence without revealing their secret. I loved this! The way the women found a way to pursue their passion in a society where it was forbidden was fabulous. From Queen Elizabeth to the Countess of Pembroke to Jane Daggett I liked the way the women handle the men they encounter. The characters were interesting and I liked that they were so different and yet all had a common passion and goal. This made it seem real as this often occurs in real life. I must admit the premise has me questioning things and I am going to read Shakespeare sonnets and compare them to the plays.

Right off the bat, I'll tell you I did not finish this book.

It took me a little while to get into the story; this author has a unique way of writing.

There were a lot of innuendos and sex talk-appropriate for the day, from other things I've read, but now something I want to put in my mind.

The cover caught my eye and the premise clinched my interest. This is the 1st novel for the author under DJ Nix, he uses the pseudonym Sawyer North for his other novels, this is my 1st book of his.
This historical story is set in the 1592's Elizabethan court, with a alternative version of William Shakespeare, he didn't write his plays, rather a trio of women; Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, a patron of the arts and a poet; held back by societies norms, Emelia Bassano, a beautiful court musician with a love for complex stories; and Jane Daggett, a seamstress with a gift of spinning fabulous stories, wrote them.
They meet by accident and in their desire to see better plays and see women portrayed outside of the norm, they begin to work together to write plays and give the to Will Shakespeare to produce.
While they overcome some obstacles and are able to bring "Taming of the Shrew" to life, more serious complications quickly arise. Their meetings begin to attract the attention of the court, a husband grows suspicious, Shakespeare is suspected and the plot thickens!
There is intrigue, famous historical figures woven in seamlessly, wonderful details that pull you into the 1500's London and court, from the language and dress to the architecture and culture.
The initial meeting and agreement to write together came too quickly and seemed a bit of a stretch for me and the end while satisfying, came together too neatly as well.
Overall, a very solid 3.5 and highly recommend for those who enjoy a historical novel with an intriguing premise. The story is a clean read (some slightly bawdy language and reference to abuse) with romance, humor and suspense as well as friendship, loyalty and the determination of intelligent women finding creative solutions to bringing their dreams to life together.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the privilege of the ARC, it was a pleasure to read. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for sending this ARC. This review is voluntary; all opinions are my own.

Rating: 4.5/5

“Then let this shadow sisterhood commence, and may God preserve us.”

The Shakespeare Secret takes rumours and conspiracy theories that have been flying around for ages - namely, that the plays published under Shakespeare’s name were actually written by someone else - and runs with them. As a fan of Tudor/Elizabethan history and historical fiction, and who has been loving the “what if x was true” game since reading The Other Boleyn girl way back in grade 8 or 9, this book was right up my alley! While I don’t really care about the “Shakespeare authorship question” and am perfectly content believing William Shakespeare did indeed write the things attributed to him - that is, until solid proof otherwise is provided - I greatly enjoyed exploring the “what if” presented in this novel.

Not only is a little harmless “what if” in historical fiction entertaining and engaging, particularly when presented atop my favourite historical backdrop, but this one had another great thing going for it - in this novel, the plays written by “Shakespeare” are in fact written by three women from three very different walks of life. Due to rigid societal constructs (largely, the patriarchy but propped up by religious doctrine of the time), the women must write in secret, pulling in an actor to take credit for their work and offer them a shield against scrutiny. Buuuuut naturally, things go a bit wrong, because how else would we have a plot?

This book is part historical fiction, part feminist literature, with some sweet romance subplots thrown in for good measure. Fans of Shakespeare will enjoy the male characters for their witty (read: dirty) banter that makes them interesting side characters without detracting from the shine of the female characters. From what I gleaned in high school, both as a student and teacher, William Shakespeare is known for writing many matters of the heart, cutting reflections on society, and all manner of dirty jokes. I think he’d be quite pleased with the characters (male and female) crafted in this book. Those passionate about Elizabethan history, or at least Tudor/Elizabethan historical fiction, will also probably chuckle like I did when the identity of the primary antagonist is revealed. It was a good choice, for sure!

This book is not for me. It’s more plot-driven than I like. The characters seem more like types than fully fleshed people with vibrant inner lives. They seem to be mostly defined by the way men mistreat them, with no real agency of their own. DNF in chapter 5.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.