Lady Katherine Turner was never meant to be the Countess of Leicester, but when her brother William dies suddenly, she must take on the mantle of power. Unfortunately, with power comes responsibility, and in medieval England, women in power could not hold onto that power unless they married. That does not sit well with Katherine, who is a very independent woman. However, a choice must be made between two suitors, Lord Henry Tyrell, Earl of Dornton, and Lord James Stanford. Who will Lady Katherine Turner choose, and can she maintain her independent spirit while falling in love? Laura Johnson-Smith explores Lady Katherine’s love story in her debut novel, “The Rose Amongst the Thorns.”
I would like to thank The Book Guild and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I enjoy reading novels that are set during the Wars of the Roses, and I like to read debut historical fiction novels. When I read the description for this novel, it sparked an interest in me to give it a try.
We begin with Katherine and her brother William, who is about to go on a mission for King Edward IV in France. William is engaged to be married to Isabelle, but things come crashing down when William is killed in France. Now, the title of the Duchess of Leicester has been passed down to Katherine. We flash forward a few years, where we see Katherine adjusting to her new role. Now, her aunt and uncle are pushing Katherine to marry, even though she has no desire to marry. That is, until she meets her two potential suitors. Lord Henry Tyrell is the first man to sweep Katherine off her feet, but she soon realizes that he has nefarious plans for her. And then there is Lord James Stanford, whom Katherine truly falls for.
As a debut, it was a fine novel, but it was hard for me to figure out when it was supposed to take place. If it wasn’t for the description, I would have felt completely lost as the story felt like it could have been placed in any time period. It didn’t have a distinct feeling of being in the middle of King Richard III’s short reign. I also felt like this plot was pretty predictable for me, and it didn’t give me a wow factor. That being said, I can sense that the author does have a passion for the past, and the novel is pretty well-written for her first novel. If you want to give a new reader a try and enjoy a good historical love triangle, you might enjoy “The Rose Amongst the Thorns” by Laura Johnson-Smith.
Medieval England, under the reign of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, was a turbulent time. The focus tends to be on the rebellion of Henry’s sons against their father and how Eleanor sided with her sons. This story has been told, but there is a story of another woman who was caught directly in the middle of the entire ordeal. Her story is most known for her role during the reign of King John and the Magna Carta, but that was when she was an older woman. The story of Nicola de la Haye and Lincoln Castle has been told in biographies and nonfiction books, but not really in historical fiction novels. Rachel Elwiss Joyce hopes to change that with her novel, “Lady of Lincoln.”
Queen Elizabeth I has a not-so-secret infatuation with her Master of the Horse, Robert Dudley. However, there is a problem. Dudley is married to Amy Robsart Dudley, a woman who is extremely ill. She suspects that her husband wants her dead, so Elizabeth sends one of her servants, Ursula Blanchard, to reassure Amy. However, disaster strikes, and it is up to Ursula to figure out what happened to Amy Dudley and foil a plot against the queen. Can Ursula solve the case, or will she be forced to lose those she holds dear for the sake of the queen? Fiona Buckley introduces Ursula Blanchard and her Tudor world to the modern audience in her first book in the Ursula Blanchard Mystery series, “To Shield the Queen.”
The wives of Henry VIII have been an area of fascination for history nerds and novices alike for centuries. We all know the stories of Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Kateryn Parr. However, these stories only offer a glimpse at the lives of these women. They follow the more traditional studies of the Tudor queens, but what happens if we take a more revisionist approach to their lives? What can we learn about these women besides their crowns and who they all married? There is more to their stories, like the minute details that Jessica Carey-Bunning explores in her book, “The Wives of Henry VIII: Rethinking the Stories Behind the Symbols.”
When we think about royal history, we often tend to think about the monarchs and their immediate families. However, the stories of the noble families that surround the crown can have some of the more interesting tales of how the families were created and how they survived. The stories of the English nobility are particularly fascinating, with some families and titles dating back centuries. How did these great families begin? How did they earn their titles? Who were the major figures in these noble houses, and how did they survive to the modern day? Patrick Coleman explores the tales of the nobility and how they shaped England’s history in his book, “Dynasties: The Noble Families of England.”
In the Italian states during the 15th century, a time of war coexisted with a period of art flourishing. But what if magic was thrown into the fray? Sculptress Ravenna Maffei desires nothing more than to create art and to protect her family while keeping her own magical powers a secret. To protect those she holds dear, Ravenna enters an art contest, hosted by the immortal family of Florence, the Luni. Ravenna is taken by the family to complete an important task, but if she fails, she will be killed by the heir of the family, Saturnino Luni. Unfortunately, the greatest danger lurks outside of Florence as the pope is waging war against magic itself. Can Ravenna uncover the secrets of the Luni family and finish their difficult task before war engulfs all of Florence? Ravenna’s story is told in Isabel Ibanez’s latest historical fantasy novel, “Graceless Heart.”
The story of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine is legendary. The queen of France decided to divorce her first husband and marry the young upstart Henry Plantagenet. But things turned disastrous for the couple when Eleanor sided with their sons in a revolt against Henry later in life. At this time, Henry took a mistress named Rosamund Clifford, but when Rosamund was found dead in her tower, it is believed that Eleanor exacted her revenge on the poor woman. It is now up to Adelia Aguilar to solve the case before another civil war breaks out. This is the premise of book two in the Mistress of the Art of Death series by Ariana Franklin, which is entitled “The Serpent’s Tale.”
Have you ever wondered what the Tudors might be like in the modern day? What kind of life would they live, and would they all survive? What if King Henry VIII were a billionaire and most of his wives were still alive, including Anne Boleyn? Anne Boleyn is living but is in hiding from the rest of the Tudor clan and is separated from her daughter. When her daughter is kidnapped, Anne has to come back to her old life and team up with Henry’s latest wife to save her daughter. Can they save Anne’s daughter before it’s too late? Karen E. Olson brings the Tudors to the modern age in her latest novel, “A Defiant Woman.”
A statue several centuries old has been discovered in Italy. The leading male art expert believes that it was created by a sculptor named Lucca Armani. He has asked Dr. Mia Harding to support his research, but Dr. Mia feels that something is amiss. Sofia Rossi is a courtesan living in Renaissance Venice who aspires to a life devoted to creating art. Sofia and Mia may be separated by centuries, but their lives and reputations are tied to this mysterious statue. Can Dr. Mia figure out the truth of the statue before her time runs out? Kerry Chaput tells the tale of these two remarkable women in her novel, “The Secret Courtesan.”
Adventures of a Tudor Nerd 