Dawnlands is book three in Gregory’s ‘Fairmile’ series. It can be read as a stand-alone, but I do recommend reading the previous two for a fuller picture and better experience.

It’s the late 1600s England – a time of English civil war. King Charles II has died without an heir. James II, a Stuart, is now King, but his crown is far from safe. Families are divided as to who is the rightful heir to the crown, a Catholic or a Protestant. Queen Mary is fighting to retain her crown.

The story focuses on the same characters of the previous books in the series: Alinor, a herbalist, now a grandmother who still harbours lofty ambitions; Alinor’s brother, Ned, who is desperate to overthrow the King; Alinor’s son, Rob, who seeks to save Ned from execution; the villainous Livia Avery, who is close to the Queen. We also meet Rowan, a Native American who posed as a boy when enslaved and brought to England. She longs for freedom, but finds herself in another strange land among the plantations of Barbados.

Unlike Gregory’s popular ‘Tudor’ era books, which focus on wealthy royals, here in ‘Fairmile’ we hear from the lower classes and their real struggles for a better life. These characters’ personal ambitions are mixed with their political scheming as they jostle for position. The different storylines told from their various points of view are interlaced in the main plot.

This book is rich and heavy on details. It is a little slow in parts and at times I found it hard to follow some of the subplots. But Gregory’s wonderful descriptive prose kept me immersed in the story.

Reviewed by Amanda Kercher-Hack