The Raven's Heart

On a winter′s day in 1561, Robert Blackadder watches as a queen is rowed ashore in Edinburgh to claim her throne. Robbie′s hopes for the return of the Blackadders′ castle rest with her, but the question is how to become part of her inner circle. Robbie is actually a woman, Alison Blackadder, in disguise for her own protection from the murderous clan who now controls Blackadder Castle. Despite having lived as a young man for the past few years, Alison transforms into a...
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On a winter′s day in 1561, Robert Blackadder watches as a queen is rowed ashore in Edinburgh to claim her throne. Robbie′s hopes for the return of the Blackadders′ castle rest with her, but the question is how to become part of her inner circle. Robbie is actually a woman, Alison Blackadder, in disguise for her own protection from the murderous clan who now controls Blackadder Castle. Despite having lived as a young man for the past few years, Alison transforms into a lady-in-waiting to the Queen. Queen Mary can trust nobody, not even her new husband Lord Darnley, and so Alison, with her ability to dress convincingly as a man when the situation requires, becomes the Queen′s valued spy. Alison loves her queen almost enough to be distracted from her quest to regain Blackadder Castle for her father. But then Mary betrays her unforgivably, and Alison′s renewed drive to reclaim the Blackadder birthright is relentless, setting off a chain of events that threatens to bring down the Scottish monarchy. Just as Mary can trust nobody, Alison discovers lies, danger and treachery at every turn of her quest. Then, unexpectedly, she finds love ... This sweeping, imaginative and original epic tale of political intrigue, misplaced loyalty, and passion and betrayal is loosely based on real characters and events from the reign of Mary Queen of Scots. It is a well-researched, breathtaking and assured debut from a bold, fresh Australian voice.