A Divided Inheritance by Deborah Swift

A family divided by fortune. A country divided by faith.
London 1609...

Elspet Leviston’s greatest ambition is to continue the success of her father Nathaniel’s lace business. But her dreams are thrown into turmoil with the arrival of her mysterious cousin Zachary Deane – who has his own designs on Leviston’s Lace.

Zachary is a dedicated swordsman with a secret past that seems to invite trouble. So Nathaniel sends him on a Grand Tour, away from the distractions of Jacobean London. Elspet believes herself to be free of her hot-headed relative but when Nathaniel dies her fortunes change dramatically. She is forced to leave her beloved home and go in search of Zachary - determined to claim back from him the inheritance that is rightfully hers.

Under the searing Spanish sun, Elspet and Zachary become locked in a battle of wills. But these are dangerous times and they are soon embroiled in the roar and sweep of something far more threatening, sending them both on an unexpected journey of discovery which finally unlocks the true meaning of family . . 

A Divided Inheritance is a breathtaking adventure set in London just after the Gunpowder Plot and in the bustling courtyards of Golden Age Seville.

Paperback

Published October 24th 2013 by Pan MacMillan
source - personal library
**** 

Deborah Swift has once again delivered another wonderful novel.  Full of rich details that shows her knowledge and the amount of research that she did for this book.

This book comes in at just over 500 pages and it was a pleasure to read.  I love big books, but sometimes they run the risk of  being too wordy with unnecessary and repetitive information.  This was definitely not the case with A Divided Inheritance, to grasp the full story, looking at it from all sides it was the perfect length.

The author has shown her nack for details.  From lace making, sword play, English customs, Spanish customs to the religious conflicts in both England and Spain. It was also about relationships, trust, bonds and commitments (just to name a few).  It was very interesting to follow Elspet and Zachary's journey and to see where life was taking them and to see them change.

 I loved how every once in a while a little sentence or phase would pop up that left me scratching my head wonder, what? really? thinking that I can't wait to see where that leads. Meaning I had a couple late nighters.

This was a well written story that grabbed me right from the beginning and didn't let go till that last page was turned.  This book will appeal to those that love historical fiction royal free.