About The Best of Men
'A riveting historical thriller [that] emphasizes betrayals, prophecies and blue-blooded lust, giving this tale a human dimension… Intriguing and fast-paced."
- Winnipeg Free Press
'A wonderfully attractive main character… The plot will ensnare you."
- Globe and Mail
"A decade in the making, The Best Men is an ambitious and scrupulously researched first novel... Laurence, the 17th-century smart aleck, is a character with enough charm to warrant a repeat performance…"
- Quill & Quire
Reviews
"A fair warning to those who may pick up Claire Letemendia’s The Licence of War: It likely helps if you’ve read her 2010 debut The Best of Men, which introduced her gadabout protagonist Laurence Beaumont spying-about-town in 17th-century England... but that tension dissipated quickly once I realized how much fun I was having reading of Beaumont’s newest exploits... Letemendia has a tremendous sense of pace, all too necessary in light of how much story she packs into The Licence of War... Also working in Letemendia’s favour is how she creates indelible characters through the right touch of description and action without overdoing the research. Her 1643 thrums with life, animated by vibrant prose instead of being deadened by its leaden opposite..."
- National Post Books Blog
"Five years after the release of her first novel, The Best of Men, Claire Letemendia resumes the story of the dashing Laurence Beaumont's political and romantic intrigues... Letemendia's crisp, polished writing and ability to tightly weave together multiple storylines while maintaining a steady pace carry the reader through occasionally dense passages of battle description. The author's fascination with the history of the English Civil War is evident, as is her affection for her hero."
- Quill & Quire
About The Licence of War
"This is quite a tome at just under 600 pages, but it turns out to be a quick and brilliant read. Laurence Beaumont, impetuous and cynical renegade son of a nobleman, is recruited by the egregious Lord Digby as a royalist spy... Letemendia vividly evokes the dirt and tumult of 17th-century London and Oxford. Best of all, she leaves Laurence Beaumont to fight another day. I can’t wait for the third instalment of this skilfully written series."
-Editor's Choice, The Historical Novel Society
"If quantity alone was the measure of a good book then this second story centred on Civil War Royalist spy Laurence Beaumont would be well up the rankings in the Top Ten of historical fiction. It is not, however, quantity but quality that counts which is why this book still deserves such a position... The author drives her story through in the way a good rider will handle a horse... This is an amazing blend of history and fiction that will stand out in the genre for years to come."
-robinsreviews