The Troubadour's Tale

I love this series. This book is about Nicholas and his family and friends traveling to spend Christmas with his family in the countryside. Of course Nicholas gets himself involved in other people's problems again, this time as a result of his friendship with Peter Winchingham, the merchant he met in book four. Peter's daughter has hired troubadours who are secretly spies.

I'm not a student of history, just a reader of historical fiction, but I do like games. These troubadours have a lot in common with bards from RPGs, which is pretty great.

Nicholas's relationship with Emma moves forward a bit, and they kiss for the first time, but he still isn't sure if he should be with her. She definitely seems to be part of Nicholas's family here.

There is a surprise at the climax of the story, which I didn't see coming at all. I don't even want to hint at it, but it made me laugh out loud.

Overall this is quite a cozy installment of the series, with a lot of nice domestic details. I look forward to the next book.