Tanzanite's Castle Full of Books

After the French king is captured in battle, the secret deal struck for the jewel’s return is in jeopardy—and French agents in London are taking matters into their own hands. But the powerful Duke of Norfolk has caught wind of the secret deal and sees the planned theft as an opportunity to rid himself of a hated rival at court—even if it means plunging England into an unwinnable war with France.

As Susanna and John Parker desperately search for the jewel, trying to stay one step ahead of the French, they're swept into a power struggle with men who will crush any obstacle to get what they want. And with the fate of Henry's kingship in the balance, they must figure out who Henry's true enemies are—before it's too late.



Sarai by Jill Eileen Smith.  UK release April 20, 2012.

Sarai, the last child of her aged father, is beautiful, spoiled, and used to getting her own way. Even as a young girl, she is aware of the way men look at her, including her half brother Abram. When Abram finally requests Sarai's hand, she asks one thing - that he promise never to take another wife as long as she lives. Even her father thinks the demand is restrictive and agrees to the union only if Sarai makes a promise in return - to give Abram a son and heir. Certain she can easily do that, Sarai agrees.

But as the years stretch on and Sarai's womb remains empty, she becomes desperate to fulfil her end of the bargain - lest Abram decide that he will not fulfil his. To what lengths will Sarai go in her quest to bear a son? And how long will Abram's patience last? Jill Eileen Smith thrilled readers with "The Wives of King David" series. Now she brings to life the strong and celebrated wives of the patriarchs, beginning with the beautiful and inscrutable Sarai.

 
 
Four Sisters, All Queens by Sherry Jones.  US and UK release May 8, 2012. (cover subject to change)
 
When Beatrice of Savoy, countess of Provence, sends her four beautiful, accomplished daughters to become queens, she admonishes them: Family comes first. As a result, the daughters—Marguerite, queen of France; Eleanor, queen of England; Sanchia, queen of Germany; and Beatrice, queen of Sicily—work not only to expand their husbands’ empires and broker peace between nations, but also to bring the House of Savoy to greater power and influence than before. Their father’s death, however, tears the sisters apart, pitting them against one another for the legacy each believes rightfully hers—Provence itself.


Told from alternating points of view of all four queens, and set in the tumultuous thirteenth century, this is a tale of greed, lust, ambition, and sibling rivalry on a royal scale, exploring the meaning of true power and bringing to life four of the most celebrated women of their time—each of whom had an impact on the history of Europe.

The Queen's Gamble by Barbara Kyle.  US and UK release August 30, 2011.

Isabel Thornleigh has returned to London from the New World with her Spanish husband, Carlos Valverde, and their young son. Ever the queen's loyal servant, Isabel is recruited to smuggle money to the Scottish rebels. Yet Elizabeth's trust only goes so far—Isabel's son will be the queen's pampered hostage until she completes her mission. Matters grow worse when Isabel's husband is engaged as military advisor to the French, putting the couple on opposite sides in a deadly cold war.

Set against a lush, vibrant backdrop peopled with unforgettable characters and historical figures, The Queen's Gamble is a story of courage, greed, passion, and the high price of loyalty. . .



Leningrad:  The Epic Siege of World War II by Anna Reid.  Non-fiction.  US release August 30, 2011 (will be released in the UK on September 5, 2011). 
On September 8, 1941, eleven weeks after Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, his brutal surprise attack on the Soviet Union, Leningrad was surrounded. The siege was not lifted for two and a half years, by which time some three quarters of a million Leningraders had died of starvation.


Anna Reid's Leningrad is a gripping, authoritative narrative history of this dramatic moment in the twentieth century, interwoven with indelible personal accounts of daily siege life drawn from diarists on both sides. They reveal the Nazis' deliberate decision to starve Leningrad into surrender and Hitler's messianic miscalculation, the incompetence and cruelty of the Soviet war leadership, the horrors experienced by soldiers on the front lines, and, above all, the terrible details of life in the blockaded city: the relentless search for food and water; the withering of emotions and family ties; looting, murder, and cannibalism- and at the same time, extraordinary bravery and self-sacrifice.

Stripping away decades of Soviet propaganda, and drawing on newly available diaries and government records, Leningrad also tackles a raft of unanswered questions: Was the size of the death toll as much the fault of Stalin as of Hitler? Why didn't the Germans capture the city? Why didn't it collapse into anarchy? What decided who lived and who died? Impressive in its originality and literary style, Leningrad gives voice to the dead and will rival Anthony Beevor's classic Stalingrad in its impact.



Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick.  US release September 1, 2011 (released in the UK in June 2011).

Matilda, daughter of Henry I, knows that there are those who will not accept her as England's queen when her father dies. But the men who support her rival Stephen do not know the iron will that drives her.


Adeliza, Henry's widowed queen and Matilda's stepmother, is now married to a warrior who fights to keep Matilda off the throne. But Adeliza, born with a strength that can sustain her through heartrending pain, knows that the crown belongs to a woman this time.

In the anarchy, in a world where a man's word is law, how can Adeliza obey her husband while supporting Matilda?

How long can Matilda fight for the throne that she has struggled so bitterly to win?




The Elizabethans by A.N. Wilson.  Non-fiction.  UK release September 1, 2011.

With all the panoramic sweep of his bestselling study The Victorians, A. N. Wilson relates the exhilarating story of the Elizabethan Age. It was a time of exceptional creativity, wealth creation and political expansion.


It was also a period of English history more remarkable than any other for the technicolour personalities of its leading participants.

Apart from the complex character of the Virgin Queen herself, we follow the story of Francis Drake and political intriguers like William Cecil and Francis Walsingham, so important to a monarch who often made a key strategy out of her indecisiveness. Favourites like Leicester and Essex skated very close to the edge as far as Elizabeth’s affections were concerned, and Essex made a big mistake when he led a rebellion against the crown.

There was a Renaissance during this period in the world of words, which included the all-round hero and literary genius, Sir Philip Sidney, playwright-spy Christopher Marlowe and that ‘myriad-minded man’, William Shakespeare.

Life in Elizabethan England could be very harsh. Plague swept the land. And the poor received little assistance from the State. Thumbscrews and the rack could be the grim prelude to the executioner’s block. But crucially, this was the age when modern Britain was born, and established independence from mainland Europe. After Sir Walter Raleigh established the colony of Virginia, English was destined to become the language of the great globe itself, and the the foundations were laid not only of later British imperial power but also of American domination of the world.

With The Elizabethans, Wilson reveals himself again as the master of the definitive, single-volume study.



The Kings That Made Britain by Derek Wilson.  Non-fiction.  UK release September 1, 2011.

Plantagenet is the name given to the English royal house descended from the union of Queen Matilda of England and her second husband Geoffrey of Anjou. The name derived from Geoffrey's nickname, which came from the sprig of broom (planta genet) which he wore in his hat. The Plantagenets ruled England for more than three hundred years, from the accession of reign of the dynasty's founder, Matilda and Geoffrey's son, Henry II, in 1154, to the death of the last Plantagenet, Richard III, at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.


The Plantagenets: The Kings That Made Britain is a compelling, year-by-year chronology of a tumultuous and critical period in the development of the English nation. Each year is covered by a concise, informative and accessible narrative, amplified by extensive quotation from contemporary sources and accompanied by generously captioned and stunning images of the period - including illuminations, portraits, maps, royal seals, tapestries and other artefacts.

Authoritative, informative and sumptuous, and compiled by a scholar who is steeped in knowledge of the period, The Plantagenets: The Kings That Made Britain brings a critical era of English history dramatically and vividly to life. It is the perfect gift book for anyone with a love of, or fascination for, medieval English history.



Matilda:  Queen of the Conqueror by Tracy Borman.  Non-fiction.  UK release September 1, 2011.

Matilda, wife of William the Conqueror, was the first woman to be crowned Queen of England and formally recognised as such by her subjects. Beyond this, though, little is known of her life. No contemporary images of her remain, and in a period where all evidence is fragmentary and questionable, the chroniclers of the age left us only the faintest clues as to her life. So who was this spectral queen?


In this first major biography, Tracy Borman elegantly sifts through the shards of evidence to uncover an extraordinary story. In a dangerous, brutal world of conquest and rebellion, fragile alliances and bitter familial rivalries, Matilda possessed all the attributes required for a woman to thrive. She was born of impeccable lineage, and possessed of a loving and pious nature, she was a paragon of fidelity and motherhood. But strength, intelligence and ambition were also prerequisites to survive in such an environment. This side of her character, coupled with a fiercely independent nature, made Matilda essential to William’s rule, giving her unparalleled influence over the king. While this would provide an inspiring template for future indomitable queens, it led eventually to treachery, revolt and the fracturing of a dynasty.

Characterised by Tracy Borman’s graceful storytelling, Matilda: Queen of the Conqueror takes us from the courts of Flanders and Normandy to the opulence of royal life in England. Alive with intrigue, rumour and betrayal, it illuminates for the first time the life of an exceptional, brave and complex queen pivotal to the history of England.



The Swerve:  How the Renaissance Began by Stephen Greenblatt.  Non-fiction. UK release September 1, 2011 (will be released in the US later in September 2011).

One of the world’s most celebrated scholars, Stephen Greenblatt has crafted both an innovative work of history and a thrilling story of discovery, in which one manuscript, plucked from a thousand years of neglect, changed the course of human thought and made possible the world as we know it.


Nearly six hundred years ago, a short, genial, cannily alert man in his late 30s took a very old manuscript off a library shelf, saw with excitement what he had discovered, and ordered that it be copied. The book was the last surviving manuscript of an ancient Roman philosophical epic, “On the Nature of Things,” by Lucretius -- a thrillingly beautiful poem of the most dangerous ideas: that the universe functioned without the aid of gods, that religious fear was damaging to human life, and that matter was made up of very small particles in eternal motion.

The copying and translation of this ancient book, the greatest discovery of the greatest book-hunter of his age, fueled the Renaissance, inspiring artists such as Botticelli and thinkers such as Giordano Bruno; shaped the thought of Galileo and Freud, Darwin and Einstein; and had revolutionary influence on writers from Montaigne to Thomas Jefferson.



Foundation:  A History of England by Peter Ackroyd.  Non-fiction.  UK release September 2, 2011.

Having written enthralling biographies of London and of its great river, the Thames, Peter Ackroyd now turns to England itself. This first volume of six takes us from the time that England was first settled, more than 15,000 years ago, to the death in 1509 of the first Tudor monarch, Henry VII.


In it, Ackroyd takes us from Neolithic England, which we can only see in the most tantalising glimpses – a stirrup found in a grave, some seeds at the bottom of a bowl – to the long period of Roman rule; from the Dark Ages when England was invaded by a ceaseless tide of Angles, Saxons and Jutes, to the twin glories of medieval England – its great churches and monasteries and its common law. With his extraordinary skill for evoking time and place, he tells the familiar story of king succeeding king in rich prose, with profound insight and some surprising details. The food we ate, the clothes we wore, the punishments we endured, even the jokes we told are all found here, too.

I will be sending an email out shortly to get your mailing address.  A big "thank you" to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for the giveaway!

Miscellaneous London:



Also from this summer.  One of the things I really enjoyed about this visit was just wandering the streets of London and taking pictures of things that caught by eye.  Well, maybe I wasn't exactly wandering, but I definately took more time to notice the city around me.

Elizabeth of York by Arlene Naylor Okerlund.  Non-fiction.  US and UK paperback release October 2011.

This book tells the story of the queen whose marriage to King Henry VII ended England's Wars of the Roses and inaugurated the 118-year Tudor dynasty. Best known as the mother of Henry VIII and grandmother of Elizabeth I, this Queen Elizabeth contributed far beyond the act of giving birth to future monarchs. Her marriage to Henry VII unified the feuding houses of Lancaster and York, and her popularity with the people helped her husband survive rebellions that plagued his first decade of rule. Queen Elizabeth's gracious manners and large family created a warm, convivial Court marked by a rather exceptional fondness between the royal couple. Her love for music, literature, and architecture also helped inspire England's Renaissance.






Wine of Violence by Priscilla Royal.  US and UK reissue October 4, 2011. 







The Queen and the Courtesan by Freda Lightfoot.  US and UK release January 1, 2012 (reposted with cover)

A brand-new historical novel from a well-loved storyteller - Henriette d’Entragues isn’t satisfied with simply being the mistress of Henry IV of France; she wants a crown too. Despite his promises to marry her, the King is obliged by political necessity to ally himself with a rich Italian princess. But Henriette isn’t one for giving up easily. All she has to do to achieve her ambition is to give Henry a son, and then do whatever it takes to set him on the throne . . .


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Cromwell's Blessing by Peter Ransley.  UK release March 1, 2012.  (reposted with cover and new title).
 
The price for a country. The price for a King. The price for a marriage.


The second book in the Tom Neave Trilogy

1647. The King has surrendered to Parliament. Lord Stonehouse, to show his loyalty to Parliament, has named Tom as his successor. But Lord Stonehouse’s son, Richard, is also Tom’s estranged father and a fervent Royalist. If the King reaches a settlement with Parliament Richard will inherit…

Parliament itself is deeply divided with those demanding a strict Puritan regime pitted against more liberal Independents like Cromwell. King Charles, under house arrest, tries to exploit the divisions between them. When Richard arrives from France with a commission from the Queen to snatch the King from Parliamentary hands, he and Tom are set on a collision course. Caught between his love for his wife Anne and their young son, and his loyalty to the new regime, Tom must struggle to save both his family and the estate.

Cromwell’s Blessing is the dramatic story of Tom Neave’s fight for the principles which he holds so dear – democracy, freedom and honour – and his young family, set against the backdrop of the violent conflict of the English Civil War.


The Queen's Secret by Victoria Lamb.  UK release March 15, 2012.

July 1575


Elizabeth I, Queen of England, arrives at Kenilworth Castle amid pomp, fanfare and a wealth of lavish festivities, laid on by the Earl of Leicester. The hopeful Earl knows this is his very last chance to persuade the Queen to marry him.

But despite his attachment to the Queen and his driving ambition to be her King, Leicester is unable to resist the seductive wiles of Lettice, wife of the Earl of Essex. And soon whispers of their relationship start spreading through the court.

Enraged by the adulterous lovers growing intimacy, Elizabeth employs Lucy Morgan, a young black singer and court entertainer, to spy on the couple. But Lucy, who was raised by a spy in London, uncovers far more than she bargains for.

For among the court entertainers, a plot has been hatched to kill the Queen – and only Lucy has the power to prevent it...


The Leopard Sword (Empire IV) by Anthony Riches.  UK release April 26, 2012.

Britannia has been subdued - and the murderous  Roman agents who nearly captured Marcus Valerius Aquila, alias Corvus, have been defeated by his friends.  But in order to protect those very friends from the wrath of the emperor, Marcus must leave the province which has been giving him shelter.  He travels to the Tungrian auxiliary legion's headquarters in northern Gaul where a different kind of war and very different dangers await him.


A Visitor's Companion to Tudor England by Suzannah Lipscomb.  Non-fiction.  UK release March 1, 2012 (reposted with cover).

For the armchair traveller or those looking for inspiration for a day out, The Visitor’s Companion to Tudor England takes you to palaces, castles, theatres and abbeys to uncover the stories behind Tudor England. Susannah Lipscomb visits over fifty Tudor places, from the famous palace at Hampton Court where dangerous court intrigue was rife, to less well-known houses, such as Anne Boleyn’s childhood home at Hever Castle or Tutbury Castle where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned.


In the corridors of power and the courtyards of country houses we meet the passionate but tragic Kateryn Parr, Henry VIII’s last wife, Lady Jane Grey the nine-day queen, and hear how Sir Walter Raleigh planned his trip to the New World. Through the places that defined them, this lively and engaging book reveals the rich history of the Tudors and paints a vivid and captivating picture of what it would have been like to live in Tudor England.



Death of an Empire by M.K. Hume.  UK release January 5, 2012.  (reposted with cover)

Merlin's epic quest continues as he journeys to Constantinople in search of his father.


Myrddion Emrys of Segontium is the product of a brutal rape, but when King Vortigern hints at his father's identity, Myrddion embarks on a journey across France and Italy to Constantinople. It is a voyage that is to turn the young healer into a man of great renown. Serving under General Flavius Aetius at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, Myrddion saves the lives of thousands of warriors and, on his arrival in Rome, he heals many more, including Cleoxenes, Envoy to Emperor Theodosius of the East, on his way to a delegation with Attila the Hun. But a deadlier conflict between Emperor Valentinian of the West and Senator Petronius Maximus is still to come and Myrddion must use all his strength to carry out his work in a world that is evil.



Praetorian by Simon Scarrow.  UK release November 11, 2011 (reposted with cover).
The brand new thrilling Roman adventure from the bestselling author of THE LEGION and THE GLADIATOR.


The city of Rome in AD 50 is a dangerous place. Treachery lurks on every corner, and a shadowy Republican movement, 'the Liberators', has spread its tentacles wide. It is feared that the heart of the latest plot lies in the ranks of the Praetorian Guard. Uncertain of whom he can trust, the Imperial Secretary Narcissus summons to Rome two courageous men guaranteed to be loyal to the grave: army veterans Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro.

Tasked with infiltrating the Guard, Cato and Macro face a daunting test to win the trust of their fellow soldiers. No sooner have they begun to unearth the details of the Liberators' devious plan than disaster strikes: an old enemy who could identify them, with deadly consequences, makes an unexpected appearance. Now they face a race against time to save their own lives before they can unmask the mastermind behind the Liberators...



Armada by John Stack.  UK release January 5, 2012 (reposted with cover)

The author of the MASTERS OF THE SEA series, is back with a standalone battle book that will blow all others out of the water.


1587. Two nations are locked in bitter conflict. One strives for dominance, the other for survival.

After decades of religious strife, Elizabeth sits on the throne of England. The reformation continues. Catholic revolts have been ruthlessly quashed, and Elizabeth has ordered the execution of her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots. On the continent bloody religious wars rage, but England stands apart, her surrounding seas keeping her safe from the land armies of her would-be enemies. Only at sea do the English show their teeth. Sea captains and adventurers, hungry for the spoils of trade from the Spanish Main, regularly attack the gold-laden galleons of Catholic Spain. They are terriers nipping at the feet of war-horses but their victories disrupt the treasury of Spain, England's greatest threat, and Elizabeth's refusal to rein in her sea-captains further antagonises Philip II.

Thomas Varian is a captain in Drake's formidable navy, rising quickly through the ranks. But he guards a secret – one for which he would pay with his life if discovered: he is a Catholic. He is about to find his conflicting loyalty to his religion, to his Queen, and to his country tested under the most formidable of circumstances: facing the mighty Armada. Unknown to Varian, he will also be facing his long-estranged father, who is fighting on the side of the Spanish enemy…



God of War:  The Story of Alexander the Great by Christian Cameron.  UK release January 5, 2012.

The story of how Alexander the Great conquered the world - first crushing Greek resistance to Macedonian rule, then destroying the Persian Empire in three monumental battles, before marching into the unknown and final victory in India - is a truly epic tale that has mesmerised countless generations of listeners. He crammed more adventure into his thirty-three years than any other human being before or since, and now for the first time a novelist will tell the tale in a single suitably epic volume. The combination of Alexander's life story and Christian Cameron's unrivalled skills as an historian and storyteller will ensure that this will not only be the definitive version for many years to come, but also one of the most exciting historical epics ever written.






Season of Light by Katherine Mcmahon.  UK release November 10, 2011. (reposted with updated cover)

Season of Light begins in 1788, in the heady days just before the French revolution, when Paris is fizzing with new ideas about liberty and equality. Asa Ardleigh, the impressionable 19-year-old daughter of a country squire, has traveled to the city with her older sister, Philippa, and Philippa's new husband. In Paris, they are introduced to the literary salon of Madame de Genlis. It is in this salon that Asa meets, and falls in love with, a dashing intellectual and idealist, Didier Paulin. Their affair is curtailed when Asa is forced to return to England, but they continue to write as the storm clouds gather over France and war with England seems imminent. Meanwhile back at home, no one knows of Asa's liaison. Asa's middle sister, Georgina, has met Harry Shackleford, the most eligible man in London that season, and to whom the Ardleigh estate is entailed. After the death of their mother, the Ardleigh girls' father began to drink heavily and now the estate is nearly bankrupt. In Shackleford, Georgina sees not only a fortuitous marriage for her sister, but also the solution to their financial woes. However Asa's accomplishments need some polishing. Georgina therefore employs Madame de Rusigneux, a French Marquise. Asa soon discovers there is more to this woman than meets the eye...


The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott.  US and UK release February 21, 2012 (reposted with updated cover).
Just in time for the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic comes a vivid, romantic, and relentlessly compelling historical novel about a spirited young woman who survives the disaster only to find herself embroiled in the media frenzy left in the wake of the tragedy.


Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic's doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.

Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy. Others—including the gallant Midwestern tycoon—are not so lucky.

On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic. Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle, The Dressmaker is an atmospheric delight filled with all the period's glitz and glamour, all the raw feelings of a national tragedy and all the contradictory emotions of young love.



Spirit's Princess by Esther Friesner.  Young Adult.  US and UK release March 24, 2012 (reposted with cover)

Himiko the beloved daughter of a chieftain in third century Japan has always been special. The day she was born there was a devastating earthquake, and the tribe's shamaness had an amazing vision revealing the young girl's future—one day this privledged child will be the spiritual and tribal leader over all of the tribes. Book One revolves around the events of Himiko's early teen years—her shaman lessons, friendships, contact with other tribes, and journey to save her family after a series of tragic events. Once again, Esther Friesner masterfully weaves together history, myth, and mysticism in a tale of a princess whose path is far from traditional.







The Queen's Lady by Eve Edwards.  Young Adult.  US release April 10, 2012 (reposted with US cover)

England, 1584.


When beautiful Lady Jane Rievaulx begins her service to the Queen at Richmond Palace, she is thrilled to see the court's newest arrival . . . Master James Lacey.

No matter that Jane was previously courted by the eldest Lacey brother—James is the one who has won her heart. For his part, James cannot deny his fascination with Jane; his plans, however, do not allow for love. He is about to set sail on a treacherous journey to the Americas, seeking absolution for what he sees as past sins. But when Jane is forced into a terrible situation by her own family, only one man can save her. Will Master James return to his lady before it's too late?

A few shots of Caerphilly Castle in Wales (from 2009).  These aren't the best pictures in the world.  Unfortunately, the battery on my digital camera died (and due to a faulty replacement charger couldn't be charged back up) and this was before my husband got his digital SLR - so these were taken with film (that may have been old) and with the very cloudy day, they are a little grainy. 






One of the "features" of the castle is this leaning tower.  We were amazed that you could  walk right into that big crack in the tower.  It wasn't roped off and there weren't any "warning" signs.  There is no way that would be the case in the US!

Edward III and his queen, Philippa had a lot of kids – about a dozen or so – and while the descendants of their sons would go on to fight each other a century later and be the subject of a number of books, not much is written about their daughters. The Lady Royal is about their oldest daughter, Isabel, a princess who managed to remained unmarried until she was in her early thirties, certainly unusual for the time.


As the eldest child, Isabella was spoiled and allowed to pretty much get her own way. Free spirited and outspoken, she is however, ready to do her duty and marry the Duke of Flanders in order to create an alliance. When the duke jilts his English princess a few days before the wedding, it is a quiet, artistic young nobleman named Bernard d’Albret who lifts Isabel’s spirits and makes her feel better.

An outbreak of plague forces the two into a perhaps unlikely situation and Isabel and Bernard develop strong feelings for each other. Eventually, Isabel gets her way, convincing her father to let the pair marry. But happily ever after is not to be and Isabel once again finds herself left at the alter.

So what does a princess do after she’s been dumped twice? She vows to never marry of course and live her life as she pleases and on her owns terms. And for several years, Isabel does just that. But a handsome Frenchman catches her eye and in spite of a misunderstanding at the hands of a troublemaking Joan of Kent , it turns out the third time is a charm.

This isn’t heavy duty historical fiction. But at 250 pages, it was a quick and easy read set in a time period little is written about.  The author manages to incorporate quite a few historical events and some politics of the time and it was interesting to read more about Queen Philippa and her relationship with her children.



In case the FTC asks: bought it used

Catherine of Aragon:  A Life by Patrick Williams.  Non-fiction.  UK release August 15, 2011.  No cover available.

The tragic story of Henry VIII's first unfortunate wife. Catherine of Aragon was a central figure in one of the most dramatic and formative events of Tudor history - England's breach with Rome after a thousand years of fidelity. She lived through traumatic and revolutionary times and her personal drama was played out against dramas of global significance. The heroic and dignified first wife of Henry VIII who was cast aside for reasons of dynastic ambition, but who resolutely and unbendingly stuck to her principles and her dignity at enormous cost to herself. Catherine's story tells so much about the exercise of power, and about being married to a lover who became - slowly but perceptibly - a tyrant in public life and a monster in his private affairs. Professor Patrick Williams has been immersed in Spanish history for over thirty years and his monumental new biography - the first to make full use of the Spanish Royal Archives - is the result, and presents a very different portrait of Catherine.




Marathon:  Freedom or Death by Christian Cameron.  UK release August 18, 2011.

The Battle of Marathon in 490 BC was one of history's great turning points - the first time the Greeks managed to defeat the Persians in a pitched battle, it enabled the rise of classical Greek civilization. As John Stuart Mill famously put it, 'The Battle of Marathon, even as an event in British history, is more important than the Battle of Hastings.' Without it, the modern world as we know it would not exist. Christian Cameron's epic retelling of the battle will bring it alive, with all of its human drama and tragedy, as never before.

The Greeks do not always behave well - in fact, many readers may come to see them as ignorant and bigoted as compared to the multi-cultural Persians, who for some, actually bring greater freedom - at least for a while. The heroic Militiades, who led the Greeks at Marathon and then died in exile, a ruined man, was a fatally flawed character. His opponent, The Persian King Darius, was guilty of vaulting ambition and hubris, but he combined it with personal integrity and vast generosity. And in the middle, torn between two cultures, one of which has already made him a slave, we find Arimnestos - ancestor of the Kineas of the Tyrant books - nicknamed 'Killer of Men', he will lead a decisive contingent of infantry in the thickest of the battle...



Devil's Charge by Michael Arnold.  UK release August 18, 2011.

England stands divided: king against Parliament, town against country, brother against brother.


For Captain Stryker, scarred hero of a dozen wars, the rights and wrongs of the cause mean little. His loyalties are to his own small band of comrades - and to Queen Henrietta Maria's beautiful and most deadly agent, Lisette Gaillard. So when Prince Rupert entrusts him with a secret mission to discover what has happened to Lisette and the man she was protecting - a man who could hold the key to Royalist victory - nothing, not false imprisonment for murder, ambush, a doomed siege or a lethal religious fanatic will stand in his way.

From the bloody rout of Cirencester, to the siege of Lichfield and finally to the killing fields of Hopton Heath, Michael Arnold brings vividly to life all the drama and the passion that lay behind the English Civil War.



Defender of Rome by Douglas Jackson.  UK release August 18, 2011 (will be released in the US in September 2011).

Gaius Valerius Verrens returns to Rome from the successful campaign against Boudicca in Britain. Now hailed a ‘Hero of Rome’, Valerius is not the man he once was – scarred both physically and emotionally by the battles he has fought, his sister is mortally ill, his father in self-imposed exile. And neither is Rome the same city as the one he left.


The Emperor Nero grows increasingly paranoid. Those who seek power for themselves whisper darkly in the emperor’s ears. They speak of a new threat, one found within the walls of Rome itself. A new religious sect, the followers of Christus, deny Nero’s divinity and are rumoured to be spreading sedition.

Nero calls on his ‘Hero of Rome’ to become a ‘Defender of Rome’, to seek out this rebel sect, to capture their leader, a man known as Petrus. Failure would be to forfeit his life, and the lives of twenty thousands Judaeans living in Rome. But as Valerius begins his search, a quest which will take him to the edge of the empire, he will discover that success may cost him nearly as much as failure.



The Painted Lady by Maeve Haran.  UK release August 19, 2011.

‘This is my tale and I will leave you to tell whether it be high romance or tragedy.’


Sixteen-year-old Frances Stuart arrives at the Restoration court to find her innocence and beauty are highly-prized commodities, envied by the women and desired by the men. Before long, King Charles II falls passionately in love with her and will stop at nothing to make her his mistress.

But Frances is no conventional court beauty. She is determined to make her own choices in life, and to be with the man she loves. Can she overcome the dangerous pitfalls of the King’s obsession, the Queen’s jealousy, and the traps set for her by the King’s notorious mistresses, and make the life she wants for herself?

Set against the drama of the Great Plague and the Fire of London, The Painted Lady brings to life the vibrant and decadent court of Charles II and in Frances Stuart discovers a passionate young woman prepared to fight for her own destiny.

I have to admit, my first thoughts about another book on Anne Boleyn was “oh great, another book about Anne Boleyn”. But when I saw that the book was told from the viewpoint of one of Anne’s close friends, I was immediately more interested. How exciting it must be to see your friend rise higher than high – and then how devastating to have to sit back and watch helplessly as it all crashes to the ground.

The poet Thomas Wyatt is fairly well known due to his fascination with Anne and the poetry that resulted from it. But probably less known are his sisters. Sandra Byrd chooses as her narrator the youngest Wyatt, “Meg” and the result is a satisfying look at an often told story through a new set of eyes.

As neighbors in the Kent countryside as young girls, Anne and Meg spend their days riding horses and sharing secrets. Meg is a little bit of a free spirit and her father, who fought against Richard III and was imprisoned and tortured, is hard on his daughter and hopes that one day she will behave like a proper lady and made a good marriage. While Anne is sent to court and into the service of the king’s sister, Mary Tudor, Meg has her heart captured – and broken – by Will Ogilvy, who decides he has been called into the priesthood. Meg finds her faith and confidence in her religion shaken as she prepares to settle into life as the wife of an aging baron.

But when Anne begins her meteoric rise at court, she wants someone she trusts with her and so Meg finds herself in the middle of history. There really isn’t anything new here with regard to Anne. But what kept my interest in the story was the relationship between the two friends. There is no question that Meg loves Anne like a sister and is extremely loyal to her. But she is also able to see the flaws - and at times the fear - beneath Anne’s calm exterior and she isn’t afraid to point them out from time to time as well as a dose of reality.

Through Meg’s life we are also given a look at the behind the scenes world of the court – the intrigues, secrets, scheming and self-preservation that seems to dictate everything that everyone does or says as well as the role of a queen’s lady-in-waiting. I liked Meg quite a bit and thought her story provided a nice counterbalance to Anne’s and gave me a new “story” to discover. In her “Author’s Note, Byrd indicates some changes she made in names (for clarity due to too many people with the same name) and some potential confusion that exists regarding the Wyatt sisters (names, ages and parentage).

One thing that really makes this book different than most is the emphasis on religion. For a book written by a “Christian historical fiction” writer and published by a “Christian” publisher, that shouldn’t come as a surprise and I was a little hesitant about reading it. But in thinking about it, I decided that its use was probably appropriate since religion was a very important part of people’s lives at the time and the reliance on a passage of scripture for comfort, strength or guidance is what they would have done. I didn’t think the religious references were heavy handed and I didn’t feel like I was being preached at as I was reading. Kudos to Byrd for pulling that off!

At times, the attempt to use language from the period (“mayhap”, “methinks” for example) is clunky and awkward and doesn’t fit with the surrounding words. But that aside, To Die For is a powerful and entertaining look at friendship and loyalty in world where usually, neither is what it seems.



In case the FTC asks: I was sent a copy by the publisher.

Today I'm please to welcome author Sandra Byrd with a post about ladies-in-waiting.


Having close friends is an important part of the female experience from girlhood through womanhood. These friends might be especially valuable when the woman's position is exalted, public, and potentially treacherous — such friendships take on an even more important role. When Oprah Winfrey started her empire she brought along Gayle King. When Kate Middleton was preparing to become Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge her sister Pippa was her constant companion. And when Anne Boleyn went to court to stay she took her friends, too. Among them was her longtime friend, who would ultimately become her chief Lady and Mistress of Robes, Meg Wyatt.

Ladies in waiting were companions at church, at cards, at dance, and at hunt. They tended to their mistress when she was ill, or anxious and also shared in her joy and pleasures. They did not do menial tasks — there were servants for that — but they did remain in charge of important elements of the Queen's household, for example, her jewelry and her clothing. They were gatekeepers, and during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I small bribes were often offered to her ladies for access to Her Grace. The Queen was expected to assist her maids of honor in becoming polished and finding a good match, and they were in turn to be loyal and obedient. Married women had more freedom, better rooms, and usually, closer contact with the queen.

In her excellent book, Ladies in Waiting, Anne Somerset quotes a lady-in-waiting to Queen Caroline as saying, "Courts are mysterious places ... Intrigues, jealousies, heart-burnings, lies, dissimulations thrive in (courts)as mushrooms in a hot-bed." This is exactly the kind of place where one wants to know whom one can trust. Somerset goes on to tell us that, "At a time when virtually every profession was an exclusively masculine preserve, the position of lady-in-waiting to the Queen was almost the only occupation that an upperclass Englishwoman could with propriety pursue." Although direct control was out of their hands, the power of influence, of knowledge, of gossip, and of relationship networks was within the firm grasp of these ladies. Appointment was not only by the personal choice of the queen or the king, but a political decision as well. Queen Victoria's first stand took place when her new Prime Minister, Robert Peel, meant to replace some of the ladies in her household to reflect the bipartisan English government and keep an even political balance. According to Maureen Waller in Sovereign Ladies, Victoria was adamant. "'I cannot give up any of my ladies,' she told him at their second meeting. 'What, Ma'am!' Peel queried, 'Does your Majesty mean to retain them all?' 'All', she replied."

Keeping the political balance in mind was a concern during the Tudor years, too. Ladies from all of the important households were appointed to be among the Queen's ladies, though she held her closest personal friends in closest confidence, of course Queen Katherine of Aragon understandably preferred the ladies who had served her for most of her life right till her death. Henry told his sixth wife, Queen Kateryn Parr that she may, "choose whichever women she liked to pass the time with her in amusing manners or otherwise accompany her for her leisure." Parr chose like-minded friends when she could. Queens often surrounded themselves with family members, hoping that they could trust in their loyalty because as the queen gained more influence, so advanced her family.

Sadly in Queen Anne Boleyn's case, family seems to have been less than worthy of her generosity and trust. Among those thought to have betrayed her in the end were her sister-in-law, Jane Parker, Lady Rochford, and some of her Howard relatives. Among the better deserving of her friendship were the Wyatt sisters and Nan Zouche, all of whom shared Anne's joie de vivre and reformist sympathies, and remained true friends to her till the end.



My thanks to Sandra for being here today as part of her Blog Tour for her new book, To Die For.  Make sure you check out the other dates for most guest posts, reivews and giveaway opportunities.  I have two copies of the book to giveaway and it's international!!  To enter, please complete the form at the bottom of the post by midnight, August 24, 2011.

About the book:

To Die For, is the story of Meg Wyatt, pledged forever as the best friend to Anne Boleyn since their childhoods on neighboring manors in Kent. When Anne’s star begins to ascend, of course she takes her best friend Meg along for the ride. Life in the court of Henry VIII is thrilling at first, but as Anne’s favor rises and falls, so does Meg’s. And though she’s pledged her loyalty to Anne no matter what the test, Meg just might lose her greatest love—and her own life—because of it.

Meg's childhood flirtation with a boy on a neighboring estate turns to true love early on. When he is called to follow the Lord and be a priest she turns her back on both the man and his God. Slowly, though, both woo her back through the heady times of the English reformation. In the midst of it, Meg finds her place in history, her own calling to the Lord that she must follow, too, with consequences of her own. Each character in the book is tested to figure out what love really means, and what, in this life, is worth dying for.

Though much of Meg’s story is fictionalized, it is drawn from known facts. The Wyatt family and the Boleyn family were neighbors and friends, and perhaps even distant cousins. Meg’s brother, Thomas Wyatt, wooed Anne Boleyn and ultimately came very close to the axe blade for it. Two Wyatt sisters attended Anne at her death, and at her death, she gave one of them her jeweled prayer book—Meg.

Meg's childhood flirtation with a boy on a neighboring estate turns to true love early on. When he is called to follow the Lord and be a priest she turns her back on both the man and his God. Slowly, though, both woo her back through the heady times of the English reformation. In the midst of it, Meg finds her place in history, her own calling to the Lord that she must follow, too, with consequences of her own. Each character in the book is tested to figure out what love really means, and what, in this life, is worth dying for.

Though much of Meg’s story is fictionalized, it is drawn from known facts. The Wyatt family and the Boleyn family were neighbors and friends, and perhaps even distant cousins. Meg’s brother, Thomas Wyatt, wooed Anne Boleyn and ultimately came very close to the axe blade for it. Two Wyatt sisters attended Anne at her death, and at her death, she gave one of them her jeweled prayer book—Meg.



Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey.  US and UK release August 9, 2011.

This enthralling confection of a novel, the first in a new trilogy, follows the transformation of a coddled Austrian archduchess into the reckless, powerful, beautiful queen Marie Antoinette.


Why must it be me? I wondered. When I am so clearly inadequate to my destiny?

Raised alongside her numerous brothers and sisters by the formidable empress of Austria, ten-year-old Maria Antonia knew that her idyllic existence would one day be sacrificed to her mother’s political ambitions. What she never anticipated was that the day in question would come so soon.

Before she can journey from sunlit picnics with her sisters in Vienna to the glitter, glamour, and gossip of Versailles, Antonia must change everything about herself in order to be accepted as dauphine of France and the wife of the awkward teenage boy who will one day be Louis XVI. Yet nothing can prepare her for the ingenuity and influence it will take to become queen.

Filled with smart history, treacherous rivalries, lavish clothes, and sparkling jewels, Becoming Marie Antoinette will utterly captivate fiction and history lovers alike.