It is good to get a novel about the 17th century, which is surely the least written about century in the last thousand years. So much happened then too — and most of it gets told in these three books.  They aren’t large books either, but I invariably prefer quality to quantity and there is certainly true quality here as well as a quantity of adventures, which is the best of both for a novel.  Bessie tells the story, and she comes over very much as a woman of her time, getting under the skin of what it must have been like to have lived through such a significant period.  The other people in the book and their exploits have that all-important ring of authenticity about them too, making this very much a realistic book.   More from this author soon please — being able to spin the dross of history into the gold of story is not a common talent despite the wealth of historical fiction available.