A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more into romance stories and literary fiction however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for opening up my mind to something totally different.

A powerful story that is gripping and the suspense of this outstanding book is truly fascinating well written story with strong characters.

There's a wasp in our hive.

Three sisters stay together with Hesters young child Rafe. While only a late teen Hester (the oldest) was raped by a nobleman, falling pregnant then sent home to have the child in shame. 9 years later the nobleman comes forth looking to claim his child as his own. Melis and Hope flee their home with their sister and her child to seek protection.

Hope and Melis are hugely influential throughout the outcome of the book. I've decided not to write about them though, I knew nothing of either character before reading The Honey and The Sting and really enjoyed the surprise of the characters personalities and traits - no matter what I write I give away a spoiler!

Each chapter covers a different character - one with their own secret - which keeps the tension built throughout the book.

Although historical fiction I didn't learn much about the town or time setting. But the time period is an excuse for all that's happening in the book and it works.

I read this book in a day, really enjoyed it and was eager to know what was coming next. I enjoyed reading all the characters, their secrets and flaws included.

If you like historical fiction based in tudor court you'll like this. Full of excitement, lies, scandal, secrets and different characters.

Thank you to the author and publisher for this ARC.

I was impressed with this book, because it really does create an authentic seventeenth century atmosphere, and right from the start it is exciting and a page turner.
It concerns George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham, who gets a young woman pregnant and thrown out of the household, after which she has to survive as best she can. I will not spoil the book by revealing any more, but it is highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this Arc!

3.5/5. This was an enjoyable historical fiction of which a very good portion honestly made me extremely uncomfortable, but not in a bad way.

The story follows Melis, Hester, and Hope - three sisters who live a simple life together in England, 1628. Hester also has a son, Rafe, who is the product of rape by George Villiers, a powerful Duke. Villiers suddenly shows an interest in his son, and makes it clear that he will take Rafe from the sisters by force if necessary. Hester of course will do anything to keep her son from his slimy grasp, and runs with her sisters and her son to an isolated house in the countryside to hide. Villiers catches wind of this and sends his most trusted man, Felton, to "arrange an accident" for the women and bring his son to him.

The story is pretty fun and the pace is really snappy - it doesn't take long for the women to arrive at the house and for Felton to get after them. The cat and mouse chase between the characters is a lot of fun, and the tension and atmosphere is heightened by some creepy additions - Melis occasionally has frightening visions of the future, and often becomes terrified by what she considers to be an evil spirit inhabiting the house.

Fremantle is excellent at maintaining this tension all the way through the book. The characters suffer so many close calls throughout the story that if I was in the habit of biting nails, I'm honestly not sure I'd have any left. However, I felt that the drama and creepy tension of the book was easily its strongest element. I didn't find the characters particularly likeable or compelling, and I found both Hester's and Felton's development to be a little unbelievable. By the end, I was glad to catch my breath from having held it so often but felt pretty unmoved on the whole.

The Honey and the Sting is an historical fiction novel set in England during the reign of King Charles I, whose royal favourite, George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham has a role in this novel.

The book centres on the lives of 3 sisters, who live a humble and quiet life in rural Oxfordshire. Hester, claims to be widow to protect her family and son from claims of illegitimacy. Her son, Rafe is the product of rape, after she and her sister Melis were sent to the court to serve the Buckingham family.
Melis is a strange and unusual woman, afflicted by visions where she believes she sees the future and claims she communicates with bees.
The third sister is Hope, a teenaged mixed race girl, brought home by the girls father, after a short lived relationship with Hope's mother.

As Rafe approaches his 9th birthday, his father, George Villiers comes to claim him, sending the little family into a spiral of despair which forces them to flee into hiding, bringing tragedy and requiring them to fight against Villiers and his agents in ways they never dreamt possible.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. It has great pace, and strong female characters. There is an air of witchiness as Melis' visions and seeming ability to communicate with the bees lend the story a supernatural feeling. We also see Hope cross dressing as a man in order to throw the family's pursuers off their scent, and become attracted to another female character, Lark who helps the family while they are in hiding.

There are no doubt some readers who would reject the sense of modernity the book has in its empowered female characters and queer relationships, who would argue that women in the 1600's simply didn't, couldn't, wouldn't behave in the way these characters do. But I think we have to remember that history at this time was almost exclusively written by men (white men at that) for consumption by other men. The stories of women and how they lived were almost completely unheard. Plus the narrative force behind this story is a woman trying to protect her child from the powerful father who raped her, made her think that was her fault, then turned her out when he found out she was pregnant and left her to eke out an existence until he deemed it appropriate to return and claim his son. Don't tell me that's not a story as old as time.

This book is a really great read. It’s as much a historical novel as it is a gothic thriller, which is the best kind, and probably why I loved it. It is slightly mysterious with unexplained goings on and with a good dose of suspense and adventure. This book is really well written with a great cast of characters that I’m going to miss.

The story is of three very different but independent sisters. Hester forcibly seduced by the Duke of Buckingham, George Villiers and left to raise her illegitimate son Rafe on her own and in secret. Her sister Melis has visions and can see what has yet to happen and is in danger of being denounced as a witch. And the youngest sister Hope who is beautiful and trusting. They live quietly and independently. However, the shadow of the Duke lives over them as he decides to claim Rafe for his own when he turns nine. But the sisters know a secret that could either save them or be their downfall...

Wow this has been a million times better than I expected. I haven’t been able to put this one down.
Absolutely fantastic and amazing read.

A hugely atmospheric and mysterious novel. There's witchery tales going on in Oxfordshire and the little villages around the city. The author really creates a mysterious sense of foreboding and the lack of explanation and full exploration of characters at the start of the novel adds to this. AT first I wanted to know more about them but that comes later and you feel you are in as much of a fog as they are when it comes to the cloud of suspicion and intrigue.

It's an historical slow burn read and that's no bad thing. The themes of women against men and how women were suspected of all kinds is nicely explored. There's a character with visions..... and those secrets look set to explode and destabilize what is already a society of suspicion and secrets.

It did drag in places but on the whole this is a novel to immerse yourself in and be patient with.

3.5 stars

Spoilers

What this book lacked for me,was a bit more time at the beginning to get to know the characters.
How often did Melis have these premonitions? Did they only centre around death? It's said it was only true that one time,in which case,if it only happened once before,would you not take it more seriously?
Was Hopes life so very sheltered that she fell for everyone that so much as smiled at her?
I struggled with her gullibility.
Finally,George,how many kids does he have and why was it SO important to have his son now?
Apart from all that,it was an engaging read,with a lot of action and very much a sisters doing it for themselves vibe.
Hester particularly was clever,resourceful and a tad cunning. I liked her.
There were no surprises and the how and where of George's death for me,but it was nicely done,and the final pages left me hoping there might be another story,so we could see what Hester might do next if ever challenged.