Tag: novel

Book Review: “Elizabeth I” by Margaret George

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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.

Book Review: “City of Silk” by Glennis Virgo

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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.”

I want to thank Allison & Busby and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I know we are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but this cover is really why I wanted to read more about it. The description and knowing that it was a debut were also appealing factors as I wanted to see what a new author would do with 16th-century Italy and its complex nature.

We begin with the orphanage of Santa Maria del Baraccano where we find out that our protagonist is a young girl whose parents, a tailor and a seamstress, both died. The girl, Eleana Morandi, was raised in the orphanage, but something happened and she ran away. She would eventually work at the Palazzo of Signora Ruffo, a widowed seamstress who runs a successful business. Elena works as an assistant to Signora Ruffo alongside a girl named Sophia, a former slave. It is a happy life for Elena, until one day, Signora Ruffo arranges a marriage for Elena with Signor Martelli. Elena is not a fan of this idea so she does what stereotypical teenagers do, she runs away from home again.

Elena runs to the workshop of the tailor Maestro Francesco Rondinelli, but he is reluctant to take Elena on as women are not accepted as tailors in the guild, but he allows her to help out in other ways around the workshop. One day, a Signor Antonio della Fontana comes into the workshop and asks for a summer wardrobe. Fontana is not some stranger to Elena as she knows him from her life in the orphanage, but he is not the benevolent merchant that everyone believes him to be. Elena fights not only for the right to become a female tailor but for her friend Laura and the other girls who were traumatized by Fontana. Virgo has created a colorful cast of characters filled with the traumas that they have to deal with in such a short book. My only critique is that as someone who is not as familiar with Italian terms or the locations in 16th-century Bologna, I wish there was a map and a glossary to help the readers picture the world a bit better.

Overall, I found this a rather enjoyable debut full of heart and a cast who care for each other as well as their respective crafts. It shows a different side of Renaissance Italy and once I started reading, I did not want to stop. I am looking forward to seeing what type of story Virgo will tell next. If you want a novel that focuses on a different aspect of the Italian Renaissance, I would recommend you read, “City of Silk” by Glennis Virgo.

Book Review: “When Christ and His Saints Slept” by Sharon Kay Penman

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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 found this particular novel when I was going used book shopping and after so many people said that it was their favorite novel by Penman after “The Sunne in Splendour,” I knew that I wanted to buy and read it. I have been a fan of books about the struggle between Empress Matilda and King Stephen and the birth of the Plantagenet dynasty, so I wanted to see what kind of spin Penman would give to this story.

Penman begins her novel with a flashback to the last time Stephen saw his father before he went on Crusade in 1101, which was an influential moment in his young life. We then jump forward to Barfleur, Normandy in November 1120, which is where the legitimate male heir of Henry I, William, boarded the White Ship on a voyage he would not survive. The only legitimate child of Henry I, because the man had quite a few illegitimate children, was Empress Matilda (Maude). Her 1st husband, the Holy Roman Emperor died and since they did not have any children, Henry decides that she needs to remarry and his choice for her next husband is Geoffrey of Anjou. To say their relationship was tempestuous would be an understatement, but they were able to have a large family including Henry Plantagenet, the future King Henry II.

It seemed like all Matilda (known as Maude in this novel) had to do in order to secure the crown was sail to England for her coronation. But that’s not what happened. Instead, her dear cousin Stephen and his wife Matilda, stole her crown. If you think Maude is going to let Stephen do what he wants with her inheritance left to her by her father, you thought wrong because instead Maude decides to fight for her rights in the conflict known as the Anarchy. It was a bloody couple of decades for England full of betrayals and sieges. It will soon turn to not only a fight between Maude and Stephen but between their sons Henry and Eustace. This was not just a battle between nobility but, as we see with one of my favorite characters Ranulf Fitz Roy (a fictional character), it was a battle between barons and the illegitimate children of the old king for the future of England.

This was another absolutely brilliant book by Penman. The way she was able to craft such believable characters based on the historical records is nothing but awe-inspiring. It was a mammoth tome but it needed every single page to develop this rich story that I did not want to end. If you are like me and you crave a thrillingly vivid historical fiction novel, you must check out “When Christ and His Saints Slept” by Sharon Kay Penman.

Guest Post: “Three Myths about the Conquest of the Incan Empire” by Dirk Strasser

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I am pleased to welcome Dirk Strasser to my blog to share a guest article about his latest novel, “Conquist”. I want to thank Dirk Strasser and The Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to participate in this blog tour. 

The capture of Atahualpa by Pizarro in Cajamarca (Juan Lepiani)

History isn’t as clear-cut as it’s often portrayed, particularly when it comes to conflict. There’s no doubt that victors usually get to write the narrative. Historians strive for an accurate reconstruction of our past by looking at sources from different sides of a conflict. But what happens when the sources from one side are few and far between because the losing culture has been comprehensively overwhelmed? Often myths abound about the innate superiority of the victors, and it takes a historian to pick them apart. As I was writing my historical fantasy novel Conquist, I did my best to ensure that I didn’t perpetuate these three myths about the Spanish conquest of the Incan Empire. 

Myth 1: Fransisco Pizarro conquered an empire of several million with fewer than two hundred men. 

The Incan Empire was the largest nation in the world when the conquistadors invaded. It was estimated to have a population of 10 million and an imperial army of 80,000 soldiers. Fransisco Pizarro had 168 men under his command: 106 on foot and 62 on horseback. These numbers are misleading. 

Relatively recent archaeological examinations of human remains excavated from Incan cemeteries near conquistador Incan battlegrounds have shown a large percentage of injuries were from Indigenous weapons. Around 150,000 indigenous Andean peoples have been estimated to have fought on the side of the Spanish invaders. The conquistadors had the support of large numbers of Incan subjects like the Huancas and Chankas who seized the chance to escape Incan rule and rise against their oppressors. Also, just before the conquistadors invaded, the Incan Empire was undergoing a brutal civil war between two half-brothers Huáscar and Atahualpa, which Atahualpa won, so it was easy for the Spaniards to enlist Huáscar’s allies such as the Cañaris and Chachapoyas. A significant portion of the population of the Incan Empire would have sided with the conquistadors. 

So, the combatant numbers were far more even than those usually quoted. In addition to the conquistadors’ indigenous allies, over 3000 Spanish reinforcements arrived at various stages of the invasion. Plus the Spanish encouraged support amongst the Incans by installing puppet emperors—the most notable being Manco Inca, who is central to the plot of Conquist during the period after he had escaped and was fighting against the Spaniards. 

Myth 2: Guns gave the conquistadors a crucial advantage over the Incas in battle. 

The type of gun used by the conquistadors, the harquebus, was a heavy and slow-to-reload low-velocity rifle. Harquebuses were unwieldy, unpredictable, and not terribly accurate. The Spanish used them as a support weapon rather than the mainstay of their army. 

The conquistadors did have significant advantages over the Incas in battle, but it wasn’t their guns. Arguably the biggest of these advantages was their horses. Not only did horses provide fast transportation across different terrains, but they could also pull heavy cannons. The Inca had no equivalent riding animal and couldn’t match the speed and mobility of the Spanish cavalry, which could break up tight battle formations, quickly flank an enemy, or attack from the rear. 

Conquistadors rode their horses in what’s known as the jimeta style, using bent knees to grip the sides of their mounts. This gave considerable maneuverability and control to the rider, and with only one hand on the reins, the other hand was free for the Spanish to use their swords to cut down the Inca soldiers from a height.  

The Spanish perro de guerra or war dogs also gave the conquistadors a huge advantage over the Inca. They were huge breeds such as mastiffs and molossus dogs, many of them weighing over 100 kilograms and up to a meter tall. They often wore spiked armor and were specifically trained to chase, dismember, and kill people in battle. 

Swords, crossbows, and steel armor were superior to the Incan slings, clubs, and cotton armor, but the conquistadors also had a tactical advantage. Incan warfare was inflexible and highly ritualized, tactics weren’t changed mid-battle, and Inca soldiers retreated if their leaders fell in battle. Most of all, ambush and deceit were not used in warfare, so the Inca were unprepared for the Spanish using these techniques. Crucially, the capture of the unsuspecting Incan emperor Atahualpa was achieved through subterfuge. In Conquist Cristóbal de Varga intentionally follows the battle plans and tactics of Pizarro, but it doesn’t work out quite the same way for him because the Inca have learned not to trust the Spanish. 

Myth 3: All conquistadors were white. 

There were a number of African conquistadors. They were an integral part of Spanish conquest campaigns in the Americas and fought alongside the Spanish against the Inca. The freed African slave in Conquist Lieutenant Héctor Valiente was inspired by the black conquistador Juan Valiente, who was born around 1505 in Northwest Africa where he was enslaved and transported to Mexico. 

In 1533, Juan Valiente signed an agreement with his master Alonso Valiente, which allowed him to become a conquistador and return in four years with profits he could use to buy his freedom. He joined Pedro de Almagro’s expedition to Peru in 1534 as a soldier, where he was one of around 200 Africans. While most of the members of that expedition died in the Andes, Juan survived, and by 1540 he had been promoted to the rank of captain. Six years later he helped found the city of Santiago and as a reward he received an estate. 

While he lived as a free and wealthy man in Chile, he was strictly speaking still a slave. Despite Juan’s attempts to pay his debt, Alonso Valiente claimed the payment hadn’t been received. Juan Valiente died fighting in the Andes at the Battle of Tucapel in 1553 and was never legally free, although his son did inherit his estate. 

Blurb: 

Capitán Cristóbal de Varga’s drive for glory and gold in 1538 Peru led him and his army of conquistadors into a New World that refused to be conquered. He is a man torn by life-long obsessions and knows this is his last campaign. 

What he doesn’t know is that his Incan allies led by princess Sarpay have their furtive plans to make sure he never finds the golden city of Vilcabamba. He also doesn’t know that Héctor Valiente, the freed African slave he appointed as his lieutenant, has found a portal that will lead them all into a world that will challenge his deepest beliefs. And what he can’t possibly know is that this world will trap him in a war between two eternal enemies, leading him to question everything he has devoted his life to – his command, his Incan princess, his honor, his God.  

In the end, he faces the ultimate dilemma: how is it possible to battle your obsessions . . . to conquer yourself? 

Buy Links: 

Universal Amazon Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/4AM52K  

Publisher’s Conquist page: https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/roundfire-books/our-books/conquist-novel 

Author Bio: 

Dirk Strasser’s epic fantasy trilogy The Books of Ascension—Zenith, Equinox, and Eclipse—was published in German and English, and his short stories have been translated into several European languages. “The Doppelgänger Effect” appeared in the World Fantasy Award-winning anthology Dreaming Down Under. He is the co-editor of Australia’s premier science-fiction and fantasy magazine, Aurealis. 

Dirk was born in Germany but has lived most of his life in Australia. He has written a series of best-selling school textbooks, trekked the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, and studied Renaissance history. “Conquist” was first published as a short story in the anthology Dreaming Again (HarperCollins). The serialized version of Conquist was a finalist in the Aurealis Awards Best Fantasy Novel category. Dirk’s screenplay version of Conquist won the Wildsound Fantasy/Sci-Fi Festival Best Scene Reading Award and was a featured finalist in the Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival and the Creative World Awards. 

Author Links: 

Website: https://www.dirkstrasser.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DirkStrasser 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100054955883297 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirk-strasser-1249a949/  

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com.au/stores/author/B00CWMHGHO  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203225407-conquist 

Dirk’s blog: https://www.dirkstrasser.com/dirks-blog 

 

Book Review: “Queen Bess: A Tudor Comes to Save America” by Maria Vetrano

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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.

I want to thank Maria Vetrano for sending me a copy of her novel. When I read the description of this novel, it was an intriguing concept to me. I do enjoy a modern tale from time to time and I was interested to see how Queen Elizabeth I of England could become a US President and how she would adjust to life in the modern world.

We begin our adventure with Dakota Wynfred, a self-made billionaire in the cybersecurity field, whose only desire is to go back in time to see her mother one more time and potentially bring her mother back to the year 2027. As Dakota and her mother are discussing matters, she tells her mother that the political environment is a mess thanks to President Robert Vlaskas, who Dakota cannot stand. Dakota believes that there is no one capable in modern time to defeat Vlaskas so a plan is formulated to use Dakota’s time travel machine to go back in time even further to get a leader who she believes can defeat Vlaskas. She has chosen Gloriana herself, Queen Elizabeth I from 1588. While transporting the queen from the Tudor era is easy, acclimating her to the ways of the 21st century proves a challenge, especially knowing that they have a limited window to make sure Elizabeth is ready to run for president.

While I thought the concept of this book was unique, the execution for me is what let this book down. I’ll start with the time travel element. As someone who watched Star Trek and the Librarians, I know there are some rules of time travel like not telling the people in the period of the past you are visiting you are from the future (or giving them a biography about their life), and you don’t bring anyone into the future from the past as there could be consequences to history in general. I wanted to see more of how Elizabeth being in the 21st century would affect the 16th century and the idea of technology not working in the 16th century as it was not invented during that time, but that is not what I got as a reader. When Elizabeth did arrive in the year 2027, we see her getting used to the world of technology, fashion, and popular culture, which did not seem to help with running a political campaign and Elizabeth’s accent in this book bothered me quite a bit. I feel like Vetrano should have done more research into the 16th century and Elizabeth’s reign to make this version of Elizabeth I more believable. Finally, I think the ending is rushed and left me questioning this book and what the point of this novel truly was.

Overall, this was a frustrating read for me as I saw the potential for a cool book, but it stumbled so many times. It felt like the Tudor/historical elements were sprinkled in a modern sci-fi/political fantasy novel, which just did not work well for me as a reader. This may not have been the book for me, but if you want a different take on the Tudors, a time travel novel with modern political elements, “Queen Bess: A Tudor Comes to Save America” by Maria Vetrano might be a book for you.

Book Review: “Queen Macbeth” by Val McDermid

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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 want to thank Atlantic Monthly Press and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. It has been a minute since I read the Shakespearean play of Macbeth, but I did know that it was a story based on history. When I saw that this was specifically about Macbeth’s wife, it was intriguing to me and I knew I wanted to give it a try.

We begin with a sense of panic and dread. Reports have reached Gruoch that her husband Macbeth was slain at the Battle of Lumphanan and now Gruoch is on the run from his enemy Malcolm. Their son, Lulach, is on his way to be crowned King of Scotland while Gruoch, her ladies (Ligach, Aife, and Eithne), and Macbeth’s man Angus wait for the opportune moment to escape the monastery they are staying in before Malcolm catches up to them.

Sprinkled in between events in the modern day, McDermid included flashbacks to how Macbeth and Gruoch met and fell in love. At the time of their first meeting, Gruoch was the wife of Gille Coemgain, the Mormaer of Moray. Macbeth believes that Gille was responsible for the death of his father, Findlaich, and Gruoch fears that Macbeth is only visiting Gille to seek his revenge. However, this unexpected encounter between Macbeth and Gruoch turns into love and they have a child while Gruoch is still married to Gille. A rather awkward situation, but eventually, Macbeth and Gruoch are united to become King and Queen of Scotland.

As someone who is not familiar with the historical story of Macbeth and Gruoch, I found this novella engrossing and thrilling. This version of Macbeth and his Lady Macbeth was much more believable with danger around every corner and I did not know where the story was heading. It did not feel like a novella and I did not want it to end. If you are a Shakespeare fan or someone who loves a good medieval tale, I highly recommend you read, “Queen Macbeth” by Val McDermid.

Guest Post: Spotlight for “The Pirate’s Physician” by Amy Maroney

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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.

Blurb:  

When her world shatters, she dares to trust a pirate. Will she survive what comes next? 

The Pirate’s Physician is the story of Giuliana Rinaldi, a student at Salerno’s famed medieval medical school, whose lifelong dream of becoming a physician crumbles when her uncle and mentor dies suddenly.  

Faced with an unwanted marriage to a ruthless merchant, Giuliana enlists the help of a Basque pirate and flees home for the dangers of the open sea.  

Will she make it to Genoa, where her only remaining relative awaits? Or will this impulsive decision seal her own doom? 

A delightful seafaring adventure packed with romance and intrigue, The Pirate’s Physician is a companion novella to the award-winning Sea and Stone Chronicles series of historical novels by Amy Maroney: Island of Gold, Sea of Shadows, and The Queen’s Scribe. 

Buy Link: 

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

Author Bio:  

Amy Maroney lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, and spent many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction before turning her hand to historical fiction. 

Amy is the author of the Miramonde Series, a trilogy about a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trial. Amy’s new series, Sea and Stone Chronicles, features strong, talented women seeking their fortunes in the medieval Mediterranean.  

To receive a free prequel novella to the Miramonde Series, join Amy Maroney’s readers’ group at http://www.amymaroney.com.  

Author Links: 

Website: https://www.amymaroney.com/ 

Twitter: https://x.com/wilaroney 

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

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

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/amyloveshistory/ 

Book Bub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/amy-maroney 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Amy-Maroney/author/B01LYHPXEO 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15831603.Amy_Maroney

Book Review: “The Archer’s Tale” by Bernard Cornwell

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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 found this particular book in a used bookstore and it caught my eye. I have enjoyed the Saxon Stories series by Bernard Cornwell and so when I saw that he had written a trilogy set during the Hundred Years’ War, I was intrigued. I wanted to see how well he would tackle the medieval period and the conflict between England and France.

We begin with the massacre of Hookton, which happened in the early hour of Easter morning 1342. The prize that the raiders are after is the lance that St. George used to slay the dragon, or that’s the story that Father Ralph tells the town. His illegitimate son Thomas is given the task of recovering the lance for a man wearing black armor with a blue and yellow standard who happened to be Thomas’s cousin. As there is nothing left for Thomas in Hookton, he decides to join Will Skeat and his archers in France as they fight for King Edward III and his son Edward the Black Prince. It is in Brittany that Thomas is introduced to the Blackbird, a female archer whose true identity is Jeanette the widowed Countess of Armorica who is trying to protect her young son, the new Count of Armorica from the English.

After saving Jeanette from a complicated situation, Thomas is on the run for killing a man. It is while he is on the run that his life is saved by a Jewish doctor and in return, Thomas saves the life of a girl named Eleanor. This girl is the illegitimate daughter of Sir Guillaume d’Evecque, a French nobleman who was with the black armored man who attacked Hookton. They both have a grudge against the man, but Sir Guillaume offers Thomas a different quest, which is to find the Holy Grail, the same relic the man in black armor is searching for. Thomas decides that he must help his friends in the English army as they face off against the French army in the battle that will be known as the Battle of Crecy.

As someone who is a fan of the Saxon Stories series, I felt like Thomas of Hookton was very much like Uhtred of Bebbanburg in the way that he is on a long quest for revenge, but he discovers that he is destined for a bigger purpose and an even more deadly path. I found myself enjoying the way Cornwell portrays medieval England and France during this conflict and I am looking forward to seeing where Thomas of Hookton will go next and if he will get his revenge and recover the Holy Grail. If you love medieval tales full of adventure and action, you should check out the first book in The Grail Quest, “The Archer’s Tale” by Bernard Cornwell.

Book Review: “The Nightingale’s Castle” by Sonia Velton

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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.”

I want to thank Harper Perennial and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I have heard about Elizabeth Bathory the Blood Countess, but just the dark tales about how she killed virgins and bathed in their blood to keep her youth. Sadly, I don’t know much about the woman herself and the circumstances around her life that made the charges around her so extreme.

We begin with a scene in the future from a court case where we see a mysterious girl listing the names of the accomplices who helped the countess, namely Janos Ficzko Ujvary, Ilona Jo Nagy, Dorottya (Dorka) Szentes, and Katalin Beneczky. The mysterious figure also reveals that there is a ledger that she claims lists the names of every victim of the countess, which totals hundreds of young ladies. Then, we jump to the main story with two servants of the countess, Dorka, and Fickzo, looking for a new woman to work at Cachtice Castle, which they find in Boroka Libalany, the adopted daughter of the town doctor Jozsef. It is at the castle where Boroka meets another girl named Suzanna and the two girls form a sort of friendship as they work in the laundry.

Things seem to be going well for Boroka and Suzanna until they realize that there is something off about this castle. While Boroka meets Countess Erszebet Bathory and gets to interact with her court of young noble ladies, Suzanna sees the darker side of the castle. I do appreciate that each one of the accomplices of the countess gets their unique backstories on how they met Erszebet Bathory. As Boroka gets closer to the countess and earns her trust as a stand-in for her portrait by Valentino, she discovers an intricately craved box and a journal inside that tells the story of Boroka’s birth mother, however the context of the box changes for those who open it. While I do enjoy learning more about Boroka’s familial connection to the countess, the magical box element almost felt unnecessary as she could have easily found the diary in the countess’s library and it would have had the same effect for Boroka.

Finally, we get to see how the case against Erszebet Bathory and her accomplices occurred. Gyorgy Thurzo Count Palatine of Hungary joins with King Matthias of Hungary to create a case against the countess. We get to see the arrest of the countess and her accomplices, the trial, and the aftermath of this case on the entire cast of characters, but especially Boroka.

As this was the first novel that I have read set in late 16th/ early 17th century Hungary and that was about Erszebet Bathory “the Blood Countess,” I found this novel extremely engrossing. It was a haunting yet stunning story filled with so many twists and turns that I did not want it to end. If you want a riveting retake on the life of the infamous Blood Countess, I highly recommend you read, “The Nightingale’s Castle” by Sonia Velton.

Book Review: “The Lady Rochford Saga Part 2: Tourmens de Mariage” by Danielle Marchant

On By hmalagisiIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

Marriage has been an integral part of life for centuries. It has been used to create strong alliances and cement love matches. However, once the wedding ceremony is finalized, the facade often fades and the truth about the families is revealed. Jane Parker finally marries the love of her life, George Boleyn, but she soon realizes that her new family is full of ambition, especially her new sister-in-law Anne Boleyn. As one of the greatest marriages of the 16th century is beginning to fall apart, can a new romance be waiting in the wing to rock England and all of Europe to its core and whose side will Jane join in the end? Danielle Marchant continues her exploration of Jane Parker Boleyn, Lady Rochford’s life in her novel, “The Lady Rochford Saga Part 2: Tourmens de Mariage.”

I’d like to thank Danielle Marchant for sending me a copy of this novel. I enjoyed the first novel in this series, “Into the Ranks of the Deceived,” so I wanted to see how Marchant would continue this series and where book two would end. 

We begin with Catherine of Aragon attending the Blackfriars to discuss her marriage with Henry VIII. He wants the marriage dissolved because Catherine was married to his brother Prince Arthur Tudor and that is why they cannot have any living male children. Obviously, Catherine disagrees and is fighting for her marriage, which gains the respect of Jane Parker. However, Anne is not interested in the affairs of the queen and instead has her heart set on marrying Henry Percy. This does not work out for Anne as Cardinal Wolsey finds out and decides to put a stop to their engagement, which creates animosity between Anne and Wolsey. 

While Anne is trying to figure out her love life, we see Mary Boleyn become a mother of two while dealing with the death of her husband William Carey. Jane must navigate these complex issues of her new family while she enters a new chapter of her life when she marries the love of her life, George Boleyn. However, Jane’s married life is not all sunshine and rainbows and she realizes that they are having problems conceiving a child. I think the story of this second novel was good, but I think it should have covered a bit more ground and possibly gone to the marriage of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII so that the third book could focus on the fall of Anne and George Boleyn and hopefully show a glimpse of Jane’s fall from grace.

Overall, I think it was a decent novel that shows the softer side of Jane and George’s relationship which is sometimes lacking in other novels. I think it was a bit short for the material that I hoped she would cover in this series since there is so much to Jane’s story, but I think she can create a story with believable characters that you don’t want to stop reading. If you have enjoyed the first book in this trilogy, I think you should read, “The Lady Rochford Saga Part 2: Tourmens de Mariage” by Danielle Marchant.