Name: Leelynn Brady's review of Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan
Item: Maid of Secrets
Rating: 5
Author: Leelynn Brady

Jennifer McGowan

In 1559 England, Meg, an orphaned thief, is pressed into service and trained as a member of the Maids of Honor, Queen Elizabeth I's secret all-female guard, but her loyalty is tested when she falls in love with a Spanish courtier who may be a threat.

Maid of Secrets

Monica Isabella

Leelynn Brady

Find this review and more on my blog: Sometimes Leelynn Reads

"Great excitement marked her steps.
She was moving fast,
The kind of pace that starts with ease
But can never last.
The darkness came down far too quick,
A light put out, she turned.
Her face, it spoke of sly delight,
The power of what she'd learned.
But then he bore down swift and still,
His hands around her neck.
His blade it flashed into the night,
No pity or regret.
His task was only that she died.
His cuts, howe'er, were those of pride.
And as he stole away, he smiled,
His light eyes dead, his dark hair wild."

This was one of the few historical fiction books that I read this year, but I think this one was one of my absolute favorites. It actually makes me wonder whether Queen Elizabeth did have a group of maiden spies in her employ, making sure that she was well protected and that any threats made to the crown and England were snuffed out. If anything, it sounds really exciting, whether it really happened or not. It also makes me wonder just how dangerous it would have been to be a spy during this time, without the kind of technology that we have access to today.

This book did a great job at opening this world to my eyes, and I was sad to leave it, although I probably won't be leaving it for long.

We start the novel with our main character, Meg, who just so happens to be one of the best pickpockets in the Golden Rose Theatre Troupe. She has never gotten caught by any of her marks and has been successful in all of the tasks that she's had to accomplish. Well, there's always a first for everything, and she does end up being caught. This changes her life forever, and she finds herself under the protection of Queen Elizabeth of England. She becomes one of the Queen's Maids of Honor, a group of female spies whose sole duty is to protect the Queen by using espionage and any other means necessary.

This is a time where having a Queen on the throne, without a King at their side, was pretty much unheard of. Queen Elizabeth refused to marry, and that alone has caused a lot of drama and tension in Europe. So many people around Europe during this time don't think that a Queen should be in control without a King being in command. There are also those who don't believe that England should be under the control of a Protestant since England used to be mostly Catholic. That's two big reasons why there are those that would want to see Elizabeth fail, or worse. The Maids of Honor are there to make sure that doesn't happen.

While Meg is considered the "Rat" of the group, known for having to tell secrets to the Queen and her spymasters, she ends up learning who she is as a person, and she is definitely not who she thought she was.

I was really impressed with this book, and I'm so glad that I finally got to read it. All of the Maids have their own assets that they bring to this group of spies, and I love that each of them are entirely different from each other. I can't wait to find out what else happens during Meg's time at Windsor, under the protection of the Queen.

Elad Schulman

Actual rating: 4.5

This was definitely a fun read. The romance was a bit questionable, but I loved the friendship between all the spies/maids, and Meg was such a strong, independent female lead.

Monica Isabella &
Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan

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