Mary's Reviews > The Wolves of Andover

“Oh fer Christ's bloody sake Martha I didna' raise ye to be well regarded. To be liked. Any puny weak-waisted slut can be liked. I raised ye to be reckoned with.”

Colonial Massachusetts. Martha Allen is sent to her cousin's home to earn her keep. Hers is a life of drudgery, hardwork and disappointments, but she is strong-willed and sharp-tongued, and she catches the eye of Thomas Carrier, the family's hired labourer. Thomas is a handsome Welshman, known for his silent strength and rumoured to have played a pivotal role in the assassination of King Charles I. The new king, Charles II, wants to avenge his father's murder: a painful public death for the regicide, and he sends a group of assassins to the colonies to find Thomas...

I listened to the audio version of this book, and the narrator was very good. Martha is a great character, bold and defiant, but she still seemed authentic for the time period. I enjoyed the slow-developing relationship between Martha and Thomas, but otherwise I found the story a little slow. My mind wandered, especially during the info dump on Cromwell's Army and Thomas's role in the English Civil war. Given that this book is a prequel, I wonder if it would have had more impact had I already read The Heretic's Daughter?