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ClareR (6256 KP) rated Captive Queen: The Decrypted History of Mary Queen of Scots in Books

Jun 14, 2025  
Captive Queen: The Decrypted History of Mary Queen of Scots
Captive Queen: The Decrypted History of Mary Queen of Scots
Jade Scott | 2024 | History & Politics
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Tudor England has always been a favourite subject of mine, and then on to the Elizabethan period as well. It’s always interested me how Elizabeth I treated her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, especially after I visited Carlisle Castle and saw some of the displays that explained her captivity there. It may have only been a few weeks out of the 19 years that she was held captive, and I was curious about the rest of those years.

Captive Queen explains a lot of Mary’s life and also tells of how she got to the point of her imprisonment. So much information was gleaned from the encrypted letters that she sent to, and received from, her supporters. When they were decrypted, after their discovery in a French archive, they answered a lot of questions.

Jade Scott uses this information to paint a really interesting picture of Mary’s captivity, and just how involved she was in the various plots to release her and put her on the English throne. I mean, who can blame her?! She was imprisoned in some awful places - regardless of the fact that she was in castles or stately homes.

I rather enjoyed the little fictional chapter headers. They made it feel more personal, and ideal for people like me who don’t always enjoy dry, academic historical writing. This is absolutely not that - I whizzed through this book, thoroughly enjoying it.

So, if you enjoy history and want to find out more about Mary, Queen of Scots, you may well enjoy this too.
  
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ClareR (6256 KP) rated Sixteen Horses in Books

Oct 30, 2021  
Sixteen Horses
Sixteen Horses
Greg Buchanan | 2021 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sixteen Horses was a pretty gruesome thriller about a Forensic Veterinarian who is called in to investigate the discovery of sixteen horses heads, buried in a circle on farmland. If you find dismembered animals upsetting, then this won’t be the book for you, but I found the way that Cooper Allen undertook her investigation fascinating.

There is a really bleak, moody atmosphere throughout this book, that brought The Smiths song ‘Everyday is like Sunday’ to mind: this IS the coastal town that they forgot to close down, and everyday does seem to be grey - if not silent!

Ilmarsh is a town that has seen far better days, full of the unemployed and displaced, and even though it’s not a pleasant thought, it’s no surprise that it should be the setting for a series of disappearances, arson and mutilations. There is someone in this town with a lot of time on their hands. And no better way to spend it.

The writing is mesmerising - I found it hard to drag myself away, even though I found it profoundly unsettling. And that’s the big thing about this novel: I’m still not 100% sure who the culprit was, but I found myself not too upset by that. It was such a breathtaking journey (however, if anyone would like to message me with the answer to that, I wouldn’t be at all put out!)

Many thanks to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of the book through both NetGalley and Jellybooks (because I forgot I already had it from NetGalley 🤦🏼‍♀️).
  
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Merissa (14175 KP) rated Dawn's Desire (Prairie Smoke Ranch #1) in Books

Aug 16, 2021 (Updated Jul 17, 2023)  
Dawn's Desire (Prairie Smoke Ranch #1)
Dawn's Desire (Prairie Smoke Ranch #1)
V.L. Locey | 2021 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
DAWN'S DESIRE is the first book in the Prairie Smoke Ranch series and we are introduced to a whole host of characters, but we focus on Nathan and Bishop. Nathan is the foreman of the ranch and is older (although I don't think we actually ever get his age). Bishop is a twenty-eight-year-old, newly-minted professor of Palaeontology and is on the ranch due to the discovery of possible dinosaur bones.

There is a lot going on in this story - trouble with the ranch next door, bone poachers, European tours, and a possible thief working on the ranch. Because of this, I didn't feel like this was a character-led story and I didn't really feel the connection between our two MCs.

Nathan and Bishop get an HFN ending and there is definitely no conclusion to any of what's gone on during their story, so I hope more answers will be available in the next books.

This is the first book and I am looking forward to reading book two. This series has a lot to offer and I love V.L. Locey's writing. Although it didn't tick my boxes in the way her stories usually do, I still thoroughly enjoyed this beginning and have no hesitation in recommending it.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 16, 2021