Guest Post: “Spotlight for ‘The Virgins of Venice’ by Gina Buonaguro

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wDuEG-OMI am pleased to welcome Gina Buonaguro to blog today to share a blurb from her novel, “The Virgins of Venice.” I would like to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Gina Buonaguro for allowing me to be part of this blog tour.

Blurb:

In sixteenth-century Venice, one young noblewoman dares to resist the choices made for her

Venice in 1509 is on the brink of war. The displeasure of Pope Julius II is a continuing threat to the republic, as is the barely contained fighting in the countryside. Amid this turmoil, noblewoman Justina Soranzo, just sixteen, hopes to make a rare love marriage with her sweetheart, Luca Cicogna. Her hopes are dashed when her father decides her younger sister, Rosa, will marry in a strategic alliance and Justina will be sent to the San Zaccaria convent, in the tradition of aristocratic daughters. Lord Soranzo is not acting only to protect his family. It’s well known that he is in debt to both his trading partners and the most infamous courtesan in the city, La Diamante, and the pressure is closing in.

After arriving at the convent, Justina takes solace in her aunt Livia, one of the nuns, and in the growing knowledge that all is not strictly devout at San Zaccaria. Justina is shocked to discover how the women of the convent find their own freedom in what seems to her like a prison. But secrets and scandals breach the convent walls, and Justina learns there may be even worse fates for her than the veil, if La Diamante makes good on her threats.

Desperate to protect herself and the ones she loves, Justina turns to Luca for help. She finds she must trust her own heart to make the impossible decisions that may save or ruin them all.

Buy Links:

Universal Buy Links:
https://books2read.com/u/49O7NW

The Virgins of Venice

sGD3hzD8Author Bio:

Gina Buonaguro is the co-author of The Wolves of St. Peters, Ciao Bella , and The Sidewalk Artist, as well as several romance titles under the name Meadow Taylor. The Virgins of Venice is her first solo novel.

She has a BA in English from Villanova University in Pennsylvania and earned an MA in English from the University of British Columbia while on a Fulbright Scholarship. Born in New Jersey, Gina Buonaguro lives in Toronto.

Author Links:

Website: https://ginabu.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GinaBuWriter
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gina-buonaguro-35318934/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/gina-buonaguro
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Gina-Buonaguro/author/B002LAAF9I
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/219059.Gina_Buonaguro

Book Review: “Tudor Executions: From Nobility to the Block” by Helene Harrison

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Tudor ExecutionsTreason is the crime of betraying one’s country or monarch by trying to overthrow the government or kill a sovereign. While many English dynasties dealt with treason in their ways, the most infamous were the Tudors and how they dealt with the nobility. By the end of 1572, there were no more dukes in England, until 1623 when George Villiers became the Duke of Buckingham. What was classified as treason during the Tudor dynasty and why did the members of the nobility have to die? Helene Harrison hopes to answer these questions in her latest book, “Tudor Executions: From Nobility to the Block.”

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I enjoyed Harrison’s previous book about Elizabethan Rebellions, so when I heard that she was writing a new book about Tudor executions, I knew I wanted to read it.

Harrison begins by giving her readers a quick overview of what treason meant during the time of the Tudors through the numerous Treason Acts, the significance of the Act of Attainders and scaffold speeches. She also explains that this book explores the lives and ultimate deaths of nine men and five women and that each chapter can be read separately as an essay. The 14 figures that are featured in this book are: Edward Plantagenet 17th Earl of Warwick, Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, Queen Anne Boleyn, George Boleyn Viscount Rochford, Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, Queen Katherine Howard, Jane Boleyn Viscountess Rochford, Henry Howard Earl of Surrey, Thomas Seymour 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, Edward Seymour 1st Duke of Somerset, John Dudley 1st Duke of Northumberland, Queen Jane Grey, Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk, and Robert Devereux 2nd Earl of Essex.

With each case, Harrison explores their origins, how they gained fame, their ultimate falls from grace, and their fate on the execution block. The main focus of each chapter is to show what each monarch considered treasonous behavior, which varied from case to case. We see charges range from treason for having royal blood to being too ambitious, adultery to down right rebellious acts. The Tudors did not hold back when it came to noble women as two queens, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, were executed which was a first for England.

I think Harrison does a decent job in sharing the stories about these nobles and their unfortunate ends. Though there were no real surprises in this book, but the way Harrison presented the information was easy to follow. She shows that the closer one is to the throne, the more likely they would fall victim to power, greed and paranoia. If you are a Tudor nerd who is interested in the more gruesome side of the glamorous Tudor court, I would suggest you read, “Tudor Executions: From Nobility to the Block” by Helene Harrison.

Book Review: “Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the Wars of the Roses” by Sarah Gristwood

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Blood SistersWhen it comes to studying wars from the past, we often focus on the men who fought during the battles the strategies that were implemented to win and the plans that backfired spectacularly. So frequently in the study of wars, we forget about the women left behind, but in fact, they had bigger roles to play than sitting on the sidelines. For example, the royal women who lived in England during the conflict known as the Wars of the Roses played an essential role in how the wars concluded. These women are slowly coming into the spotlight in biographies and historical fiction novels, but it is rare to read a book about the Wars of the Roses where the central figures are the women, until now. Sarah Gristwood has taken seven women from this age and weaved their stories into her book, “Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the Wars of the Roses.”

I have been interested in the Wars of the Roses and the women who lived during that period for years. I heard about this book when I started studying this period, but I have never had a chance to read it, until now.

There were so many strong women from this period, but Gristwood narrowed her choices down to seven remarkable women to focus on; Margaret of Anjou, Margaret Beaufort, Elizabeth Woodville, Elizabeth of York, Cecily Neville, Anne Neville, and Margaret of Burgundy. By choosing these women, Gristwood is presenting a story of a conflict that spanned multiple generations, both York and Lancaster, and showing how both the English and Burgundian nobility dealt with the changes that were happening when the Tudors took control.

Gristwood begins with the marriage of Margaret of Anjou and Henry VI. Though she was French by birth, her loyalty was always going to be with her husband’s Lancasterian family. That meant she would eventually become enemies with the proud Cecily Neville, the wife of Richard Duke of York and mother of King Edward IV and King Richard III, but Margaret was allied with Margaret Beaufort, the tenacious mother of King Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor dynasty. The conflict passed onto the daughters of these women, like Anne Neville and Margaret Burgundy, as well as the daughter of Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Elizabeth Woodville. These women would continue the conflict and help seal the fate of the Lancastrians, see the rise and fall of the Yorkists, and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty through the marriage of Elizabeth of York, the daughter of Elizabeth Woodville, and Henry Tudor. This book spans decades and includes events like the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower, well into the Tudor dynasty such as the pretenders, the marriage of Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon, the death of Prince Arthur, and the rise of Henry VIII.

This was a delightful look into the Wars of the Roses through the eyes of the women who lived through this period. They were mothers, daughters, wives, queens, fighters, and survivors. They showed that without their tenacity and determination to fight for what they believed was right and for their families. If you are a fan of the women who defined the Wars of the Roses, I highly suggest you read, “Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the Wars of the Roses” by Sarah Gristwood.

Guest Post: “Spotlight for ‘Trouble in Assisi’ by Heidi Eljarbo”

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CJ1ceKcYI am pleased to welcome Heidi Eljarbo to my blog today to share a spotlight on her latest novel, “Trouble in Assisi.” I would like to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Heidi Eljarbo for allowing me to be part of this blog tour.

kCaxzjR0Blurb

Assisi, 1973

On art historian Fabiola Bennett’s first day in Assisi, a local gentleman takes her aside to ask for advice about a painting that has wondrously appeared in the basilica’s bell tower. 

So much for enjoying relaxing days filled with dining on pasta and gelato. 

Soon, Fabiola and her besties, Pippa and Cary, are thrown into a shrouded mystery and caught up in a whirlwind of intrigue, theft, lies, and attempted murder, all of which overshadows the postcard-like charm of the small, historic town. 

Rome, 1511

Life is going well for Teodoro Nicoletti. Since he was a young man in Florence, he has worked and learned alongside the most favored artist Raphael. 

When Pope Julius II commissions Raphael to paint several frescos in the reception rooms of the Vatican Palace, Teodoro follows his master to Rome and discovers firsthand the admiration and rivalry between Raphael and two other reigning artists: Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. 

But the prickliest thorn in Teodoro’s side is his beloved Elisabetta’s father. The old man is determined to keep his youngest daughter from becoming Teodoro’s wife. 

Buy Links: 

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited. 

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/4N5ZE6  

GyBUk4hoAuthor Bio: 

Heidi Eljarbo grew up in a home full of books, artwork, and happy creativity. She is the author of historical novels filled with courage, hope, mystery, adventure, and sweet romance during challenging times. She’s been named a master of dual timelines and often writes about strong-willed women of past centuries. 

Heidi now calls Norway home after living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria. She lives with her husband on a charming island, enjoys walking in any weather, hugging her grandchildren, and has a passion for art and history. 

Her family’s chosen retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summer and ski the vast white terrain during winter. 

 

Heidi’s favorites are her family, God’s beautiful nature, and the word whimsical. 

Author Links: 

Website: https://www.heidieljarbo.com/ 

Twitter / X: https://x.com/HeidiEljarbo  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorheidieljarbo/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorheidieljarbo/ 

Pinterest: https://no.pinterest.com/heidieljarbo/ 

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/heidi-eljarbo 

Amazon Author Page: https://amazon.com/author/heidieljarbo 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16984270.Heidi_Eljarbo 

Newsletter: https://www.heidieljarbo.com/newsletter 

Book Review: “Heroines of the Tudor World” by Sharon Bennett Connolly

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Heroines of the Tudor WorldThe world of the 16th century was full of change and equally colorful characters. Most of the dynamic figures of this century were women, who were willing to fight in their ways for what they believed in, whether it was family, faith, or their country. They were heroines in different ways, and each had a story to tell. Each woman had to deal with her obstacles to reach their desired goal, no matter what her station was, from queens and great heiresses to nuns, and even a pirate. Sharon Bennett Connolly has decided to include a handful of these stories in her latest book, “Heroines of the Tudor World.”

I would like to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. I have been a fan of Sharon Bennett Connolly’s books on medieval women, so when I heard that she was going to tackle the 16th-century and the Tudor world, I knew I wanted to read it. I wanted to see what stories she would select and how far into the Tudor world she would explore.

Connolly begins her book by explaining how the 16th century differed from the medieval times as records about women were becoming more accessible. It was also a time of transition, reformation, and the discovery of the “new world.” Each chapter focuses on a different kind of woman; from the ideal to martyrs for their faiths, scandalous heroines, those who were disinherited, pawns in the bigger game of life, warriors, captives, and survivors. Although it can be difficult to place certain tales of women in just one category, Connolly gave her readers a thrilling look into the 16th century.

It was the stories of these extraordinary women who made this book an exceptional read. There are the typical women who are featured heavily in these kinds of narratives; Elizabeth of York, Margaret Beaufort, the wives of Henry VIII, Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, and Catherine de Medici. However, Connolly decided to include lesser-known women. We have mistresses like Diane de Poitiers and spies like Margaret Dymoke, Lady Coffin. Some great heiresses were disinherited like Claude of France and Elizabeth Fitzgerald, as well as pawns like Marguerite de Valois and captives such as Lady Katherine Gordon and Honor Grenville, Lady Lisle. Of course, some women decided to take matters into their own hands and fight for what they believed in, such as Isabella of Castile, Jeanne d’Albret Queen of Navarre, and Grace O’Malley.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the heroines that Connolly included in this book, but my only complaint is that it was not a longer book. There are so many interesting women outside of the European world in the 16th century and I wish she would have highlighted them. Maybe Connolly will write a sequel book to this one to include even more Tudor heroines. If you have enjoyed Sharon Bennett Connolly’s previous books and you are a Tudor nerd, I highly suggest you read, “Heroines of the Tudor World.”

Guest Post: “Researching Crime in Renaissance Venice” by Deborah Swift

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I am pleased to welcome Deborah Swift to my blog to share an article about researching crime in Renaissance Venice for her novel, The Fortune Keeper. I would like to thank Deborah Swift and The Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to be part of this blog tour.


One of the things I was aware of as soon as I started this novel, The Fortune Keeper, was that although not a crime novel, it would probably have several murders within its pages. This is because the whole series is about Giulia Tofana, who was renowned for poisoning men so that their wives could escape marital persecution.

Giulia Tofana became a legend and it is probable that she didn’t poison as many men as the rumors say, and that she was probably blamed for the crimes of others. One of the others suspected of her crimes was her stepdaughter Girolama. As she was to be featured in this book, it led me to look into the law in early modern Venice because I knew I would have to be aware of policing, punishment, and the mechanisms of the law.

Accademia – Miracle of the Holy Cross at Rialto by Vittore Carpaccio

Renaissance Robbery
Venice was extremely wealthy in the Renaissance period, and vagabonds and thieves flooded into the city in search of easy pickings. In the picture above you can see the canal thronged with men dressed in rich clothing and ornament. The most common crimes in Venice were burglary and forgery, but it was by no means unusual for there to be murders over money and debts. The punishment for robbery was calculated based on the quantity of property taken. First offenders who stole goods worth less than one lira could get away with a whipping, but woe betide you if you stole something bigger. The penalty was the loss of an eye for goods valued between five to ten lire, and the noose awaited those brave enough to steal something worth more than forty lire.

Debt and Death
The law allowed anyone owed more than five lire de piccola to threaten and even kill the debtor to recoup their money, putting the onus firmly on the debtor, not the avenger. This tells us that money was the main driving force in Venetian society. But what about armed robbery or assault where no debt was owed? Most assaults were subject to a mere fine of twenty-five lire, or banishment from the city-state. If your crime was a crime that drew blood – sanguinem fecerit – then the punishment was up to the judging council. Venetian law had no such thing as ‘innocent until proven guilty’ at that time. The proof was largely circumstantial, and it relied on the judge and jury’s instinct regarding the guilt of the person involved.

Renaissance Lawkeepers
The Avogaria di Comun were a group equivalent to lawyers, though non-professional, drawn exclusively from the nobility. They acted as prosecutors for the state, giving evidence and arguing for punishments before the main judicial councils of Venice. Because of their status, their judgments were often influenced by their social position, and the personal axes they had to grind.

Execution and Mutilation
In this period it was still common for mutilations to take place, which had been traditional in medieval times. Cutting out the tongue for heresy, cutting off the thumb or fingers for pilfering. Courtesans regularly had their noses or faces cut. There was also the custom of cutting off the ‘offending’ part – this led to men who were convicted of dabbling in heresy or alchemy, or crimes against the Holy Roman Church having their hand cut off to remove the ‘devil’s instrument’. This kind of public ritual and humiliation was designed to bring public vengeance to the accused person and to reaffirm the values of the Church or state.

The ritual turned the execution into a purification of the city.
Few crimes brought down corporal or capital punishment. The types of corporal punishment used for the crimes of rape and assault were minor by today’s standards. As an example, for assault, out of 569 cases only fifteen involved mutilation of the criminal; and sixteen more involved some form of corporal discipline. For rape offenses, corporal punishment was even less significant, with twenty cases of discipline and only four of mutilation.


Maintaining law and order
On the streets, the main arbiters of law and order were the town guard, the vigili urbani, who acted as our police do now. Their job was to make sure masked men didn’t carry arms, that only noblemen wore swords, and to act as a preventative force as well as policing troublemakers.

Further up the ladder was the Council of Ten, a kind of secret police force whose job was to maintain order within the city-state of Venice. There was not much space in the city gaols of Venice due to the whole nature of its construction. For crimes of fraud, marital dispute, and affray, these men sat in judgment. It was unfeasible to keep men incarcerated for long because otherwise, the gaols would be full of minor offenders. Small fines and short gaol sentences were the usual punishments for common violence in Venice. When the crime crossed the line into something that was considered ‘against God’ or ‘against the reputation of Venice’ then ritual punishment could be relied upon to warn the populace about sinning against these bigger, less personal edifices.

Documents I found helpful in my research:
Law and Punishment in Early Renaissance Venice
Violence in Early Renaissance Venice – Guido Ruggiero
Banditry and Social Identity in the Republic of Venice – Sergio Lavarda
Authority and the Law in Renaissance Venice — G. Cozzi

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Blurb:

Count your nights by stars, not shadows ~ Italian Proverb

Winter in Renaissance Venice

Mia Caiozzi is determined to discover her destiny by studying the science of astronomy. But her stepmother Giulia forbids her to engage in this occupation, fearing it will lead her into danger. The ideas of Galileo are banned by the Inquisition, so Mia must study in secret.

Giulia’s real name is Giulia Tofana, renowned for her poison Aqua Tofana, and she is in hiding from the Duke de Verdi’s family who are intent on revenge for the death of their brother. Giulia insists Mia should live quietly out of public view. If not, it could threaten them all. But Mia doesn’t understand this, and rebels against Giulia, determined to go her own way.

When the two secret lives collide, it has far-reaching and fatal consequences that will change Mia’s life forever.

Set amongst opulent palazzos and shimmering canals, The Fortune Keeper is the third novel of adventure and romance based on the life and legend of Giulia Tofana, the famous poisoner.

‘Her characters are so real they linger in the mind long after the book is back on the shelf’
~ Historical Novel Society

NB This is the third in a series but can stand alone as it features a new protagonist. The other two books are available if reviewers want them.

Trigger Warnings:
Murder and violence in keeping with the era.

Buy Links:

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Link: https://mybook.to/FortuneKeeper

Audiobook Buy Links:

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/audiobook/fortune-keeper-the
Audio: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Fortune-Keeper-Audiobook/B0C63R95WM

Author Bio:

Deborah Swift is a USA TODAY bestselling author who is passionate about the past. Deborah used to be a costume designer for the BBC, before becoming a writer. Now she lives in an old English school house in a village full of 17th Century houses, near the glorious Lake District. Deborah has an award-winning historical fiction blog on her website http://www.deborahswift.com.

Deborah loves to write about how extraordinary events in history have transformed the lives of ordinary people, and how the events of the past can live on in her books and still resonate today.

The first in her series about the Renaissance poisoner Giulia Tofana, The Poison Keeper, was a winner of the Wishing Shelf Book of the Decade, a Coffee Pot Book Club Gold Medal, and the latest in her WW2 Secret Agent series, Operation Tulip, is coming soon.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.deborahswift.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/swiftstory
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authordeborahswift/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/deborahswift1/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/deborah-swift
Amazon: http://author.to/DeborahSwift

Book Review: “Sisters of Treason” by Elizabeth Fremantle

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Sisters of TreasonThose born of royal blood are either blessed by being able to sit on the throne or cursed to be under intense scrutiny for fears of treason. That is the case for the Grey sisters. Jane, Katherine, and Mary were the daughters of Henry and Frances Grey and the granddaughters of Mary and Charles Brandon. Their bloodline made them cousins to Mary I and Elizabeth I, which meant they threatened the two queens, especially when Edward VI named Lady Jane Grey his heir. After Mary I executes Jane and their father Henry for treason, the remaining Grey sisters, Katherine and Mary, must survive the treacherous Tudor court or end up like their sister. Can Katherine and Mary survive in a court where their royal blood leaves a target on their backs? Elizabeth Fremantle tells the tale of the lesser-known Grey sisters in her novel, “Sisters of Treason.”

A few years ago, I read the first book in The Tudor Trilogy by Elizabeth Fremantle called, “Queen’s Gambit: A Novel of Katherine Parr,” and I adored it. I have always been fascinated with Tudor heroines that do not get enough attention. I feel like Katherine and Mary Grey fit that bill and another woman Fremantle included in this novel, Levina Teerlinc. When I read the description of this book, I knew I would enjoy it.

We begin with the tragic execution of Lady Jane Grey as her mother Frances and Levina Teerlinc, a family friend, watch in horror in the middle of the crowd. They know they cannot save her, but they can protect her sisters from the same grisly fate by keeping a close eye on them from themselves and the schemes of others. Mary Grey can keep herself from major scandals and close to her cousins because of her misshapen body. She knows that she cannot threaten the house of Tudor because she cannot have children. On the other hand, Katherine Grey only cares about love and having her own family; she does not care about the consequences that she may have to deal with if she marries without the queen’s permission.

While Mary Grey is a constant companion for Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, Katherine is on the outside looking in, wanting her own life and to marry Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford. Eventually, they marry secretly, much to the chagrin of Queen Elizabeth I. Katherine and Hertford suffer the consequences of their love match by spending time in the Tower. Mary on the other hand knows her duty to the throne and how it is important to keep her family safe from the Tudor queens’ ire, even when she falls in love with Thomas Keyes. We also have the perspective of the artist Levina Teerlinc, a family friend of the Greys and a surrogate mother to Katherine and Mary after the death of Frances. The Greys and Teerlinc must also navigate the ever-changing religious world as they are reformers when Catholicism battles it out with Protestantism.

This is yet another sublime novel by Elizabeth Fremantle. It is full of tension, intrigue, romance, and love for one’s family, whether a friend as close as a mother or the bonds of blood. Even though I knew how the stories of Katherine and Mary Grey played out, it was still a thrilling read, especially with the addition of Levina Teerlinc. I have loved every novel that I have read by Fremantle so far and I look forward to reading more. If you want an excellent novel about the Grey sisters, I highly recommend you read “Sisters of Treason” by Elizabeth Fremantle.

Book Review: “The Passionate Tudor: A Novel of Queen Mary I” by Alison Weir

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The Passionate TudorA king’s eldest child is usually the next in line to inherit the throne and become the next ruler. At least that is how the line of succession is supposed to work if the heir is male. Mary I knew this better than anyone. As the eldest daughter of King Henry VIII, she knew that once her mother Katherine of Aragon had a son, Mary would become a pawn in the marriage game. She was willing to accept this fate until her father fell in love with Anne Boleyn. Mary is declared a bastard and must fight for her inheritance and the crown of England while maintaining her Catholic faith. Alison Weir tells the tale of this remarkable woman, from her tumultuous childhood to her short reign that marked her legacy, in her latest novel, “The Passionate Tudor: A Novel of Queen Mary I.”

I would like to thank Ballantine Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I have enjoyed the previous novels in The Tudor Rose trilogy by Alison Weir about Elizabeth of York and King Henry VIII, so when I heard she was writing a book about Mary I, I knew I wanted to read it. Mary I is one of those figures who shows how devastating it can be to be close to the throne and the hard decisions one makes when king or queen of a country.

Weir began her novel with Mary at the age of nine in 1525. She is her parent’s pride and joy as she is their only child. Her mother Katherine of Aragon is arranging an advantageous marriage for Mary that would create a strong alliance for England. Not even the birth of her half-brother Henry Fitzroy could dampen Mary Tudor’s spirits. However, that all changed when Anne Boleyn entered the picture and the Great Matter was made public. Katherine of Aragon is no longer queen, Anne Boleyn is Mary’s stepmother, and Mary is now declared a bastard in favor of her half-sister Elizabeth Tudor.

Mary’s life after the birth of Elizabeth Tudor begins to become even more tragic. Her mother Katherine of Aragon dies before she can see her daughter again and Anne Boleyn is executed for treason soon afterwards. Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour, has his desired male heir Edward VI, before Jane tragically dies quickly. As the Supreme Head of the Church of England, Henry wants his daughter Mary, a devout Catholic, to submit to his will, which she ultimately does. We also get to see how Mary interacted with her other stepmothers, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Katherine Parr, until the death of her father Henry VIII. Before he died, Henry VIII revised his Act of Succession, making Mary Edward’s heir if he did not have children. However, Edward VI has his idea for who will succeed him after he dies and he names Lady Jane Grey as his heir, although that plan does not last long and Mary is proclaimed the first queen of England to rule on her own.

Weir shows Mary’s life and reign in a very sympathetic way. Even though she does still give her the nickname “Bloody Mary”, we can see a woman who is concerned about the faith of her kingdom and the well-being of her family, especially Edward, Prince Philip her husband, and Elizabeth, who she argues with on matters that matter to her. It is such a tragedy that Mary never had a child that she desperately wanted to have as she suffered through phantom pregnancies. At the end of the day, whether it was matters of faith or family, Mary was someone who was passionate and someone who desired to be loved.

This is a delightful novel about a woman who has often been vilified but maybe we should have sympathy for everything she had to endure starting at a young age. I enjoyed this novel very much and I look forward to the next novel by Weir. If you have enjoyed the previous books in the Tudor Rose trilogy or you just want a different take on Mary I’s story, I highly suggest you read, “The Passionate Tudor: A Novel of Queen Mary I” by Alison Weir.

Television Series Review: “Shardlake”

On By hmalagisiIn Television Series/Movie Reviews1 Comment

The year is 1536 and England is amid great religious change. King Henry VIII and his top advisor Thomas Cromwell wanted to close the top monasteries in the country so they initiated the dissolution of the monasteries. One such religious house is St. Donatus monastery in Scarnsea, so Cromwell sends one of his commissioners, Robin Singleton, to investigate the monastery and persuade the monks to leave their home. However, things do not go to plan and Singleton is brutally murdered. Now, Cromwell must rely on a lawyer named Matthew Shardlake and Jack Barak to solve the murder case and close the monastery once and for all. With a house full of secrets, suspicion, and monks fearful of the future, can Shardlake and Barak solve the case before they become the next victim?

This is the premise of the latest Tudor drama on Disney +, called Shardlake, based on the first book in the Matthew Shardlake series by C.J. Sansom, titled “Dissolution.” I remember falling in love with this book series when I first read it about four years ago and I did hope that one day, it would be turned into a television series because Sansom’s writing style was so vivid and his characters leaped off the pages. When it was first announced that Disney + was going to produce this show, it was exciting to know that it was finally going to be adapted for television, but it was also nerve-wracking because since it is one of my favorite Tudor book series, I was hoping that it would do the book justice.

I decided that before the show was due to release, I was going to reread “Dissolution” as I forgot the story and how it played out in the book. This was a joy as Sansom’s writing style is still vibrant and filled with many twists and turns. I was hoping that the show could capture the sense of excitement and danger and how he recreated the Tudor world that Sansom in his books for his readers, especially after it was announced that CJ Sansom passed away two days before the show premiered. I wanted the show to honor Sansom’s legacy and craft as a wonderful storyteller and extremely passionate about the Tudor dynasty.

As I have recently read “Dissolution” right before watching “Shardlake”, I feel like I cannot keep this review as spoiler-free as I would have liked, so this is your warning, I will be spoiling some things in the show and the book.

Before we dive into the story, we have to set out our cast of characters, starting with Matthew Shardlake, played brilliantly by Arthur Hughes. Hughes can present Shardlake in such a believable way that it feels like he jumped off the pages. We also have Jack Barak, the funny playboy who adds some light notes to the story, played by Anthony Boyle. I am not going to lie, I was shocked that they decided to replace Mark Poer with Jack Barak, but once I saw the interactions between Shardlake and Barak on set, it made sense. Wrapping up the main actors is Thomas Cromwell played masterfully by Sean Bean. When the casting was announced about Bean being Cromwell, it was hard to picture the historical figure, but when I saw him on the screen having his first scene with Shardlake about the relics, my doubts vanished. He does an excellent portrayal of Thomas Cromwell.

I must applaud the casting crew for creating such a diverse cast, just as diverse as the book that it is inspired by. Some of my standouts include Ruby Ashbourne Serkis as Alice, Irfan Shamji as Brother Guy, and Joe Barber as Simon Whelplay. Regarding the casting of Babou Ceesay as Abbot Fabian, I did not have a problem with it because I think he did a great job portraying a character in a fictional drama based on a historical fiction novel. The one character that I was a bit confused about was the inclusion of Norfolk played by Peter Firth, as he was not in the original story and didn’t add much to the story as a whole.

I think as a whole, the costumes did look relatively decent. However, a few, especially Dr. Goodhap’s outfit, looked synthetic and threw off the illusion of it being a Tudor period drama. I also wanted to see more head coverings for the male characters and for Alice, although the clothing colors were not as dark as I feared. I liked the addition of the relics, the parrot, and the manuscripts to add depth to the drama, and the use of candles instead of torches, always a major plus for history nerds when watching historical dramas.

One of my big issues was the monastery of St. Donatus itself. It has been reported that they filmed in Hungary, Romania, and Austria, primarily at Hunedoara Castle and Kruezenstein Castle. That is a big red flag for authenticity. They may be beautiful locations, but they were not an English monastery during the 16th century when monasteries were dissolved. You can tell that it was not filmed in England and it does take away from the illusion that is so important when it comes to historical dramas; you want to be transported to the location that the author had in mind, especially when Sansom included a map on the monastery in his book.

Now let’s address the elephant in the room, the story of the “Shardlake” series. For the most part, the Shardlake television series stays pretty close to the story, except for a few glaring exceptions. When they mentioned the holy relic went missing, they did not mention the beheaded bird on the altar, which is probably for the best because it is a rather disturbing image. We also have the scenes with Simon Whelplay, who is portrayed as a nervous youth who is constantly getting into trouble. His death plays out a little differently in the book, as he slips and falls in the bathhouse, whereas in the show, he plummets from a tower. In both cases, it is revealed that he was drugged with belladonna. I did feel a bit sad that they didn’t flesh out the relationship between Brother Guy and Shardlake as that was my favorite friendship in the book series. They could have easily had a scene where we could see the potential for their friendship to grow past the monastery.

The two major issues I had were inclusions to the plot of the story. I did not like the addition of Norfolk as a big-name villain for Shardlake because, in the book series, the major historical figures took a back seat to the original characters Sansom created. My biggest issue with this show was Barak’s character arc. At first, I thought it was an odd choice to include him over Mark Poer in the series, but then they decided to combine character traits, like Barak falling for Alice which felt so wrong, luckily he does not run away with her. And then Barak randomly killed Goodhap and got away with it. He admitted to Shardlake that he killed Goodhap and it felt like Shardlake ignored the entire issue, which feels completely off for Shardlake. If they do make another season and they have the actors playing Shardlake and Barak back, it is just going to feel a bit awkward between them.

Overall, I thought the “Shardlake” series was a decent adaptation of the Matthew Shardlake series by C.J. Sansom, but the books will always be superior. If you want to jump into the Tudor world with a murder mystery filled with twists and turns, you should check out “Shardlake” on Disney +, and if you want to read the book series, check out the Matthew Shardlake series by CJ Sansom.

What are your opinions about the “Shardlake” series on Disney + and what is your favorite book written by CJ Sansom?

If you are curious about my views about the Matthew Shardlake book series by CJ Sansom, you can find my review here: https://adventuresofatudornerd.com/2020/09/27/book-series-review-the-matthew-shardlake-series-by-c-j-sansom/

Sources for Images and Cast Information:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27390563/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/shardlake

Guest Post: “Spotlight for ‘Berengaria of Navarre, Queen of England, Lord of Le Mans’ by Gabrielle Storey”

On By hmalagisiIn guest postLeave a comment

Today, I am pleased to welcome Gabrielle Storey to share a blurb from her latest book, “Berengaria of Navarre, Queen of England, Lord of Le Mans.”

berengaria of navarreBlurb

‘Berengaria of Navarre, Queen of England, Lord of Le Mans’ is a biography of one of our least-known queens of medieval England. Wife of Richard the Lionheart, daughter-in-law of Eleanor of Aquitaine, and a participant of the Third Crusade, Berengaria sat at the crossroads of several major political figures and events of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Yet her story has received scant attention by historians and the public until now.

This biography, including material not previously discussed in English scholarship, brings a new light to Berengaria’s life, covering her journeys from Navarre, across Europe to Sicily, Cyprus, the Holy Land, and then to the Angevin domains in France. It shows how women exercised power in medieval Europe, and brings to the fore a greater understanding of the life of one of England’s most forgotten queens. Grounded in academic research and written for the interested reader, this biography gives a welcome insight into Berengaria as a woman, queen, widow, and lord.

Buy Link: https://www.routledge.com/Berengaria-of-Navarre-Queen-of-England-Lord-of-Le-Mans/Storey/p/book/9781032121475

Launch 20% discount code for purchases made through the Routledge website: EFLY01

Gabrielle StoreyAuthor Bio: 

Dr Gabrielle Storey is a historian of monarchy, gender, and sexuality. Her research interests include the exercise of power, rulership, and monarchs in the medieval West. She has featured on several podcasts including the BBC ‘You’re Dead To Me’ on Eleanor of Aquitaine and writes regularly for several history magazines including History Extra and Medieval World: Culture and Conflict.

She is currently working on her first non-fiction book for the wider public. Her first book, the academic and accessible biography of Berengaria of Navarre, is published with Routledge in June 2024.

You can find more about her work here: https://gabriellestorey.com/public-engagement/

Author Links:

Website: https://gabriellestorey.com/

X: https://twitter.com/GabbyStorey

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drgabbystorey/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gabbystorey.bsky.social

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Gabrielle-Storey/author/B0CVSCZVFY

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/30441642.Gabrielle_Storey