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.

“Men edited only through the persistence of the female sex, and that is our secret. We must exert our will within the shadows of men or possess no will at all-and we must exceed them at their own game.”

“A play is not a play until it comes to life on stage.”

“What you have accomplished can never be stolen from you so long as you live.”

A book on how powerful women can be.

Okay I really enjoyed this book! It is set in the 1500’s so the language is definitely old, but I feel it did not take from the writing but added to it. I loved each and every one of the female characters in this story. Three women coming from different social statuses who join together because they love the same thing and want their voices to be heard. It was a really powerful story.

The fact that it takes a spin on three woman writing for Shakespeare was also super interesting. I think that is what intrigued me the most! I just had a really good time with the story, but the chapters were longgggggg and felt sometimes dragged out. Overall though really good!!

Even now, rumours persist over who was the true author of the Shakespeare plays. Suggested names are Henry Wriothesley, Christopher Marlowe, Edward de Vere and Ben Jonson. This novel dares to ask, could a woman be responsible for such works, in a time when society had such low expectations of the female sex?
Mary Herbert is a writer of poetry, patron of the arts and her family are supporters of the Protestant faith. Emilia Bassano is a professional musician and playwright, so when both ladies meet up in this delightful and optimistic novel, they aim to prove that anything can happen if you have talent, good friends and can fly under the suspicious eyes of Queen Elizabeth and her chief spy, Robert Cecil.
These ladies are cultured , well educated and connected to the Royal court, they need someone of the working class to provide a grounding in what the common people appreciate in a play. Enter, stage left, Jane Daggert, wardrobe mistress at the Company of the Queen’s Men, their leader is John Dutton and there is a certain actor working in this troupe, one William Shakespeare.
There is a further complication, in that three ladies working together in secret enterprise may be planning treasonable acts. Cecil has a spy, who has managed to get hold of “ the wrong end of the stick” and there is much comedy to be had from his false assumptions compared to the actual realities of what the ladies are creating!
This is a marvellous study of the English theatre, Shakespeare’s plays, the Plague stricken areas of London, and of course, we all need a Hero riding to the rescue!!
I really enjoyed this novel, it is a compelling and comedic read, which is very intricately crafted. A real Comedy of Errors!!
A five star read. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Alcove Press, for my ARC, freely given in exchange for my honest review. I will leave copies to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.

Everyone knows the story of William Shakespeare—the famed poet, actor, and playwright who revolutionized English literature forever. There have been a series of debates about whether or not Shakespeare truly wrote the plays or someone else did. Well, what if a group of women employed William Shakespeare as a sort of spokesperson for their plays? Can this group of women survive to write another day? This is the premise of DJ Nix’s novel. “The Shakespeare Secret.”

I would like to thank Alcove Press and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I have not read a lot of novels about the writing of Shakespeare’s plays, but I have heard the many theories on who actually wrote them. When I saw that this novel would focus on a group of women as the so-called authors of the plays, it was such a fun idea that I decided to give it a go.

So, just who were these three women who were the authors of the plays? We begin with Mary Herbet, Countess of Pembroke, who has just returned to the court of Queen Elizabeth I after a three-year absence. She is not one for court life, but she soon finds herself enjoying the company of others below her station. Take, for example, Emilia Bassano, a court musician and mistress to Lord Chamberlain, Baron Hunsdon. And then we have Jane Daggett, the new Mistress of the Wardrobe for the Queen’s Men, a company that was the starting point for a young Will Shakespeare. One fateful day, these three women met and decided to write a play, which would become known as The Taming of the Shrew. Since this was a group of women writing a play, they needed a man to act as their spokesperson to make sure that their play would be performed. Enter young Will Shakespeare, who wanted to make a name for himself.

It seems like such an innocent prospect, that is, until Robert Cecil and his spy Hardwood catch wind of what they think is a Catholic plot against Queen Elizabeth I. Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. Now, Mary, Emilia, and Jane must escape suspicion while navigating life, love, and playwriting, with Will along for the ride. This was a relatively predictable plot, and I felt a bit bored by the middle of this novel. While the characters are well written, it is hard for me to imagine this group of women together and using the formal Shakespearean dialogue. Other than the few historical characters and locations, it does not feel like Elizabethan England (especially with the mention of tea).

Overall, it’s an okay novel, but it could have been better. The premise had a lot of potential, but it kind of turned into a sappy ending, which is not a bad thing, but I wanted more. If you want a novel about the alternative history of the writing of the early Shakespearean plays, you might enjoy “The Shakespeare Secret” by DJ Nix.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Alcove Press for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC. I found this book to be delightful. I have read a number of books, both fiction and non fiction, regarding the premise that William Shakespeare did not write his plays. Most often, I have heard the name Francis Bacon, but this book brings an intriguing supposition. the plays were the work of 3 women, Mary Sydney, Countess of Pembroke, Emilia Bassano, a court musician ad courtesan and Jane Daggett, a seamstress. The story is a fun rollicking tale of Elizabethean England, with court intrigue, spies, plots and the Plague. The story takes very real characters and mixes them with some that may or may not have existed, but does it in a way that is enjoyable and interesting. As a side note, I recently read a book on a similar topic,By Any Other Name. While I also enjoyed it, Ifar peferred this one.

A chance meeting brings three women together in the warmroom of London's Whitehall Palace. Mary, a writer, Emilia, a musician and Jane, a seamstress have just watched another mediocre stage play and are convinced they can write a better version. Needless to say, in 1592's Elizabethan court there's no way that is going to happen. But our ladies have a plan. And so it begins...

The Shakespeare Secret is intriguing, fun, fast paced and well crafted historical fiction. The characters are powerful intelligent women who face whatever comes their way, in palace life as well as plague ridden London.
Despite the predictable ending this is a highly entertaining read that had me glued to its pages.

Thank you Netgalley and Alcove Press for the ARC.

A hugely enjoyable read, this story about Mary (an Elizabethan noble and poet,) Emilia (a court musician) and Jane (a seamstress and costume maker) and their unlikely meeting and collaboration is about friendship, authenticity, authorship, the female voice and the power of creativity. American author David Nix writes strong, satisfying female characters and adds in enough peril, problem solving and oppressive patriarchy to make his readers champion the success of his trio of secretive, dazzling English playwrights.
4 1/2 stars.

D.J. Nix, "The Shakespeare Secret," Alcove Press, July 29, 2025

There is a longstanding tradition of questioning who wrote Shakespeare's plays. Proposed authors have included Edward de Vere, Sir Francis Drake and Christopher Marlowe. In Shakespeare's Secret, D.J. Nix proposes a different alternative: a conspiracy of authors made up of the "secret sisterhood" of Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, Emilia Bassano, Court musician and mistress of the Lord Chamberlain, and Jane Daggett, clothing and props mistress of the Queen's Men, a troupe of 16th century stage players.

These women, of vastly differing status, come together to write a play to be performed on the London stage, a thing forbidden by social norms and cultural dictates. Meeting in secret, they write "The Taming of the Shrew," which is to be performed by the Queen's Men for the Queen over the Christmas holiday. All three women watch the performance with bated breath. Will the Queen's Men give the play the performance it deserves? Will the Queen approve of it? To their dismay, the Queen's Men miss the point of the play and treat Kate's role without the sarcasm and satire it deserves. Still, the nobleman in the audience love it, and, surprisingly, so does the Queen.

After the simultaneous success and failure of the first performance if "Shrew" Lady Mary, Emilia and Jane decide to risk continuing their secret sisterhood. Shakespeare, now a member of Lord Strange's Men, will continue to present them as his own. After a lengthy session, the women decide to write a three play series about the Civil War. Will they manage to keep their secret? Or will they be exposed, exposing them to punishment ranging from imprisonment to death? And what of the spy who, unbeknownst to them, has followed them to every meeting and has formed a theory that they have formed a papist plot to kill the Queen?

"The Shakespeare Secret" is a warm, funny, engaging tale with themes of friendship, love and belonging. But the point of the book, never far from the surface, is that the oppression of women by men and society in the 16th century (or any other) is never to be tolerated. Lady Mary, Emilia and Jane attempt to make this point by writing plays. The consequences of that neither they nor the reader could have imagined.

I highly recommend this novel to readers not offended by the idea of a feminist take on the origin of some of the greatest works of the English language.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC of this novel..

I felt very drawn to this book and excited about the premise. The initial chapters were very promising and I enjoyed the characters, however, the story lost its magic a bit towards the middle. It just seemed to drag on a bit without much happening to push the plot along. It picked up again towards the end and all in all it was an enjoyable read.
I should mention that his was not the first historical fiction I read on the topic, so maybe my expectations prevented me from fully enjoying this.

Secrets, intrigue, belief.

Shakespeare the playwright, is not a man. He is the amalgam of three women desperate to tell their stories into the world, (countess) Mary Herbert, (court musician) Emelia Bassano and (seamstress) Jane Daggert.
The subterfuge, the tightly controlled social strata of Elizabethan England, the limited roles of women combine to create a gorgeously told story of just how they will create, publish and avoid punishment.

A truly excellent piece of historical fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.