What if Shakespeare’s plays were written by women? This is D. J. Nix’s premise, only he credits a team of three female protagonists in the novel: a countess, Mary Herbert; a courtesan and musician Emelia Bassano; and a seamstress, Jane Daggett. Unfortunately for them, their secret meetings to discuss their writings have roused the suspicions of a court spy for Queen Elizabeth, John Harwood. He intercepts their missives and believes they are plotting against the Queen. Will Shakespeare plays himself as an actor in the Queen’s Men theater troupe, and is given credit for writing original sonnets, as a dose of irony. An enjoyable read for historical fiction fans of Elizabethan England…