The Tsar's Locket: A Novel($16.95Value)

Description

1581. Julian Blunt , a despised Catholic, is stunned when Queen Elizabeth challenges him to deliver a secret betrothal locket to Ivan the Terrible. It’s a marriage to the queen’s niece the Russian tsar desires, a marriage that will strengthen his armies in his war against Sweden and Poland. Julian joins the queen's messenger, the spirited Jessandra Calcross , in a perilous voyage across the Baltic Sea. Stalked by a papal assassin determined to prevent the engagement, Julian is torn between fulfilling his vow to the queen and abandoning his mission to better safeguard Jess. If he fails the queen, he'll never captain a ship again, but if he and Jess continue on to Moscow, they face darker perils in the deadly assassin and the sinister Tsar Ivan. Ken Czech has penned an interesting novel based on the real story of Tsar Ivan's interest in marrying Lady Mary Hastings, including a request for her portrait. Fictional characters and events are created brilliantly to fill in the unknown details. The inclusion of romance in the plot adds to the appeal. The well-placed conflict faced by the characters holds our attention up to the ending. The details and descriptions of the difficult sea voyage and the arduous land journey through northern Russia in wintery conditions are well narrated. Historical information about the war between Russia, Poland, and other European nations and the overall political situation is built into the storyline. The vivid descriptions of the European cities, including Moscow and the Tsar's palace, transport us to that era. An exciting and informative novel. Highly recommended. - Waheed Rabbani for Historical Novels Review. The historical backdrop to the tale is fleshed out with gorgeous details and cinematic style descriptive work, enabling author Ken Czech to show off some real knowledge and a true sense of atmosphere about the period. Add to this the real excitement of a perilous journey across the sea, well-developed villains, a political versus religious thematic arc and some authentic yet accessible dialogue, and you have a truly excellent novel that readers will simply devour. -- K. C. Finn, author of the Caesilius Rex series Between every nook, crack, and cranny, Blunt and his team make a way forward, overcoming impossible odds again and again until, at last, he achieves the goal he never thought he would grasp again: love that nearly surpasses the happiness of memory. -- Stephen Matlock , author of River of Dreams The descriptive narrative was superb. I literally felt transported into the 16th century. There were twists and turns throughout but the climactic twist at the end really caught me off guard. If you love a really good story with action, suspense and romance then I recommend this novel. -- Lesley Jones,author of the Carnage series Author Ken Czech combines his knowledge of real events with Tsar Ivan the Terrible, adds a dangerous voyage across the sea, assassins, a political versus religious agenda, and you have a must-read novel. -- HubPages