The year is 1535 and a young girl whose mother was a shining light at court, dreams of getting away from her family and joins her aunt at court. Her name is Kate Carey, the daughter of Mary (Boleyn) Carey, and her aunt is Queen Anne Boleyn. Little does Kate know that the court life she desires is full of danger and enemies around every corner. In the labyrinth of court life, Kate must navigate it successfully to come out alive, even as her aunt’s reign is coming to an end and a secret is revealed that will radically change her life forever. Wendy J. Dunn tells Kate Carey’s story in her young adult novel, “The Light in the Labyrinth: The Last Days of Anne Boleyn.”
I would like to thank Wendy J. Dunn for sending me a copy of this novel. I do love a good young adult novel and so when I heard about Wendy Dunn releasing a new edition of a young adult Tudor novel that she had written previously, I knew I wanted to read it.
We begin with a dispute between Kate and her mother Mary. Kate is upset with her mother after she remarries William Stafford when her father William Carey dies. She wants to get away from home and go to the court of Henry VIII where her aunt, Anne Boleyn, sits as queen. Reluctantly, Mary agrees to Kate’s request and allows Kate to join her brother Harry Carey in court.
Kate’s entrance to the glittery Tudor court comes at a crucial point. Anne Boleyn is pregnant with what she hopes will be the son she and Henry desire. Kate is surrounded by her cousins including Meg Lee, her uncle George, and of course her aunt Anne. Along the way, Kate falls head over heels in love with Francis Knollys and learns a secret about her father that will rock her small world forever. However, Kate learns that love in court is a double-edged sword that can have deadly consequences.
When King Henry VIII had his jousting accident, Anne suffered a miscarriage and lost her son who would have been her savior. The fall of Anne Boleyn was nothing short of tragic, but to see it from her young niece Kate’s perspective added layers of depth and emotion that I was not prepared to read. I have read so many different accounts of the death of Anne Boleyn, both fiction and nonfiction, but Kate Carey’s version hit me emotionally that I was almost in tears by the end.
Dunn has not only shown that she is a brilliant author of historical fiction but also a fantastic young adult historical fiction writer. It is not just the main story, but the poetry and the two short stories that show how much love Dunn has for Kate Carey. A true triumph of a novel that I did not want to end. I do hope she will write more young adult historical fiction novels set in the Tudor era. If you want a heartbreakingly spectacular novel set in the Tudor age, I highly suggest you read, “The Light in the Labyrinth: The Last Days of Anne Boleyn” by Wendy J. Dunn.
In a time when marrying for love was taboo, one woman took a stand to follow her heart no matter the consequences. Lady Penelope Devereux, the daughter of Lady Lettice Knollys and the step-daughter of Sir Robert Dudley understands how dangerous it is to defy the wishes of Queen Elizabeth I. Her mother and stepfather were banished from court for choosing to marry secretly, but this did not deter Penelope from pursuing love. A story spanning decades, full of love, intrigue, and plots galore, “Penelope- Tudor Baroness” by Tony Riches tells the tale of this remarkable woman and her family.
I am pleased to welcome Kelly Evans to my blog today to share an excerpt from her novel, “Turning the World to Stone.” I want to thank Kelly Evans and The Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to be part of this blog tour. 
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The ninth century is coming to a close. King Alfred is dying, and his young son Edward is untested on the battlefield. Alfred wants Uhtred to swear his loyalty to his son Edward, but Uhtred wants to be free to recapture his beloved Bebbanburg. The Danes, led by the warrior Harald Bloodhair are on the warpath—just a typical mission for our intrepid Saxon lord who was raised by Danes warrior Uhtred of Bebbanburg. However, there is always a catch, and the major obstacle in his path is a fair woman with a fiery temper named Skade. How can one woman and her plans make Uhtred of Bebbanburg quake in his boots? Book number 5 in the Saxon Stories, “The Burning Land” by Bernard Cornwell, holds all the answers in the next adventure for Uhtred and his men.
The year is 1523, and England is again preparing for war against its mortal enemy, France. Cardinal Wolsey is firmly in power as King Henry VIII’s right-hand man who is about to open Parliament, but Sir Thomas More’s star is slowly rising. London is busy, and at the center of it, all is Wolsey’s trumpeter and groom, Anthony Blanke. In this chaos of Wolsey’s household where murder and betrayal lie, and the enemies of the Cardinal begin to pile up. It is up to Anthony Blanke to clear his name and find the murderer before it is too late. Anthony’s latest thrilling adventure occurs in Steven Veerapen’s novel, “Of Judgement Fallen: An Anthony Blanke Tudor Mystery.”
When we think about the Tudor dynasty, we often focus on the women in King Henry VIII’s life and his children, at least when it comes to novels. Writing about this larger-than-life figure, this notorious king and controversial figure in English history, are usually considered ambitious. Few have attempted to write a book about the king’s entire reign, but Alison Weir has embarked on this endeavor in her latest novel, “The King’s Pleasure: A Novel of Henry VIII.”
The year is 855, and the country that one day will be known as England is relatively peaceful. The Danes have their kingdom in the north, while the Saxons, under King Alfred, rule Wessex in the south. Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a Saxon man raised by Danish warriors, lives with his wife Gisela and his children in Wessex, where he is sworn to protect Alfred and his family. It is a touchy alliance, but when rumors about a dead man speaking reach Uhtred’s home, he knows that he must pick up Serpent-Breath once again and make a choice that could change the direction of England as a whole. What do the dead man and new Viking invaders have in plan for Uhtred, and how will it affect Wessex and the rule of King Alfred? Another engaging adventure for Uhtred of Bebbanburg is book four of The Saxon Tales, “Sword Song” by Bernard Cornwell.
Today, I am pleased to welcome MJ Porter to my blog to share the blurb for her book, “Pagan King.” I would like to thank MJ Porter and The Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to be part of this blog tour. 
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A nautical disaster has left Henry I of England in a bind. His only legitimate child is his daughter Matilda, the former Holy Roman Empress. Matilda’s path to the throne may seem straightforward as she has the oaths of all the leading men in the kingdom and a new younger husband named Geoffrey of Anjou, but things take a drastic turn when Henry I dies. Chaos reigns supreme as her cousin, Stephen of Blois, is declared King of England. Matilda knows that the throne is rightfully hers, and she will fight tooth and nail to recover what has been lost. Her story is told in Carol McGrath’s latest novel, “The Stolen Crown.”
Two independent women separated by time but united over two compelling portraits and the secrets hidden behind the paint. Mira (Miramonde) is a nun from a Renaissance convent in the Pyrenees who believes she is an orphan who wants to escape her small community and explore the world. Five hundred years later, Zari, an art scholar, begins the journey to discover who Mira is by using the clues she left behind in her works of art that will take her on a journey that will change her life forever. These two tales are woven together in the first book of the Miramonde series, “The Girl From Oto” by Amy Maroney.
Adventures of a Tudor Nerd 