Tag: historical fiction

Guest Post: “A Medieval Hospital, Ruined Roman Baths and Magnificent Apartments – Locations in ‘The Cameo Keeper’” by Deborah Swift

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I am pleased to welcome Deborah Swift back to my blog today to share information about the real-life locations for her latest novel, “The Cameo Keeper.” I would like to thank Deborah Swift and The Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.

Santo Spirito Hospital 

One of my characters, Jacopo Vanelli, is a surgeon, so he spends his time at the Santo Spirito Hospital in Rome. The ‘Holy Spirit’ hospital was founded in the Middle Ages and was recognised as one of Europe’s oldest and most advanced hospitals. Its remit included not only tending to the sick and the poor, but also taking in unwanted babies, abandoned children, and travellers who fell ill within the bustling heart of Rome. 

Within its grand Renaissance walls, was a museum, an apothecary shop, a public operating theatre and an orphanage run by nuns. The operating theatre became an influential centre for medical education — hosting lectures, dissections, and practical training sessions that drew aspiring doctors from across Italy and Europe.  

Here is the octagonal tower of the main building, below.  

 

The architecture of the hospital was striking, with vast wards, airy cloisters, and a famous spiral staircase designed to allow for the swift transfer of patients. Ornate chapels and frescoes adorned the interior, along with stained glass windows. It was seen as an extension of the Church, in what was considered the holiest city in the Western world. 

The Ruined Roman Baths  

By the 17th century, the once-magnificent Roman baths of the city stood as haunting reminders of Rome’s imperial past. Structures such as the Baths of Caracalla and the Baths of Diocletian, though partially collapsed and overgrown, continued to inspire awe with their towering arches and crumbling mosaics. Locals and visitors alike wandered amidst these grand ruins, imagining the bustling social life and sophisticated engineering that had filled these halls centuries before. 

This was an ideal place for lovers to meet, and two of my characters meet at the Baths of Caracalla. Mostly in decay, the stone was pillaged to build new buildings, but there was also a market in trinkets and souvenirs that went on there amongst the ruins. Artists and antiquarians flocked to the baths, sketching their weathered columns and broken statues, and imagining the naked bathers of centuries before. 

The Vatican Apartments 

One of my characters is the Pope’s sister-in-law, Donna Olimpia Maidalchini, a powerful and wealthy woman who dominated Roman life. Many of my scenes take place in the Vatican Apartments, which represent the heart of papal authority and splendour. These lavish chambers were home to the Pope and his closest advisors, serving as both living quarters but also the centre of Rome’s governance. The apartments showcased the best artistry of Renaissance and Baroque craftsmen. Daily life within the Vatican Apartments was a blend of solemn ritual and political intrigue, with cardinals, diplomats, and foreign dignitaries as regular visitors. 

The most celebrated rooms, such as the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel—already famed for Michelangelo’s ceiling—were objects of wonder and inspiration for all who visited. The Vatican Apartments thus stood not only as the spiritual and administrative core of the Catholic world, but also as a testament to Rome’s enduring patronage of the arts and its pivotal role in shaping the cultural legacy of the 17th century. 

Rome is a fabulous place to set a novel with many beautiful and atmospheric locations, and I hope I’ve used them all to advantage in The Cameo Keeper. 

Blurb: 

Rome 1644: A Novel of Love, Power, and Poison 

 

Remember tonight… for it is the beginning of always ― Dante Alighieri 

 

In the heart of Rome, the conclave is choosing a new Pope, and whoever wins will determine the fate of the Eternal City. 

 

Astrologer Mia and her fiancé Jacopo, a physician at the Santo Spirito Hospital, plan to marry, but the election result is a shock and changes everything. 

As Pope Innocent X takes the throne, he brings along his sister-in-law, the formidable Donna Olimpia Maidalchini, known as La Papessa – the female Pope. When Mia is offered a position as her personal astrologer, she and Jacopo find themselves on opposite sides of the most powerful family in Rome. 

Mia is determined to protect her mother, Giulia Tofana, a renowned poisoner. But with La Papessa obsessed with bringing Giulia to justice, Mia and Jacopo’s love is put to the ultimate test. 

As the new dawn of Renaissance medicine emerges, Mia must navigate the dangerous political landscape of Rome while trying to protect her family and her heart. Will she be able to save her mother, or will she lose everything she holds dear? 

For fans of “The Borgias” and “The Crown,” this gripping tale of love, power, and poison will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. 

Praise: 

‘historical fiction that is brisk, fresh and bristling with intrigue’ 
~ Bookmarked Reviews ★★★★★ 

Buy Link: 

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/CameoKeeper  

Author Bio: 

Deborah Swift is the author of twenty novels of historical fiction.  

Her Renaissance novel in this series, The Poison Keeper, was recently voted Best Book of the Decade by the Wishing Shelf Readers Award. Her WW2 novel Past Encounters was the winner of the BookViral Millennium Award, and is one of seven books set in the WW2 era. 

Deborah lives in the North of England close to the mountains and the sea. 

Author Links: 

Website: www.deborahswift.com  

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

Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/swiftstory 

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

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/deborahswift1/ 

 

 

Book Review: “Daughter of the Otherworld” by Shauna Lawless

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When we think about the Norman Conquest, we often think about how it impacted England, Wales, and Scotland, but we tend to forget about Ireland. Early medieval Ireland  do not get a whole lot of attention in historical fiction. That is, until Shauna Lawless’s Gael Song trilogy. Now, fifty years after the events of the original trilogy, Lawless has brought in a new cast of characters, as well as old characters, into the fight between the Descendants of the Tuatha De Danann and the Fomorians. When a child of prophecy is introduced into the mix that is said to be able to defeat the Fomorians, the race is on to protect the child or to kill her. Will the Descendants survive, or will the Fomorians torch the land and the Descendants’ hope? Shauna Lawless jumps back into this work with the Gael Song Era 2 book 1, “Daughter of the Otherworld.”

I would like to thank Bloomsbury USA and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I am new to this series, but I wanted to read it because I have never read a book about medieval Ireland or about Irish mythology, so when I saw this book available, I decided to give it a shot, especially with such a stunning cover.

We pick up fifty years after the Battle of Clontarf, and a man named Donnchad is on the run from Broccan of the Tuatha De Danann. Donnchad is a Fomorian, which means he can use fire magic and is the mortal enemy of those descendants of the Tuatha De Danann. Donnchad can reunite with his mother, Gormflaith, in Rome. Meanwhile, Broccan has a dream that tells him that he must go back to Rathlin Island and protect the daughter of Fodla, who has been in the Otherworld for a long time. The daughter, Isolde, is destined to defeat the fire, which might be a reference to the Fomorians.

Broccan raises Isolde as his own daughter until she is 17, but he never tells her who she is or her purpose in this giant conflict. But that all changes when the Fomorians find out about Isolde and decide to attack Rathlin Island. They believe that the threat has been neutralized, but Isolde lives and must travel to the mainland to find her cousin Colmon in Seir Kieran. While Isolde is searching for family and to figure out who she is, the Fomorians seek to control Ireland with the Norman lords of England.

This is a novel full of conflict, both magical and mortal, romance and heartbreak. Lawless does a great job of not only balancing numerous perspectives but also balancing mythology with historical battles and figures to create an original story. While I did enjoy the story, it did take me a while to figure out who the characters were and the overall conflict. I think after reading this particular book, I want to read the previous books in the series before I jump into the latest one. If you have read the previous books in the Gael Song trilogy, I think you will enjoy “Daughter of the Otherworld” by Shauna Lawless.

Guest Post: “Ines de Castro” by Catherine Mathis

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Today, I am pleased to welcome Catherine Mathis to my blog to discuss Ines de Castro, the main protagonist of her novel, “Ines,” the first book in her Queens of Portugal trilogy. I would like to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Catherine Mathis for allowing me to participate in this blog tour. 

Inês resides more in our imaginations than in fact. She lived, had children, and died. 

Her family came from Galicia, in the northwest of Spain, where the famous city of Santiago de Compostela is located. Her father was a powerful noble, Pedro Fernãndez de Castro. Her mother, a noblewoman of Portuguese antecedents, was the mistress of her father. Her birth was illegitimate, which narrowed many of the choices available in her social class. She had kings in her lineage. Her parents also had a son, Alvaro. It is recorded that Alvaro became a good friend of the Pedro in this tale. 

Some accounts say she was raised in Portugal, and others in Castile. Inés could have been a young woman serving in the court of Portugal. But the legend says she came from Castile with Constanza, who married Portugal’s Infante Pedro. Coming with Constanza feels more probable because they were cousins and knew each other. If the legend is true that she and Pedro fell in love quickly, then the odds fall on the side to say their first knowledge of each other was a sudden arrival at court, not her growing up there. 

What comes down in the legend is her blonde hair and long neck, neither particular markers of great beauty in medieval Portugal. Yet, she is held out as a beauty. In those days, a high forehead was greatly prized, so women plucked their hair to make their foreheads taller. Did Inês? Probably – what young woman does not follow current fashion?  

There are no paintings or drawings for most people at this time. Pedro did leave us with an incredible gift, their sarcophagi. He was instrumental in their design. This is how Pedro remembers Inês. 

(Effigy of Inês. © Alcobaça Abbey, Portugal.) 

My underlying belief for Inês is that her beauty stems partly from appearance and partly from personality. I see her as easy to talk with, an attentive listener, and someone who gives you her full attention. She is loyal. She is determined. 

Most of all, Inês is true to herself. She is likely just 14- or 15-years old when she arrives on the scene. We know nothing of her years beforehand. I expect she could read and write as well as stitch and hunt, all skills of a medieval noblewoman. I believe that having suffered the shame of her birth, she desired the life of a legitimately married woman. She would eschew being mistress of any man, even the heir to the throne. Combine her marriage goal with her loyalty to her cousin Constanza, Pedro’s wife, and just sleeping with Pedro was out of the question. When you are marked young with an unfortunate circumstance, the power of motivation to alter the course of your life is strong. She will suffer for her choices, losing the trust of the king and being exiled. Repeatedly, the crown of Portugal throws obstacles in her way, and she perseveres. 

Then comes the day when Pedro plays his part. A widower, he holds out the promise of marriage. No one sees her as fit to be a queen. Of course, there is political intrigue involving her brothers. Life is never simple when you are in the orbit of the royal family. She loves children. She cares for her cousin’s children and her own with recorded affection. 

She is the glue of the story. In the novel, she is caught between two men, one whom she is unworthy to wed and one who repels her. When she rejects the king’s trusted adviser, Gonçalves, his hurt turns to jealous anger. “If I cannot have her, then no man can.” Who will the king trust, his son or his adviser? The choices she makes have dire consequences for our protagonist and antagonist.

Blurb:     

An heir to the throne, a gorgeous blonde lady-in-waiting, the king’s trusted advisor. When a father and son don’t understand each other, the son pays an outrageous price. 

Love, jealousy, loyalty, and revenge roil the court of 14th-century Portugal. 

In this engrossing launch to the Queens of Portugal trilogy, Catherine Mathis gives a fresh take on the tale of Pedro and Inês, Portugal’s real-life Romeo and Juliet. Pedro’s father would not have been king if not for his trusted advisor, Gonçalves. Once king, he wants no part in neighboring Castile’s royal convulsions, though his son, Pedro, befriends powerful Castilians. 

The all-consuming drive of the king is to ensure his line rules Portugal for centuries to come. He needs legitimate, strong heirs. The Infante Pedro loves a woman not deemed worthy to wear the crown as queen. Between father and son is Gonçalves, the king’s powerful, unquestioned counselor, who is a mentor to the son. Both Gonçalves and Pedro seek the attention of Inês. 

There is a horrific cost to winning the love of Inês. She will not release her grip on Pedro until he keeps the two sworn oaths he made to her. Can Pedro do the impossible to satisfy Inês? 

Inês is based on real people and events, exploring a cultural touchstone of Portuguese history. 

Praise for Inês: 

“Mathis masterfully weaves emotional depth into the narrative, creating a deeply engaging experience that leaves a lasting impression and invites readers on an unforgettable journey through the grandeur and intrigue of Portugal’s past.”
~ Mary Anne Yarde, The Coffee Pot Book Club 5* Review 

“This exciting start to the Queens of Portugal trilogy describes the legendary love story of Pedro and Inês, and I was amazed at the excellent storytelling and how the author brings the courts to life. There is a lot of drama and intrigue, and the characters’ emotions are beautifully captured in this engrossing tale.”
~ Readers’ Favorite 5* Review 

 

Buy Link: 

Universal Buy Link:   https://books2read.com/u/br8OBY  

Author Bio: 

Catherine Mathis was born in Berlin, the daughter of an American spy. As she grew up in Washington, D.C., her spy father turned into a drug enforcement agent. His career change wrecked any chance at high school popularity. She graduated from Sewanee | The University of the South with a degree in history focused on the medieval period. After a career in finance, she returned to her first love of medieval history to ‘Share Iberian Tales.’ Outside of writing, spare time joys are family, friends, reading, collecting folk/outsider art, and travel. 

Author Links: 

Website:  www.catherinemathis.com  

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007239702480  

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

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/stores/Catherine-Mathis/author/B0F7FZHJ9T  

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6987876.Catherine_Mathis 

Book Review: “Bring Up the Bodies” by Hilary Mantel

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The year is 1535, and Henry VIII is growing bored with his current wife, Anne Boleyn. His eyes are wandering yet again, and this time his sights are set on Jane Seymour. Anne Boleyn had failed to give him his desired son, so Henry decided that it was only fitting for his right-hand man, Thomas Cromwell, to take down a queen. It’s Cromwell’s biggest challenge yet, but it could also become Cromwell’s defining moment. Hilary Mantel explores the pivotal months that pitted Cromwell against the Boleyns in her second book in the Wolf Hall trilogy, called “Bring Up the Bodies.”

Although the first book in the series, “Wolf Hall,” was a challenging read, I still wanted to continue reading the series. We all know Thomas Cromwell’s story, but since I started the Mantel retelling of his life, I wanted to see how she will handle the fall of Anne Boleyn.

We pick up where we left off in the first book, at Wolf Hall in 1535, where Henry VIII meets Jane Seymour and her family. The King is tired of Anne Boleyn, even though she is pregnant with what is hopefully Henry’s heir. Once they get back from Wolf Hall, rumors begin to spread about Anne’s infidelity while Cromwell is working on the dissolution of the monasteries. Anne has alienated so many people at court that they wonder if it’s time for a change and if perhaps Henry will take back Katherine of Aragon.

But it is too little too late. Katherine of Aragon will pass away without seeing her daughter, Mary. Anne believes that she is safe; however, fortune’s wheel is always turning. A jousting accident will rock the court and change the trajectory of Anne’s life forever. After Anne suffers a miscarriage, Henry decides now is the time to send in Cromwell to bring down the queen. We get the opportunity to see the downfall of Anne Boleyn and the men around her through the eyes of the man who brought about her fall from grace and her untimely death.

I enjoyed this novel more than Wolf Hall because there was that sense of drama and danger. We see Cromwell at his most impactful moment, but we also see that he is not some monster, but a human who was following orders. Mantel’s writing style may still be a bit difficult, but I felt this one was easier to follow along with than the first book. I cannot wait to see how Mantel will finish this trilogy. If you want to continue the Wolf Hall trilogy and see how the Cromwell/ Boleyn feud ends, I highly recommend you read “Bring Up the Bodies” by Hilary Mantel.

Book Review: “I Am You” by Victoria Redel

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Have you ever looked at a painting and wondered what it must have been like for the artist to paint it? Have you ever wondered what their lives might have been like when they were painting these images that have sparked discussion and intrigue? Usually, we tend to focus on the male artists and their lives, but there has been a trend in recent years to tell the stories of women artists. Take, for example, the story of Maria van Oosterwijk and her maid Geertje Pieters Wyntges. Can these two women find their own successes during Amsterdam’s Golden Age through their art while navigating their own feelings towards each other? Victoria Redel explores the lives of these two women in her latest novel, “I Am You.”

I would like to thank Zando/SJP Lit and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I did not know anything about Amsterdam’s Golden Age or about Maria van Oosterwijk or Geertje Pieters Wyntges. It was one of those books whose premise intrigued me so much that even though I am not familiar with 17th-century art or the history of the Netherlands, I wanted to give it a shot.

Our protagonist is not the famous floral artist Maria van Oosterwijk, but rather her maid, Geertje, who is known in this novel as Gerta Pieter. During her youth, she dressed as a boy, worked for Maria’s family as a servant, and went by the name Pieter. It’s not a glamorous life, but it allows Pieter to stay close to Maria, whom Pieter admires from afar. Maria is a talented artist and attracts the attention of male admirers, but she is only interested in her art. When Maria gets the opportunity to go to Utrecht to study under Jan Davidsz de Heem, Maria insists that Pieter go with her as her maid, Gerta. Gerta accepts.

It is at this point that Gerta and Maria begin their lives together. After her apprenticeship with de Heem, Maria decides that they should move to Amsterdam, which they do once the plague dies down. It is there that Maria and Gerta meet artists like Rembrandt and Willem van Aelst, the poet Constantijn Huygens, and the art dealer Jan Six. However, the person who left the biggest impact on the lives of Gerta and Maria was Maria’s orphaned nephew Jacobus. Gerta and Maria grow closer as student and teacher and would eventually become lovers. But their social standings would always separate them, and Gerta would realize that love with Maria would be more complex than she had imagined. Behind the beautiful flowers they painted lies a darkness of betrayal and the pain of love being used as a pawn in a bigger game.

This was a richly woven tale of love and betrayal told from the perspective of a maid in love with her mistress. It is raw, especially one scene, and it shows how one person was able to bloom in the midst of love, betrayal, and heartache. “I Am You” by Victoria Redel is the perfect novel for anyone who wants something original and tells the tale of two women artists from the 17th century and the love they shared for their art and each other.

Guest Post: “Researching Renaissance Italy” by Ken Tentarelli

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Today, I am pleased to welcome Ken Tentarelli to share information about his research into Renaissance Italy for his novel, “The Blackest Time.” I would like to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Ken Tentarelli for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.

Readers expect historical fiction to be authentic, and that aligns well with my passion for research. Often, I spend more time doing research than writing. The fun comes in discovering little-known bits of history. As an example, when you look at maps of Renaissance Italy, you’ll find brightly colored drawings showing the Republic of Florence, the Duchy of Milan, and the other major city-states, but those simplifications ignore the small independent jurisdictions. 

Prepping for my fourth book, Conspiracy in Bologna, I came upon an item describing how the border was established between the Papal States and the Republic of Florence. Both agreed to use the course of a stream as their border, and both sent out teams of surveyors to create maps. As luck would have it, the two teams of surveyors identified different streams, leaving land and a town between the two streams unclaimed by either side. The land and the town became the Republic of Cospaia, which remained an independent republic for four hundred years. You’d be hard pressed to find a map of Renaissance Europe showing that tiny republic or the many other independent jurisdictions sprinkled throughout Italy. 

We are blessed today with the internet, where we can find copies of original source documents written a thousand years ago. Many have been translated into English. I’m fortunate that I can read the ones that are still available only in Italian. One helpful resource for my latest book, The Blackest Time, was a journal written by Giorgio Villani, a banker in Florence. He wrote about life in Florence at the time of the Black Plague until he finally succumbed to the plague. His writings are available on the Internet in Italian. 

Though extensive, the internet is not all-encompassing. In one of my books, a group of men was following an ancient Roman road through central Italy. The road ran alongside the Tiber River—the same river that flows through the center of Rome, but the story is set close to its source in the Apennine Mountains. The men wanted to cross the river to a town on the opposite bank, and for them to get across, I needed to know how they could cross the river. Today, a bridge spans the river, but nowhere on the internet could I find whether a bridge or a ferry was used during the Renaissance, so I emailed the town’s historical society asking whether their records held the answer. They kindly responded with information saying that not only was there a bridge during the Renaissance, but the Romans had built the first bridge at that site nearly two thousand years ago. I could have just picked one of the possibilities, bridge or ferry; after all, the book is fiction, but I felt better knowing the story accurately reflected the history. 

Tidbits I found while doing research for a book in my Renaissance mystery series are what led me to write a book set during the time of the Black Plague. Although the mysteries are set during the 1400s, I got carried away at one point, looked further back in time, and came upon three significant events: a triple conjunction of planets, which was taken as an ill omen by astrologers, two years of incessant rain that destroyed farm crops and caused famine in the cities, and the Black Plague. Those three events happening within a brief span of time convinced me there had to be a story worth telling. 

Blurb:   

Set in the 1300s during the devastating black plague, The Blackest Time is a powerful tale of compassion, love, and the human spirit’s ability to endure immense adversity. 

Gino, the central character, is a young man who leaves his family’s farm to find work in a pharmacy in Florence. His experiences show us how people coped in the most horrific time in history. 

Shortly after Gino arrived in the city, two years of incessant rain destroyed crops in the countryside, leading to famine and despair in the city. Gino offers hope and help to the suffering— he secures shelter for a woman forced to leave her flooded farm, rescues a young girl orphaned by the plague, and aids others who have lost everything. 

The rains had barely ended when the plague hit the city, exposing the true character of its people. While some blamed others for the devastation, the story focuses on the compassionate acts of neighbors helping each other overcome fear and suffering. Doctors bravely risk infection to care for their patients. A woman healer, wrongly accused of witchcraft and driven from the city, finds a new beginning in a village where her skills are appreciated.  

Despite the hardships, love blossoms between Gino and a young woman he met at the apothecary. Together they survive, finding strength in each other and hope in a world teetering on the edge. 

The Blackest Time is a testament to the strength of the human spirit in overcoming unimaginable tragedy. 

Buy Link: 

Universal Buy Link:  https://books2read.com/u/bPO08J  

Author Bio: 

Ken Tentarelli is a frequent visitor to Italy. In travels from the Alps to the southern coast of Sicily, he developed a love for its history and its people. 

He has studied Italian culture and language in Rome and Perugia, a background he used in his award-winning series of historical thrillers set in the Italian Renaissance. He has taught courses in Italian history spanning time from the Etruscans to the Renaissance, and he’s a strong advocate of libraries and has served as a trustee of his local library and officer of the library foundation. 

When not traveling, Ken and his wife live in beautiful New Hampshire. 

Author Links: 

Website:   https://KenTentarelli.com  

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ken.tentarelli.3/  

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

Book Bub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ken-tentarelli  

Amazon Author Page:   

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ken-Tentarelli/author/B07PDYZ34Q  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18920645.Ken_Tentarelli  

 

Book Review: “To Kill a Queen” by Amie McNee

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When we think of Elizabethan England, we tend to think of the Golden Age of England. A time of discoveries and for the arts to flourish under the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I. However, there is a darker side. It was also a time of espionage, fears of invasions from other countries, and the hatred between Catholics and Protestants. The dangers of the Elizabethan underworld have reached the queen, as there is an attempt on her life. Can Jack, the son of a crime boss, change his life and find the culprit before they find him, or will he be betrayed by those he calls his friends? Amie McNee explores the seedy underworld of Elizabethan England in her novel, “To Kill a Queen.”

I would like to thank Crooked Lane Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I am a sucker for a good historical mystery, and if it is set in Tudor England, even better. I read the premise of this novel and decided to give McNee a try.

The year is 1579, and Queen Elizabeth I is entertaining her final suitor, the Duke of Anjou. The city is all abuzz with rumors of wedding bells. Everyone except Jack, a young coroner apprentice, who is the son of a crime boss. Jack is helping the Justice of the Peace, Ben, and his mentor, coroner Damian, try to solve a case of a wife beaten to death by her husband. It is a pretty open and shut case, so Jack was surprised to receive another case so soon. A soldier died protecting the queen from an assassin. Now, Jack, Ben, and Damian must find the assassin before it’s too late.

It seems like your typical murder case set in a period setting, but that’s where McNee mixes things up. We get to meet Jack’s father, Axe, the crime boss, and we find out that Jack is not their real identity. Not many know Jack’s true identity, except for his lover Jenny and Damian. Jack’s friend Harry is a common resident of Bedlam, but he is now out, and Jack has to take care of him. When associates close to Jack end up being killed, there is a sense of urgency that Jack has to find the murderer before they find Jack. There are a lot of twists and turns, and the reveal of the whodunnit was shocking, but the conclusion of the book did not fit well with the tone of the rest of the book.

Overall, it was a decent novel, even though it felt more Oliver Twist than Tudor. It was nice to see the typical Tudors step to the side so that we can focus on other stories in Elizabethan London. If you want a detective novel with an unlikely protagonist, filled with twists and turns, and set during the Tudor age, I recommend you read “To Kill a Queen” by Amie McNee.

Book Review: “Reign of Madness” by Lynn Cullen

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The daughters of Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon lived very interesting lives. Of course, we know what happened to Katherine of Aragon, but her elder sister, Juana, has her own tragic tale. She was known as Juana the Mad because the rumors were that when her husband, Philip the Handsome, died, she carried her coffin around for months and would not let him be buried. Was Juana truly mad, or was it all a ruse by powerful men to steal her lands and titles? Lynn Cullen explores Juana of Castile’s life in her novel, “Reign of Madness.”

This was a book that I found when I was in a used book shop. I saw that it was about Juana of Castile, and I’ll be honest, I have never read a novel that is solely about her life. I know the basic information about her life and reign, but I was hoping that a novel would help me connect to Juana a bit more.

Juana of Castile was the daughter of Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon. Since she was the second daughter, she was third in line for the throne of Castile, behind her brother, Juan, and eldest sister, Isabel. She was not destined to become queen, so her parents married her off to Philippe the Handsome, Duke of Burgundy. While it was a marriage for an alliance, love did bloom between Juana and Philippe, even though she did not always get along with Dowager Duchess Margaret of York. Eventually, the honeymoon stage ended, and it was replaced with paranoia and fears of infidelity. At the same time, fortune’s wheel turned in such a way that Juana became her mother’s heir to Castile. Juana doesn’t want power for herself, but Philippe desires power. Juana just wants to take care of her family, which includes her son, the future Charles V. Eventually, the desire for power would become so great that the idea of Juana as mad would overtake her entire life and her legacy.

I had some issues with this book, and there were times when I wanted to throw the book across the room. Some of the biggest ugh moments for me were when she said that bathing was something that only the Spanish were familiar with, and when Philippe kept breaking into Juana’s confinement chamber. These elements, along with a few others, showed me that Cullen didn’t fully grasp the 16th-century European world and its nuances. I also did not like how Juana was portrayed as a mousey character, and her father, Ferdinand, came across as almost a trophy husband.

This novel had the potential to do something groundbreaking when it comes to writing a novel about Juana of Castile by showing that she was sane, but it fell a bit flat. I think if you are someone who is not particular about historical nuances being accurate in a historical novel, and you want something about Juana of Castile, you might enjoy “Reign of Madness” by Lynn Cullen.

Book Review: “Circle of Days” by Ken Follett

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Stonehenge, a marvel of the ancient world that still stands centuries after it was built. It has been the center of mystery and wonder for all who gaze upon it. A gigantic monolithic structure, whose purpose has been a source of discussion since its origins, but that raises another quandary: who were the people who built such an impressive landmark? This single question presents a grand opportunity for historical fiction writers as we don’t have many written records for this period of time, which means authors have room to play. Ken Follett took on the daunting task of telling the tales of those who built this imposing monument in his latest novel, “Circle of Days.”

I would like to thank Grand Central Publishing and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I have been a fan of Ken Follett’s historical fiction novels since I read “A Column of Fire” and then the first two books of the Kingsbridge series, “The Pillars of the Earth” and “World Without End.” A bit out of order, but I am loving that series. When I heard that he was writing a brand new historical fiction novel about Stonehenge, it was such an intriguing idea that I knew I wanted to read it.

Like Follett’s previous historical fiction novels, he focuses on several protagonists from different walks of life to create a cohesive story. In the case of this novel, the three main groups; herders, farmers, and woodlanders. Seft, our first main character, is a bit of an outsider. He is the son of a miner who abuses him, but Seft yearns to start a new life and he wants to build things that will help his community. Seft falls in love with a herder girl named Neen, the daughter of a herder elder named Ani. Neen’s sister Joia is a priestess who dreams of a stone monument so that they can keep their traditions alive for generations.

The dreams of Seft and Joia are ambitious in nature, especially because there are those who want to stay in the old ways instead of moving forward. They include Cog, Seft’s abusive father who wants Seft to remain a minder the rest of his life, Troon, the leader of the farmers who refuses to work with the herders and is the enemy of Scagga, an elder of the herders, and finally Baz, once an ally but who turned into an enemy when disaster strikes. From drought and famine to raids and wars, the people of the Great Plains fight for what they believe in while falling in love, starting their own families, and striving to fulfill their ambitions in life.

This is another masterpiece by Ken Follett. Not only are the characters so dynamic, but their world feels so believable. You can tell Follett was meticulous when it came to the research as he made the world of 2500 BC vibrant and so real. I would have liked to have seen a historical note at the end of this particular novel to explain how he was able to create this ancient world. Overall, I loved every moment of this book and I was genuinely sad when it came to an end. I cannot wait to see what Follett will write about next. If you are a fan of Ken Follett or just want a historical fiction novel that explores one of England’s oldest monuments, I highly recommend you read “Circle of Days.”

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.