Frances has found some semblance of peace at last. She loves her husband dearly, her sons are her pride and joy, and for the most part her worries about being denounced as a witch are over. But there's a new favourite at the Court of James I, out to claim as much power and wealth as he can by any means necessary.

Tracy Borman is a wonderful writer, and over the course of the series it does seem that her style and ease with fiction has improved greatly. The book is well paced, the story ebbs and flows well and the main characters are well established by this point, making the whole thing a very comfortable read. Seeing Frances able to be a little more herself was lovely, and the scenes with her growing family are so heartwarming, as are the moments where she's able to take the time to be with her husband. 

At the same time, there are darker scenes that contrast starkly, but are pitched very well to give the reader the sense of shock, unease or disgust, without being overpowering. A lot of these of course include the villain of the piece, George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. Again, he's very well drawn; egotistical, smarmy and just generally unpleasant, and yet he reflects reality by drawing you in anyway. 

However, I'm just not sure this book was actually needed in the series. Where Frances was at the centre of the action in the first book, by this stage it's more like we're seeing the events at Court through her eyes. She's the centre of the story, but it's not actually about her. There are a few nice moments of redemption and closing the loop, but otherwise I wouldn't say there's a massive amount of action for her. In particular, the ending is more of a whimper than a bang and I was left feeling a little disappointed by it. 

Overall, while I liked the ending of the first book and the fact that it left the story open for more, I think it works better as a standalone. This concluding chapter just doesn't inspire the same feels. It's s good read, but I never found myself desperate to get back to it, or even that bothered if I got to pick it up.