I just The Aviary Gate by Katie Hickman. It's more fiction than history. The most prominent real historical figure is Paul Pindar, a wealthy merchant and later ambassador to Turkey in the early 17th century.

The author uses parallel time periods to tell 2 romantic tales, which she attempts - unsuccessfully, IMO - to connect. You suspect there's a connection, but she never quite carries it off. It's too dependent on reading the last sentence of the book.

The romance involving Pindar is entirely a product of the author's imagination as is the modern-day romance. Elizabeth, the 21st century gal, conducts research on a16th century harem slave. As she pieces together the story of what happened to Celia, the reader travels back to 1599 and witnesses the events that happen to Celia.

There's mystery and intrigue, but barely a plot. The last 50 pages of the book were the most interesting.

I'd rate it 3/5 stars because it's at least as good as Plain Jane by Lauren Gardner, which I thought lacked umph. It's not a complete waste of time, but it's not a book I would put at the top of my TBR list. Nor would I recommend paying for it.

I hope this helps those who are interested. Just fyi, here are the reviews on HF.org for Aviary Gate and Plain Jane.

Thanks for your synopsis of the book.  It's always nice to see what other people think of a book you are interested in reading or have read.

I just got this book and am looking forward to reading it. :)

I have the book on my wishlist:)