I totally paused!

Synopsis: In the court of Henry VIII, it was dangerous for a woman to catch the king’s eye.  Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were cousins.  Both were beautiful women, though very different in temperament.  They each learned that Henry’s passion was all-consuming – and fickle.

Sophisticated Anne Boleyn, raised in the decadent court of France, was in love with another man when King Henry claimed her as his own.  Being his mistress gave her a position of power; being his queen put her life in jeopardy.  Her younger cousin, Catherine Howeard, was only fifteen when she was swept into the circle of King Henry.  Her innocence attracted him, but a past mistake was destined to haunt her.

Painted in the rich colors of Tudor England, Murder Most Royal is a page turning journey into the lives of two of the wives of the tempestuous Henry VIII.

My Review: Jean Plaidy once again works her magic in this lovely tale of the two most ill fated queens married to Henry VIII.  If you are a Tudor fan, and have never read anything by Plaidy, this is definitely a great one to start with.  I dreaded the times when I was forced to put it down, I would have happily read the book in one sitting if I had the chance.

I loved the way Plaidy mixed the lives of Anne and Catherine, making potential guesses as to their interaction and what they may have thought of each other, especially with them not knowing until the end that they would share the same fate.

I will never cease to be fascinated with Anne Boleyn, and no matter how many times I read something about her, I always hope her story will end differently.  I feel so much for this woman, and imagine how horrible it would have been to be torn away from your love, swept up in the extravagance of the Tudor Court.

Even Catherine is painted in a more sympathetic life than I’ve seen her in previously – you get to see her whole life, from being a young child of a year or so to her death.  I found myself feeling how unfair her life must have been – she wanted nothing more than to be happy, and simply had the misfortune of marrying a mad man.

Knowing what happens in the end for both of these women gives an interesting light to peripheral characters, especially Jane Rochford, who played such a crucial role in the fate of them all.  For me, history is filled with “what if’s”, and Jane’s actions have perhaps more what if’s than that of any other.

I cannot say enough good about this story, and I strongly encourage everyone to read it at they’re first chance!

Read this book if: You like Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, or books about the Tudor court.  It really is a great read!

*Image provided by Good Reads

Synopsis: The daughter of Henry IV of France, Princess Henrietta Maria, becomes a pawn in a political strategy to stabilize relations between two countries when her father marries her to Charles I of England. Sent abroad, she finds herself living in a Protestant country that views her own faith—Catholicism—with deep suspicion. Yet her new husband is a man of principle and integrity, and Henrietta and Charles fall deeply in love. Henrietta is passionate about her faith, however, and soon politically powerful people, namely Oliver Cromwell and his Puritans, turn her loyalty to her religion into a focal point for civil war. As the royal couple watch the fall of Thomas Wentworth, first Earl of Strafford, the rise of Puritanism, and Englishmen fight Englishmen, they are undeterred in their dedication to each other and in their belief in the divine rights of king and queen—even as spies lurk in their very own household. Loyal in Love offers an inside look at an unforgettable time in England’s history and at the life of a queen whose story of devotion and bravery has gone untold for too long.

Review: I decided to try and switch things up a bit and read more about another royal family I’m interested in – the Stuarts. A book like this always makes me wish I could have known the characters during their actual life times; to have conversations with them and try to understand what is going on in their heads. I spent much of this book being both fascinated and frustrated by Henrietta at the same time. I cannot remember the last time I wished I could just take a main characters face in both my hands and ask them to at least try to think about something other than themselves.

Henrietta seems, at times, to be a religious zealot, and I felt through much of the book that the only time she made any consideration for the people of England was when she was trying to convert them to Catholicism. It was amazing to see the level of selfishness from a person who should have been concerned for the wellfare of an entire country.

Despite my love/hate relationship with Henrietta, I did like the book and found it very interesting to see the relationship between her and Charles grow from a pretty rocky situation, to a loving, beautiful marriage. It was wonderful to read about a happy and loyal marriage, especially knowing that so many kings had numerous mistresses…and sometimes numerous wives!

I will say that I don’t think this is necessarily a good book to start out with if you don’t know anything about the Stuarts. I was curious to see the roots of Catholicism in their family, knowing that it causes so much strife later on. Nonetheless, Jean Plaidy does not disappoint. The writing was as fantastic as you would expect, and I really felt as though I was there with these people, as frustrating as I found them to be at times.

Read this book if: You like Jean Plaidy, or are interested in reading historical fiction about the Stuarts.  I put Henrietta on par with Katherine Howard for level of irritation prompted by reading about them

Synopsis: An English lawyer and statesman, Sir Thomas More was a kind father who put as much emphasis on educating his daughters as on his son, declaring that women were just as intelligent as men.  His favorite daughter, Meg, is the heroine of this novel in which we witness the everyday lives of people in Tudor England.  Plaidy takes readers into a world far removed from the grandeur of the courts, into the home of a simple family and a caring father who only wants to do what is morally best – not just for his family, but for England.

As secretary and personal adviser to King Henry VIII, More becomes increasingly influential in the government, welcoming foreign diplomats, drafting official documents, and serving as liaison between the king and the Archbishop of York.  His own household stands in startling contrast to the licentious Tudor court, but as lorg chencellor he gains recognition and becomes indispensable to the king.  More’s love of faith surpasses his duty to the crown, and his refusal to accept King Henry VIII’s claim to be supreme head of the Church of England ends his political career…and leads to his trial for treason.

My Review: Even before I developed my obsession with Tudor England, I had a keen interest in Sir Thomas More.  He’s always been a historical figure that stood out to me – someone that dared to openly defy King Henry VIII, fully knowing the consequences of doing so?  That’s an admirable and curious man in my book.  So when I realized that Plaidy, one of my favorite historical authors, wrote a book focusing on More’s life, I had to read it.

Although the book has More’s eldest daughter, Meg, as the heroine, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it really was about Thomas himself more than anything else.  His story is a tragic one as it is, but to see how great a man he really was, how sympathetic and loveable he remained throughout, made it even harder to read of his inevitable death.  I’m not embarrassed to admit that it brought me to tears, even though I knew it was coming.

At the beginning of the book, we are still in King Henry VII’s reign, and I especially liked the contrast between his reaction to Thomas More and Henry VIII’s.  While Henry VII looked at More as essentially a nuisance who got in his way, Henry VIII viewed him as a friend and confidante in spite of their differences.  Yet all the while, I kept thinking “If only Thomas had made one different choice…”, even though we all know that wouldn’t have really made a difference in the end anyway.  Thomas More was a great mind of his time, who would likely have attracted the attention of the King regardless of whether he had chosen a different path for his life.  Despite his own reluctance to ascend to the positions he attained, he was simply destined for greater things, albeit for a short while.

I also very much liked the focus by More on educating his daughters, it’s rare to see a man of this time period who actually believed women were worth more than their ability to bear children.  In reading the book, you could really feel the love he felt for Meg, and the overall interest he had in helping the women in his life acheive the same level of education as the men.

This book also provides a great look at Tudor life from a semi-outside perspective.  Yes, More was on the Privy Council, but he tries as much as he can to live a normal life, and I find it very interesting to see what things were like for a closer to average person in Tudor England.  I highly recommend it to anyone interested in this period of history, especially since it gives you both the look at court life and shows the effects that court can have on those reluctant to be a part of it.

Read this book if: You like Tudor novels, Jean Plaidy, or Thomas More.  Or just read it because it’s interesting!!!