From Review by reviewer Matt Mc Avoy

Jan’s writing is, as always, exquisite, and her love of history unparalleled among the books I read. Here she presents another masterclass in British history, though on this occasion has gone back much further, almost five hundred years, to the rule of the Tudors and subsequently the Stuarts. As usual, she uses her wonderful craft to place you right there among the people and places of the era, choosing this time to go much grander than before, right into the heart of the royal courts. She has chosen perhaps the lesser-reported life of Lady Arbella Stuart to deliver an almost entirely factual narrative, though told from the point of view of her mother’s friend and her own self-appointed guardian Margaret Brise, whom I believe to be a fictional foil, but don’t quote me on that; I can find no evidence of her existence (though admittedly, I haven put in a sliver of the research Jan has. 

Unlike the brush that history has painted Lady Arbella with, the author chooses to take a more sympathetic and indeed romanticized view of her, with large portions of benefit of the doubt. Being the expert in history that she is, I will absolutely defer to Jan in this respect; I am sure that if she portrays the Lady as well-intentioned, she is probably right. I won’t spoil the book for those unfamiliar with the history of this woman by revealing her fate; I will say that again it is a wonderful triumph for Jan, and a highly recommended read on the respective subject.

E book available to order."Arbel Majesty and Sorrow," will be published on Amazon on September 2nd 2026, and will be available on Kindle Unlimited.