Synopsis:
Six years have passed since England’s King Charles II returned from exile to reclaim the throne, ushering in a new era of stability for his subjects.
Except for Elizabeth Milton. The daughter of notorious poet John Milton, Elizabeth has never known her place in this shifting world—except by her father’s side. By day she helps transcribe his latest masterpiece, the epic poem Paradise Lost, and by night she learns languages and sword fighting. Although she does not dare object, she suspects that he’s training her for a mission whose purpose she cannot fathom.
Until one night the reason becomes clear: the king’s man arrive at her family’s country home to arrest her father. Determined to save him, Elizabeth follows his one cryptic clue and journeys to Oxford, accompanied by her father’s mysterious young houseguest, Antonio Vivani, a darkly handsome Italian scientist who surprises her at every turn. Funny, brilliant, and passionate, Antonio seems just as determined to protect her father as she is—but can she trust him with her heart?
When the two discover that Milton has planted an explosive secret in the half-finished Paradise Lost—a secret the king and his aristocratic supporters are desperate to conceal—Elizabeth is faced with a devastating choice: cling to the shelter of her old life or risk cracking the code, unleashing a secret that could save her father…and tear apart the very fabric of society.
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Review:
This is the first book I have read from this author and it will not be the last. This is a beautifully written story that has a touch of everything from mystery to love to lies and secrets. The setting is in London middle sixteen hundreds set in the beautiful hillsides.
King Charles II has returned to take his rightful place as King. He is going to change the country and make it a better place for his subjects. But he has some subjects who don't want to accept him as King. Poet John Milton and his daughter Elizabeth are not excited that Charles has come out of exile to become King.
Elizabeth loves her father and helps him transcribe his poetry by day and by night her father teaches her different languages and how to protect herself if she ever needed it. Elizabeth only knows what her father teaches her and she is more than happy to be by his side. So when the King's men come to arrest her father she knows she is going to have to fight to get her father cleared of the charges and released from prison.
Elizabeth and her fathers friend Antonio will go on a wild trip to solve clues her father has left her to uncover a secret the King does not want anyone to find out. Elizabeth and Antonio go from place to place to piece together the clues and when they do Elizabeth will have to decide whether or not she will tell the truth and free her father and destroy the country or will she keep the secret and try to find another way to rescue her father.
About The Author:
Anne Blankman may have been meant to be a writer because her parents named her for Anne of Green Gables. She grew up in an old house with gables (gray, unfortunately) in upstate New York. When she wasn't writing or reading, she was rowing on the crew team, taking ballet lessons, fencing and swimming. She graduated from Union College with degrees in English and history, which comes in handy when she writes historical fiction.
After earning a master's degree in information science, Anne began working as a youth services librarian. Currently, she lives in southeastern Virginia with her family. When she's not writing young adult fiction, she's playing with her daughter, training for races with her husband, working at her amazing library branch, learning to knit (badly), and reading.
Anne Blankman is the author of PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG, the first in a three-book deal slated for publication in spring 2014 from Balzer + Bray | HarperCollins. She is represented by Tracey Adams of Adams Literary.
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