The Fallen Angel
From the author of Sunday Times bestseller The Stolen Crown (May 2025)
Published on 5. November 2020
Book
Hardback
480 pages
978-1-4736-6253-7 (ISBN)
Description
'An outstanding page-turner . . . historical fiction at its absolute best' - Alison Weir
'An engaging heroine . . . and Borman's depiction of Villiers, with all his ruthless charisma, is striking' - The Sunday Times
_____________________________________________
Frances Gorges seems destined to be happy at last.
King James has apparently lost his appetite for hunting witches, so the medical skills and herbal knowledge that saw Frances accused of witchcraft no longer seem to hang over her like a death sentence. The King would rather be hunting stag and boar - and Frances's beloved husband Thomas is firmly established in the royal household as the Master of Buckhounds. Their family is growing and their estates are secure.
But life at court is never without intrigue, jealousy and danger for long, and a new arrival turns the world upside down.
George Villiers is a young man with the face of an angel - and as his many enemies are about to discover, the cunning heart of a devil.
Soon James is totally in thrall to this charismatic new lover. All the King's former favourites are crushed by Villiers' lies and ruthless scheming. Thomas's life is made a misery and Frances is back under suspicion as Villiers - rapidly made the Earl of Buckingham - moves to secure the hand and fortune of her friend Katherine Manners.
Appalled at the courtier's greed and ambition and the King's weakness and lust, Frances finds herself drawn back towards her old friend Sir Walter Raleigh and his last, desperate plot to see a Catholic monarch on the throne. And then her troubles really begin...
The Fallen Angel is a standalone novel of thrilling power and emotional drama. It is also the concluding volume in the King's Witch trilogy, establishing Tracy Borman as one of our leading writers of historical fiction.
***PRE-ORDER THE HOUSE OF BOLEYN NOW! ***
'Unexpected twists and turns with every page . . . masterfully crafted' - Nicola Tallis
'Lots of fascinating detail and insight into James's backstabbing court . . . enjoyable' - The Times
'Lush, wholly convincing and utterly gripping. Fact and fiction have rarely been blent so seamlessly' - Sarah Gristwood
'An engaging heroine . . . and Borman's depiction of Villiers, with all his ruthless charisma, is striking' - The Sunday Times
_____________________________________________
Frances Gorges seems destined to be happy at last.
King James has apparently lost his appetite for hunting witches, so the medical skills and herbal knowledge that saw Frances accused of witchcraft no longer seem to hang over her like a death sentence. The King would rather be hunting stag and boar - and Frances's beloved husband Thomas is firmly established in the royal household as the Master of Buckhounds. Their family is growing and their estates are secure.
But life at court is never without intrigue, jealousy and danger for long, and a new arrival turns the world upside down.
George Villiers is a young man with the face of an angel - and as his many enemies are about to discover, the cunning heart of a devil.
Soon James is totally in thrall to this charismatic new lover. All the King's former favourites are crushed by Villiers' lies and ruthless scheming. Thomas's life is made a misery and Frances is back under suspicion as Villiers - rapidly made the Earl of Buckingham - moves to secure the hand and fortune of her friend Katherine Manners.
Appalled at the courtier's greed and ambition and the King's weakness and lust, Frances finds herself drawn back towards her old friend Sir Walter Raleigh and his last, desperate plot to see a Catholic monarch on the throne. And then her troubles really begin...
The Fallen Angel is a standalone novel of thrilling power and emotional drama. It is also the concluding volume in the King's Witch trilogy, establishing Tracy Borman as one of our leading writers of historical fiction.
***PRE-ORDER THE HOUSE OF BOLEYN NOW! ***
'Unexpected twists and turns with every page . . . masterfully crafted' - Nicola Tallis
'Lots of fascinating detail and insight into James's backstabbing court . . . enjoyable' - The Times
'Lush, wholly convincing and utterly gripping. Fact and fiction have rarely been blent so seamlessly' - Sarah Gristwood
Reviews / Votes
Once again, Tracy Borman has given us an outstanding page-turner, a stunning novel of the corrupt and dangerous Jacobean court, in which a courageous heroine pits her wits against a very nasty and determined villain. This is historical fiction at its absolute best. A fitting end to a fabulous trilogy! * Alison Weir * Brings unexpected twists and turns with every page, leaving readers in no doubt that Tracy Borman is the mistress of intrigue and suspense as she brings the schemings and power struggles of the Jacobean court vividly to life. With a masterfully crafted plot that keeps readers enthralled until the very end, Borman's meticulous art for storytelling is unbeatable. A truly stunning narrative that's pure gold for lovers of historical fiction * Nicola Tallis * George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham, swaggers onto centre stage in the concluding part of Tracy Borman's Frances Gorges trilogy... lots of fascinating detail and insight into James's backstabbing court... an enjoyable read * The Times * Frances remains an engaging heroine and Borman's depiction of Villiers, with all his ruthless charisma, is striking * The Sunday Times * Tracy Borman's The Fallen Angel is the third in her trilogy of novels set in the compelling, claustrophobic, world of the Jacobean court, where her heroine, herbalist Frances Gorges, is in danger of falling foul of James I's witchcraft laws. As a serious historian and Joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces, Borman might easily have been mired in the records. Instead she uses them to invent an utterly compelling alternative reality. It's lush, wholly convincing and utterly gripping. Fact and fiction have rarely been blent so seamlessly * Sarah Gristwood *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 44 mm
Weight
712 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4736-6253-7 (9781473662537)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
11/2020
1st Edition
Hodder & Stoughton
€5.49
Available for download
Person
Tracy Borman OBE is Chief Historian at Historic Royal Palaces and Chief Executive of the Heritage Education Trust. She studied and taught history at the University of Hull.
Tracy is the author of a number of highly acclaimed books including Crown & Sceptre, Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty, Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, Matilda: Wife of the Conqueror, First Queen of England, Elizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen and Witches: A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal and Seduction. Tracy is also a regular broadcaster and public speaker, giving talks on her books across the UK and abroad.
Follow Tracy on Twitter @TracyBorman
Tracy is the author of a number of highly acclaimed books including Crown & Sceptre, Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty, Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, Matilda: Wife of the Conqueror, First Queen of England, Elizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen and Witches: A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal and Seduction. Tracy is also a regular broadcaster and public speaker, giving talks on her books across the UK and abroad.
Follow Tracy on Twitter @TracyBorman