Tag: Lady Elizabeth

Book Review: “Rebellious Grace” by Jeri Westerson

On By hmalagisiIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

Christmas is a time of merriment and joy unless you are in the court of Henry VIII in 1536. Then it is a time of stress and murder. Henry’s second wife Anne Boleyn has only been dead for a few months while his third wife Jane Seymour is slowly adjusting to her new role as queen. A rebellion known as the Pilgrimage of Grace is taking over northern England and the leader Robert Aske wants to visit the court to discuss matters with King Henry VIII. To top it all off, a servant of Queen Jane has been murdered and the only one who can solve the crime is a fool, Will Somers. Can Will Somers connect the dots and save those closest to him, or will the treasonous act be another downfall in such a tumultuous year? This is the premise for the third book in the A King’s Fool Mystery series, “Rebellious Grace” by Jeri Westerson.

Thank you Severn House and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. This is the second book in the A King’s Fool Mystery series I have read, the first being The Twilight Queen. While I had issues with The Twilight Queen when I saw that Westerson would cover the Pilgrimage of Grace and Jane Seymour in her next novel, I decided to give the series another chance.

We begin with the discovery of the body. The male servant Geoffrey Payne had his neck slashed in a rather unusual way, but there was no murder weapon by the body. The body is quickly buried and the investigation is left to Sir Nicholas Carew. However, this is not the only distraction at court, as Will Somers will soon find out. There is a real divide between Protestants and Catholics throughout the kingdom and while Queen Jane Seymour acts as a peacemaker at court, in other areas of England, the Pilgrimage of Grace is on the move to bring back Catholicism, led by Robert Aske. Thomas Cromwell has the idea of inviting Robert Aske to join the Christmas celebrations to discuss matters. And then there is the fact that Elizabeth and Mary are joining their father at court as a way to reconcile. So, you know, a very quiet Christmas.

With the craziness of court, Will Somers is of course caught directly in the middle of the mess. He is not only trying to cheer up his friend and employer King Henry VIII, but after it is discovered that poor Mr. Payne’s corpse was dug back up and disemboweled, he is asked to assist Sir Nicholas Carew with the investigation. To add even more drama, there is a connection between the dead man, the queen’s jewels, and the Seymour family. Will has to juggle all of this plus his ever-complicated love life between his wife Marion and his lover Nicholas Pachett.

I loved this mystery, especially the additions of the characters John Blanke, Jane Foole, Jane Seymour, and Edward Seymour. It was so gripping and well-balanced that I finished it in a day, which I hadn’t done with a book in a while. If you want a delightful murder mystery set in the court of Henry VIII or if you have read the other books in the A King’s Fool Mystery series, I highly recommend you read, “Rebellious Grace” by Jeri Westerson.

Book Review: “Tombland” by C.J. Sansom

On By hmalagisiIn Book Reviews4 Comments

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The death of King Henry VIII has left his young son, Edward, as the new King of England. In 1549, Protestantism is on the rise and Lord Somerset is the Lord Protector for the young king. However, the people are not pleased with their treatment compared to the lifestyle of the gentry, causing many rebellions to sprout along the countryside. The mysterious death of a Boleyn relation of Lady Elizabeth has led Matthew Shardlake on a collision course with one of the major rebellions and to be reunited with an old friend, Jack Barak. Can Shardlake solve the mystery and find out where he truly belongs before time runs out? This is the scenario C.J. Sansom has chosen for his final, for now, book in the Shardlake series, “Tombland”.

To be honest, this was such a bittersweet read for me. I have grown to love Sansom’s writing style and his colorful cast of characters. I did not want to say goodbye. I savored every minute, even though it took me a bit longer to read than the other books in this amazing series.

We join Matthew Shardlake in his latest job, working for Lady Elizabeth when she gives him a new case to investigate. A distant relative of Elizabeth, one Edith Boleyn, has been found murdered and her ex-husband John Boleyn is accused of committing the heinous crime. We are introduced to John’s twin sons, who are the antithesis of charming, his curmudgeon of a father-in-law, and his much younger but devoted second wife. While Shardlake and Nicholas Overton dive into this case, they have the great pleasure of meeting up with everyone’s favorite rogue turned family man, Jack Barak, who is now working for the Assizes in Norwich.

As things heat up with this brand new case, Shardlake, Overton, and Barak are swept into a rebellion camp, led by the infamous yeoman Robert Kett. This is where this book truly shines. For many of us who study the Tudors, rebellions like Kett’s rebellion are just events that are briefly mentioned. Sansom dives into the life of the rebels in the camps to explore what it was like. How they were organized. How they were trained to fight. What they stood for and where they stood on religious issues. I never really considered the feelings of the rebels, but Sansom made me sympathetic to their cause and I understood why Shardlake and Barak found the rebellion so appealing.

It did feel like the murder case and the rebel storylines were two separate plots, but Sansom was able to masterfully combine the two to create a thrilling conclusion to this delightful series. If I did have a problem with this particular title it would be that the pace was a bit slower than the other books in the series. I was wondering if Shardlake was ever going to solve the Boleyn mystery, but of course, he does spectacularly.

There is always a concern with a fabulous series with how the author will end it. Will it satisfy the readers and their expectations. I can’t speak for every Shardlake fan, but I was thoroughly engrossed with this series and the ending was perfection. If this is indeed the last Shardlake adventure, it was truly a ride I will never forget. If you are a Shardlake fan or you want a remarkable novel about the Kett’s rebellion, “Tombland” by C.J. Sansom is the book for you. A truly mesmerizing culmination for a dazzling series.