Book Review: “The Empty Throne” (Book 8 of the Saxon Stories Series) by Bernard Cornwell

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There’s nothing like a quest to keep a man going, even on the brink of death, but in the case of Uhtred of Bebbanburg, he has several quests. His main goal is to reclaim his birthright, Bebbanburg, but he also wants to help fulfill Alfred’s dream of uniting the kingdoms to create England. However, life can present even more challenges, and Uhtred knows this all too well. Uhtred not only has to save a royal heir and his daughter, but he also must find the sword that wounded him and place a woman on a throne to rule in a time when women were seen rather than heard. It’s a lot to do, but if anyone is up to the task, it is Uhtred of Bebbanburg. The question is, will he survive? Bernard Cornwell brings us another action-packed novel full of adventures in book 8 of the Saxon Stories series, “The Empty Throne.”

Cornwell begins with Uhtred, the young Uhtred, who is serving Lady Aethelflaed as she fights against the Danes. Their enemies believe the elder Uhtred is dead, but he is far from it. Unfortunately, Uhtred the elder was injured during his fight with Cnut, and the injury is causing him pain. But a little pain is not going to stop Uhtred from fulfilling his oaths. He finds out that Lord Aethelhelm is after Aethelstan, the illegitimate son of King Edward, who actually might be legitimate. Aethelstan is staying safe with Uhtred’s daughter Stiorra, but when Uhtred realizes they are in danger, he rushes to their aid. What Uhtred does not realize is that his daughter Stiorra is a pagan and is stronger than he thinks.

Once things are settled with his family, Uhtred receives word that Lady Aethelflaed will be fighting for the throne of Mercia as her husband Aethelred is dying. It’s a risky endeavor, as women did not rule during this time, but Uhtred the Elder comes up with a plan to make sure she becomes Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians. Finally, Uhtred must find Cnut’s sword Ice-Spite, and the journey will lead him to Wales, a great battle, and one of Uhtred’s children leaving on their own adventure.

This is so far my favorite book in the series. The fact that we got to see Aethelflaed become the Lady of the Mercians while Uhtred stood by her side. We got to see Uhtred the Younger and Stiorra grow up in this book and start on their own paths. And of course, we get to see Uhtred of Bebbanburg and his men being badasses in battle. Such a fun and thrilling novel, and I can’t wait to see where Cornwell takes this series. If you are a fan of the first seven books in the Saxon Stories series, you will love “The Empty Throne” by Bernard Cornwell.

Guest Post: “Gilded Power – The Jewelry Legacy of the Tudors” by Sam Mee

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I am pleased to welcome Sam Mee, founder of the Antique Ring Boutique, to my blog today to share an article about Tudor jewelry.

Jewelry was predominantly religious in the austere Middle Ages, focusing on relics, devotional rings, and crosses. But the Tudor rulers developed it as a way to project their own royal power and authority. Clothing fashions of the time emphasized structure, and monarchs like Henry VIII and Elizabeth I integrated jewelry to proclaim their status and divine favor. 

This was the age of portraiture, when the elite commissioned likenesses as propaganda. Hans Holbein the Younger depicted Henry VIII in a way that showed off his jewels and chains of office as much as his formidable bulk (and codpiece). Holbein’s most famous image of Henry is a 1537 mural that, while destroyed by fire in 1698, is still known through copies. It shows the King with a powerful stance and wearing multiple chains and rings to further emphasized his authority and wealth.

Holbein portrait, public domain image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/After_Hans_Holbein_the_Younger_-_Portrait_of_Henry_VIII_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/1024px-After_Hans_Holbein_the_Younger_-_Portrait_of_Henry_VIII_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

Three similar Armada portraits of Elizabeth I were painted after England defeated the Spanish Armada. They take allegory even further. The Queen is almost encased in pearls. Her gown is embroidered with them, they sit on her hair, and pearl ropes hang from her neck, all to symbolize chastity and divine protection. More explicitly, her hand rests on the globe as a symbol of empire. Her powerful warships are visible in the background behind her gem-encrusted crown, signifying divine authority. 

Armada portrait, public domain image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Elizabeth_I_%28Armada_Portrait%29.jpg

In fact, Elizabeth I was rarely painted without pearls – other examples include the Darnley Portrait (c1575) and Rainbow Portrait (c1600). The pearls repeatedly symbolized the Virgin Queen’s chastity and wealth in bodily form.

The sumptuary laws

If gems and clothing signified power, then rulers needed to control who wore what. Medieval 15th-century sumptuary laws started to codify this across Europe. A 1463 English statute restricted who could wear “royal purple”, while a 1483 act restricted velvet to knights and lords and satin for gentry with a yearly income of £40.

Tudor England was an intensely hierarchical society, and so the laws were tightened further. Elizabeth’s 1574 Act of Apparel spelled out in detail who could wear what – her rules set which fabrics hats could be made of and dictated the length of swords, depending on the wearer’s standing. Check out the list here: https://midtudormanor.wordpress.com/sumptuary-laws/

Jewelry was also regulated with gold chains, heavy pearls, and precious stones reserved exclusively for the nobility. 

Enforcement was patchy but real, with surviving court records showing individuals tried for breaches and fined. These laws were somewhat symbolic, though. They were a way to make hierarchy visible rather than consistently enforced. Ambitious merchants and courtiers often flaunted jewels beyond their rank, with monarchs turning a blind eye.

Fashion at court

Jewelry was inseparable from clothing at court. Goldsmiths worked hand in hand with tailors, and jewels were sewn directly into doublets and headdresses.

We know Henry VIII wore vast gold chains and pendants and even occasionally jeweled codpieces. Courtiers followed suit with jeweled hat badges, enameled rings, and ornate girdle books (these were tiny, jeweled prayer books that hung from belts). They also wore gold pearl earrings. Women sported pearls, rubies, and diamonds on top of layered dresses made from richly embroidered fabrics. 

Anne Boleyn’s necklace – a large gold “B” with three drop-pearls dangling from it – is one of the period’s most famous jewels. It’s a very personal bit of jewelry that symbolized her individuality and status. (It survives only in portraits – its whereabouts after her 1536 beheading is not known).

Anne Boleyn’s B necklace, public domain image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Anne_boleyn.jpg

Global trends and treasures

The rise in the prominence of jewelry was part of a wider trend of expanding horizons – culturally, societally, geographically, and economically. Spain’s influx of New World gold and silver boosted Europe’s wealth, with England claiming its own share through figures like Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake.

There’s extraordinary archaeological evidence of this, not just from the images of the time but from the Cheapside Hoard, discovered in 1912 beneath a London cellar. It’s a collection of more than 400 pieces. There are emerald rings, diamond pendants, and enameled chains with gems sourced from Colombia, India, Burma, and Brazil. The treasure shows that London goldsmiths had access to a global supply of jewels long before the height of the empire. 

Together with portraits, the Hoard is the richest record we have of Tudor jewelry, showing how jewels were actually made. You can read more about it here: https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/london-stories/jewels-cheapside-hoard/

Evolution of Tudor Jewelry

New fashions, new materials, and new freedoms (for some). Tudor jewelers developed new techniques to match these wider changes in society, combining medieval traditions with Renaissance artistry. Enameling reached new heights, and these techniques were carried forward into Georgian mourning jewelry and even into Victorian revival pieces.

Foil-backing was widely used in Tudor times to enhance jewels. Thin sheets of colored foil were placed behind gems like diamonds, rubies, or rock crystal to enhance their brilliance. This technique remained common until the 18th century, when more advanced diamond cutting began to produce inherent sparkle.

Gem cutting itself advanced in the Tudor period. Gemstones are rarely cut in bespoke shapes but tend to use standardized cuts designed to maximize brilliance or colour. This has been true since the Renaissance. Earlier medieval gems were typically worn as cabochons (smooth, polished domes), which enhanced colour but not brilliance. Then, from the late 15th century, jewelry began to experiment with faceting, where flat surfaces were cut at angles to reflect light, and Tudor lapidary work played a key role in the development and take-up of new techniques:

  • Cabochon: The oldest approach. A smooth, rounded dome without facets. Used in the medieval period for sapphires, garnets, and emeralds.
  • Point cut: This simple cut shaped a diamond into a pyramid with four sides. Mostly common in the 15th century.
  • Table cut: Developed in the late 15th century, this removed the top of the pyramid to create a flat “table” facet. It meant increased brilliance and became standard in Tudor jewelry.
  • Rose cut: Emerged in the 16th century as diamond saws and polishing technology improved. This had a flat base and a domed top covered in triangular facets to resemble a rosebud. The rose cut was popular until the 19th century.
  • Old mine cut: An 18th-century development. It’s a squarish cut combined with a high crown, deep pavilion, and large culet. It was the forerunner of the modern brilliant cut.

You can read more about the evolution from medieval jewelry techniques here. (https://historicalbritainblog.com/the-debt-antique-jewellery-owes-to-the-middle-ages-guest-post-by-samuel-mee/)

Settings in Tudor times typically enclosed the stone with gold, but Tudor jewelers began experimenting with more open settings to admit light. It was the Stuart era that really saw the development of the claw setting for diamonds, where the gem was held with tiny metal arms to allow much more light to pass through, dramatically increasing sparkle.

Tudor trends can be seen in subsequent centuries: 

  • Georgian jewelers turned enamel and foil into sentimental jewelry such as portrait miniatures (also common in Tudor times) and mourning rings.
  • Victorian designers enjoyed historical revival, and they often deliberately echoed Tudor styles, such as heavy Holbein-like gold chains and memento mori skulls.
  • Edwardian jewelers drove a revival of Elizabethan-style pears and combined them with lace-like platinum settings.
  • Art Deco designs were modernist in geometry but had a strong revivalist theme from Egyptian motifs to statement designs that matched 16th-century theatricality.

Surviving themes

Tudor jeweler was many things: regulated, global, technical, and symbolic. It was constrained by law, used as propaganda, and yet pushed at boundaries. It was part of the evolution of techniques and materials that developed over several hundred years as jeweler changed to become ever more personal. And even specific gem traditions persisted. The Tudor love of pearls was echoed in the Edwardian era. Tudor foiling foreshadowed Georgian brilliance. Tudor enameling was revived multiple times in the centuries that followed. Let’s just hope the codpiece doesn’t return. 

About the Author

Sam Mee is the founder of the Antique Ring Boutique (https://www.antiqueringboutique.com/), which sells rings from the Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, and Art Deco eras. He has several guides on his website for buying rings from different historical periods. EG, you can learn more about ring cuts and foiling in the guide to Georgian rings: https://www.antiqueringboutique.com/en-us/pages/georgian. He is a member of both Lapada (https://lapada.org/dealers/antique-ring-boutique/) and BADA (https://www.bada.org/dealer/antique-ring-boutique). 

Book Review: “Nemesis: Medieval England’s Greatest Enemy” by Catherine Hanley

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The Plantagenets, one of England’s most dynamic dynasties, were always in the middle of some sort of conflict. Whether they were fighting foreign adversaries, their own people, or their own family, it felt like the Plantagenets were always getting into some sort of trouble. And there was one king who knew how to use the weaknesses of the kings of England to his advantage. He was King Philip II of France, also known as Philip Augustus. He had to deal with four different Plantagenet kings and had a strategy for each one of them. Just what were Philip II’s strategies, and how did his reign affect English/French relationships as a whole? These questions are answered in Catherine Hanley’s book, “Nemesis: Medieval England’s Greatest Enemy.”

I would like to thank Osprey Publishing and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I enjoy reading about the Plantagenets and their impact on England and Europe as a whole. When I saw that this book took a French approach to the Plantagenets and focused on Philip Augustus, it was an intriguing premise to me.

As Hanley states in the introduction, this book is not your typical biography, as she focuses on the relationship between Philip Augustus and his Plantagenet opponents. That does not mean that we do not get biographical information for Philip, who was the son of Louis VII and Adela of Blois. Per tradition, as the heir to the French throne, Philip was crowned as Junior King of France on November 1, 1179, which meant that his father was still alive when he was crowned, and he trained to become the proper King of France.

While Philip knew that he had factions to deal with inside of France, his main concerns were overseas with the Plantagenets, primarily King Henry II and his sons. Over the course of his forty-year reign, Philip dealt with Henry II, Richard I the Lionheart, John, and Henry III. Each English king presented his own challenges for Philip, but Philip took them in stride and worked hard to make France stronger. At the same time, Philip had to deal with his own family dramas. He was married three times to Isabelle of Hainault, Ingeborg of Denmark, and Agnes of Merania. It was his marriage to Agnes of Merania that gave Philip his heir, the warrior King Louis VIII of France. However, it was Ingeborg of Denmark who gave Philip the biggest headache as she never gave up fighting for her marriage.

From military to political strategies, Hanley shows how Philip maneuvered against the English, and yet she shows that he was not a perfect person or a king. Philip was a flawed human who had to deal with the cards he was dealt like anyone else. Hanley presents a comprehensive book that explores the complex nature of medieval politics and how one man battled against an entire dynasty during his reign. If you are someone who wants to explore the early Plantagenets from the eyes of their enemy, King Philip II of France, I recommend you read “Nemesis: Medieval England’s Greatest Enemy” by Catherine Hanley.

Book Review: “Great Harry’s Navy: How Henry VIII Gave England Sea Power” by Geoffrey Moorhouse

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One would assume that, since England is an island nation, its navy has been its strength since its foundation. That, however, was not always the case. While there were naval battles during the Middle Ages, it was not a navy like we know today. The concept of the Royal Navy was founded during the time of the Tudors, especially under the reign of Henry VIII. So, how did Henry VIII turn a navy from 7 ships to over fifty ships that could stand with other European navies? Geoffrey Moorhouse examines the creation of the English navy in his book, “Great Harry’s Navy: How Henry VIII Gave England Sea Power.”

This particular title was a used bookstore find for me. I saw that it was about the Tudors, and an aspect that I am not super familiar with. I don’t read a lot of nautically-based books, especially nonfiction, so I decided to go on a whim and try it out.

Moorhouse recognizes that this is a highly specialized book, so before delving into the history, he includes an extensive glossary at the beginning of the book to assist those unfamiliar with nautical terminology. He then dives into the origins of the English navy pre-Henry VII, and we can see that Henry VII did not leave his son, Henry VIII, many ships. However, Henry VIII had such a passion for ships that he got to work right away making shipbuilding centers and making sure that the right men were in the positions of power to make his navy superior to those in Europe. Moorhouse goes into minute detail to show how the Tudor navy rose, fell, and rose again to create a foundation that Henry’s children, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I would build upon to create a sea superpower.

I am a fan of challenging books and discovering new topics in history. I wanted to learn more about naval history, presented in an easy-to-follow writing style. While Moorhouse does attempt to do this, his exuberant nerdy side for naval history comes out, and it felt like he was having a conversation with experts, not novices. It was one of those books that took me a long time to read because there was so much information that I was trying to digest as a novice.

I think this book is definitely written for a specific group of people, and they are those who love nautical history and learning about the Tudors. For novices, like myself, it may be quite a trial to read. If you are in the latter category and you want to read this, take your time and take notes if need be. I think this is a book that could be a great resource for historical fiction authors and just those who want a different approach to the Tudors. If that is you, “Great Harry’s Navy: How Henry VIII Gave England Sea Power” by Geoffrey Moorhouse might be a book to add to your collection.

Book Review: “Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival” by Stephen Greenblatt

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Sixteenth-century England was a time of great change. There were religious changes as the crown passed from one member of the Tudor family to another. Wars and illnesses like the plague and the sweating sickness were rampant. However, this was also a time of an explosion of the arts, particularly of the theatre. We see men like William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson rise from obscurity to write plays that would propel them to become phenomena. There was a third playwright who should be included in this list. He was the son of a cobbler who was educated at Cambridge University. A brilliant man who wrote groundbreaking plays while he was a spy for her majesty Queen Elizabeth I, his cause of death when he was only in his twenties would remain a mystery for centuries. Christopher (Kit) Marlowe’s story is told in Stephen Greenblatt’s latest book, “Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival.”

I would like to thank W. W. Norton & Company and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I will be honest. Although I do spend a lot of time studying the 16th century, I don’t read a lot of plays by Shakespeare or Marlowe. So, when I saw this book and its premise, it piqued my curiosity. I knew that Marlowe was a famous playwright, he was a spy, and that he died young, but that’s all I knew before reading this book. I wanted to know more about Kit Marlowe and his world.

Christopher Kit Marlowe was the son of John Marlowe, an immigrant shoemaker, and his wife, Katherine Arthur. As their only son, it was believed that Kit would become a cobbler, but he had different skills that were more academically inclined. The cobbler’s son would study the classical writers of Ancient Greece and Rome, while learning Latin and debating theology. Kit would find himself at Cambridge University, and he paid for his education on a scholarship. While the main focus of these chapters is Marlowe, Greenblatt does show the lives of the scholars and fellow students who would shape Marlowe’s writings and his path in life.

Just as Marlowe was about to complete his Master of the Arts degree, his attendance dropped, and he was seen in Rheims in France. He was beginning to establish connections to the Elizabethan spy network with William Cecil, Lord Burghley, and Sir Francis Walsingham. This is the stage of life where we not only see Marlowe get in trouble with the law, but we also get to see Marlowe become a playwright who would rival Shakespeare himself. Greenblatt takes his time to analyze Marlowe’s works, including Tamburlaine the Great, Edward II, The Jew of Malta, and Doctor Faustus. Finally, Greenblatt examines Marlowe’s death on May 30, 1593, and who might have been responsible for his murder.

I found this book extremely informative, not only when it comes to the life of Christopher Kit Marlowe, but also the worlds of Elizabethan higher education, the theatrical community, the divides on religious beliefs, and the spy world. Marlowe is one of those figures who challenged what it meant to be a playwright through his rather controversial works, which inspired others like William Shakespeare. If you want a book about a playwright with a tragic end who doesn’t get a lot of attention, I highly recommend you read “Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival” by Stephen Greenblatt.

Book Review: “Henry VIII’s Controversial Aunt, Honor Lisle: Her Life, Letters, and Influence on the Tudor Court” by Amy Licence

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Marrying into the royal family is not all sunshine and rainbows. Of course, we tend to think about those who marry the king, the queen, the prince, or the princess. But we also need to consider the aunts and the uncles of the royals as part of the family. Take, for example, Arthur Plantagenet, the illegitimate son of Edward IV and the uncle of Henry VIII. His second wife, Honor Lisle, would help him rule Calais; however, she is best known for her letters and her devout Catholic faith during the Reformation in England. So why is Honor Lisle considered a controversial figure, and what was the cause of the fall of Honor and Arthur from the royal good graces? Amy Licence explores the life of Henry VIII’s step-aunt in the first full biography dedicated to Honor Lisle, which is entitled “Henry VIII’s Controversial Aunt, Honor Lisle: Her Life, Letters, and Influence on the Tudor Court.”

I would like to thank Pen & Sword Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. I have heard of Honor Lisle and her letters, but I did not know much about her life before this book. I did know that she was married to Arthur Plantagenet, but I had assumed that he was her first husband, so I didn’t know about her life before Arthur. When I saw that Amy Licence was writing a biography about Honor Lisle, I knew I wanted to read it.

Licence begins with the birth of Honor Grenville, Lady Basset, Lady Lisle Plantagenet. She was born in 1493 to Thomas and Isabel Grenville in the small town of Bideford, Devon. Her father served the first Tudor king, Henry VII, as Esquire of the Body, so Honor’s family did have some connection before Honor’s marriage to Arthur. Honor’s mother died a year after she was born, but her father did not die until 1513. In 1515, Honor would marry her first husband, Sir John Basset, and they would have between 7 and 8 children before his death in January 1528. 

A year later was a monumental year for England as it was the start of the divorce between Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, which would be known as the Great Matter. It was also the year that Honor married Arthur Plantagenet. The couple would move to Calais, where Arthur would rule for his nephew. This is where we get to see the Lisle letters, Honor’s dictated correspondence to prominent figures in Tudor England. Honor and Arthur would go into debt, dealing with the constant threat of war, balance their faith and be loyal to the King, and handle a plot by Reginald Pole that would try to remove Henry VIII from the throne. 

I found it so interesting to see Honor’s perspective on the big issues of the Tudor court while staying in France, as well as how life in Calais was different from it was in London during this time. Honor Lisle’s life and letters give us great insight into the reign of Henry VIII from the perspective of someone who was outside of England during the major events of his reign. Licence’s research, combined with an easy-to-follow writing style, makes this a very well-written biography. If you want a biography about a lesser-known Tudor woman and her famous letters, I highly recommend you read “Henry VIII’s Controversial Aunt, Honor Lisle: Her Life, Letters and Influence on the Tudor Court” by Amy Licence.

Guest Post: “Historical Setting for ‘The Herb Knot’ by Jane Loftus”

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I am pleased to welcome Jane Loftus to my blog today to share a guest post about the historical setting of her novel, “The Herb Knot.” I would like to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Jane Loftus for allowing me to participate in this blog tour. 

The historical setting for the Herb Knot is mainly Winchester, where I live (which makes things a lot easier!).  The early chapters were set in Ghent, where I used maps, drawings, pictures, and the history of the Flanders cloth trade as a guide, but tried hard to focus on people and their interactions rather than straying too far into descriptions of Ghent itself. I’ve never been to Ghent, although, as it happens, I will be there at the end of August. 

Winchester, however, is within walking distance of my house, and its medieval layout and industry have been extremely well documented. The city itself was the former capital of England and seat of King Alfred, but compared to many other cities – Salisbury, for instance, which is also mentioned in the novel – it is quite small.  This gives the author fewer opportunities for geographical variety – you’re not going to get docks, as you would in Southampton, or mazes of streets to get lost in, as you would in London.  However, this does have advantages. 

When Rafi looks out the window in Joan’s turret, it is perfectly feasible for him to have seen all the way down the high street to where his enemies were having a menacing huddle. When he runs from Stefan and gets stuck at the bottom of Hammond’s passage, there really isn’t anywhere else for him to go. He can’t wander unseen through Seven Dials or hide in a Southampton dock warehouse. Unless you leave the city and hide out in the marshes or woods, you’ll probably get caught.  

It does make Rafi’s attempts to hide from Roger as he goes about his business that much more difficult, and, ultimately, futile.  Roger could stand in any number of places on the High Street and see absolutely everything. It does eventually bite Roger on the backside when Rafi is able to see him leg it up Blue Boar Hill and follow him, but we all know that incident doesn’t end particularly well. 

In terms of comparisons with then and now, the castle gate is still there, although the castle itself is long gone. The Guildhall has moved, the inns are now shops, and the Helle Tavern is somewhere beneath Montezuma’s chocolate shop and Occitane, the beauty shop. Not sure either of these would appeal to Adam as much as a large, frothy ale. St Maurice’s, where the curfew bell was rung, is just a tower now, with a flower market underneath. The Abbey has completely gone, bar a few stone tombs near the Tourist Information Board, and the charnel chapel is (probably) under the public toilets in Abbey Gardens. 

The cathedral, of course, is still there.  There are no markets in the immediate environs anymore; they’re on the High Street. It is not, as Rafi observes, as graceful and elegant as Salisbury Cathedral. It’s squat, it’s square, it’s a bit in your face. But it’s quite lovely and I’m very fond of it even though it was put there by the Normans and I’m not much of a fan of theirs. The top cathedral they built there, though. Gotta give them credit for that. 

St John’s is still there, on the hill in the east, overlooking the city. As with many churches, it’s rarely open. It is outside the soke, so not within the city proper, and as you climb, it’s as if you’re in a completely different world. It’s suddenly quieter; there are usually very few people around. If you decided to do a Stefan and hurl someone at a hawthorn tree, you probably wouldn’t be seen (please don’t do this). The frieze is still there and is quite remarkable. 

Doesn’t feature top of the list of things to do in Winchester, but it’s top of my list. If it’s open, go in; you won’t be disappointed. 

Try not to hide under any tombs, though. 

Blurb:   

The Hundred Years’ War comes to life in this spellbinding tale of love, betrayal, and conspiracy …  

A quest born on the battlefield will change a young boy’s destiny…  

Rafi Dubois is five years old when his mother is murdered after the Battle of Crecy in 1346. Alone and lost, Rafi is given a token by the dying Englishman who tried to save his mother’s life: a half-broken family seal which he urges Rafi to return one day to Winchester.  

Years later, when Rafi saves a wealthy merchant’s wife from a brutal robbery, he is rewarded with the chance to travel to England, taking the seal with him.  

But when he reaches Winchester, Rafi finds himself in a turbulent world full of long-held allegiances, secrets, and treachery. His path is fraught with danger and with powerful enemies working against him, Rafi falls in love with Edith, a market apothecary. But in doing so, Rafi unleashes a deadly chain of events which threatens to overwhelm them both…  

The Herb Knot is a sweeping and passionate novel set in one of the most tumultuous times in English history, from a powerful new voice. 

Buy Link:  

Universal Buy Link:  https://books2read.com/u/bzN6Z2  

Author Bio:  

Jane Loftus gained a degree in 16th-century European and British history from Surrey before taking a postgraduate degree in modern political history. As a lone parent, she worked in Winchester Waterstones before returning to IT once her son was older. 

Hugely passionate about the Middle Ages, she drew inspiration for this novel from the medieval layout of Winchester, which has been painstakingly documented. 

Jane is originally from London but has lived in Winchester for over twenty years. When not writing, she is usually out walking or watching costume dramas on Netflix – the more medieval the better. She also plays far too many RPGs. 

Author Links:  

Website: https://janeloftus.com/  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577760507961 

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

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

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B0F3Q52X9Y  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/29357528.Jane_Loftus  

 

Book Review: “Daughter of the Tarot” by Clare Marchant

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A single deck of cards changed the fate of generations of women. The tarot cards, created in 16th-century Italy, will connect two women separated by centuries. One was a woman in 17th-century London, originally from Milan, who used the cards to rescue women from abusive relationships. The other is a woman from modern-day London starting her life anew when she comes across an old tarot card deck with a missing card. What began as a hunt for a missing card will connect the two women and change lives forever. The cards hold secrets to the past, but will they bring hope or disaster? This is the premise for Clare Marchant’s latest dual-timeline novel, “Daughter of the Tarot.”

I would like to thank Boldwood Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I recently read her novel, “The Shadow on the Bridge,” which I enjoyed, so when I saw this novel, it had such an intriguing description that I wanted to read it. I am not familiar with the history of tarot cards, and I have not read many novels set in the 17th century, so I was excited for a new adventure.

As this is a dual-timeline novel, there are two protagonists from two different periods: Portia from 17th-century England and Beatrice from 21st-century England. We begin in Milan in 1629, which has just been hit by the plague, where we are introduced to Portia and her baby daughter, Vittoria, who are struggling to survive. The next time we see Portia and Vittoria, iits 1644 and they are living in London. Vittoria is 15 years old, and Portia is using her talent with tarot cards to help those in need. What Vittoria does not know is that Portia uses her readings to help women escape abusive relationships by using the Devil’s Card as a message for the boatsman Jack, who is in love with Portia. Secrets and truths slowly begin to reveal themselves as someone from Portia’s past has come to London and may destroy her relationship with Vittoria.

In the modern storyline, we meet Beatrice, or Bea, who is starting a new life in London and is opening her own antiques shop. Bea has been avoiding her father and his new love interest since her mother died. She has the gift of reading tarot cards, and one day, she comes across an old deck of cards. The only problem is that it is missing a key card, the Devil’s Card. Bea and her landlord, Jack, search high and low for the missing card and find exactly what they are searching for, and some surprises.

It took me a while to get into this book as it was a slower pace than the previous novel that I read by Marchant. While I enjoyed the modern storyline, the 17th-century portion felt a bit slower, and it didn’t feel like the 17th century to me, but more like the 16th century. Overall, I think it was a decent novel with an interesting pair of protagonists. If you want a story about the 17th century with a unique premise, I recommend you read “Daughter of the Tarot” by Clare Marchant.

Book Review: “Mistress of Dartington Hall” by Rosemary Griggs

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One of the greatest threats to England during the reign of Elizabeth I was the Spanish Armada, under the orders of King Philip II of Spain. In the year 1587, the Spanish ships were spotted off the coast of Devon. Fear grips the country, but one woman is up to the task of keeping her beloved Dartington Hall and its inhabitants from harm. Roberda Chapernowne knows what it means to fight for those she loves and is willing to do it again while her husband, Gawen, is away in Ireland fighting for the Queen after he almost divorced Roberda. Roberda’s life turns upside down when Gawen returns home. Can they rekindle their relationship, or will they fall into despair and ruin? Rosemary Griggs concludes Roberda and Gawen Chapernowne’s stories in her latest novel, “Mistress of Dartington Hall.”

I would like to thank Troubador Publishing and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I have enjoyed Griggs’ previous novels, so when I saw that she had another novel coming out to end Roberda Chapernowne’s story, I knew I had to read it to see how Roberda’s story ended.

We are thrust straight into the action with this novel. It’s 1587, and rumors of Spanish ships have been spotted off the English coast. Fear grips the inhabitants of Dartington Hall, but the mistress of the house, Roberda Chapernowne, is ready to take control of the situation. She has been in charge for the last three years, following her husband, Gawen, who left her and his family to fight in Ireland for Queen Elizabeth I. Now, Gawen has returned home, which makes things extremely awkward as Gawen tried to divorce Roberda. Now, he is back and wants to reconcile their relationship, but Roberda’s faithful maid Clotilde, who has stood by her side every step of the way, is hesitant.

Gawen and Roberda reconcile while raising their children while dealing with the threat of a Spanish invasion. Unfortunately, their brief return to normalcy is dashed when Gawen is injured while hunting and dies, leaving Roberda to take care of the children and the estate. But being a widow who has mostly daughters and only one son is difficult. We see how Roberda deals with her children’s inheritances, her family in France, and a budding romance for Roberda.

I found this an enjoyable conclusion to Roberda Chapernowne’s story. I liked how this book series and this novel in particular focused on lesser-known figures in the Tudor age, instead of the typical royals. If you are a fan of the previous novels in this series, I recommend you read “Mistress of Dartington Hall” by Rosemary Griggs.

Book Review: “Thomas More: A Life” by Joanne Paul

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The year is 1535, and an educated scholar, father, writer, and the former Chancellor of England marches to his demise. His crime was staying silent on an issue that the King deemed extremely important: the idea that the King of England should be the Supreme Head of the Church of England, not the Pope. As a Catholic, Sir Thomas More does not agree with this decree and must die. How did one of the most prominent Tudor scholars of his age fall so quickly? Joanne Paul explores the rise and dramatic fall of this infamous Tudor figure in her latest biography, “Thomas More: A Life.”

Joanne Paul is slowly becoming one of my favorite nonfiction writers. Her debut, “The House of Dudley,” was spectacular, and when I heard that she was writing a biography about Thomas More, I knew I wanted to read it. I know the basic information about Thomas More’s life and his books about the Wars of the Roses and Utopia, but I wanted a book that gives more details about his life.

Thomas More was the son of the lawyer John More and his wife Agnes, born in 1478. A child of the Wars of the Roses, the shifting sands of the political landscape of his youth will prepare him for the tumultuous Tudor court of his adulthood. While he recalls the reign of King Richard III in his book about the period, it should be noted that he was a boy during the king’s reign. 

Thomas became a scholar who specialized in Humanism and created a community of like-minded scholars and artists, including men like Desiderius Erasmus. Thomas More would marry twice, to Jane Colt, the mother of his children, Margaret, Elizabeth, Cecily, and John, and Alice Harpur. He would ensure that all his children received a proper Humanist education, and his children, especially Margaret, were praised for their scholarly abilities. He would begin to write like he was running out of time and create one of his most famous works about politics, Utopia, as well as go toe to toe against Martin Luther himself. 

 More would continue his academic pursuits, even when he captured the attention of King Henry VIII, who would appoint him Chancellor of England. While a great honor, Thomas did not agree with the King on the Great Matter as he believed Queen Katherine of Aragon was the rightful wife of King Henry VIII. He would persecute those whom he deemed as heretics as a devout Catholic man, and it was ultimately his faith that would lead to his earthly doom. When Henry VIII decided that he wanted his people to swear an oath that Henry VIII was the Supreme Head of the Church of England instead of the Pope. As a devout Catholic, Thomas More’s silence was deafening, and he was condemned as a traitor to the crown, destined to be executed.

Even though Thomas More was a controversial figure of the Tudor era for Ricardians and Protestants alike, we in the modern age can learn a lot from his life and apply it to our own time. Paul does it again, as this is a stunning biography of a man who was a scholar and an outspoken Catholic in a time when the King’s power was becoming dangerous.  The way she weaves the historical facts, including More’s numerous pieces of writing, with a narrative that is easy to follow is astounding. Truly, this is the definitive biography on Sir Thomas More. If you want a fabulous biography on such an infamous figure of the Tudor age, I highly recommend you read “Thomas More: A Life” by Joanne Paul.