📖 Book Review ~ The Queen’s Painter by Wendy Holden

Headline 
18 June 2026

Thanks to the publisher for the invitation to read this book

 

When the brilliant young Holbein arrives at the Tudor court, Anne Boleyn is among his first patrons. As she rises to the top, Hans rises with her. Courtiers clamour for his portraits of life-like accuracy; pictures which tell the truth about their subjects.

When his beloved Anne is beheaded on false evidence, Hans is heartbroken and enraged. And he's not alone. Poet and diplomat Thomas Wyatt is agonised at his own unwitting part in her tragedy. He and Hans join forces and vow revenge on the person they blame for Anne's downfall: Thomas Cromwell, the king's ruthless chief minister.

But what can a poet and painter do against the most powerful man in England? The answer comes when Henry VIII seeks a fourth wife. Cromwell turns to Holbein and Wyatt, his trusted artist and envoy, to travel across Europe to find and paint a new bride. Cromwell's position depends on a portrait of someone young and beautiful, painted with Hans' trademark truth. Anything less could bring the whole court crashing down.

It's the opportunity they've been waiting for...

📖  My Review..

Hans Holbein is the celebrated German painter right at the heart of the Tudor court. His clever portraiture depicts the great and the not so good of Tudor England but it is his connection to Anne Boleyn, and his search for vengeance, following her death, which features strongly in this story. 

Devastated at the callous obliterating of Anne Boleyn, Holbein joins forces with the poet Thomas Wyatt to take revenge on the one person they hold entirely responsible for Anne’s devastating downfall; namely the King’s henchman, Thomas Cromwell. Two years after Anne’s death, Henry VIII now seeks to replace Jane Seymour, so the royal families of Europe start to dread the envoy who comes in search of a potential bride for the now infamous King of England, who callously replaces lost wives.

The Queen’s Painter is a different slant on the usual Tudor court intrigue and I enjoyed learning more about Holbein and the background to some of his famous paintings. The story flows well and I found moving between European courts interesting particularly the imagined background to the famous portrait of Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan, once on Henry VIII’s list as a potential bride, who bravely said she would only consider marrying Henry VIII if she had two heads.

Wrecking revenge on Thomas Cromwell was never going to be straightforward and this is a clever interpretation of using art to gain the upper hand. The story is imaginative, well described and with an authentic feeling of its time and place in history. Tudor England with all its myriad intrigues comes alive and revenge, when it comes, is all the sweeter for being unexpected.

About the Author

Number one bestselling author Wendy Holden has written ten consecutive Sunday Times Top Ten bestsellers. A former journalist on the Sunday Times, Tatler and the Mail on Sunday, she contributes to a range of publications and is a TV and radio regular. She was a judge for the Costa 2013 Novel and Book of the Year Awards. Wendy lives with her husband and two children in Derbyshire.

X @Wendy_Holden

X @headlinepg

📖 Publication Day Review ~ Henry VIII : The Heart and the Crown by Alison Weir

 

Headline
11 May 2023

Tudor Rose #2

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

Having completed her Six Tudor Queens series of novels on the wives of Henry VIII, extensively researched and written from each queen’s point of view, Alison Weir now gives Henry himself a voice, telling the story of his remarkable thirty-six-year reign and his six marriages.

A young boy grows up dreaming of knights and chivalry. Henry is the second son. He is never meant to rule.

But the death of his brother changes everything, and  a great destiny awaits this young prince. One day he will be the infamous King in English history.

📖 My Review..

We all know the story of Henry VIII and his Six Wives but most often the story is told from the perspective of the wronged wives. In this account, historian, Alison Weir brings us Henry's point of view, from his early days as a charismatic young king, to the irascible, and malevolent, old man who struck terror into the hearts of his people. Blending historical fact, with fiction, this book continues the Tudor Rose trilogy which  began with The Last White Rose: A Novel of Elizabeth of York.

In Henry VIII : The Heart and the Crown, Alison Weir uses her considerable knowledge of the Tudor period to bring us this very personal look at Henry's life and his relationships, not just with his wives but also with those courtiers, and noblemen, who made up his coterie of advisors. And as you would expect from a historian who has written extensively about the Tudor age, the writing feels beautifully authentic, from the detailed descriptions of the clothes worn, the sumptuous foods eaten, and the lively entertainment which provided light relief in a court which was so often fraught with scandalous danger and political intrigue.

Coming in at over 700 pages, it takes quite an investment in time, however, the story is so well told that the pages almost turned themselves and I was soon back in time to the court of this infamous King who was never destined to be King of England however, the untimely death of his older brother, Arthur, meant that this spare went on to become one of the most notorious Kings in English history.

About the Author

Alison Weir is the bestselling female historian in the United Kingdom, and has sold over 3 million books worldwide. She has published twenty history books. Alison is also the author of twelve historical novels, including the highly acclaimed Six Tudor Queens series all of which were Sunday Times bestsellers. Alison is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an honorary life patron of Historic Royal Palaces.

Twitter @alisonweirbooks

#TudorRoseTrilogy #HenryVIIIHeartAndCrown

@headlinepg

Website

📖 Blog Tour ~ Elizabeth of York : The Last White Rose by Alison Weir

Headline
12 May 2022

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book and
to Random Things Tours for the invitation to the blog tour

 

Mother. Survivor.Queen.

An English Princess, born into a war between two families. Eldest daughter of the royal House of York, Elizabeth dreams of a crown to call her own. But when her beloved father, King Edward, dies suddenly, her destiny is rewritten. Her family's enemies close in. Two young princes are murdered in the Tower. Then her uncle seizes power - and vows to make Elizabeth his queen. But another claimant seeks the throne, the upstart son of the rival royal House of Lancaster. Marriage to this Henry Tudor would unite the white rose of York and the red of Lancaster - and change everything. A great new age awaits. Now Elizabeth must choose her allies - and husband - wisely, and fight for her right to rule.

📖 My Review ...

A few years ago I read Alison Weir's excellent biography of Elizabeth of York which put the early years of the Tudor dynasty into political perspective and this fictional account of Elizabeth fleshes out those moments of her life which we can only imagine. As the eldest child of Edward IV, Elizabeth was always aware of her place in royal life but her turbulent early years were often filled with uncertainty as her father fought and re-fought to claim the English crown. This instability continued after her father's untimely death and later when Richard III's defeat at the Battle of Bosworth resulted in Elizabeth's expedient marriage to Henry VII, a marriage which did so much to unite the warring factions of the War of the Roses.

First and foremost the story is fiction but the author's in-depth knowledge of the Tudor age helps to lend credence to the story, particularly in the warm and loving relationship between Elizabeth and Henry. Beautifully written and meticulously researched as all of this author's writing, I found much to enjoy in this comprehensive account of Elizabeth of York's short life. Her tenacity and determination shine through, personality traits which I think she passed on to her granddaughter, and namesake, Elizabeth I.

Politics, passion and intrigue all combine to paint a dramatic picture of the tentative early years of the Tudor dynasty and thanks to the joy of good historical fiction we can spend intimate time with Elizabeth  and be a fly on the wall at some of the most momentous events in early Tudor history.

🍷Best Read with... cups of good strong wine

About the Author

Alison Weir is the bestselling female historian in the United Kingdom, and has sold over 3 million books worldwide. She has published twenty history books. Alison is also the author of twelve historical novels, including the highly acclaimed Six Tudor Queens series all of which were Sunday Times bestsellers. Alison is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an honorary life patron of Historic Royal Palaces.

Twitter @alisonweirbooks

#RedRoseWhiteRose #TudorRoseTrilogy

@headlinepg

Website

@RandomTTours

📖 Publication Day, Book Review ~ In the Shadow of Queens by Alison Weir

Headline Review
30 September 2021

My thanks to Caitlin at Headline Review for my copy of this book

Behind every great king stands a queen. And behind every queen, the whole court watches on...

Over the years of his reign, six different women took their place beside King Henry VIII of England as his wife and queen.

But the real stories of the six Tudor queens belong to those who lived among them. Played out in glittering palaces and whispering courts, these are tales of the people who loved and served these women, and those who lied and betrayed them.

Collected together for the first time, In the Shadow of Queens reveals thirteen startling stories from the Tudor court, told by those at the very heart of that world.

📖 My Thoughts...

Behind every ill-fated Tudor Queen is a plethora of fascinating stories about the shadowy people who lingered on the periphery of court life but whose connection, with the women who had the misfortune to be married to Henry VIII, is as fascinating as the lives of the Tudor Queens themselves.

Beautifully presented with its colourful Tudoresque endpapers we are treated to a potted history of the six wives of Henry VIII before starting on a series of fascinating short stories which take us from the golden possibility of the short life of Arthur, Prince of the Roses, right through to the sad, and rather tragic, end to the life of Henry's last Queen, Katharine Parr.

For any lovers of Tudor fiction In the Shadow of Queens is an absolute gem and if you have followed the author's comprehensive series of novels about the Six Tudor Queens then I am sure you will find much to enjoy in this addition to the Tudor series. This compilation of short stories, and novellas, enhance the series and bring the Tudor court alive in fascinating detail, adding little extra snippets of information you never knew you needed to know about  those who hovered on the edge of Tudor court life.

In the Shadow of Queens now completes the mammoth task the author set of completing six Tudor Queen novels in six years. There is no doubt that Alison Weir's passion, determination and undeniable expertise has given a new voice to the six women whose lives were dominated by a King, whose irascible moods swung, from peevish belligerence, to violent malevolence, and whose lives, little they knew it, were in danger from the moment they accepted the title of Tudor Queen.

In the Shadow of Queens is published by Headline in both hardback and ebook on the 30 September 2021 and is available from all good book stores.

About the Author

Alison Weir is the best selling female historian ( and the fifth-bestselling historian overall) in the United Kingdom and has sold over 3 million books worldwide.

She has published twenty history books including her most recent non-fiction book, Queens of the Crusades, the second in her England's Medieval Queen's quartet. Alison is also the author of twelve historical novels including the highly acclaimed Six Tudor Queens series about the wives of Henry VIII, all of which were Sunday Times bestsellers.

Alison is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an honorary life patron of Historic Royal Palaces.

Twitter @AlisonWeirBooks #InTheShadowOfQueens

@headlinepg

My thanks to the publishers, and Caitlin Raynor, Publicity Director, for allowing me the privilege of reading this stunning series from the very beginning.

Book Review ~The Secret Diaries of Jean Luis Vives by Tim Darcy Ellis

 

Tellwell
2020

My thanks to Ben at Cameron PR for my copy of ths book

Based on the true story of Vives, a secretly Jewish Spaniard, brought to England by his friend Thomas More to tutor Princess Mary and subsequently embroiled in the divorce between Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon.

It is 1522. Juan Luis Vives, a renowned academic, flees Spain to avoid the fires of the Inquisition. When England's Sir Thomas More offers him the role of tutor to Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, he eagerly accepts. While publicly navigating life as a 'New Christian’, Vives is quickly drawn into the secretive and dangerous world of London's Jewish community.

Inside the Tudor court, the king and queen separately seek Vives's assistance to support their opposed demands. He must betray one to help the other, knowing his decision could cost him his life. Whom will he choose? Not only his survival, but that of his family and his entire people hang in the balance.

What did I think about it..

This interesting historical novel uses the fictional secret diaries of Jean Luis Vives, a Spanish Jew, and humanist philosopher, who escaped the inquisition, and on the recommendation of Sir Thomas More became the tutor to the Princess Mary, and confidante of both King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon.

The diaries encapsulate both the tumultuous political and religious upheaval that was so prevalent in the early part of the sixteenth century and takes us into those hidden places at the English court, and also in Europe, which were filled with subterfuge and dangerous intrigue. This particular time in history was filled with plots, counter plots and malice, and getting on the wrong side of those who mattered was to play a dangerous game.

The author writes well and brings a detailed historical authenticity to the story and I think that basing the historical content on fact, and also around diary entries, allows the story to evolve slowly and in intricate detail. Throughout the story we are given a personal and intimate glimpse into what was happening in England, and beyond to Spain, in the years between 1523 and 1529.

Overall The Secret Diaries of Jean Luis Vives is an interesting and thought provoking historical novel.

About the Author

TIM DARCY ELLIS has always loved history. He grew up in Surrey, studied Archaeology at the University of York, and as a professional archaeologist, worked extensively on sites throughout England and Wales, including the excavations of London's Roman amphitheatre. He also held posts at the Museum of London and was a tour guide at the British Museum. 

Tim has a particular interest in the small, often secretive Spanish and Portuguese Jewish communities of Tudor and Stuart London. The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives is the first part of his Sephardic trilogy that explores the role of the key players who ultimately allowed for the readmission of Jews to England in 1655. 

Tim later qualified as a physiotherapist in Australia where he has his own practice. He is also the Chief Writer of Excel Life health and wellness magazine.

Website

@CameronPMTweets

Author Spotlight ~ K M Pohlkamp

I am delighted to welcome author K M Pohlkamp back to the spotlight

Hi and welcome back to Jaffareadstoo, it's a real pleasure to have you as our guest today.Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started as an author.

Thank you so much for hosting me!

By day I am the Chief of Trajectory Operations for NASA Mission’s Control and at night, when my kids are in bed, I write to maintain sanity. Writing is my escape, just as reading is for so many. I am originally a Cheesehead from Wisconsin and now live in Houston, Texas. I also attempt a ballet class once a week.

I have always loved writing – so much that along with engineering, I double majored in journalism. B.C. (that’s before children), I was a freelance writer for broadwayworld.com and worked at my hometown city’s newspaper as a sports journalist. Over years of practice, I honed creative writing skills and must thank all the editors and beta readers who helped along the way. It is amazing to now see my books in the hands of readers and I cherish every note from someone who had read my work. Those little tweets and e-mails keep my fingers fueled and flying upon the keyboard.

Shadows of Hemlock is the sequel to Apricots and Wolfsbane –what can you tell us about the story and did you feel more of an obligation to make this book even better than the first?

Apricots and Wolfsbane follows the career of Lavinia Maud, a female poison assassin in Tudor England (watch the book trailer). While navigating betrayals as her marks grow from tavern drunks to nobility, Lavinia struggles to justify her profession with her faith and is forced to choose between the man and the poisons she loves.

Shadows of Hemlock features Lavinia’s apprentice, Aselin Gravel, and releases tomorrow November 19! Aselin confronts regrets and fallout from the first novel and finds she is ill-prepared for the independence she craved. When the Guild of Poison Assassins comes for retribution, Aselin must seek aid from a fickle contact who only wants one means of payment: a ring that is more than it appears. While Apricots is a stand-alone story, Shadows continues the journey, twisting things readers thought they knew.

Honestly, I was nervous to write a sequel. Apricots is a Historical Novel Society Editors’ Choice Selection, a Discovering Diamonds Historical Fiction Reviews Book of the Month, and a finalist for the 2018 International Chanticleer Chaucer Historical Fiction awards, amongst other accolades. I was blown away by the tremendous reception of my debut novel and little nagging demons of doubt made me question if I could really do it again. Thankfully my publisher has provided fantastic support. I roughed out the sequel while we finished edits on Apricots which allowed me to dangle a few hooks in the first novel to better set up the second. Most importantly, Shadows stays true to the world of Apricots that so many readers have responded too. I am thrilled that Shadows just recently also received 5-Stars from Readers’ Favorite Reviews.

Both works are written in first-person and changing the narrator between the two novels makes the second book feel fresh. We see a few of the same events but from a new perspective which causes the reader to rethink opinions from the first novel. These spins made Shadows fun to write and I have loved hearing comments from the fantastic reception of early reviews. 

Your writing is darkly atmospheric – how do you recreate a sense of history in your novels and how much research do you do in order to bring place and people to life?

Seeing the world through the eyes of an assassin provides a wonderful way to keep tension high and the pages turning. My writing can be poetically dark, invoking suspense and emotion -- but without violent description. This is important to me so that my writing is accessible; that the reader can connect with the anti-hero protagonists and even root for them as they slip toxins in chalices. Poisoning also provides distance from the kills and keep the prose palatable.

While my characters are fictional, this is historical fiction. It is incredibly important to get facts correct because the smallest inconsistencies can take a reader out of the story. Each novel has a discussion guide in the back which points out the historical reference for each novel and is part of a Book Club discussion guide. Here is a list of my favorite historical fiction research resources.

Not only did I painstakingly research Tudor England, I also ensured the taste, feel, and effect of each poison is correct. Like so many authors, this destroyed my Google search history, but those little details bring a story to life: how a wolfsbane leaf feels in a gloved hand, how a mixture bubbles in a forge.

Filles Vertes Publishing
19 November 2019

Whilst you are writing you must live with your characters. How do you feel about them when the book is finished? Are they who you expected them to be? And do you have a favourite character?

Especially writing in first person, I had to dive into the heads of my protagonists and understand how they feel when they kill and more important, when they themselves are hunted. Avoiding spoilers, I teared drafting the end of Apricots and readers will understand why. 

Having dove so deep into Lavinia’s head, I did several practice writings and character development exercises before switching to Aselin’s narration for Shadows. To help my readers make this transition as well, I have released a FREE short-story prequel told from Aselin’s perspective. This also serves as a fantastic introduction to Lavinia’s world in Tudor England. I hope everyone reading this blog will give it a try and since it’s free, there is nothing to lose!

My favorite characters are Lavinia, because the entire world originally built around her, and Dauid, who we see more fully in Shadows. He guides Aselin through her transformation from self-centered naivete and also provides comic relief.

Your style of writing is very much ‘from the heart’. Does this take its toll on you emotionally, and if so, how do you overcome it?

I sincerely appreciate that compliment! Writing in first person increases the emotion and helps heighten this sentiment. I write very slowly and often find it exhausting; the emotional connection is a big reason why.

But that is the fun of writing (and reading), to examine the world through different eyes, to be someone you could never otherwise be and let your mind take you on an adventure.

How can readers find out more about you and your writing?

I know everyone’s to-be-read lists are long and I am so honored every time a reader trusts me with their precious reading time. I hope everyone will please give me a chance to captivate them with my free short-story prequel.

I love hearing from readers. I do not write to have books published, but rather to have my books read. Readers can connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, GoodReads, or through my website. I have been told my novels make fantastic book club selections because there’s a little something for everyone. I include a free Book Club discussion guide in the back of my books and have skyped with book clubs all over the world. I would love to meet with yours next and I provide all interested book clubs with my family’s recipe for stuffed mushrooms to bring a little something extra to your next meeting (just hold the wolfsbane).

About K.M. Pohlkamp

K.M. Pohlkamp is a blessed wife to the love of her life, proud mother of two young children, and a Mission Control flight controller. A Cheesehead by birth, she now resides in Texas for her day job and writes to maintain her sanity. Her other hobbies include ballet and piano. K.M. has come a long way from the wallpaper and cardboard books she created as a child. Her debut novel, Apricots and Wolfsbane, was published October 2017 by Filles Vertes Publishing and was designated an Editors’ Choice Selection by the Historical Novel Society, among other accolades.

Website

Twitter @KMPohlkamp

Facebook

Amazon UK

✨✨Thank you so much Kara for being our author in the spotlight today ✨

Do come back and see us again soon

Blog Tour ~ Root of the Tudor Rose by Mari Griffith

Jaffareadstoo is thrilled to be hosting a stop on the Root of the Tudor Rose Mini Anniversary 

Blog Tour

Accent Press
July 2015

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of the book and the invitation to be part of this anniversary blog tour

What's it all about...

When King Henry V and his bride, Catherine de Valois, are blessed with the birth of a son, their happiness is short-lived. Henry’s unexpected death leaves Catherine a widow at the age of twenty-one. Then her father, King Charles of France, also dies, and her son inherits both crowns. Henry VI, King of England and France, is just ten months old and needs all his mother’s watchful care to protect him from political intrigue.

The queen, an attractive young widow, is a foreigner at the English court and now finds herself regarded with suspicion, particularly by the Duke of Gloucester, who will seemingly stop at nothing to protect his own claim to the throne. But lonely, vulnerable Catherine has found true friendship with another foreigner at court, a young Welshman named Owen. Their friendship deepens, but their liaisons must be kept secret at all costs, because Catherine, Queen of England and forbidden to remarry, is in love with a servant..

My thoughts..

I have an enduring fascination for all things Tudor and whilst I am familiar with the origins of the Tudor dynasty, it has been interesting to read this author's fictional account of the relationship that Catherine de Valois had with both of her husbands, Henry V and later, a young Welshman called Owen Tudor. 

I have an image of Henry V, the hero of Agincourt, as a battle hardened soldier, and yet, from the beginning of this story, the author shows Henry to have a rather tender appreciation of his young bride whilst at the same time emphasizing both his ruthlessness and political ambition. 

That Catherine is widowed, as a very young woman, comes as no surprise. Her life with her baby son, Henry VI, is often maligned, however, the author has shown Catherine to be a woman who knew her own mind. Catherine's subsequent, and rather romantic love affair with her servant, Owen Tudor is, by far, the more interesting side to the story, and where, for me, the people really started to come alive. 

Imaginatively written, Root of the Tudor Rose brings Catherine’s life into perspective. That she was, so often, at the mercy of politically ambitious men is well explained, as is the clandestine nature of her relationship with Owen Tudor. Whilst there is very little documented evidence of the relationship which existed between Owen and Catherine, I think that the author has succeeded in using what information there is and has made a convincing account of what might have happened between them.

Root of the Tudor Rose is about a passionate relationship which survived against all odds, when everything, both social and political was against them, and of the tentative beginnings of a dynasty which would shape the rest of history. 

About the Author

Mari Griffith became well-known as co-presenter of BBC TV show Music Time and as resident singer on BBC radio. She also had her own TV series and was later a successful director and producer. Her debut novel Root of the Tudor Rose has been internationally acclaimed and remained in the historical novel bestseller charts for several months.

Accent Press

Twitter @AccentPress

Blog Tour~ The Tudor Trilogy by Tony Riches

I'm delighted to be part of this historical fiction blog tour and to share my review of 

Book One of the Tudor Trilogy

Preseli Press
2015
Thanks to the author and HF Virtual Book Tours for my copy of Owen and my invitation to this blog tour

Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, OWEN is the epic tale of one young man’s incredible courage and resilience as he changes the course of English history. 

England 1422: Owen Tudor, a Welsh servant, waits in Windsor Castle to meet his new mistress, the beautiful and lonely Queen Catherine of Valois, widow of the warrior king, Henry V. Her infant son is crowned King of England and France, and while the country simmers on the brink of civil war, Owen becomes her protector. 

They fall in love, risking Owen’s life and Queen Catherine’s reputation—but how do they found the dynasty which changes British history – the Tudors? 

This is the first historical novel to fully explore the amazing life of Owen Tudor, grandfather of King Henry VII and the great-grandfather of King Henry VIII. Set against a background of the conflict between the Houses of Lancaster and York, which develops into what have become known as the Wars of the Roses, Owen’s story deserves to be told.

My thoughts about it...

OWEN, is the first book in the Tudor trilogy, which focuses on the story of Owen Tudor, the enigmatic Welshman who, by his intimate relationship with the widowed Catherine de Valois, founded the Tudor dynasty.

In this fictional account of Owen Tudor’s life, and times, the author has brought to vibrant life the story of a man who struggled to find his place in a society which didn’t allow recognition of his strong Welsh heritage, and whose complex relationship with the young Queen would undoubtedly place him in grave danger. When we first meet Owen Tudor, in 1422, all this was well into the future, as he is newly introduced into the Queen’s household as her Keeper of the Wardrobe, a position which will give him some degree of permanence, something which has been sadly lacking since his days as a soldier, having fought in the army of the Queen’s late husband, Henry V, in the French campaigns. 

Throughout the whole of the novel, time and place is captured perfectly, and the author has done a commendable job of bringing Owen Tudor alive in the imagination. Most certainly, in this novel, Owen comes across as a fascinating individual, a fine-looking man by all accounts and there’s no doubt that the ladies liked him. I think that he was a certainly a risk taker but he also seems to have been very much a product of his Welsh upbringing, calm and controlled when needed and yet, filled with a passionate zeal for those whom he supported. However, as Owen’s intimate relationship with the widowed Queen develops, so he discovers, to his cost, that being closely involved with someone so near to the English throne brings its own heightened level of danger and conspiracy.

With impeccable research, the author brings the early part of the fifteenth century alive in a very believable and authenic way. The multi-layered conspiracies of Plantagenet rule under the protectorate of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, paints a rich and intense picture of a troubled time, alive with intrigue and filled with a level of danger that we would have difficulty living through today. And yet, there is a wonderful strength of character to Owen Tudor that I felt such a rapport with him, and by the end of the novel, in 1460, I wished that life had, perhaps, been a little kinder to him.

OWEN is a very good account of the origins of the Tudor dynasty and the author has done justice to Owen Tudor, bringing his story and his contribution to history alive in a significant and fascinating way.

**During the Blog Tour there is a give away of an eBook & Signed Paperback of each book!**

Please enter via the Gleam Link here 

This giveaway is organised by the Blog Tour operator and Jaffareadstoo is not responsible for its organisation or of the distribution of prizes.

Historical Fiction Virtual Tours

About the Author

Tony Riches is a full-time writer and lives with his wife in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. After several successful non-fiction books, Tony turned to novel writing and wrote ‘Queen Sacrifice’, set in 10th century Wales, followed by ‘The Shell’, a thriller set in present day Kenya. A specialist in the history of the early Tudors, he is best known for his Tudor Trilogy. Tony’s other international best sellers include ‘Warwick ~ The Man Behind the Wars of the Roses’ and ‘The Secret Diary of Eleanor Cobham’.

Author Website and Blog 

Facebook

Twitter @tonyriches #TudorTrilogyBlogTour

#HFVBTBlogTours

Amazon UK

Review ~ Jane Seymour : The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir

Headline Review
3 May 2018

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

What's it all about.

Jane Seymour is the third of Henry VIII's Queens. History tells us how she died. This spellbinding novel explores the life she lived.

My thoughts about it...

I've long been fascinated by the six women who are fated to be forever known as the Six Wives of Henry the Eight, and in this third volume of the lives of the Six Tudor Queens, Jane Seymour comes quietly to life.

We start Jane’s story when she is a teenager growing up at the family home at Wulf Hall in Wiltshire. We get to know her parents, and her siblings, and when the story opens in 1518 we are a welcome guest at the marriage of Jane’s older brother Edward to his pretty bride, Catherine Fillol.

Never wanting to be the centre of attention, Jane quietly considers dedicating her life to the service of God until a short stay at the convent of Amesbury convinces her that life as a nun is not what she wants from life. When an invitation comes to attend Queen Katherine, Jane is packed off, with her meagre belongings, to take up a very different life at the most glittering of Royal courts.

Alison Weir does this type of biographical fiction very well and even though this third novel overlaps with the first two books, it’s interesting to get Jane’s observations about the King’s deteriorating marriage to Katherine and of his obsession with Anne Boleyn. Once again the Henrician court comes alive with all of its scheming gossip and sly innuendo and yet, throughout it all, Jane remains in the background, always ready with a kind-hearted gesture. However, behind the quiet exterior, Jane has a hidden stubbornness, which is refreshing to discover. And although we know the tragedy of her short life, what's interesting, in this novel, is to see Jane as an observer, candidly sharing her thoughts about the goings-on at court.

The novel ends on a sad note, as we know it must, however, Jane’s short and tragic marriage was lived out in the full glare of Tudor politics, and whilst never as charismatic as the Queen she succeeded, nevertheless Jane’s place in history is well assured and her tragic life is beautifully recreated in this fascinating historical novel.

About the Author

Find on Facebook

Follow on Twitter @AlisonWeirBooks

Jane Seymour : The Haunted Queen is published today by Headline Review 

Amazon UK

Review ~ In the Footsteps of the Wives of Henry VIII by Sarah Morris and Natalie Grueninger

Amberley Books

July 2017

In the Footsteps of the Six Wives of Henry VIII: The visitor’s companion to the palaces, castles houses associated with Henry VIII’s iconic queens.

It's such a refreshing change to read something different about the six wives of Henry VIII. So much has been written about them both individually and collectively that sometimes I feel that there is nothing more to discover about any of them. 

And then along comes .. In the Footsteps of the Wives... which delighted me in a different sort of way. I was thrilled to learn something new, with the added bonus of also being able to picture the wives 'in situ' at their various residences. From the sunshine gardens of the Alhambra Palace in Spain, the childhood home of Katherine of Aragon, through to the cold of Gainsborough Old Hall in Lincolnshire, once the home of Katherine Parr, the book takes us on a real journey of discovery. Also stopping off at Hever Castle in Kent, Wolfhall in Wiltshire and the Schloss Dussefdorf in Germany and points in between, the book is imaginatively and professionally developed so that each individual journey becomes one of discovery.

The book is easy to navigate which is an added bonus if, like me, you tend to dip in and out of factual books. There's a good index of contents which makes it easy to locate whichever wife you have a fancy to follow and a series of clear maps helps to put them in their place.The illustrations both colour and black and white give added depth and help to place the locations in context. There are also some important visitor details so that if you have an interest in visiting any of the residences, and places of interest, you can find out more by following links to websites and using the necessary post codes.

The book is very much more than just a collection of historic houses and castles, it also gives an interesting and concise history of each Queen, so that if you don't know too much about the six wives, then there is more than enough information to get you started.

If you like Tudor history and visiting the sites of Tudor castles and palaces, and also have a fascination for the six wives of Henry VIII, then I'm sure you'll enjoy this one as much as I did.

About the Authors

Sarah Morris runs the website www.anneboleynbook.co.uk dedicated to her non-fiction and fiction writing about England’s most famous queen consort.

Natalie Grueninger is a researcher, writer and educator, and founder of www.onthetudortrail.com, a site about Anne Boleyn and Tudor England.

My thanks to Philip at Amberley Books for my copy of 

 In the Footsteps of the Wives of Henry VIII

~***~

Review ~ The Woman in the Shadow by Carol McGrath

Accent Press
July 2017

What's it all about...

When beautiful cloth merchant’s daughter Elizabeth Williams is widowed at the age of twenty-two, she is determined to make herself a success in the business she has learned from her father. But there are those who oppose a woman making her own way in the world, and soon Elizabeth realises she may have some powerful enemies – enemies who also know the truth about her late husband… 

Security – and happiness – comes when Elizabeth is introduced to kindly, ambitious merchant turned lawyer, Thomas Cromwell. Their marriage is one based on mutual love and respect…but it isn’t always easy being the wife of an influential, headstrong man in Henry VIII’s London. The city is filled with ruthless people and strange delights – and Elizabeth realises she must adjust to the life she has chosen…or risk losing everything.

What did I think about it...

It’s always fascinating to be able to put flesh on the bones of a historical character who has, for so long, quite literally, been the woman standing in the shadow behind Henry VIII’s henchman, Thomas Cromwell. Those of us who devour Tudor history will know that there is very little recorded about Elizabeth Cromwell, and what is known is sometimes ambivalent. However, in The Woman in the Shadows, the author has taken the known facts about Elizabeth, that she was the daughter of a cloth merchant and that when she married her second husband, Thomas Cromwell,  in around 1514, she was a wealthy widow, and by taking these facts and adding the author’s own interpretation, we have been treated to a fascinating story about the intricacies of Tudor life.

Reading about lives in the shadow is rather like having your very own cloak of invisibility as you get to witness both the intimate and the dramatic events of lives which have long passed. Reading a novel by a skilful author who has a natural ability for storytelling you are immediately immersed in past events. Spicy and strong, the sight, sounds and smells of a teeming city, with its cramped and crowded houses, and its spluttering gutters brings Tudor London to life in all its pungent glory. With skilful manoeuvring we walk the same streets as Elizabeth. We mourn the loss of her first husband and gently celebrate with her in her marriage to Thomas and in doing so we discover just what life was like in Tudor London for a woman of middling means and notable intellect.

Some authors have a natural ability to bring history alive and well researched and finely delivered historical fiction is a joy to read, as not only does it inform and educate but it also entertains on a high level. The Woman in the Shadows is one of those finely crafted stories by an author who knows and understands history and who gets right into the minutiae of Tudor life. This gives us a fascinating glimpse into the Cromwell marriage and allows us to see a very different side of the chameleon like statesman, and finally to get to see Elizabeth Cromwell as woman in her own right.

You can read a guest post by the author, Carol McGrath on the role of Tudor Women by clicking here.

My thanks to the author and also to Kate at Accent Press for my review copy of The Woman in the Shadows.

~***~