When Peggy is kicked out of her uncle’s house because she refuses to marry the man her uncle wants her to, she is thrown into a world of the royal court and espionage. The mysterious man who claims to know her father asks her to play the part of Lady Francesca at Hampton Court. Peggy has to find the information that her new benefactors want, but uncovering what happened to Lady Francesca could be a matter of life or death for her as she starts to uncover the Jacobite plot to change who rules England. During her time at court she starts to fall in love and discover things about court and the people there who could not only change her life but the future of her country. With spies around every corner, it is hard to know who to trust, but she manages to uncover what happened to Francesca and who are the major spies in the court.

Several of the characters are ridiculous: the uncle throwing her out without much of an explanation of why, people knowing that Peggy is not who she says she is but don’t say anything about it, a character who knows who Peggy is right away even though he was not as familiar with the real Francesca as other characters were, and the murderer’s motive being ego more than anything else. The sexual assault scene is disturbing and unnecessary; there were many other ways Peggy could have started the life of a spy, and she doesn’t react the way someone would after becoming homeless and sexually assaulted within a few short hours. The romance is also underdeveloped with very few conversations before the characters decide that they are in love. There are good parts of the story. It is written in a fun, engaging way and the historical details are interesting, but the weaknesses of the book make it hard to enjoy the parts that are good. ( )

After orphaned Peggy Fitzroy is assaulted by her betrothed and then thrown out of her uncle's house, she accepts the offer of Mr. Tinderflint to pose as a lady in waiting. Once in the palace, Peggy's curiosity regarding the original Lady Francesca grows and she finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy. She will need all her wits about her to prevent disaster from happening.

Peggy was an interesting character to follow. She showed bravery in the face of assault and defended herself however she was able to do so. She spoke up to defend herself when she was expected to be submissive and continue her betrothal to the man who attacked her. She had doubts about the course she had chosen and did her best to do all she could to learn the truth.

At times, the plot was a little bit complicated and difficult to follow. This was especially the case toward the end when Peggy has a sudden revelation as to how the pieces fit together. There is a mystery concerning the whereabouts of Peggy's father that I believe will be explored in the sequels.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. Fans of historical YA books with adventure and intrigue will definitely enjoy this one. ( )

Enjoyable except for the language that popped up in a few places at the end. Not for younger readers- contains murder, attempted rape, and innuendoes. For all that, it is not a serious book and has a lot of humor. ( )

An orphan of good breeding is forced into impersonating a lady-in-waiting in King George I’s royal court. At first Peggy can’t believe her good luck, but as time goes on she begins to suspect that the person she is impersonating may have been murdered and she may be next!

I would like to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group
& NetGalley for granting me a copy of this e-book to read in exchange for an honest review. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review.

Goodreads Teaser:
"A warning to all young ladies of delicate breeding who wish to embark upon lives of adventure: Don't.

Sixteen-year-old Peggy is a well-bred orphan who is coerced into posing as a lady in waiting at the palace of King George I. Life is grand, until Peggy starts to suspect that the girl she's impersonating might have been murdered. Unless Peggy can discover the truth, she might be doomed to the same terrible fate. But in a court of shadows and intrigue, anyone could be a spy—perhaps even the handsome young artist with whom Peggy is falling in love...

History and mystery spark in this effervescent series debut."

Peggy is an outspoken orphan who often seems more of a contemporary girl than she does a well-bred & properly reared young woman from King George I's time. Yet that may be what gives her the ability and backbone to standup for herself when things go awry.

What should have been the best news of her life, at the time, turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. It is this situation in particular that I really struggled with, both her attitude and beliefs about proper marriageable age. But once I stepped past that the story really began to move for me. The pacing of the story is fairly well done, with few slow spots, and no spots that felt rushed.

I liked Peggy, but I wish she were a bit more mentally consistent. The discord between a young woman who refers to the power men hold over women as a mathematical equation and one who was well reared and yet oblivious to the rather clear motivations of some of the key players in her life is rather jarring. Yet her lack of attention could likely be proscribed to the fact that she's busy living one massive lie, one that could end not only her life but the lives of those she's entered into this mad scheme with, and quite possibly innocents caught up in something they know nothing about.

While there are other semi-major characters, the story is told via Peggy's voice thoughts. This means that everyone else is introduced as they relate to Peggy, and are painted with her perception of each. They consist of the usual assortment of protagonists and antagonists, with some changing roles several times before all is said and done. But then, as the first book in a series, is anything really 'done?'

I'm hoping that now the story is set-up we will see more depth and detail in some of the other characters, as too often situations were introduced and then abandoned, with no solution or conclusion supplied. One character I'd certainly like to learn more about is Peggy's somewhat brash, and certainly creative, cousin Olivia. The person Peggy used as a model to get herself through some of her more challenging situations. So what made Olivia the smart, strong-willed young woman that she so clearly is? It is things such as this that I find myself hoping to learn more about in the coming sequel. ( )