I'm not quite certain how she manages it, but Frances Gorges becomes associated with a number of different plots to dethrone James I and cause upheaval in his court in the course of this novel. As a reader, it's fun to meet a range of historical figures - Arabella Stuart, Walter Raleigh, Prince Henry of Wales, Princess Elizabeth (later to become the Winter Queen). I enjoyed how Frances' story continued and I'm definitely excited to read the next book in this series. ( )

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is the second novel in a series and I didn't read the first (although I intend to) but it can be read as a stand alone as the author does a great job in filling in the reader of Frances's history from the first book.

I truly loved this book and had a hard time putting it down. It captivated me from start to finish and maybe I am missing something as I didn't think Frances was a weak or not to be liked character at all. The choices she made were because she is a healer first and then when circumstances put her in a no win position she did what all mothers would do. I liked her very much.

The author does a great job in really bringing all the characters to life as well as the period as well. She captured everything so well. A most enjoyable read that I can't wait for her next book in the series - I will definitely be reading that because I can't wait to see what lies ahead for Frances.

A must read for any historical fiction fan! Loved it!!!!! ( )

This book was an advanced copy granted to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I will fully admit to knowing very little about England after Elizabeth I. The Tudors are my historical wheelhouse. My go-to era. When The King's Witch caught my eye at the library, I was quickly drawn to the promise of a story of intrigue at the court of James I. The Stuart family, outside of Mary, Queen of Scots, is one I'm always looking to read about. The Devil's Slave is the follow up to The King's Witch and the second in a trilogy featuring Frances Gorges.

In the first novel, we see Frances attending Elizabeth I in her final days and later becoming an attendant to James' daughter, also Elizabeth. This novel takes us up to the events of the Gunpowder Plot. While the people around Frances are up to their necks in trying to put someone other than James on the throne, James makes Frances a target of one of his infamous witch hunts. The book ends with the failure of the Gunpowder Plot and Frances returning to her family's country home.

The opening of this novel finds Frances with a new husband and a new son. She's perfectly content in her new life away from court. Almost. When a blast from the past asks Frances for help, Frances immediately agrees and finds herself right back in the middle of all the court intrigue as a lady in waiting to the now teenage Princess Elizabeth. Past accusations continue to haunt Frances despite being a favorite of both the princess and Queen Anne. Not only is Frances fighting to keep her past behind her, she also manages to find herself in the middle of every single plot to remove James from his throne.

The plotting is what really slowed this book down for me. There were so many of them. I understand that all of those things are true. There really were a lot of plots. James I wasn't exactly winning popularity contests. However, I don't think Frances would have found herself in the middle of all of them at the same time. I found myself flipping back so I could remember who was supporting Arbella, who supports Princess Elizabeth, and who is Cecil chasing today. The attention was so scattered. I would have liked a little more focus on one plot.

Plotting was just one of my issues. Frances took a huge step backwards in this book. We are constantly being told how Frances desires to be away from court. How she wants to raise her son in peace. Yet here is Frances throwing herself right into the middle of everything because she feels like she owes more to the dead than the living. Frances makes a lot of bad choices and it is quite contrary to the Frances we meet in the first novel.

Frances does not win the prize for most irritating character. That award deserves to be equally split between two other major players. Prince Henry, James' heir, and Frances' brother, Edward were nothing more than caricatures. I had a hard time not picturing them with twirling mustaches and pointy beards. I'm not going to lie, I continued reading just because I wanted to see Prince Henry dead. I knew it was coming. It was just a matter of when.

At this point, one might wonder why I even bothered to finish this book. The simple answer is I wanted to see where it ended. I knew going into it there was a third book planned. What I really wanted to know by the end is where does this story stop. How far is Frances' story going to go? Realistically since there is so little known about Frances* (she doesn't even have a Wiki page), there's nothing to stop Borman from bringing Frances right up to Charles I.

*The little information I did find on Frances suggests she was married in 1610. A lot of things in this book don't work. The "real" events of this book start in 1610. When the story starts in 1610, Frances has been married for a few years. I would be interested in seeing the source notes. (less) ( )

This book continues the story of Frances Gorges, a real person, which was started in The King’s Witch. Now, in 1606, Frances finds herself pregnant by Thomas Wintour, who has been executed. She retreats to the estate she grew up on, which is now being run by her greedy brother, hoping to hide her pregnancy. Then Thomas Tyringham, Wintour’s best friend, asks her to marry him. He will raise the child as his own. He’s a decent man, and treats her very well, but as the ‘Master of the Buckhounds’ he is tied to the king and this requires Frances to be in the king’s presence frequently. The king has not forgotten her being accused of witchcraft because of her herbalism, and she can’t seem to stop herself from utilizing her talent, putting herself in danger again.

I had mixed feelings about this book. Frances acts naïve and selfish at times. At one point, she sends her supposedly beloved attendant to gather herbs for her, so that she herself won’t be caught doing it. The aging attendant goes into the swamp, putting her health at risk, as well as risking being accused of witchcraft. This does not fit into the image of her as a caring healer. She takes chances that could have nasty consequences for not just her, but her husband and child. On the other hand, the author’s ability with pacing, description, and plot tension holds just as well as it did in the first novel. Another four star read. ( )

I was not immediately familiar with this series when I started, so I will be the first to admit the title threw me a little. So the story ended up being surprisingly good. The story begins with our heroine, Frances Gorges, who after being accused and acquited of witchcraft by the loyal beagle of King James, has returned to her family home. After her husband Tom was sent to the gallows for conspiring to kill the King, Frances needs to keep a low profile because she is pregnant, and she cannot risk anyone seeing her and ratting her out for carrying the blood of a traitor. Frances finds unexpected salvation when Thomas Tyringham, a good friend of her now deceased husband offers to marry her and accept responsibility for her and her unborn son. He asks little of her other than she stay clear of any further catholic plots against the crown. Having few choices, Frances accepts his proposal. However, it isn’t long before old alliances start to creep back into Frances’s life, bringing fresh whispers of a resurgence in Catholic resistance. InitIally resistant to joining in with their cause, Frances finds secrets don’t like to stay hidden, and her old alliances threaten to expose her son’s true parentage. Feeling she has no choice, Frances decides to accept a role in their new scheme. With old and new enemies watching her, Frances accepts her new tasks, quietly trying to sway the tide in favor of the Catholic cause, while simultaneously trying to appear as a loyal citizen of King James’s court.
The characters and timelines in this story is for the most part historically accurate, and it definitely made this more interesting for me since I am not very familiar with this particular time in history. The story is beautifully written. There is a palpable fear for Frances, whose role in the Catholic resistance and as a natural healer, puts her in a position of assuming extreme risk. I will have to go back and read book one and definitely look forward to book three in this series. Thank you Netgalley for the galley. ( )