Review: Hawker and the King's Jewel by Ethan Bale

Synopsis: Three outlaw knights. Three secrets. One last mission.

August 1485. The eve of the Battle of Bosworth. King Richard III summons his loyal and grizzled retainer, Sir John Hawker, and charges him with one final mission. After the battle, he must return a priceless ruby – one of the mysterious Tears of Byzantium – to its giver, the Doge of Venice. Richard believes the jewel has brought ill luck to his family, and wants rid of it before anything else can go wrong. Hawker is also sworn to protect Richard’s newly knighted bastard son, an arrogant youth unaware of his true parentage. But Richard’s commands are overheard by a Tudor spy.

When the king falls in battle, Hawker, his royal bastard, and another “lost” knight make common cause and flee the field with Tudor agents in hot pursuit of both the ruby and the potential Plantagenet heir. Not knowing who to trust and with England falling under the grip of Henry VII, Hawker and his small Yorkist band take the only course left open: Venice, with all its conspiracies – and the love Hawker left behind there...

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Mercenary veteran Sir John Hawker escapes the bloody battlefield of Bosworth, charged by the late King Richard III, to return a jewel, previously held in possession of the Yorkists' kings, to the Doge of Venice. The pathway from Bosworth to Venice, unfortunately is never easy - the compass does not always point north. And along the way, the motley group of exiles and spies are beset by drama and betrayal. Their quest is hardly the secret they think it is, as enemies and allies alike want the jewel for themselves and their own purposes.

This first in a series gets off to a great start, as the main characters establish themselves across the pages. Bale provides plenty of historical detail that conveys the reader along on the journey. The reality of these perilous times is evident - Bale has done his due diligence.

I am looking forward to the next in this series.

Read in 2022