Category Archives: 16th Century

review: The King’s Damsel

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The King’s Damsel by Kate Emerson Thomasine Lodge, an heiress of considerable fortune, is sent to wait upon the young Princess Mary by the odious Sir Lionel, who purchased her wardship. Expected to ingratiate herself to gain favors, Thomasine instead forms a close bond with the princess, giving her complete loyalty even though the majority of the court is flocking… Read more »

review: In a Treacherous Court

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In a Treacherous Court by Michelle Diener Susanna Horenbout, a Flemish painter, sails across the channel to join the court of Henry VIII and on the way a dying man’s message is entrusted to her. She immediately becomes the target of an unknown enemy and it falls to the king’s man, John Parker, to keep her safe. Together they unravel… Read more »

review: Roses Have Thorns by Sandra Byrd

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Roses Have Thorns by Sandra Byrd In the entourage of Swedish Princess Cecelia, Elin von Snakenborg arrives in Elizabethan England after a harrowing months-long voyage, unsure about her future when she finds her dowry and her fiancés affections usurped. However dim her prospects, she shines at court with her quick wit and unflagging devotion to her mistress—qualities not lost on… Read more »

review: The Sumerton Women

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The Sumerton Women by D. L. Bogdan Cecily Burkhart is eight years old when she joins the Sumerton household after tragically losing both her parents to illness. Resilient and cheerfully optimistic, her presence brings much needed felicity to the topically common, yet secretive family. As time passes, Cecily learns why the castle is run by a skeleton staff and the… Read more »

review: Secrets of the Tudor Court

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Secrets of the Tudor Court by D. L. Bogdan Mary Howard, daughter of the Duke of Norfolk was just eleven when she was sent to court as a lady-in-waiting to her cousin, Anne Boleyn, who was soon to be Queen of England. The Year is 1530 and Katherine of Aragon is newly banished to a manor in the north while… Read more »

review: Rivals in the Tudor Court

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Rivals in the Tudor Court by D. L. Bogdan An interesting prequel to SECRETS IN THE TUDOR COURT, this story explores the early life of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. As a young boy, during the volatile finale of the Wars of the Roses, Thomas is bullied and humiliated repeatedly by his grandfather, the 1st Duke of Norfolk. His… Read more »

review: The Forgotten Queen

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The Forgotten Queen by D. L. Bogdan This is a story of the life of Margaret Tudor, elder sister of England’s Henry VIII, from her childhood before the death of her beloved brother, Arthur, to her life as the “Old Queen” of the Scots decades later. Margaret’s father, Henry VII, impressed upon her the role she was born to play… Read more »

review: Portrait of an Unknown Woman

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Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Vanora Bennett In 2007, I received a beautiful copy of this book. It was an ARC and the cover art was not used on the finished version. Normally when I fall in love with a book that is not its official version, I will buy it once it hits the shelves–but not this one…. Read more »

review: My Lady of Cleves

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My Lady of Cleves by Margaret Campbell Barnes This book begins with Henry VIII’s search for a fourth wife and ends with his death. Though her earlier life was not covered in great detail, the reader still gets a sense of who Anne of Cleves was and how her personality developed. Since being painted by Hans Holbein, Henry VIII’s court… Read more »

review: Venus in Winter

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Venus in Winter by Gillian Bagwell Based on the little known early life of Elizabethan lady Bess of Hardwick, this novel spans three decades during one of England’s most perilous eras. Through the eyes of an impoverished girl turned great landowner, the events surrounding the courts of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I are brought to life,… Read more »