Book Review: The Queen’s Command by Maggie Osborne

February 24, 2020 - Ambrosia Leave a comment

LON

The Queen’s Command: An engrossing novel, rich in historical details, unforgettable characters. Heart-stopping intrigue and timeless romance- as found only in the Tudor court.

For young widow Lady Nellanor Amesly, the court of Queen Elizabeth I is the most exciting place in the world. but the death of her guardian, Sir Robert Dudley, casts a menacing uncertainty over her future, as his vindictive wife wants to send Nell off to a convent.

So does that happen?

Since Nell is a favorite of the court, the queen strikes a devil’s bargain with her- she, along with the irrepressible Lord Will Steele, must retrieve a small casket of letters from a certain set of Spanish spies. The casket must remain unopened as the letters contain secrets that could alter the line of succession to the English throne. Only if Nell and Will succeed, will they get a reward of riches to secure a future. If they fail, they will lose everything…possibly even their lives. What will happen with the Queen’s dangerous command?

Book Review: I, Jane (In The Court of Henry VIII #4) by Diane Haeger

June 21, 2019June 18, 2019 - Ambrosia Leave a comment

I,Jane Though her path to the throne was long and paved with treachery. Jane Seymour would win the heart of her king—and heal her own. Jane Seymour of Wiltshire is not meant to go to Court. Not a child like her, with her lack of beauty and no title. But family connections are enough to have her named to the bridal retinue of Mary Tudor. At the French Court, the plain and docile Jane meets the girl who will grow into her rival in years to come. The already charismatic and conniving Anne Boleyn.

Would she get to stay in the countryside she craved?

Soon back home in the English countryside, Jane wants nothing more than peace and quiet. And the devotion of her childhood protector, William Dormer. But his family vows to keep them apart And Jane is called back to Court to serve Katherine of Aragon, who is fighting for her life as Queen in the face of Anne Boleyn’s open seduction of King Henry VIII.

In those turbulent years, Jane will learn the value of loyalty and honesty, while holding fast to her convictions. And it is her unblemished soul that will slowly rise above the chaos—and turn a king’s head.

Sunday Salon 2/26/17

February 26, 2017 - Ambrosia 2 Comments

Here we are again on Sunday, the last Sunday in Feb it is hard to think that March is already nearly here! There has been so much going on this year for me already sometimes I am surprised when I look up and see what day it is. The good news is that in March we will be seeing Beauty and the Beast pop up in theaters. Very excited about it! I mean what book lover hasn’t been a fan of Belle at one point or another?

I have not gotten as much reading done as I wanted to this week, but I am still having fidgeting issues so I hope that at some point I will be able to shake out of that. At any rate I am getting the itch that I often find myself getting every so often. What is that itch you ask? It is the undeniable itch to read a specific time period. Lately I have managed to find some balance in what I am reading. I have even really stayed pretty well into the modern stuff (hey for me that is an accomplishment lol) but I am straying out of that now. I am finding that it is time to dive into the Tudor court again.

The good news is that this is an era which is pretty popular and there are several very good authors who write within it. I mean when I get stuck in a mood to read oh say the Revolutionary war time frame I find there is not as much to choose from. That is changing as more authors seem to be wanting to write in that era but I digress. The problem I have come on in this instance is that I have so many books on hand to choose from I have no idea where to start.

So, friends any suggestions? LOL

Book Review: The King’s Damsel (Secrets of the Tudor Court #5) by Kate Emerson

December 18, 2016 - Ambrosia Leave a comment

In the fifth novel in Kate Emerson’s highly acclaimed Secrets of the Tudor Court series, a young gentlewoman catches King Henry the Eighth’s roving eye.In 1533 and again in 1534, Henry the Eighth reportedly kept a mistress while he was married to Anne Boleyn. Now, that mistress comes to vivid life in Kate Emerson’s The King’s Damsel.
A real-life letter from Spanish Ambassador Eustace Chapuys, written on September 27, 1534, reported that the king had “renewed and increased the love he formerly bore to another very handsome young lady of the Court” and that the queen had tried “to dismiss the damsel from her service.” Other letters from Eustace reveal that the mystery woman was a “true friend” of the Princess (later Queen) Mary, Henry’s daughter by Catherine of Aragon. Though no one knows who “the king’s damsel” really was, here Kate Emerson presents her as young gentlewoman Thomasine Lodge, a lady-in-waiting to King Henry’s daughter, Princess Mary. Thomasine becomes the Princess’s confidante, especially as Henry’s marriage to Catherine dissolves and tensions run high. When the king procures a divorce in order to marry Anne Boleyn, who is suspicious and distrustful of Mary, Mary has Thomasine placed in Anne’s service to be her eyes and ears. And that’s when she gets the attention of the king…
Rich in historical detail and featuring a wealth of bonus material, The King’s Damsel is sure to keep readers coming back for more in the exciting series!

Something very strange happened to this review. I had it written, scheduled and all ready to go back in 2015! I did not really check on it (my mistake, obviously I should have) and assumed it posted to the blog. When I was doing a clean up after moving over and checking to make sure everything was running smoothly since moving over from Fire & Ice to The Purple Booker, I found part of the post. After doing a search through everything I could not find the rest and saw that this one never actually posted. So, after all that long babble and with no further gilding of the lily here is a review from 2015 that really should have gone up ha ha! I may even have to go back and read the book again now.

Tamsin is a Lady of good family who was used to being tended to herself, her life like many in the upper reaches of Tudor era had the best of things. However, she was tapped to be part of the court of Mary Tudor and then found herself in the servant role. Making matters worse is the fact that after her parents die she becomes the charge of Sir Lionel Daggett, there is no love lost between both of them. No love lost at all.

Like the other books in this series I found this a fast paced and fun read. All the history is there and author Kate Emerson builds upon what we know to add her own twist to things. Of course King Henry is around, but I love that the focus of this series is the smaller people in the court, those players that most often only sit in the background in fiction of this era. It is these players that make up an entire court, though, the King and his family are such a small portion. If you enjoy good historical fiction that has a little bit of love and a lot of other information to enjoy, I highly recommend not only this book but the entire series.

My Gemstone Rating:

Book Review: At the King’s Pleasure (Secrets of the Tudor Court #4) by Kate Emerson

January 6, 2016 - Ambrosia Leave a comment

At the King’s Pleasure is the fourth novel in Kate Emerson’s well-reviewed series set in Tudor England—based on a real life member of the royal court of Henry VIII.

Following the acclaimed By Royal Decree, Pleasure Palace, and Between Two Queens, Kate Emerson again plucks a real figure from history in this lushly detailed tale featuring Lady Anne Stafford—who is torn between her husband and another man.

History remembers Lady Anne Stafford as the woman who cheated on her husband with both King Henry VIII and his companion, Sir William Compton. Lady Anne was indeed in love with two men at the same time….but the king wasn’t one of them. Lady Anne’s complex and heart-wrenching romantic relationships are at the core of this riveting tale that masterfully blends romance, drama, and historical detail as only Kate Emerson can.

A new year and finally finishing up a book that I started last year. For some reason I just could not get attached to this one last year in 2015. I got through it pretty fast this time around and I think I was having so much trouble before because it just was not as engaging as the other reads. Now with that said it was not a bad read at all.

Once again, you are in the court of a Young King Henry. This time the story revolves around the younger versions of key players to come out at court later, like the Boleyn’s and others. The main character is Lady Anne Stafford, the infamous adulterer who cuckolded her Husband with both the King himself and his boon companion Sir William Compton. The characters were fun, but some of the dialogue for me fell a little flat. Things came across as more vapid than in other books and I am not sure if this was on purpose or just how things came across but I didn’t like it.

The characters seemed to fly off the handle and have toddler tantrums more in this book than others as well. It was dramatic, of course, but sometimes a little off putting. Aside from all of that I did enjoy the book on a whole. It is once again a different look at the history of things and gives us a different side of everything that went on. Yes of course it is fiction, but it is very plausible fiction. I felt for Lady Anne and she did get dealt a bad hand on many occasions. Overall this is a good read and I am happy that I read it, overall it fits in well with the series so far.

My Gemstone Rating: