Winter, 1558: Elizabeth I has ascended the throne but the first days of her reign are already fraught with turmoil, the kingdom weakened by strife and her ability to rule uncertain.
Summoned from exile abroad at the new queen's behest, Brendan Prescott arrives in London to face his shattered past. He soon finds himself pitted in deadly rivalry with his life-long foe, Robert Dudley, but when a poison attempt overshadows the queen?s coronation, Elizabeth privately dispatches Brendan on a far more dangerous assignation: to find her favored lady-in-waiting, Lady Parry, who has vanished in Yorkshire.
Upon his arrival at the crumbling sea-side manor that may hold the key to Lady Parry's disappearance, he encounters a strange, impoverished family beset by grief, as well as mounting evidence that they hide a secret from him. The mystery surrounding Lady Parry deepens as Brendan begins to realize there is far more going on at the manor than meets the eye, but the closer he gets to the heart of the mystery, the more he becomes the quarry of an elusive stranger with a vendetta? one that could expose both his own buried identity and a long-hidden revelation that will bring about Elizabeth's doom.
From the intrigue-laden passages of Whitehall to a foreboding Catholic manor and the prisons of the Tower, Brendan must risk everything to unravel a vendetta that strikes at the very core of his world, including his loyalty to his queen.
The Tudor Vendetta is the third book in Gortner's Elizabeth I Spymaster Trilogy.
Praise for The Tudor Vendetta
'Fast paced and exciting, with a most engaging hero . . . So vivid, you feel are there!?' - Diana Gabaldon, bestselling author of the Outlander series
'C.W. Gortner has done it again! Full of breathtaking action, dark twists and unexpected revelations, this is an unputdownable read.' - Michelle Moran, bestselling author of Madame Tussaud
'Suspense, intrigue, betrayal and deadly rivalry: What more can you ask for? A swashbuckling, perilous adventure.' - M.J. Rose, bestselling author of The Reincarnationist
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About the Author
C.W. GORTNER holds an MFA in Writing with an emphasis in Renaissance Studies from the New College of California, as well as an AA from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco.
After an eleven year-long career in fashion, during which he worked as a vintage retail buyer, freelance publicist, and fashion show coordinator, C.W. devoted the next twelve years to the public health sector. In 2012, he became a full-time writer following the international success of his novels.
In his extensive travels to research his books, he has danced a galliard at Hampton Court, learned about organic gardening at Chenoceaux, and spent a chilly night in a ruined Spanish castle. His books have garnered widespread acclaim and been translated into twenty-one languages to date, with over 400,000 copies sold. A sought-after public speaker. C.W. has given keynote addresses at writer conferences in the US and abroad. He is also a dedicated advocate for animal rights, in particular companion animal rescue to reduce shelter overcrowding.
C.W. recently completed his fourth novel for Ballantine Books, about Lucrezia Borgia; the third novel in his Tudor Spymaster series for St Martin's Press; and a new novel about the dramatic, glamorous life of Coco Chanel, scheduled for lead title publication by William Morrow, Harper Collins, in the spring of 2015.
Half-Spanish by birth and raised in southern Spain, C.W. now lives in Northern California with his partner and two very spoiled rescue cats.
For more information please visit C.W. Gortner's website and blog. You can also connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and YouTube.
Giveaway
To win a complete set of CW Gortner's Spymaster Chronicles Trilogy (The Tudor Secret, The Tudor Conspiracy, and The Tudor Vendetta) please complete the Rafflecopter giveaway form below. Giveaway is open to US residents only.
Giveaway ends at 11:59pm on November 28th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
Winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter on November 29th and notified via email.
Winner have 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
Review
Series: Spymaster Chronicles #3
Release Date: 21 October, 2014
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genre: Historical Mystery
ISBN: 9780312658588
Edition: Paperback
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review Written: 30 October, 2014
The Tudors still remain a subject of fascination within this day and age, the intrigue and political struggles between the two sisters. Gortner's book does a fantastic job to pull readers into the very real strife of the young Elizabeth's way to the coronation and her private spymaster.
Having recently gained the throne from her dead sister, Queen Mary, Elizabeth Tudor ascends to the throne and summons to court her spy, Brendan Prescott. An attempt to poison her threatens to outshine Elizabeth's coronation Brendan wishes to investigate however Elizabeth has other plans. Before the spymaster can even begin to investigate the poisoning attempt, he's sent off on another mission, the disappearance of Lady Parry, one of Elizabeth's favored ladies-in-waiting. As the plot thickens, Brendan finds that not everything is as it seems, and that things darker than just a missing Lady are happening at Vaughan Hall. And not everyone is as loving to the queen as he originally thought.
Gortner's novel is fast-paced and thrilling, capturing the true thrill of a mystery novel. With a few twists and turns that keep things on edge and surprising, readers who love thrillers and mysteries will definitely love this novel.
The Tudors still remain a subject of fascination within this day and age, the intrigue and political struggles between the two sisters. Gortner's book does a fantastic job to pull readers into the very real strife of the young Elizabeth's way to the coronation and her private spymaster.
Having recently gained the throne from her dead sister, Queen Mary, Elizabeth Tudor ascends to the throne and summons to court her spy, Brendan Prescott. An attempt to poison her threatens to outshine Elizabeth's coronation Brendan wishes to investigate however Elizabeth has other plans. Before the spymaster can even begin to investigate the poisoning attempt, he's sent off on another mission, the disappearance of Lady Parry, one of Elizabeth's favored ladies-in-waiting. As the plot thickens, Brendan finds that not everything is as it seems, and that things darker than just a missing Lady are happening at Vaughan Hall. And not everyone is as loving to the queen as he originally thought.
Gortner's novel is fast-paced and thrilling, capturing the true thrill of a mystery novel. With a few twists and turns that keep things on edge and surprising, readers who love thrillers and mysteries will definitely love this novel.
Your books sound wonderful. How odd that we both appear on this site with historical novels dealing with spies. Wishing you all the best.
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