THE SPYMASTERS DAUGHTER is an intriguing mix of fact and fiction giving insights to the world during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

The Queen's spymaster is Sir Francis Walsingham who has assembled an intelligence-gathering network in service to her majesty Queen Elizabeth I. His only daughter, Lady Frances Sidney, is unhappily married and wants to work with her father's network. But, she's a female and in these Elizabethan days they do not become spies. With her wit and fiery nature she does manage to become one of the queen's ladies-in-waiting, and in doing so secretly begins the work she longs to do. She decodes messages between followers of Mary Queen of Scots, proving herself to her father's spies and beginning her days of secrets and intrigue.

Unfortunately for Frances she attracts the attention of two men, her lowborn servant Robert Pauley and Robert Devereaux, the Earl of Essex, though she is still married to poet Sir Phillip Sidney. And even when she is widowed after her husband's heroic actions in Holland, the Queen refuses to allow her to marry either man. Robert is beneath her status as a hero's widow and Essex, belongs to the Queen. Essex and her father plan for them to marry, sealing his fate as he later faces the Queen's anger.

I found THE SPYMASTERS DAUGHTER a very interesting book with its historical facts intermingled with fiction. Women and children during this time period were known to have little say in their futures and were more often than not bartered to add to the family wealth. The author took the true facts of Sir Francis Walsingham who was considered the greatest spymaster in Tudor England and he did have a daughter who was indeed married to the poet Phillip Sidney and Earl of Essex. Historians considered Frances only a shadow behind her illustrious father and gave little play to the spying that she is shown to do in the book. Ms. Westin simply questioned "what if" and came up with a very appealing storyline. With the fictional turn she was able to allow Frances many moments of happiness and the ending that fiction romance readers need.