Historical

The Royal Secret

The Royal Secret

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  • Create Date：2021-07-03 08:51:17
  • Update Date：2025-09-13
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  • Author：Andrew Taylor
  • ISBN：0008325561
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Summary

From the No。1 bestselling author of The Last Protector and The Ashes of London comes the next book in the phenomenally successful series following James Marwood and Cat Lovett during the time of King Charles II。



Two young girls plot a murder by witchcraft。 Soon afterwards a government clerk dies painfully in mysterious circumstances。 His colleague James Marwood is asked to investigate – but the task brings unexpected dangers。
 
Meanwhile， architect Cat Hakesby is working for a merchant who lives on Slaughter Street， where the air smells of blood and a captive Barbary lion prowls the stables。 Then a prestigious new commission arrives。 Cat must design a Poultry House for the woman that the King loves most in all the world。
 
Unbeknownst to all， at the heart of this lies a royal secret so explosive that it could not only rip apart England but change the entire face of Europe…

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Reviews

Ragne ，

The story is OK。 A bit slow， but that makes it more plausible， I think。Taylor is however one of those male authors incapable of writing good female characters。

Sally Anfilogoff ，

Another excellent chapter in the Marwood/Lovett saga。 I enjoy these historical novels hugely and recommend them。 In this， Cat and James are involved with a Dutch spy and the French Court。 There’s poison， intrigue and a much mistreated lion。Great to take me away from my every day life。 Hope there’s another on the way！

Jo-anne Atkinson ，

Cat Hakesby has a new admirer and Marwood is disquieted。 Partly because the man is Dutch and has dubious connections， partly because he is under investigation after the death of one of Marwood's colleagues。 There seems to be a link to a merchant who lives in a house with a lion in his stable but also how does this fit in with the proposed visit of the King's sister， sister-in-law of Louis of France？I love this series of novels by Andrew Taylor。 He has always been a terrific writer of historical Cat Hakesby has a new admirer and Marwood is disquieted。 Partly because the man is Dutch and has dubious connections， partly because he is under investigation after the death of one of Marwood's colleagues。 There seems to be a link to a merchant who lives in a house with a lion in his stable but also how does this fit in with the proposed visit of the King's sister， sister-in-law of Louis of France？I love this series of novels by Andrew Taylor。 He has always been a terrific writer of historical fiction but this series is a joy to read。 The plots are not too convoluted but challenge the reader， the characters are brilliantly drawn and the research and understanding of Restoration London is amazing。 。。。more

Marion ，

Ich hoffe， fürchte die Serie geht weiter:）！

Denise ，

I have enjoyed every book in the series including this one， although I don’t rate this one quite as highly。 Something about James Marwood and Cat didn’t quite fit them as the characters I’ve come to know but I can’t quite put my finger on what。 My guess is the speed of getting the book out， perhaps。 Anyway， still enjoyable and a good read。

Patricia ，

Witchcraft， murder，Royal intrigue， romance， treachery and tragedy。 The Royal Secret has it all！After two girls plot murder by witchcraft a government clerk dies in mysterious circumstances。 James Marwood is asked to investigate but soon he finds himself in danger again。 Meanwhile Cat Hakesby continues to work as a architect after the death of her husband。 Her work attracts Royal attention， and soon she finds herself with a highly prestigious project。 But all is not as it seems and soon both she Witchcraft， murder，Royal intrigue， romance， treachery and tragedy。 The Royal Secret has it all！After two girls plot murder by witchcraft a government clerk dies in mysterious circumstances。 James Marwood is asked to investigate but soon he finds himself in danger again。 Meanwhile Cat Hakesby continues to work as a architect after the death of her husband。 Her work attracts Royal attention， and soon she finds herself with a highly prestigious project。 But all is not as it seems and soon both she and James are caught up in the machinations of court once again。The last part of this series wasn't my favourite， truth be told （still bloody good though） so it did cross my mind that maybe these had run their course。 I was very happy to find out I had nothing to be concerned about。 This is the best since the first book。 Taylor is always an evocative writer but this was so much so I could almost smell the blood and lion poop。 Excellent stuff as always。 。。。more

Bookreporter。com Mystery & Thriller ，

A new novel from British author Andrew Taylor always makes me happy。 Not only has he written some of the best mysteries and thrillers of the past few decades， his output has included the James Marwood and Cat Hakesby novels， which comprise one of my favorite historical mystery series。 THE ROYAL SECRET is the latest entry， and it does not fail to deliver on the high standards set by its predecessors。Marwood is an investigator of sorts， and Cat is a female architect， which is a rarity in London in A new novel from British author Andrew Taylor always makes me happy。 Not only has he written some of the best mysteries and thrillers of the past few decades， his output has included the James Marwood and Cat Hakesby novels， which comprise one of my favorite historical mystery series。 THE ROYAL SECRET is the latest entry， and it does not fail to deliver on the high standards set by its predecessors。Marwood is an investigator of sorts， and Cat is a female architect， which is a rarity in London in the year 1670。 They are operating separately from each other in a complex plot that inevitably will find them once again on the same mission before the story comes to a satisfying end。 However， THE ROYAL SECRET begins with two girls who are up to some seriously bad shenanigans。Twelve-year-old Maria and her young housemaid， Hannah， have one big thing in common --- they both abhor Mr。 Abbott， Maria’s stepfather and Hannah’s boss。 Rather than just misbehave， they up the ante to full-scale witchery in a plot to rid them of their problem。 Maria was innocent enough before she met Hannah， who is a truly twisted young woman。 She leads Maria down an evil path， and they pick the ideal opportunity to use a cursed doll， placed in Abbott’s mattress， to drain his life away。 Abbott was a colleague of James Marwood， who is eager to investigate his friend’s untimely death。What Marwood does not realize is that there is a Dutch connection to all this business。 Anna， Abbott’s widow， is of Dutch heritage and runs to the home of her former father-in-law， a wealthy and eccentric Dutchman。 Mr。 Fanshawe’s reputation precedes him， and Marwood is aware of the influence he has --- as well as the wealthy extravagances he enjoys， like living with a lion。 At one point in the novel， Marwood and Cat find themselves working for the same individual。 Lord Arlington supports Marwood’s case looking into the Dutch contingency， which includes Henryk Van Riebeeck， a shady character who proposes marriage at one point to a horrified Cat。It just so happens that Marwood blames Van Riebeeck for the murder of one of his loyal servants， and he will stop at nothing to expose him and Fanshawe， who he believes is protecting him from the law。 When a body is discovered in the lion stable， it is evident that some nefarious activity is going on， but these are mere distractions to the book’s larger plot。 Cat is commissioned by King Charles II himself to travel to France on what appears to be an architectural job， and once again her paths will cross with Marwood， who is there chasing Van Riebeeck。THE ROYAL SECRET is full of plot twists， red herrings， and a terrific group of characters who are worthy of the “Main Characters” listing at the top of the story to help keep everyone straight。 It is another classic historical mystery， and I hope Taylor is hard at work on the next entry in this outstanding series。Reviewed by Ray Palen 。。。more

Bookreporter。com Historical Fiction ，

A new novel from British author Andrew Taylor always makes me happy。 Not only has he written some of the best mysteries and thrillers of the past few decades， his output has included the James Marwood and Cat Hakesby novels， which comprise one of my favorite historical mystery series。 THE ROYAL SECRET is the latest entry， and it does not fail to deliver on the high standards set by its predecessors。Marwood is an investigator of sorts， and Cat is a female architect， which is a rarity in London in A new novel from British author Andrew Taylor always makes me happy。 Not only has he written some of the best mysteries and thrillers of the past few decades， his output has included the James Marwood and Cat Hakesby novels， which comprise one of my favorite historical mystery series。 THE ROYAL SECRET is the latest entry， and it does not fail to deliver on the high standards set by its predecessors。Marwood is an investigator of sorts， and Cat is a female architect， which is a rarity in London in the year 1670。 They are operating separately from each other in a complex plot that inevitably will find them once again on the same mission before the story comes to a satisfying end。 However， THE ROYAL SECRET begins with two girls who are up to some seriously bad shenanigans。Twelve-year-old Maria and her young housemaid， Hannah， have one big thing in common --- they both abhor Mr。 Abbott， Maria’s stepfather and Hannah’s boss。 Rather than just misbehave， they up the ante to full-scale witchery in a plot to rid them of their problem。 Maria was innocent enough before she met Hannah， who is a truly twisted young woman。 She leads Maria down an evil path， and they pick the ideal opportunity to use a cursed doll， placed in Abbott’s mattress， to drain his life away。 Abbott was a colleague of James Marwood， who is eager to investigate his friend’s untimely death。What Marwood does not realize is that there is a Dutch connection to all this business。 Anna， Abbott’s widow， is of Dutch heritage and runs to the home of her former father-in-law， a wealthy and eccentric Dutchman。 Mr。 Fanshawe’s reputation precedes him， and Marwood is aware of the influence he has --- as well as the wealthy extravagances he enjoys， like living with a lion。 At one point in the novel， Marwood and Cat find themselves working for the same individual。 Lord Arlington supports Marwood’s case looking into the Dutch contingency， which includes Henryk Van Riebeeck， a shady character who proposes marriage at one point to a horrified Cat。It just so happens that Marwood blames Van Riebeeck for the murder of one of his loyal servants， and he will stop at nothing to expose him and Fanshawe， who he believes is protecting him from the law。 When a body is discovered in the lion stable， it is evident that some nefarious activity is going on， but these are mere distractions to the book’s larger plot。 Cat is commissioned by King Charles II himself to travel to France on what appears to be an architectural job， and once again her paths will cross with Marwood， who is there chasing Van Riebeeck。THE ROYAL SECRET is full of plot twists， red herrings， and a terrific group of characters who are worthy of the “Main Characters” listing at the top of the story to help keep everyone straight。 It is another classic historical mystery， and I hope Taylor is hard at work on the next entry in this outstanding series。Reviewed by Ray Palen 。。。more

Ray Palen ，

A new novel from British author Andrew Taylor is always reason to rejoice。 He has not only written some of the best mysteries and thrillers of the past few decades， but his output has also included one of the finest historical mystery series with recurring titles in the James Marwood and Cat Hakesby series。 THE ROYAL SECRET is the latest release in that stellar series， and it does not fail to deliver on the high standards set by its’ predecessors。Marwood is an investigator of sorts and Hakesby a A new novel from British author Andrew Taylor is always reason to rejoice。 He has not only written some of the best mysteries and thrillers of the past few decades， but his output has also included one of the finest historical mystery series with recurring titles in the James Marwood and Cat Hakesby series。 THE ROYAL SECRET is the latest release in that stellar series， and it does not fail to deliver on the high standards set by its’ predecessors。Marwood is an investigator of sorts and Hakesby a female architect， which is a rarity in London in the year 1670。 This novel sees the two of them operating separate from each other in a complex plot that will inevitably find them once again on the same mission before the story is at an end。 However， THE ROYAL SECRET begins with two young girls who are up to some seriously bad shenanigans。 Twelve-year-old Maria and a young housemaid named Hannah have one big thing in common --- they both abhor Mr。 Abbott， Maria’s stepfather and Hannah’s boss。 Rather than just misbehaving， they up the ante to full-scale witchery in a plot to rid each of them of the problem that is Mr。 Abbott。Maria was innocent enough before she met Hannah who is a truly twisted young woman。 She leads Maria down an evil path， and they pick the ideal opportunity to use a cursed doll， placed within Abbott’s mattress， to drain his life away from him。 What we do not know currently is that Abbott was a colleague of James Marwood and now Marwood is eager to investigate his friend’s untimely death。 What Marwood does not realize is that there is a Dutch connection to all this business。 Anna， Abbott’s widow， is of Dutch heritage and following the death of her husband goes running to the home of her former father-in-law， a wealthy and eccentric Dutchman named Mr。 Fanshawe。 Fanshawe’s reputation precedes him and Marwood is aware of the influence he has --- as well as the wealthy extravagances he enjoys like living with a lion named Caliban。 At one point in the novel， Marwood and Hakesby find themselves working for the same person， a man named Arlington。 He supports Marwood’s case looking into the Dutch contingency that includes a very shady character named Van Riebeeck who proposes marriage at one point to a horrified Cat Hakesby。It just so happens that Marwood blames Van Riebeeck for the murder of one of his loyal servants， Stephen， and he will now stop at nothing to expose him and Fanshawe who he believes is protecting him from the law。 When a body is discovered in the lion stable it is evident that some nefarious things are happening。 The problem is that these are mere distractions to the larger plot of THE ROYAL SECRET。 Cat Hakesby is commissioned by King Charles II himself to travel to France on what appears to be an architectural job。 It is in France where her paths will once again cross with Marwood who is there chasing Van Riebeeck。Now， Andrew Taylor has the reader set up for a brilliant case of misdirection as it is uncovered that there is a pact between England and France which may change the face of Europe， as well as the balance of power， significantly。 It is the revelation and fallout of this secret that will make readers rethink everything they have read up to this point and possibly switch allegiances as to who the real villains are。 THE ROYAL SECRET is chock full of plot twists， red herrings， and a terrific bunch of characters who are worthy of the Main Characters listing at the top of the story to aid in keeping everyone straight。 Another classic historical mystery in what I hope is the continuing saga that is the Marwood/Hakesby series。Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter 。。。more

Paul Gormley ，

A rather disappointing addition to the Marwood series。The suspicious death of a colleague leads Marwood into an investigation of its circumstances and its links to the King。 Meanwhile， Cat's work leads her to a commission with Madame， sister to the King and sister-in-law to the King of France。The mystery is centred around actual events but the plot is thin and the pacing is slow。 Marwood undertakes much unsuccessful searching for a missing suspect whilst Cat spends a lot of time waiting to be su A rather disappointing addition to the Marwood series。The suspicious death of a colleague leads Marwood into an investigation of its circumstances and its links to the King。 Meanwhile， Cat's work leads her to a commission with Madame， sister to the King and sister-in-law to the King of France。The mystery is centred around actual events but the plot is thin and the pacing is slow。 Marwood undertakes much unsuccessful searching for a missing suspect whilst Cat spends a lot of time waiting to be summoned by her distinguished patrons。 Relations between Cat and Marwood are strained for the flimsiest of reasons and there is little cooperation between the two until the final denouement。 There is also an unwelcome subplot involving a manipulative maid and ownership of an aged lion！Unlike previous episodes， there is little intrigue or tension in the story and a summary of events in the final chapter is unnecessary and rather condescending to the reader。（I was given a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review） 。。。more

Lavins ，

Another excellent instalment in this series。Cat's and James story continues and， as faith would have it， events， people， instances keep bringing them together and closer。In this book we have new murder， a new mystery， different political interests， but we are continuing to enjoy our characters' story。 I absolutely love the way Andrew Taylor writes。 He is a master of crafting a great mystery story with lots of action and plenty of historical references。 His descriptions are not long and boring。 H Another excellent instalment in this series。Cat's and James story continues and， as faith would have it， events， people， instances keep bringing them together and closer。In this book we have new murder， a new mystery， different political interests， but we are continuing to enjoy our characters' story。 I absolutely love the way Andrew Taylor writes。 He is a master of crafting a great mystery story with lots of action and plenty of historical references。 His descriptions are not long and boring。 He goes in enough detail to put the reader in those time and he creates the right atmosphere， sometimes constructing an image that is engaging the reader's senses （some scenes are very visual and in some you could smell the scents）。I am so looking forward to the next book in this series！ 。。。more

Bill Lawrence ，

Having read five books by Andrew Taylor and having spent a very pleasant evening chatting with him， I would say I am a fan。 However， I did find this disappointing。 I was first taken by surprise when it suddenly shifted to a first person narrative in the middle of a chapter and this continued throughout the book。 I don't remember that from a previous Marwood that I read。 There are 2 points of view in the third person and then one in the first。 It's not confusing， but it does break the flow and th Having read five books by Andrew Taylor and having spent a very pleasant evening chatting with him， I would say I am a fan。 However， I did find this disappointing。 I was first taken by surprise when it suddenly shifted to a first person narrative in the middle of a chapter and this continued throughout the book。 I don't remember that from a previous Marwood that I read。 There are 2 points of view in the third person and then one in the first。 It's not confusing， but it does break the flow and the narrative drive。 One of the third person narratives seems barely necessary。 Equally， some of the plot devices seem trivial。 It is also a little repetitious in a way that suggests a lack of good editing。 However， the event in 1670 of the treaty between England and France is interesting。 And Andrew Taylor's research is very strong， a great sense of time and manners。 Even so， I doubt I will return to this series， 2 volumes seems enough， but I will probably return to some of the earlier works。 。。。more

Dawn Ellis ，

The first of this series of books I have read - set in the reign of Charles 11 and around the signing of the Dover treaty。 This is a really enjoyable read with good characters。 A real sense of place and time as well， obviously well researched。

Katherine Moore ，

Did not disappoint really great read。 I always look forward to a new novel by Andrew Taylor and this new adventure with Marlow and Cat is one of his best。

Sandra Danby ，

‘The Royal Secret’ is another excellent instalment in the historical drama series by Andrew Taylor that started in 1666 with the Fire of London。 I hesitate to call ‘The Royal Secret’ a thriller as these books cross historical sub-genres and are consequently fulfilling on a number of levels。 Crime， political intrigue， social commentary， architecture， strong characterization and a dash of romance all set in the post-Restoration excess， poverty and turmoil of Charles II’s rule。Every successful thri ‘The Royal Secret’ is another excellent instalment in the historical drama series by Andrew Taylor that started in 1666 with the Fire of London。 I hesitate to call ‘The Royal Secret’ a thriller as these books cross historical sub-genres and are consequently fulfilling on a number of levels。 Crime， political intrigue， social commentary， architecture， strong characterization and a dash of romance all set in the post-Restoration excess， poverty and turmoil of Charles II’s rule。Every successful thriller needs a villain to hate and Dutchman [or is he？] Henryk van Riebeeck certainly gives James Marwood the run-around。 Marwood， now working for Secretary of State Lord Arlington， is charged with investigating the disappearance of top secret papers and the sudden death of a palace clerk。 As Marwood follows the trail across London via a gambling club and Smithfield meat market， Cat Hakesby pursues success as an architect。 Having completed a successful commission – a rather grand poultry house – her next project is a bigger， grander poultry house for a French aristocrat who is also sister of King Charles。 Nothing is as it seems in this series so when Cat travels to France to show her plans to her client， we know she must unwittingly be caught up in a political intrigue。 But what exactly？ And how does this connect with Marwood’s pursuit of missing state papers which threaten a diplomatic treaty being negotiated between the English and the French？ Is van Riebeeck a villain or a hero？Based on the machinations of a real treaty between France and England， Taylor has once again combined a sharp plot with colourful characters [one gentleman is a collector of exotic animals] and， of course， Marwood and Cat。 The will-they-won’t-they thread which runs throughout this series faces a chasm here not helped by copious misunderstandings， jealousy， Cat’s stubborn independence and Marwood’s dedication to the secrecy of his employment。Excellent。 Bring on the next one。Read more of my book reviews at http://www。sandradanby。com/book-revie。。。 。。。more

Lacer ，

Another atmospheric addition to the Marwood and Lockett series， set after the Great Fire of London。 Marwood works at the edges of court。 Lockett， who has been Mistress Hakesby for a few books now， is a widowed architect。 Marwood is asked to fetch some papers from the house of a recently deceased colleague， and things don’t seem to add up。 Mistress Hakesby is asked to work on some architectural designs for some very impressive clients。 There is， of course， murder and intrigue。 I like Marwood and Another atmospheric addition to the Marwood and Lockett series， set after the Great Fire of London。 Marwood works at the edges of court。 Lockett， who has been Mistress Hakesby for a few books now， is a widowed architect。 Marwood is asked to fetch some papers from the house of a recently deceased colleague， and things don’t seem to add up。 Mistress Hakesby is asked to work on some architectural designs for some very impressive clients。 There is， of course， murder and intrigue。 I like Marwood and Lockett books because they’re very atmospheric and， at the same time， don’t hang around in establishing the plot。 。。。more

Jewels ，

As usual in my reviews， I will not rehash the plot （plenty of other reviews like that out there）。This is the fifth book in Andrew Taylor's "Marwood and Lovett" series。 I've read the other previous novels in this series so was pleased to be invited to read this。The relationship between Cat and Marwood is still at the heart of the novel， and we already know some of the other characters involved too。 There are some interesting new faces in this novel - including the mysterious Dutchman， and a lion！ As usual in my reviews， I will not rehash the plot （plenty of other reviews like that out there）。This is the fifth book in Andrew Taylor's "Marwood and Lovett" series。 I've read the other previous novels in this series so was pleased to be invited to read this。The relationship between Cat and Marwood is still at the heart of the novel， and we already know some of the other characters involved too。 There are some interesting new faces in this novel - including the mysterious Dutchman， and a lion！ The action moves between London， Kent， and France， which adds another interesting layer to the plot。 This novel （like others in the series） blends fact and fiction - here， it's interesting to hear about the relationship between Charles II and his sister， as well as the activities of France and the Netherlands at that time。I'm assuming there will be a sequel， and am already looking forward to reading it。My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC。 All opinions my own。 。。。more

Christine ，

I eagerly anticipated this book， having been a fan of Andrew Taylor for many years， and having enjoyed his Marwood and Lovett books since they first came out some years ago。 Unfortunately I didn't find this， the fifth book in the series as gripping and atmospheric as the earlier books。 Marwood is now established as a spy at various levels of the nascent Civil Service， and Cat Hakesby （nee Lovett） is finding her way as an architect in a mans world。 Their relationship remains spiky， and they haver I eagerly anticipated this book， having been a fan of Andrew Taylor for many years， and having enjoyed his Marwood and Lovett books since they first came out some years ago。 Unfortunately I didn't find this， the fifth book in the series as gripping and atmospheric as the earlier books。 Marwood is now established as a spy at various levels of the nascent Civil Service， and Cat Hakesby （nee Lovett） is finding her way as an architect in a mans world。 Their relationship remains spiky， and they haver around whether to commit themselves to each other， which， for Cat at least， is a matter of both how far she can trust in others and also a need to cherish her independence， having had a traumatic childhood and adolescence， and a difficult marriage， which ended in tragedy。 The eponymous storyline， the Royal Secret， is a slow burn throughout the book， as nefarious anti-monarchist characters wreak pain and distress on those who are likely to support the "secret"， and Marwood is tasked by his "betters" to sort the situation out。 This is complicated when Cat becomes involved， and his need to serve his masters is compromised by his determination to protect Cat。To write more would be to move into the land of spoilers， and I don't want to do that。 I am pleased I have read the book， and it seems likely there will be another one （or more） in the series， and I will definitely read it， and hope that it/they pick up the pace which for me， is lacking in this book。 。。。more

Ingrid ，

The story of Cat and James continues in the fifth instalment of the series。 James works for Charles Stuart and is hunting a Dutch spy who has an eye on Cat。 At the end of the book the historical framework is explained。 I'm full of admiration for the interweaving of fact and fiction。 The story of Cat and James continues in the fifth instalment of the series。 James works for Charles Stuart and is hunting a Dutch spy who has an eye on Cat。 At the end of the book the historical framework is explained。 I'm full of admiration for the interweaving of fact and fiction。 。。。more

Jemima Pett ，

The Royal Secret starts quietly， and builds up on a slow burn。 Bodies turn up in odd places， and disappear again， and plenty of people seem to have their fingers in the mess。 And I’m not just talking about the appalling ordure of the Smithfield area of London （meat market） in the 1670s， either。This is a political， spy， suspense， historical novel。 Some familiarity with London of the rebuilding times after the Great Fire， plus history of the period， is worthwhile。 It is perfectly possible to follo The Royal Secret starts quietly， and builds up on a slow burn。 Bodies turn up in odd places， and disappear again， and plenty of people seem to have their fingers in the mess。 And I’m not just talking about the appalling ordure of the Smithfield area of London （meat market） in the 1670s， either。This is a political， spy， suspense， historical novel。 Some familiarity with London of the rebuilding times after the Great Fire， plus history of the period， is worthwhile。 It is perfectly possible to follow the story without either; Mr Taylor’s descriptions capture the sights and smells of the era in a way that I visualise them well。 Even if it not what the author intended！ Several groups of people carry out nefarious deeds， some are not what they seem， and others are exactly what they appear to be: conniving， mean， pompous， or all three。The slow burn meant I wondered whether I really wanted to continue reading it for a while。 The second third felt a trifle pedestrian， although I think the effect was deliberate。 The pace flowed better towards the end， with plenty of twists， questions and revelations。 All i’s were dotted and t’s thoroughly crossed by the end。You can tell it was well written， but I have reservations about how much I liked it。 Maybe it was just that the two title characters were in a bit of a bad mood throughout。 Especially with each other。 It put a damper on the story。 Maybe it works better if you’ve read the books in sequence。 I’m glad it finished with some hope for the relationship picking up a bit for the next book。 And I wouldn’t have known Marwood’s name was James if it were not for the blurb–his first name is not mentioned at all。Verdict: Perfectly readable， but maybe more scintillating if you read them in order。 Not that it really makes a difference for the plot。 。。。more

Emily ，

Another well written and atmospheric addition to the Marwood series。 "The Royal Secret" immerses the reader in Restoration London， and the vivid descriptions leaves you wanting more。 Another well written and atmospheric addition to the Marwood series。 "The Royal Secret" immerses the reader in Restoration London， and the vivid descriptions leaves you wanting more。 。。。more

Mike Beuvink ，

Loved itReally enjoyed reading this book。Looking forward to the next book in the series。History， intrigue， romance， these books have it all。

Joanne Dobson ，

A history lesson with adventure and romance。 As well as reading all this series I have gone on to listen to them as well。 I look forward to doing the same。

Peter Cross ，

The relationship between CAT and Marwood develops in this edition but finishes in limbo。 Overall a good read if you have read the rest of the series。 We might find out if CAT gets paid for her hen house and Marwood might pluck up the courage to ask her to marry him in the next installment。

Wendy Bevan ，

Did not want to finish this book， brilliant

Karen ，

A bittersweet story which romps along beautifully。Andrew has picked a rich seam of historical events， in using the Restoration of the Monarchy after the Great Fire of London in 1666。James Marwood and Cat Hakesby have known each other for 4 years now and their relationship is still very tentative， I really like the way the author weaves their stories in together and also into real historical events seamlessly。 The plots never feel contrived， that everything that happens really could have happened A bittersweet story which romps along beautifully。Andrew has picked a rich seam of historical events， in using the Restoration of the Monarchy after the Great Fire of London in 1666。James Marwood and Cat Hakesby have known each other for 4 years now and their relationship is still very tentative， I really like the way the author weaves their stories in together and also into real historical events seamlessly。 The plots never feel contrived， that everything that happens really could have happened so a sign of an excellent writer。 This period in history was very turbulent， both in here and in Europe。 The notes at both the beginning and at the end of the book are extremely helpful in setting out the historical context in which James and Cat find themselves。 I love a book that entertains and gives you historical information at the same time。Bravo Andrew and I am looking forward to James and Cat's next escapade， will they meet Caliban or perhaps wide-eyed Maria again I wonder ！ 。。。more

Andrew Hanna ，

The Royal SecretAs ever， a first class historical novel，giving insight into life post Restoration。 The characters， both fictional and factual are intriguing。 Sincerely hope there is more of the same in this series。

Sal ，

I've read and enjoyed all of the books in this series but I found the plot of this latest story a little slight and rather unfocused。Cat ends up as an unwitting courier between the King and his beloved sister， and embroiled in a plot involving a Dutch spy。 Her treatment of Marwood and her attraction to the Dutchman both seemed a little out of character。The plot itself seems to take a long time to go anywhere， and then ends rather abruptly。 A lot of time is spent on a sub plot with a lion and a s I've read and enjoyed all of the books in this series but I found the plot of this latest story a little slight and rather unfocused。Cat ends up as an unwitting courier between the King and his beloved sister， and embroiled in a plot involving a Dutch spy。 Her treatment of Marwood and her attraction to the Dutchman both seemed a little out of character。The plot itself seems to take a long time to go anywhere， and then ends rather abruptly。 A lot of time is spent on a sub plot with a lion and a sadistic young housemaid that seemed rather superfluous。These are still great characters， and a fascinating period in history， but this one didn't quite hit the mark for me。 。。。more

Naomi ，

Another enjoyable journey back into the past with Marwood and Cat。 Again， set against a backdrop of historical events I know nothing of， this book weaved fact and fiction well and the characters immediately drew me into the scene。 This book sees the personal drama intensify between the main protagonists and left me wanting the next in the series to he published already！

Kate ，

Absolutely brilliant！ I can't rave about this one enough as this fabulous series gets even better。 A great story- compelling， tragic and thoroughly intriguing and， of course， steeped in the atmosphere of this secretive， diseased， decaying court of Charles II。 Quite possibly the best of the series， which is saying something。 Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights。 Absolutely brilliant！ I can't rave about this one enough as this fabulous series gets even better。 A great story- compelling， tragic and thoroughly intriguing and， of course， steeped in the atmosphere of this secretive， diseased， decaying court of Charles II。 Quite possibly the best of the series， which is saying something。 Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Royal Secret

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Royal Secret&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Royal Secret&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0