The stories of queens have been told in numerous ways for centuries, but one of the most famous queens in human history is the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I. The daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII who famously decided not to marry any man and instead devout her entire life to serve England’s people. That does not mean she was subservient to others she demanded respect and adoration from her subjects. Most stories of Elizabeth I begin in her golden years, but what could a novel about the queen’s silver years tell us about her personality, her reign, and the people who choose to follow or rebel against the famous queen? Margaret George gives her readers an innovative look at the titular queen in her novel, “Elizabeth I.”
This is only the second novel I have read written by Margaret George, the first being the brilliant “The Autobiography of Henry VIII.” I knew that she had written a novel about Elizabeth I, but I had not had the chance to read it until I saw it at a used bookstore. It was an instant buy for me even before I read the description, but the blurb made me even more intrigued.
George does not begin with Elizabeth’s coronation in 1558, like many novels about Elizabeth, but in the year 1588, which was arguably the queen’s most difficult challenge, fending off the Spanish Armada. To start at this most pivotal moment in Elizabeth’s reign is a bold choice that pays off because it sets the tone for the rest of the novel. Nothing is stable for the queen even after victory is won. Shortly after the Armada is defeated, the love of Elizabeth’s life, Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester dies. It is a huge loss for the queen, but she is not the only one who loves Leicester. He leaves behind his wife and cousin to the queen, Lettice Knollys, however, the two women cannot share their grief as the queen banished her cousin from court after she heard about the marriage.
The only one who can connect the two women at this point is Lettice’s son the Earl of Essex, who desires to be a great man, so he becomes a favorite of Queen Elizabeth. The arrogant young up-starter soon finds out that court is not all that he dreamed it would be and that to be a great man, he has to follow every rule of his monarch, which goes as well as you would imagine. What I appreciate about this novel is that George does not gloss over Elizabeth’s reign and instead chooses to show how muddy the political landscape was during the late Elizabethan age. We also get to see events that are not often featured in other novels about the Elizabethan age, such as Roanoke, Grace O’Malley, the return of the Armada, diplomats from farther countries, and the connection between Lettice Knollys and William Shakespeare. She fought every second of every day to keep her crown because she never knew who was the threat and when they would strike next until her dying breath.
I think this novel does an excellent job of showing George’s readers what Elizabeth I was like further into her reign. It balanced both the harsh reality of the Tudor court with plenty of intrigue with Elizabeth the person who had her heart broken on more than one occasion and had to be harsh to fight for what she loved, the English people. If you want an unforgettable portrayal of the Virgin Queen and her court towards the end of her reign, I highly recommend you read, “Elizabeth I” by Margaret George.
When we think about the period known as the Renaissance, we often think about Italy and the artists like painters and sculptors. However, other craftsmen made Italy their home. Take, for example, tailors and seamstresses. These skilled craftsmen and women can create art you can walk in with their hands. However, there are gender barriers between tailors and seamstresses in that only men can be tailors and only women can be seamstresses. One orphan girl from Bologna not only challenges what it means to be a woman tailor but also challenges one of the wealthiest merchants in the entire city who has a dark connection to her past. This is the premise for Glennis Virgo’s debut novel, “City of Silk.”
When we consider the issue of succession, we often imagine the crown being passed to the next legitimate heir, regardless of gender, but that was not always the case. We think about the struggles that women like Mary I and Elizabeth I endured to secure and stay on the throne, but one woman came before them so close to becoming England’s first ruling queen. She was the daughter of King Henry I and the next in line to the throne after her brother tragically died, but after her father passed away, it was her cousin Stephen who usurped the throne. The war for the crown which would last decades would be known as The Anarchy is the primary focus for Sharon Kay Penman’s novel, “When Christ and His Saints Slept.”
I am pleased to welcome Elizabeth St John to my blog to share a guest post about her latest novel, The King’s Intelligencer. I want to thank Elizabeth St John and The Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.
The timing of the discovery raised questions about whether the bones were used to manipulate public opinion and strengthen Charles’s position. Further research revealed more secrets. I explored the details of the Secret Treaty of Dover, a clandestine agreement between Charles II and Louis XIV of France. In this treaty, Charles promised to declare himself a Catholic in exchange for financial support. This hidden agreement, uncovered years later, underscores the precarious balance of power in 17th-century England and allowed me to link national concerns to my family history.
In this climate of political maneuvering, espionage became crucial. Intelligencers gathered information covertly, often operating unofficially, and reported back to their patrons the news and gossip that was circulating. This secretive world provided the perfect backdrop for my protagonist, Franny Apsley, who navigates the hidden loyalties, treaties, and espionage of 17th-century England. A friend remarked that these intelligencers hung around coffee shops and eavesdropped on other people…which sounded just the kind of thing Franny would have done. 
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Author Bio
Have you ever read about a historical figure and wondered what it would be like to interact with them in the present day? How would they deal with modern problems and technology? Could they function in the 21st century or would they become overwhelmed? And even if they could come to the 21st century, how would it affect their timeline and history? This intriguing premise plays out in Maria Vetrano’s novel, “Queen Bess: A Tudor Comes to Save America,” which sees Queen Elizabeth I coming forward about 400 years in time to become the President of the United States in the 2028 election.
When we think of the name Macbeth, we often imagine the play by William Shakespeare of a power-hungry man and his equally vicious wife willing to do whatever it took to become King and Queen of Scotland. It is a play about revenge and murder, but Shakespeare did not pull these characters out of thin air. He took these characters from the annals of history, such as a man named Macbeth and his wife, a Lady Macbeth named Gruoch. However, the names are about as much as Shakespeare gets right regarding the story of one of the first Kings of Scotland. Val McDermid tells her version of Macbeth and Gruoch’s story in her latest novel, “Queen Macbeth.”
I am pleased to welcome Amy Maroney back to my blog to share a spotlight for her latest novel, “The Pirate’s Physician.” I want to thank Amy Maroney and The Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.
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The year is 1342 in the sleepy coastal English town of Hookton when marauders attack and steal a precious relic. Thomas, a young archer, is the only survivor. With his father’s dying breath, he has given Thomas a mission to carry out, retrieve the relic, and avenge his family’s honor. The hunt for the man responsible takes Thomas to France during the beginning of the conflict that will be known as the Hundred Years’ War. Can Thomas of Hookton find the relic he was tasked to find or will another quest drag him into an even darker path? Thomas’s tale begins in the first book of the Grail Quest trilogy by Bernard Cornwell called, “The Archer’s Tale.”
I am pleased to welcome Julia Ibbotson to my blog today to share a spotlight for her novel, “The Dragon Tree.” I want to thank Julia Ibbotson and The Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to be part of this blog tour. 
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Author Bio
A castle looms in the distance and the owner, a glamourous countess, has asked for fair maidens from the surrounding areas to work for her. But this is not an ordinary castle and this was not a benevolent countess. The rumors say if you enter the castle, you will never return as the infamous Blood Countess Erzsebet Bathory will kill you and bathe in your blood. A rather gruesome tale that has been told for centuries, but how true is this story? What truly happened in the Countess’s castle and what was the countess like? Sonia Velton hopes to answer these questions in her novel about Erzsebet Bathory’s life, entitled “The Nightingale’s Castle.”
Adventures of a Tudor Nerd 