Have you ever wondered what the Tudors might be like in the modern day? What kind of life would they live, and would they all survive? What if King Henry VIII were a billionaire and most of his wives were still alive, including Anne Boleyn? Anne Boleyn is living but is in hiding from the rest of the Tudor clan and is separated from her daughter. When her daughter is kidnapped, Anne has to come back to her old life and team up with Henry’s latest wife to save her daughter. Can they save Anne’s daughter before it’s too late? Karen E. Olson brings the Tudors to the modern age in her latest novel, “A Defiant Woman.”
I would like to thank Pegasus Crime and Edelweiss for sending me a copy of this novel. I have read a few novels that featured the Tudors in the modern age, so I had an idea of what to expect, but I loved the cover, and I wanted to see what another author could bring to this sub-genre of historical fiction.
So, like other novels that put the Tudors in the modern age, the names of the historical figures have been changed, so Henry is Hank, Anne Boleyn is Nan, Elizabeth is Lizzie, and so on and so forth. Since this is book two in the series, we pick up where the previous book left off. Nan Tudor, who many believed died eight years ago, is living her best life in France with her son, Harry, when she gets a text message that the daughter she left behind, Lizzie, has been kidnapped. The kidnappers ask her to return to Boston and save her daughter.
We then get the perspective of Hank’s latest wife, Kate Parker Tudor, who is seeking a divorce from Hank. She runs into an old fling named Tommy Seymour around the same time that she finds out that her step-daughter, Lizzie, has been kidnapped. While Anna Klein, Hank’s fourth wife, is taking care of Hank’s son Teddy, she is also concerned about the missing Lizzie and her own wife, Joan Carey, who is also missing. We also get to see Hank’s first wife, Catherine, and their daughter, Maril, interacting with Hank’s other wives. While the wives are not supposed to interact with one another, Nan, Kate, and Anna make an alliance to find Lizzie, no matter what, even if it means encountering danger along the way.
It has been a long time since I properly binged a book, but I could not stop reading this novel. This was just a fantastic, fun read that had me gripped from beginning to end. Now, I want to read the first book in the series as I patiently wait for the next book. If you want a novel that’s so thrilling about the Tudors reimagined in the modern world, I highly suggest you read “A Defiant Woman” by Karen E. Olson.
15th-century Estonia was at the edge of Christendom. It also just finished facing off against the notable Victual Brothers, a band of brigands and pirates who wreaked havoc across the land. In the town of Tallinn, St. Olaf’s Church is being constructed, but nefarious dealings are coming to the surface. A serial killer is turning this once peaceful town, which is finding its identity on its head. Now, an apothecary named Melchior Wakenstede must help the magistrate solve the case before anyone else is killed. This is the premise for the first Apothecary Melchior Mystery by Indrek Hargla, entitled “The Secret of Saint Olaf’s Church.”
The year is 1540, and King Henry VIII is looking for a wife. He has been a widower for over three years, and his councilor Thomas Cromwell believes that a foreign alliance will be the best path forward for England, so he arranges a marriage between Henry and Anne of Cleves. In theory, it should be a good match, but it falls apart quickly. To top it all off, one of Anne of Cleves’ Maid of Honour brought her own drama to court that ended with a murder. Can Will Somers, the King’s Fool, navigate the drama at court while dealing with his own love life, or will the mystery of the missing body prove too much for him to handle? This is the premise of the next book in the King’s Fool Mysteries series called “Devil’s Gambit.”
Have you ever believed in something or someone so much that you were willing to do anything to be with them? What if it meant isolating yourself from everyone and everything you loved? Aleys knows this all too well. Born near Bruges during the 13th century, Aleys believes that she is destined for great things and has religious visions. Can this young woman survive both religious and political challenges to make her aspirations of being closer to God a reality, or will she fly too close to the sun and lose everything? Janet Rich Edwards tells Alleys’ tale in her debut novel, “Canticle.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
Adventures of a Tudor Nerd 