A funny one, this. It's a case of what's bad is really pretty bad but what's okay is actually quite enjoyable. Unfortunately this does lead to an frustrating and unsatisfying reading experience. The frame story is just awful, lots of info-dumps and highly unconvincing dialogue, and the male character's attitude to, and descriptions of, the female character are downright creepy. Also the reference to rattling pikes (Shakespeare - get it?! Face palm) is just so cheesy it should be illegal. Also the scene where the victim of a rape describes her ordeal so openly and in excruciating detail is a bit much - unbelievable, unnecessary and creepy. However, the all too brief historical section of the book is written with verve and is engaging and has some interesting and likable characters. Only it just gets going and then it's all over. The subject of the authorship question and the historical figures and time period have obviously been well researched but this reads more like an episode from a larger work rather than a novel of itself.

Who was the author of the works of Shakespeare? The main character has an idea, and it wasn't the man we know as Shakespeare. The main body of this book is a rendering of the 16th Century journal of an English student studying in Paris. "That's the smell of old books, the perfume of wisdom, the intoxicating vapours of knowledge, coming down to us from the ages." Henry Howard, the student, writes about his life and the lives of his three close friends. The journal brings the reader vividly into the lives of the students and the places they frequent. Thanks for including the epilogue. It wrapped up the journal nicely.

"This book is very much about language: the beauty of its texture, the force of its eloquence and the music of its cadences."

While I liked the topic and the research appeared top notch, I couldn't get into the book. I didn't like how things were pieced together as, for me, it had no real flow.

Convoluted and lots of information dumping. I knew from the first few pages this wasn’t for me but I limped on through.

I liked the idea behind the novel. While the idea that Shakespeare wasn't responsible for writing the famous play attributed to him isn't new, it's personally the first time I've come across it in fiction.

For a debut author, Scannell does show some promise. I felt the historical parts of the novel were atmospheric, certainly well researched, and some care was taken with the characters. Unfortunately, that didn't extend to the modern setting in the story where it just kind of fell apart.

I have to admit I struggled with this novel - the author clearly knows his history and the historical parts are atmospheric and engaging, the characters and settings well described.
The modern-day Paris plot, however, seems completely superfluous. I found both characters, Michael and Hank, shallow and pretentious, their behaviour unrealistic, the dialogue stilted and the flowery metaphors extremely laboured.
The open quotation marks at the start of every paragraph also interrupted the reading flow - the chapter is a journal entry, I get it, I don't need open quotation marks every 5 seconds.
I'm sure some people will love this, but sadly it wasn't for me.

A very tedious book requiring a lot of patience and skipping of several pages. The premise is interesting but the narration and the plot a little too contrived. Not a book I would recommend to anyone. Thank you @netgalley, #netgalley for the copy of the book, also the publishers Black Rose Writing

I'm interested in the theory that William Shakespeare was a mere actor and not the actual writer of that famous body of work, so I enjoyed Dan Scannell's book about the playwright actually being Henry Howard, second son of the Earl of Surrey and Lady Frances de Vere... but then I got to the Afterward, where the author exposes it all as an exercise in fancy. But in the spirit of his request that "the reader accept this account as an imaginative story set against a real and vibrant literary and historical background," I complied. This story about Henry Howard and his scholarly friends the sporty Gaudin, alchemic Dormoy and religious Testagrossa, was a fun read.

While I get that 16th century English is flowery and fun to play with, I felt the metaphors and similes got a little out of control when applied to modern-day literary sleuths Henrietta "Hank" Wells and Michael Devon, whose relationship is coyly made vague and in my opinion falls short of intriguing. Describing the holding of a book "as if I were holding the hand of her only daughter and leaving for some motel where I intended to take her virginity that very night," for example.

Another problem I found with this e-book was the volume of typos. I appreciate having gotten the opportunity to read this ARC from Black Rose and NetGalley, and have forwarded them a list of glitches I found.

Dan Scannell’s novel is a nicely conjured period piece, moving back and forward between the present day and the tumultuous upheaval of 1500s England and France. Michael Devon and his friend Henrietta ‘Hank’ Wells discover a diary supposedly written by the youngest son of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey who was executed under the reign of Henry VIII. The diary recounts events as the child – also called Henry – has escaped England and is living among a group of like-minded intellectuals in Paris.

The book is a nice mix of fictional characters and real-life historical figures, including Nostradamus, King Henry II of France and, of course, Henry Howard himself. The novel’s framing narrative touches on the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays, with the figure of Howard being suggested as the real author of the works we now know. There is abundant use of Shakespearean language and plots sprinkled throughout the book, and fans of both literary and historical novels should enjoy the allusions and the story of the awakening of Henry Howard’s poetic awareness. The plot rattles along with all the gusto of a Dumas novel – with love plots, jousts, dastardly knights and sword fights all thrown into the mix.

I enjoyed the book, and though it is quite short the pages vividly bring to life 1550s Paris. The book is well researched and for fans of historical novels, or fans of the Dan Brown school of codes and conspiracies, this should appeal.

I loved this book not only for a fascinating story, but for the pure beauty of the language, pacing and phrasing.