by Jo Harkin
First published 2025
John Collan worries about dodging the village devil goat when fetching water. Then a London stranger arrives with news that shatters his world. John is not Will Collan's son but the child of the Duke of Clarence, hidden in the countryside to escape Richard III's murderous reach. Whisked from his humble life to Oxford for royal education, John becomes Lambert Simnel, claimant to the throne. His handlers send him to Burgundy to learn court manners, then to Ireland where he meets Joan. She is the sharp-witted daughter of his Irish patrons, blessed with political cunning and occasional homicidal impulses. Joan faces two futures: marriage or the convent. Lambert's choices are equally stark: crown or death in battle. Their partnership will reshape England's royal destiny. At age ten, Lambert is crowned King Edward the Sixth. His path leads to the 1487 Yorkist rebellion and an unexpected fate as Henry VII's court spy.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, coming-of-age, biographical-fiction, young-adult-historical-fiction, historical-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, character-driven, dramatic, intricate, suspenseful
Tropes: chosen-one, enemies-to-lovers, fake-identity, fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: England, London, Oxford, Burgundy, Ireland
Period: 1487, 15th century, Tudor period
496 pages · Paperback · Vintage
Content warnings: murder, violence, war