Showing posts with label England. Show all posts
Showing posts with label England. Show all posts

Friday, December 30, 2011

The King's Grace by Anne Easter Smith

Book Description:

The bestselling author of A Rose for the Crown and Daughter of York takes a young woman that history noticed only once and sets her on a quest for the truth about the murder of two boys and a man who claims to be king.

All that history knows of Grace Plantagenet is that she was an illegitimate daughter of Edward IV and one of two attendants aboard the funeral barge of his widowed queen. Thus, she was half sister of the famous young princes, who -- when this story begins in 1485 -- had been housed in the Tower by their uncle, Richard III, and are presumed dead.

But in the 1490s, a young man appears at the courts of Europe claiming to be Richard, duke of York, the younger of the boys, and seeking to claim his rightful throne from England's first Tudor king, Henry VII. But is this man who he says he is? Or is he Perkin Warbeck, a puppet of Margaret of York, duchess of Burgundy, who is determined to regain the crown for her York family? Grace Plantagenet finds herself in the midst of one of English history's greatest mysteries. If she can discover the fate of the princes and the true identity of Perkin Warbeck, perhaps she will find her own place in her family.

My Review:

I love books that are written around a little know person in real life, such as Grace Plantagenet.  The book is rich in historical detail and character development.  Smith writes a more sympathetic view of Elizabeth Woodville, which seems a bit more realistic to me than other books she has appeared it.  She is not all good and not all evil, like most people, including historical figures.

As many of you may know, I don't like a lot of romance in my books.  I don't mind it if it's just a part of a book but not the entire book.  This book hit a pretty good balance between historical detail, plot, and romance for me.  However,  I could have done with a bit less romance.  I also loved how Smith portrays Perkin Warbeck.  She adds a lot to the story about him and his claim to be Richard, duke of York.  

I listened to the audiobook version which, I downloaded from my library.  This was a very enjoyable book to listen to.

4/5

Did you review this book? Please leave your link in the comments.


Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:02 AM 3 comments  

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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

For the King's Favor by Elizabeth Chadwick


Ida de Tosney was a ward of King HenryII through childhood.  As a teenager she was presented to the King  who would determine her future.  Hopefully he would find a suitable marriage for her and she would have a happy life.  However, once set eyes on Ida, he decided to keep her for himself and kept her as his mistress.  She had no say in the matter.  

Ida prayed that she wouldn't become pregnant and have King Henry's bastard child.  She took every preventative measure she could find however, she conceived a son.  Though she was worried about the religious ramifications, she fell in love with her son.  In the mean time, she became infatuated with Roger Bigod.  

Roger had a story of his own.  He rebelled against his father and took the side of King HenryII.  He spent the majority of the time trying to win the Kings favor and getting his family land holdings after his father died.  His rightful title was Earl and he wanted it.

Eventually, King Henry married Ida de Tosney off to Roger Bigod and they had many children of their own.  However, the son she had with King HenryII, was kept from her.

Many of my friends, including those at Historical Tapestry have been encouraging me to read a Elizabeth Chadwick book for a very long time.  I have had her on my TBR and finely had the chance to read one of her books when I received an invitation to review this advance readers' copy.  

Chadwick did not disappoint!  She had a good cast of characters from real life to draw from.  She made them come back to life with richly textured scenes of England and Royalty.  I felt like I was one of the maids,  getting to witness everything that happened.   I will definitely be reading more Chadwick in the future!

Note: For the King's Favor was released previously as The Time of Singing.

4.5/5

Thanks to Danielle Jackson of Sourcebooks, Inc. for this book.

Also reviewed by:
Booklust
Historical Tapestry

If you reviewed this book, please include the link in the comments so I can give you some "link love."

"R" is for Roger Bigod

Posted by Teddy Rose at 12:30 AM 9 comments  

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Thursday, April 15, 2010

The Founding by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

This wonderful book is a re-issue from Sourcebooks and came out this month. It is the first in a series of 34 books, the 34th is coming out in November by Sphere. The series is called The Morland Dynasty and is the longest historical saga series in history.


The year is 1434 and Robert Morland's father, Edward tells his son to pack for a trip. When he asked where they are going his father said that it was time for him to be married and that the arrangements have been made. Robert figures that he should give his bride a present so runs to the barn and takes the best puppy in the litter for her.

A couple days later they arrive at the fine house of the Beaufort family and he is married to Eleanor Courtney, the ward of Lord Edmund Beaufort. It is a business match to benefit both families. Edward Morland is a very wealth sheep farmer and Lord Edmund has power and prestige. However, Eleanor is hurt and disappointed, she is secretly in love with Richard, Duke of York and thought it beneath her to have to marry a mere sheep farmer.

The minute Robert set eyes on Eleanor he was in love but it took many years for Eleanor to feel the same about him.

Once they arrive back at Morland Place, Eleanor is appalled at what she sees. For a wealth family, they live more like live stock than people. The next morning, with the help of her maids, Eleanor starts to make the place more liveable. She also makes the servants more presentable and not stinking by forcing every one of them to take a bath.

Robert and Eleanor have 10 children and all the while Eleanor schemes to grow the sheep farming business into something more. She talks Robert into using her ideas one by one and they build a business empire together.

Set against the backdrop of the War of the Roses, the story starts out with King Henry VI still in power. it continues through King Edward's rein and through Richard III's short rein and ends shortly after King Henry the VII comes into power. The Morlands' see some of their male children off to war and live through some of their deaths. Robert dies at a well before Eleanor and she lives to see some of her male grandchildren and great-grandchildren go to war and die.

I first heard about the Morland series soon after I started my book blog, from other historical fiction fans. It has been on my list of books to try since then, so when I was offered an advance readers copy I jumped at the chance. I was not disappointed.

Though some would consider this book to be a doorstop at over 530 pages, it reads very fast. Sure there are a couple places where it drags slightly but not many. Cynthia Harrod Eagles weaves a story about a believable family and sees them through 3 generations and the War of the Roses. With the deft stroke of her pen (or computer) she captures the beauty and ugliness of the period.

I was offered a review copy of the second book in the series, The Dark Rose but turned it down due to other commitments. Boy do I regret that! I hope to continue the series one day soon. I highly recommend this book.

4/5

Thanks to Danielle Jackson of Sourcebooks for this book.

Also reviewed by:


Did I miss your review?  Please leave a link in the comments, so I can include it here.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 12:01 AM 8 comments  

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