Maid of Deception

June 15, 2014
McGowan takes up the tale of love and espionage in the court of the first Queen Elizabeth where she left off in her debut, Maid of Secrets (2013).The beautiful, ambitious, scheming Beatrice Knowles is a member of the same royal cadre of spies introduced in the last book. Desperate to rise above her station as the daughter of a dysfunctional and apparently penniless noble, Beatrice tries everything in her formidable arsenal of survival tools to better herself. Constantly engaged in a vicious power struggle with the indomitable monarch, Beatrice suffers many humiliations. Not least among these are the prevention of her carefully arranged marriage to the posh Lord Cavanaugh and a spontaneous royal visit to her family's embarrassingly run-down estate. Having squashed her marriage plans, the queen orders Beatrice to use her feminine wiles to spy on the odious Alasdair MacLeod. The maid's initial revulsion for the rugged Scottish nobleman turns to infatuation, and through many twists and turns of a plot almost as complex as the machinations of the political scene, she discovers that true love counts for more than wealth and status. McGowan's formula combines fast-paced action untroubled by excess period detail, likable characters in the persons of Beatrice and her fellow maids, and a sentimental love affairThis quick-paced romance should thrill and engage readers with a penchant for history. (Historical fiction. 12-17)

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July 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Beatrice Knowles, attendant to the Queen, spy for her Majesty, and renowned beauty, has spent her 18 years at court attempting to achieve one goal: to marry well. Just as she is about to say her vows to the wealthy and reputable Lord Cavanaugh, her Queen, the ever-devious Elizabeth, interrupts her wedding and demands one more spying task. Beatrice must seduce the rakish and flirtatious Alasdair MacLeod of the Scottish delegation. Scotland is threatening rebellion and Beatrice must glean what information she can, but the Queen seems to be deriving more pleasure from matching Beatrice with a man she despises. As Beatrice missteps in exposing Lord Cavanaugh as unfaithful to their betrothal and breaking off the engagement of a fellow spy, the Queen attempts to embarrass Beatrice by showcasing her family's lack of wealth and her drug-addled mother. All the while, Beatrice is gaining information about the Queen's advisors to bring herself back into the monarch's good graces. Spending much of her time with Alasdair, the information she gains from him soon proves useful to the English, but more importantly for Beatrice he is winning over her heart with his honest tongue, burning kisses, and solid Scottish build. Only when she thinks she has lost him, does she realize how much he has opened her to love, how loyal her fellow spies are to her, and the truth about her own family. Picking up where Maid of Secrets (S. & S., 2013) left off, but from the perspective of a different member of the Queen's spies, this historical romance stays true to the politics and fickleness of the Elizabethan court. The language, thoroughly modern in places, can take readers out of the period. This, however, does not detract for the intrigue, drama, and heartache of the well-developed plot. This series will be a hit with teens and quite a few adults.-Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA

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