Shakespeare's Lady

For centuries, readers have debated the identity of the mysterious Dark Lady in William Shakespeare's sonnets. Emilia Bassano - lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth and one of the first women poets in England could be the answer.

In Shakespeare's Lady by Alexa Schnee, Emilia is one of the most dazzling ladies at court when she meets the little-known playwright William Shakespeare. Shakespeare sees the world like no one ever has before, and despite all odds, they fall in love. But the course of true love never did run smooth, and these star-crossed lovers must fight for their love - and eventually their lives. Shakespeare's Lady explores grace, forgiveness, and the forbidden love between the greatest poet the world has ever known and the woman who may have inspired him.

I received Shakespeare's Lady compliments of Summerside Press/Guideposts for my honest review and found myself whisked back to the 16th century and residing in Greenwich Court through the enchanting words of debut author Alexa Schnee. Always knowing that women back in that time period were treated as little more than property to be shared while looking for heirs to the throne, I find it interesting how Schnee gets Shakespeare involved in her story.

While Emilia is struggling to find her way through a series of encounters with men in the Queen's court. She can't help but have such a love for writing and creating stories which she pens alone in her room and keeps hidden beneath her covers. Her relationship with Henry Carey, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth, finds her appearance to be just like that of his mother, Anne Boylin. Now she finds herself a mistress to a man forty-five years her senior and wanting desperately to be free of the relationship, however since the Queen has approved it, her only way out will be if Henry dies or if she could conceive a child. This makes for an interesting tangled storyline and one that the reader will connect with through Emilia's eyes.

I rate this novel a 4.5 out of 5 stars for the authenticity the author creates through her debut writing and enchanting to see how romance plays out in the heart of her characters she has so eloquently created. This book does show how life was like in the Elizabethan time period and it was condone for men to have mistresses. That being said, the book does not go into great detail about the act of adultery with Henry Carey and other men, but is simply stated it occurred. I applaud the author for keeping the book more about the storyline and skipping details that didn't need to be elaborated on which is why I rated the book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. For more information on this book, the author and where to purchase a copy of this book, please click on the link below:

Shakespeare's Lady by Alexa Schnee