Review: The Traitor's Wife by Kathleen Kent

Title: The Traitor's Wife
Author: Kathleen Kent
Publisher: Pan Books (Kindle Edition)
Publish Date: January 7, 2011
Source: Netgalley

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You liked The Heretic's Daughter.
• You like historical fiction.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "I'll not ask you to be mine ... I will never seek to blunt the fury in you, never, and will honour your will as my own. What say you? Can you be a soldier's wife? New England, 1673. Martha Allen, a young woman reviled by her family because of her refusal to marry, is packed off to be a servant in her cousin's home. She takes charge of the neglected household and annoys everyone around her - including a mysterious Welshman who works for the family, a man whose forceful nature matches her own. As they both gradually let their guard down, a fragile, uneasy friendship grows between the pair. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, a band of assassins, driven by the will of Charles II, charter a ship to the New World. They have a single aim: to capture Thomas Morgan, the killer of Charles I, and bring him back to London where he will face an excruciating death. The Royalists want to see his head on a spike outside the Tower of London. As Martha begins to fall for the tall Welshman, he reveals a little of his past. It soon becomes clear that his life is in grave danger. As the threat of the assassins grows closer, can Martha find it in herself to be a traitor's wife? Praise for The Heretic's Daughter 'Absolutely compelling' Daily Mail 'A very fine novel ... a remarkably accomplished telling of a truly shocking tale' Daily Express."

My Two Cents:

I actually did not realize that this was a prequel to Kathleen Kent's The Heretic's Daughter, a book that I read a couple years ago. I thought this was a great standalone book and if you didn't know otherwise, you wouldn't realize that there was a connection between the two books until the very end of the book. You may even want to read this book before you read The Heretic's Daughter if you haven't read it already.


I really liked the story that took place in Massachusetts rather than the story on the boat. I thought the characters of Martha and Thomas and Martha's cousin's family were much more engaging than the men chasing after Thomas (they seem to do a lot of waiting and talking and that's about it). I thought that Martha was a really interesting character. At her relatively young age, she's already sort of is a old maid and she goes to her cousin's family to basically try to find a husband. 


In a way, I almost enjoyed this book much more than The Heretic's Daughter. Thomas' story is incredibly interesting and really opened a new part of history for me. I also liked the picture of the small settlement that the characters lived in. I really thought you got a really good picture of how the early American settlers lived and some of the dangers that they faced. 


Bottom line: This is a great historical fiction read.