History tells us that the intelligent, wealthy, and powerful Margaret of York had everything any woman could want, except for love. The acclaimed author of A Rose for the Crown takes us between the lines of history and into her heart.

It is 1461: Edward, son of Richard of York, ascends to the throne, and his willful sister, Margaret, immediately becomes a pawn in European politics as Edward negotiates her marriage. The young Margaret falls deeply in love with Anthony Woodville, the married brother of Edward’s queen, Elizabeth. But Edward has arranged for his sister to wed Charles, son of the Duke of Burgundy, and soon Margaret is setting sail for her new life. Her official escort: Anthony Woodville.

Margaret of York eventually commanded the respect and admiration of much of Europe, but it appears to history that she had no emotional intimate. Anne Easter Smith’s rare gift for storytelling and her extensive research reveal the love that burned at the center of Margaret’s life, adding a new dimension to the story of one of the fifteenth century’s most powerful women

As I mentioned when I first started reading this book ended up not being one of my favorites of the series with Anne Easter Smith. I do not know if it is because I could not really warm to Margaret or if perhaps I was just a little bit over done with the War of the Roses. Now that part said the book was not a bad book I did like it.

Margaret is a pivotal character in the war of the Roses. Not only is she the Sister to two Kings she is one that goes on as far as she can to try to keep her family on the throne. She is a woman of convictions and loyalty. While I could not warm to her personally I fully respect her. As a woman in the time period she was in she did not really have much power, even as a relation to the a King, and yet she did her best to in fact wield power. When she became a Duchess in her own right she did indeed wield that power, not always in an honest way but still she thought she was doing the very best for her family.

If your a fan of the War of the Roses this is a book you should not miss. While as I said it was not my favorite it was good and I am glad that I read it. I would have missed out on a perspective that not many take into thought when they think of the war. A woman who was indeed at the heart of it.

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Release Date: Feb 11th 2013

From rising romance star Sharon Cullen comes a tale of the fiery passion between a noble naval officer and a female pirate that’s as tempestuous and as unpredictable as the sea.

Nicholas Addison, celebrated captain of the Blackwell Shipping Fleet, has agreed to take Mrs. Emmaline Sutherland aboard the Pride and ferry the raven-haired beauty across the Atlantic on what he imagines will be a routine trip. But when the ship is attacked by pirates, the seemingly innocent passenger is revealed to be none other than the infamous marauder Lady Anne, whose name strikes fear in the hearts of sailors everywhere—and whose seductive wiles commandeers Nicholas’s affections.

Lady Anne, a legend of the high seas, has spent the last eleven years plotting revenge against her father, the owner of Blackwell Shipping. She’s targeted the Pride in hopes of plundering its captain’s company secrets. But beneath her fierce courage and bitter determination, Anne has the delicate heart of a woman—a heart that cannot help falling for Nicholas. Now Anne must make a difficult choice: bring down Blackwell or surrender to love.

Ahoy Matey! Sharon Cullen sweeps us into the swash buckling tale of revenge and pirates. Not only that but we get a nice gander at a handsome man who is of course a Captain of a ship. What more can you ask for in a book? Nicholas Addison is a man from a noble family, honorable and one who loves the sea. Emmaline or Lady Anne is a woman of many contradictions a Lady Pirate who has not been touched by a man in an intimate way, whose life is based around taking revenge. So what happens when these two forces meet? A great deal.

Overall I really did enjoy The Notorious Lady Anne as a read. It was fast, adventurous and had some nice romance that makes a bodice ripper good. However there were parts for me that dragged a little bit and parts that to me came off as predictable. There could have been another twist or two to really make things different and stand out as a truly unique read. However with my negative aspects expressed on this read I did still enjoy it.

If your someone who likes a nice fast read with pirates and romance this is a nice book to fit the bill. While it is not one that I would shout from the roof tops that you must read it, I also feel it is not one to be left on the shelf. The prose is well done and the characters are likeable. Even when Captain Addison was in what I call his “snit” I really enjoyed him. He was not being angry or upset because he was being a jerk, but his sense of honor had been impugned upon. So if your looking for a speedy read with good characters this would be a good one for you.

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Seventeen year old Lady Alexandra is strong-willed and sharp-tongued — in a house full of older brothers and their friends, she had to learn to hold her own. Not the best makings for an aristocratic lady in Regency London. Yet her mother still dreams of marrying Alex off to someone safe, respectable, and wealthy. But between ball gown fittings, dances, and dinner parties, Alex, along with her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, manages to get herself into what may be her biggest scrape yet.

When the Earl of Blackmoor is mysteriously killed, Alex decides to help his son, the brooding and devilishly handsome Gavin, uncover the truth. But will Alex’s heart be stolen in the process? In an adventure brimming with espionage, murder, and other clandestine affairs, who could possibly have time to worry about finding a husband? Romance abounds as this year’s season begins!

Welcome to the glittery world of the ton. Step into the lives of three girls as they make their first season of London’s best and brightest in search of a husband. Lady Alexandra, Lady Vivian and Lady Eleanor have been best friends for as long as they can remember and that does not change now. Sarah MacLean did not leave us wanting in the male department either from Alexandra’s three brothers, to Lord Blackmoor and even the impish Lord Stanhope.

I enjoyed The Season and found it a fast and enjoyable read. It was not the best book of the year and some of the plot was pretty easy to figure out early in, but since it is geared at a younger audience I would expect that and don’t hold that against the book.

Sarah MacLean made some very enjoyable characters in The Season and I found myself smiling a lot at the actions of the three friends. The situations that they found themselves in are situations that I think I would find myself in, or at least I picture I would do if I was in the time period. It was a light read even with some of the serious themes within it. There is a mystery of whom killed Gavin Lord Blackmoor’s Father and a good portion of the book is focused on that. The descriptions of the balls are well done and I could picture myself among the glittery ton and enjoying the waltz with a Mr. Darcy like gentleman.

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Release Date: Feb 1st 2013

The day Lord Hastings came into her husband’s store, Elizabeth saw the opportunity she had waited twelve years for — a way to separate herself once and for all from her dull, impotent husband, William Shore. The handsome stranger presented not only the chance to partake in the dance of desire, but legal counsel to annul her 12-year marriage.

She did not, however, foresee her introduction to the King of England, nor her future at his side…and in his bed. From this unlikely alliance, Elizabeth is granted severance from Shore, and finds herself flourishing in the radiance of the King’s admiration. But she soon finds that her new position comes at a terrible price — her family has shunned her, the people of London have labelled her a harlot and the Queen’s family want her to burn in Hell.

So long as King Edward and Lord Hastings stay close, Elizabeth is safe. However, her beloved Ned falls ill and Lord Hastings falls out of favour.

Can Elizabeth’s wiles keep her out of trouble? Or will they lead her to further trouble…and the hangman’s noose?

Mistress to the crown takes us once again into an England that is on the cusp of the Tudor reign placing us into the stories of the Last Plantagenet King’s. Elizabeth Shore is a good and dutiful Wife who has a husband who can not preform the duties he is meant to. While she is wistful for a child and very unhappy in her marriage she remains faithful, all until Lord Hastings Chamberlain to the King arrives in her shop one day and sets her world on it’s head.

First she becomes a lover to Lord Hastings, learning that the art of being in bed is indeed a pleasure. However after they are barged in upon by a man dressed in messengers clothing but with the air of something else Elizabeth’s life changes further. It is later when the messenger summons her under the name of Lord Hastings that she finds out he is indeed King Edward.

Isolde Martyn has done a fantastic job in bringing these characters to life. It is never easy to be a King’s Mistress and they are often painted as little more than grasping harlots. In truth they are often little more than what they are painted as. However Elizabeth Shore is brought to life as a very human character. While I did not like her in the first chapter when she was young and seeking an annulment I think she was a normal girl of her age. When we come upon her later and she is indeed an independent woman who is dealing with a situation no one would like I warmed to her.

We see growth within Elizabeth with each turn of the page, and to say that King Edward was a charmer is putting it lightly. However he was a King and we see his human side as well, from his fits of temper to his moments of deep sadness in which he seeks comfort. Over all this makes for a very real and human book that engages you to the characters. I would recommend this book to any historical fiction readers especially those who like the War of the Roses time period. The history is well presented and the facts that have been filled in because we do not know them seem to stay true to what we do know.

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Release Date: Jan 29th 2013

From her earliest days, Margaret Tudor knows she will not have the luxury of choosing a husband. As daughter of Henry VII, her duty is to gain alliances for England. Barely out of girlhood, Margaret is married by proxy to James IV and travels to Edinburgh to become Queen of Scotland.

Despite her doubts, Margaret falls under the spell of her adopted home. But she has rivals. While Jamie is an affectionate husband, he is not a faithful one. And providing an heir cannot guarantee Margaret’s safety when Jamie leads an invading army against her own brother, Henry VIII. In the wake of tragic loss she falls prey to the attentions of the ambitious Earl of Angus—a move that brings Scotland to the brink of anarchy. Beset by betrayal, secret alliances, and the vagaries of her own heart, Margaret has one overriding ambition—to preserve the crown of Scotland for her son, no matter what the cost.

Exquisitely detailed and poignant, The Forgotten Queen vividly depicts the life and loves of an extraordinary woman who helped shape the fate of two kingdoms—and in time, became the means of uniting them.

When most think of a Sister to King Henry VIII they think of Mary, who married Charles Brandon. Indeed D.L Bogdan named the book aptly in choosing to call it the Forgotten Queen. Upon the opening of this novel we are thrust right into the world of a Princess who like most is never really going to be able to steer her own destiny. Raised to be a Lady, to have children and be a Wife who will wed who she is told. Ah, but we also learn quickly Margaret Tudor is every inch the Tudor as we know them, fiery, temperamental and stubborn.

I truly enjoyed this walk in the shoes of a Tudor that I did knot know much about.There are many historical facts that D.L Bogdan touches on (I did a little research while reading), and of course with any work of fiction some liberties have been taken. That said what is presenting really is a gripping story of a Woman who is a Queen and desperate to be loved. A woman who makes many wrong steps in her life and yet she truly does seem to mean well when she makes each of them. A woman like any woman who loves her children and fought nearly her whole life for her Son’s throne and for peace between her homeland of birth and the homeland she adopted.

Margaret Tudor is a character or person as you like that caused a lot of conflict within me. At times I adored her and I understood the plights she was in, and the choices she was forced to make. At other times I wanted to grab her and shake her hard because she was being so selfish. It was at those times that I reminded myself, where any royals really unselfish? They were raised to rule, and raised to think of themselves as god’s anointed and the most important person in the land. Prepare yourself for a up and down ride with this book and prepare yourself to be enlightened to some not as strongly sung parts of history and you will enjoy it.

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