Book Blast: The King's Greatest Enemy Series

The King’s Greatest Enemy Series by Anna Belfrage
A weak king, a rebellious baron. A kingdom on the brink of civil war, an adulterous wife and an ambitious royal favourite. A blackmailed bride and an honourable knight, torn apart by his loyalties to his lord, his wife and his future king. Welcome to the world of Adam de Guirande!

Book I: In the Shadow of the Storm
Adam de Guirande owes his lord, Roger Mortimer, much more than loyalty. He owes Lord Roger for his life and all his worldly goods, he owes him for his beautiful wife – even if Kit is not quite the woman Lord Roger thinks she is. So when Lord Roger rises in rebellion against the king, Adam has no choice but to ride with him – no matter what the ultimate cost may be.

England in 1321 is a confusing place. Edward II has been forced by his barons to exile his favourite, Hugh Despenser. The barons, led by the powerful Thomas of Lancaster, Roger Mortimer and Humphrey de Bohun, have reasons to believe they have finally tamed the king. But Edward is not about to take things lying down...

Adam fears his lord has over-reached, but Adam has other matters to concern him, first and foremost his new wife, Katherine de Monmouth. His bride comes surrounded by rumours concerning her and Lord Roger, and he hates it when his brother snickers and whispers of used goods.

Kit has the misfortune of being a perfect double of Katherine de Monmouth – which is why she finds herself coerced into wedding a man under a false name.

Domestic matters become irrelevant when the king sets out to punish his rebellious barons. The Welsh Marches explode into war, and soon Lord Roger and his men are fighting for their very lives. When hope splutters and dies, when death seems inevitable, it falls to Kit to save her man – if she can.

In the Shadow of the Storm is the first in Anna Belfrage’s new series, The King’s Greatest Enemy, the story of a man torn apart by his loyalties to his lord, his king, and his wife.

Book II: Days of Sun and Glory
Adam de Guirande has barely survived the aftermath of Roger Mortimer’s rebellion in 1321. When Mortimer manages to escape the Tower and flee to France, anyone who has ever served Mortimer becomes a potential traitor – at least in the eyes of King Edward II and his royal chancellor, Hugh Despenser. Adam must conduct a careful balancing act to keep himself and his family alive. Fortunately, he has two formidable allies: Queen Isabella and his wife, Kit.

England late in 1323 is a place afflicted by fear. Now that the king’s greatest traitor, Roger Mortimer, has managed to evade royal justice, the king and his beloved Despenser see dissidents and rebels everywhere – among Mortimer’s former men, but also in the queen, Isabella of France.

Yet again, Kit and Adam are forced to take part in a complicated game of intrigue and politics. Yet again, they risk their lives – and that of those they hold dear – as Edward II and Mortimer face off. Once again, England is plunged into war – and this time it will not end until either Despenser or Mortimer is dead.

Days of Sun and Glory is the second in Anna Belfrage’s series, The King’s Greatest Enemy, the story of a man torn apart by his loyalties to his lord, his king, and his wife.

Book III: Under the Approaching Dark
Adam de Guirande has cause to believe the turbulent times are behind him: Hugh Despenser is dead and Edward II is forced to abdicate in favour of his young son. It is time to look forward, to a bright new world in which the young king, guided by his council, heals his kingdom and restores its greatness. But the turmoil is far from over.

England in the early months of 1327 is a country in need of stability, and many turn with hope towards the new young king, Edward III. But Edward is too young to rule, so instead it is his mother, Queen Isabella, and her lover, Roger Mortimer, who do the actual governing, much to the dislike of barons such as Henry of Lancaster.

When it is announced that Edward II has died in September of 1327, what has so far been a grumble grows into voluble protests against Mortimer. Yet again, the spectre of rebellion haunts the land, and things are further complicated by the reappearance of one of Adam’s personal enemies. Soon enough, he and his beloved wife Kit are fighting for their survival – even more so when Adam is given a task that puts them both in the gravest of dangers.

Under the Approaching Dark is the third in Anna Belfrage’s series, The King’s Greatest Enemy, the story of a man torn apart by his loyalties to his lord, his king, and his wife.

Book IV: The Cold Light of Dawn
After Henry of Lancaster’s rebellion has been crushed early in 1329, a restless peace settles over England. However, the young Edward III is no longer content with being his regents’ puppet, no matter that neither Queen Isabella nor Roger Mortimer show any inclination to give up their power. Caught in between is Adam de Guirande, torn between his loyalty to the young king and that to his former lord, Roger Mortimer.

Edward III is growing up fast. No longer a boy to be manipulated, he resents the power of his mother, Queen Isabella, and Mortimer. His regents show little inclination of handing over their power to him, the rightful king, and Edward suspects they never will unless he forces their hand.

Adam de Guirande is first and foremost Edward’s man, and he too is of the opinion that the young king is capable of ruling on his own. But for Adam siding with his king causes heartache, as he still loves Roger Mortimer, the man who shaped him into who he is.

Inevitably, Edward and his regents march towards a final confrontation. And there is nothing Adam can do but pray and hope that somehow things will work out. Unfortunately, prayers don’t always help.

Available on Amazon

About the Author
Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history and writing.

Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17^th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14^th century England. (Medieval knight was also high on Anna’s list of potential professions. Yet another disappointment…)

With Jason and Helle, Anna has stepped out of her historical comfort zone and has loved doing so.

Find out more about Anna by visiting her website, www.annabelfrage.com, You can also connect with Anna on Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Goodreads.

Book Blast Schedule
Friday, January 10
Chicks, Rogues and Scandals
Historical Fiction with Spirit

Saturday, January 11
Passages to the Past

Sunday, January 12
Robin Loves Reading

Monday, January 13
Jessica Belmont
A Chick Who Reads

Tuesday, January 14
Broken Teepee

Wednesday, January 15
Donna's Book Blog

Thursday, January 16
Books In Their Natural Habitat

Friday, January 17
Let Them Read Books

Saturday, January 18
Gwendalyn's Books

Sunday, January 19
The Book Junkie Reads

Monday, January 20
Historical Graffiti
CelticLady's Reviews

Tuesday, January 21
Just One More Chapter

Wednesday, January 22
Nursebookie

Thursday, January 23
100 Pages a Day

Friday, January 24
The Lit Bitch

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a set of The King’s Greatest Enemy Series in eBook! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on January 24th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Paperback giveaway is open internationally.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen.

King's Greatest Enemy Blast Direct Link: https://gleam.io/competitions/rFQnq-kings-greatest-enemy-blast

Book Blast: The Graham Saga

Please follow Anna Belfrage as her beloved Graham Saga series is blasted around the blogosphere and enter to win Books #1-8!

About The Graham Saga Series
This is the story of Alex and Matthew, two people who should never have met - not when she was born three hundred years after him.

It all began the day Alex Lind got caught in a thunderstorm. Not your ordinary storm, no this was the mother of all storms, causing a most unusual rift in the fabric of time. Alex was dragged three centuries backwards in time, landing more or less at the feet of a very surprised Matthew Graham.

In a series of books we follow the life and adventures of the expanding Graham family, both in Scotland and in the New World - and let me tell you it is quite an exciting life, at times excessively so in Alex' opinion.

Sometimes people ask me why Alex had to be born in the twentieth century, why not make her a woman born and bred in the seventeenth century where the story is set? The answer to that is I have no idea. Alex Lind is an insistent, vibrant character that sprung into my head one morning and simply wouldn't let go.

Seductively she whispered about terrible thunderstorms, about a gorgeous man with magic, hazel eyes, about loss and sorrow, about love - always this love, for her man and her children, for the people she lives with. With a throaty chuckle she shared insights into a life very far removed from mine, now and then stopping to shake her head and tell me that it probably hadn't been easy for Matthew, to have such an outspoken, strange and independent woman at his side.

At this point Matthew groaned into life. Nay, he sighed, this woman of his was at times far too obstinate, with no notion of how a wife should be, meek and dutiful. But, he added with a laugh, he wouldn't want her any different, for all that she was half heathen and a right hand-full. No, he said, stretching to his full length, if truth be told not a day went by without him offering fervent thanks for his marvelous wife, a gift from God no less, how else to explain the propitious circumstances that had her landing at his feet that long gone August day?

Still, dear reader, it isn't always easy. At times Alex thinks he's an overbearing bastard, at others he's sorely tempted to belt her. But the moment their fingertips graze against each other, the moment their eyes meet, the electrical current that always buzzes between them peaks and surges, it rushes through their veins, it makes their breathing hitch and ... She is his woman, he is her man. That's how it is, that's how it always will be.

Graham Saga Titles
Book One: A Rip in the Veil
Book Two: Like Chaff in the Wind
Book Three: The Prodigal Son
Book Four: A Newfound Land
Book Five: Serpents in the Garden
Book Six: Revenge & Retribution
Book Seven: Whither Thou Goest
Book Eight: To Catch a Falling Star
Book Nine: There is Always a Tomorrow (November 2017)

About the Author

Anna was raised abroad, on a pungent mix of Latin American culture, English history and Swedish traditions. As a result she's multilingual and most of her reading is Anna Belfragehistorical- both non-fiction and fiction. Possessed of a lively imagination, she has drawers full of potential stories, all of them set in the past. She was always going to be a writer - or a historian, preferably both. Ideally, Anna aspired to becoming a pioneer time traveller, but science has as yet not advanced to the point of making that possible. Instead she ended up with a degree in Business and Finance, with very little time to spare for her most favourite pursuit. Still, one does as one must, and in between juggling a challenging career Anna raised her four children on a potent combination of invented stories, historical debates and masses of good food and homemade cakes. They seem to thrive…

For years she combined a challenging career with four children and the odd snatched moment of writing. Nowadays Anna spends most of her spare time at her writing desk. The children are half grown, the house is at times eerily silent and she slips away into her imaginary world, with her imaginary characters. Every now and then the one and only man in her life pops his head in to ensure she's still there.

For additional information regarding Anna, her characters, extra scenes, and teasers for her next books, have a look at Anna's website at: www.annabelfrage.com. You can also find her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

Book Blast Schedule
Monday, November 6
Pursuing Stacie
The Reading Queen
Locks, Hooks and Books

Tuesday, November 7
T's Stuff
Susan Heim on Writing

Wednesday, November 8
Bookish
So Many Books, So Little Time

Thursday, November 9
Let Them Read Books

Friday, November 10
History From a Woman's Perspective
Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Saturday, November 11
A Holland Reads

Sunday, November 12
A Chick Who Reads

Monday, November 13
CelticLady's Reviews
What Is That Book About

Tuesday, November 14
A Literary Vacation
Historical Fiction with Spirit
Mello & June, It's a Book Thang!

Wednesday, November 15
The Maiden's Court
Adventures Thru Wonderland

Thursday, November 16
Carole Rae's Random Ramblings
Ms. Stuart Requests the Pleasure of Your Company

Friday, November 17
Book Nerd

Saturday, November 18
Passages to the Past
The Book Junkie Reads

Sunday, November 19
Books, Dreams, Life

Monday, November 20
The Lit Bitch
Jorie Loves a Story

Giveaway
During the Blog Tour we will be giving away Books #1-8 in paperback to one lucky winner! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on November 20th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Graham Saga Book Blast

Historical Fiction Book Tours Book Blast: Where Rainbows End

Where Rainbows End by AnneMarie Brear

Publication Date: May 23, 2017

Choc Lit

eBook; ASIN: B071P7KBH6

Genre: Fiction/Historical/Romance/Western

Can she hold on to her dreams...?

It’s 1850 and the Noble family have travelled to the other side of the world to start a new life after scandal drove them from their native England.

Pippa Noble is determined to reclaim their honour by making her father’s plan for an outback farm reality, although her ambition is frowned upon by a society that has very set ideas about a woman’s place...

Pippa learns the hard way about the unforgiving nature of the bush, sometimes with devastating consequences. And when unfortunate circumstance leads to Pippa tending the farm alone, it is the friendship of neighbouring estate owner Gil Ashford-Smith that helps her through.

Then an unexpected visitor from England arrives, putting Pippa's dreams in jeopardy. But she refuses to let go. She will hold onto her family's land, even if it means losing everything else...

"A compelling story of a headstrong woman who defies the traditional female role and forages a successful life through hard work and a strong vision. Excellent descriptions of the outback and the hardships of life in Australia in the 1850's." - Amazon Review

You can purchase Where Rainbows End in eBook via:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Chapters | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo

About the Author
AnneMarie has been a life-long reader and started writing in 1997 when her children were small. She has a love of history, of grand old English houses and a fascination of what might have happened beyond their walls. Her interests include reading, genealogy, watching movies, spending time with family and eating chocolate – not always in that order!

AnneMarie grew up in Australia but now lives in the UK.

For more information please visit AnneMarie Brear's website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Goodreads.

Book Blast Schedule
Monday, May 29
100 Pages a Day
A Bookaholic Swede

Tuesday, May 30
Creating Herstory
Beth's Book Nook Blog

Wednesday, May 31
Book Nerd
A Holland Reads
The Never-Ending Book

Thursday, June 1
Brooke Blogs
So Many Books, So Little Time

Friday, June 2
A Chick Who Reads
Susan Heim on Writing

Saturday, June 3
T's Stuff

Sunday, June 4
Passages to the Past

Monday, June 5
CelticLady's Reviews
Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Tuesday, June 6
I Heart Reading
WS Momma Readers Nook

Wednesday, June 7
Books, Dreams, Life
Faery Tales Are Real

Thursday, June 8
Let Them Read Books
History From a Woman's Perspective

Friday, June 9
A Literary Vacation
Library of Clean Reads

Historical Fiction Book Tours Book Review: The Queen's Rivals w/Giveaway

About THE QUEEN'S RIVALS/THE FALLEN QUEEN

US Publication Date: June 25, 2013
Kensington Publishing

Paperback; 384p

ISBN-10: 0758265999

UK Publication Date: September 12, 2013

Avon Publishing

ISBN-10: 1847563457

Book Blurb:
Their ambitions were ordinary, but they were born too close to the throne...

As cousins of history's most tempestuous queens, Ladies Jane, Katherine, and Mary Grey were born in an age when all of London lived beneath the Tower's menacing shadow. Tyrannized by Bloody Mary and the Virgin Queen, the sisters feared love was unthinkable —and the scaffold all but unavoidable...

Raised to fear her royal blood and what it might lead men to do in her name, Mary Grey dreads what will become of herself and her elder sisters under the reigns of Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I. On their honor, they have no designs on the crown, yet are condemned to solitude, forbidden to wed. Though Mary, accustomed to dwelling in the shadows, the subject of whispers, may never catch the eye of a gentleman, her beautiful and brilliant sisters long for freedoms that would surely cost their lives. And so, wizened for her years, Mary can only hope for divine providence amid a bleak present and a future at the whim of the throne — unless destiny gains the upper hand.

A gripping and bittersweet tale of broken families and broken hearts, courage and conviction, The Queen's Rivals recounts an astonishing chapter in the hard-won battle for the Tudor throne.

Please note this book will be published in the UK as THE FALLEN QUEEN by Emily Purdy.

Review: There are certain authors I know will always delight me when it comes to the Tudor Period. One of those authors is Brandy Purdy.

In this Tudor novel we are treated to the lives of the Grey sisters, Katherine, Jane and Mary.

Everyone knows of Jane...who was the 9 day Queen. She's written about quite a bit in historical fiction. What surprised me was that the voice of the story was the younger sister, Mary, who I didn't really know much about until reading this book.

Like all books in the Tudor period this one is filled with drama and a lot of emotion. A lot of emotion, especially once you reach the point where sister Jane is put on the thrown..and then cousin Mary takes it from her. As you see the sister's lives crumble because of their position in the line for the thrown of England, you have to feel sad for all of them. The lives of Jane and Kate were truly heartbreaking.

From the beginning Mary is a voice you get a huge amount of "feels" for. She's described as a dwarf (She stopped growing at 5 years of age) and a hunchback. Yet of all the Grey sister's she's the one that came out the best.

Brandy takes a few liberties with history, but it makes the story so much more powerful. I loved that the thee sisters were almost like The Three Musketeers, The Brilliant One (Jane), The Beautiful One (Kate) and The Beastly One (Mary).

I highly recommend this book to fans of the Tudor period, or those looking for a different story other than the usual players.

Rating: 5 flowers

About the Author

Brandy Purdy (Emily Purdy in the UK) is the author of the historical novels THE CONFESSION OF PIERS GAVESTON, THE BOLEYN WIFE (THE TUDOR WIFE), THE TUDOR THRONE (MARY & ELIZABETH), THE QUEEN'S PLEASURE (A COURT AFFAIR), and THE QUEEN'S RIVALS (THE FALLEN QUEEN). An ardent book lover since early childhood, she first became interested in history at the age of nine or ten years old when she read a book of ghost stories which contained a chapter about Anne Boleyn haunting the Tower of London. Visit her website at www.brandypurdy.com, you can also follow her, and her cat Tabby, via her blog at http://brandypurdy.blogspot.com where she posts updates about her work and weekly book reviews.


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Historical Fiction Book Tours Book Review: Cascade

Author: Maryanne O'Hara
Title: Cascade
Publisher: Penguin
Publish Date: Aug 16, 2012
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley and Historical Fiction Book Tours
Blurb: 

A novel of art and desire in the 1930s

It’s 1935, and Desdemona Hart Spaulding has sacrificed her plans to work as an artist in New York to care for her bankrupt, ailing father in Cascade, Massachusetts. When he dies, Dez finds herself caught in a marriage of convenience, bound to the promise she made to save her father’s Shakespeare Theater, even as her town may be flooded to create a reservoir for Boston. When she falls for artist Jacob Solomon, she sees a chance to escape and realize her New York ambitions, but is it morally possible to set herself free?

Fans of Richard Russo, Amor Towles, Sebastian Barry, and Paula McLain will savor this transporting novel about the eternal tug between our duties and our desires, set in New York City and New England during the uncertain, tumultuous 1930s

Review: This is one of those books that you love or you hate and it all stems around the lead character, Dez and the choices that she makes in her life.

For me, I'm on the fence right now because I've read so many emotionally charged books recently, that at times some of the things that happened to Dez just felt like too much to me.

Yet, she is a strong women in a time when women were still supposed to be wives and mothers. She was a person who wanted to be herself. Its just that her decisions and how she went about making her choices that often put me off of her as a character. Rather than seeing her as ambitious and talented, she more often then not comes across as selfish.

A lot of the story revolves around the fictional town of Cascade that might be flooded to build a reservoir for Boston. The town may be fictional but the subject matter isn't. Many towns were flooded for this very reason during that time period. The vast majority of the story revolves around the town trying to keep from being taken for this reservoir.

When it is finally learned which town was selected, the story moves at a much faster clip, with Dez in NYC pursuing her art.

This is one of those books that pulls you in from the start. It is super emotional and can be uncomfortable at times, but still an excellent read. It is also a strange read. I say that because I couldn't like many of the characters at all, especially her friend Abby. I just couldn't understand how they were friends. Yet, even though I didn't like the characters I still found myself turning the pages to see what was going to happen.

The biggest surprise though involves Jacob, the Jewish artist she is friends with in Cascade. Her feelings for him are made known from the beginning of the book, and the outcome of their relationship will probably surprise you. I know it did me.

A very engaging read. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction.

Rating: 4 flowers

Historical Fiction Book Tours Author Interview: Sandra Byrd

What is it about the Tudor Dynasty that still keeps people fascinated after all of these years?

I think it's the high drama of it all.  The stakes were high, people were beheaded or burned to death at whim, but their children may go on to rule a nation.  The fact that Henry kept killing his wives, either passively (Katherine of Aragon) or actively (Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard) is shocking, as it should be.  But there were also love stories entwined, forbidden and unfulfilled love, such as that between Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, and that keeps our attention, too.  The fact that Henry had Anne killed mainly because she did not produce a son, but then their daughter became one of England's greatest monarchs, is a delightful irony.  It's a family saga, really.  Most of us enjoy those.

What is the most interesting thing you discovered during the course of your research for your books?

There are so many interesting things for history nerds to discover that I don't think I can choose just one.  I would point out that we in the 21C are often horrified that fathers "pushed" their daughters into loveless marriages, and we see that as fathers climbing socially using their children as step stools.  But really, that's what good parents did.  They arranged marriages that were advantageous either financially or dynastically, or both, and in that way pushed the family ahead.  There was a great sense of stewardship for your family, especially middle class gentry and higher.  Although we don't use the same means today, parents still sacrifice so that their progeny can do better than they did.

What inspired the Ladies In Waiting Series?

I wanted to know the women behind the gowns and the  crowns, and that was my motivating factor.  To learn about the queens from a friend - not a servant, who would be too low born to hear secrets or be on scene in decisive moments, but not from an enemy, either, who would be predisposed to look at things from a negative point of view.  The ladies in waiting were really the queens' very closest friends, especially those that they appointed to be nearest to them.  When a person finds herself in perilous positions, as all of these queens did, who her friends were and how they helped and viewed her mattered. Seeing events from the ladies' eyes helped me to peer into the hearts of the queens.

What member of the Tudors would you have most liked to have known?

I truly love all three of the queens I wrote about.  I loved Anne's spark, and her daring, and that she knew she wasn't conventionally beautiful but didn't let it stand in her way.  I admire Parr's motherliness and steadfast faith, as well as the fact that she was a writer! And Elizabeth I, though I would have been intimidated by her, for sure, I would have loved to at least watched her in action.  I had a portrait of her hanging in my office as I wrote this book, and I felt the pressure to get her story right!  

What member of the royal family, past or present would you like to sit down to tea with and why?

I admire QE II very much for the steady way she carries on, for her sense of duty, and for her groundedness.  She serves and never diminishes the royal quality, but she also seems to have a sense of humor.  I like Prince William because he has both a royal and a common touch.  And he chose his wife well, I think. :)

What is the best book you've read recently?

Oh, I'm writing fiction now so that means I'm only reading nonfiction.   I'm spending time in the Oxford Dictionary online, which is fascinating, it really is.  I was looking up the phrase Snake in the Grass the other day and found out it originated with Virgil and then became widely used in English in the 17C, and there was even a series of sermons written on it. Where else can you find juicy information like that?

About the Author

Sandra Byrd has published more than three dozen books in the fiction and nonfiction markets, including the first book in her Tudor series, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn.  Her second book, The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr, illuminates the mysteries in the life of Henry's last wife.

For more than a decade Sandra has shared her secrets with the many new writers she edits, mentors, and coaches. She lives in the Seattle, Washington, area with her husband and two children. For more Tudor tidbits, please visit www.sandrabyrd.com. Follow Sandra Byrd on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Historical Fiction Book Tours: Roses Have Thorns

About ROSES HAVE THORNS

Publication Date: April 9, 2013

Simon & Schuster/Howard Boo

ks
Paperback; 336p

ISBN-10: 1439183163

From the acclaimed author of To Die For comes a stirring novel told that sheds new light on Elizabeth I and her court.Like Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir, Sandra Byrd has attracted countless fans for evoking the complexity, grandeur, and brutality of the Tudor period. In her latest tour de force, she poses the question: What happens when serving a queen may cost you your marriage--or your life?

In 1565, seventeen-year-old Elin von Snakenborg leaves Sweden on a treacherous journey to England. Her fiance has fallen in love with her sister and her dowry money has been gambled away, but ahead of her lies an adventure that will take her to the dizzying heights of Tudor power. Transformed through marriage into Helena, the Marchioness of Northampton, she becomes the highest-ranking woman in Elizabeth's circle. But in a court that is surrounded by Catholic enemies who plot the queen's downfall, Helena is forced to choose between her unyielding monarch and the husband she's not sure she can trust--a choice that will provoke catastrophic consequences.

Vividly conjuring the years leading up to the beheading of Mary Queen of Scots, Roses Have Thorns is a brilliant exploration of treason, both to the realm and to the heart.




Review: Sandra Byrd is a master when it comes to bringing to life the Tudor Era. In Roses Have Thorns we are treated to a glimpse into the life of Elizabeth I. 

I love everything about this series..from the sumptuous cover art to the characters.

Like the other books in this series, Roses Have Thorns is told from the point of view of a friend of the Queen, Elin. From the first page you feel great sympathy for Elin, with the man she is to marry dallying with her sister. 

There is a man that wishes to marry her, and as a result she stays in England as a Lady In Waiting to Queen Elizabeth. It seems like forever before she can wed Marquess Northampton, but while she waits she develops a close relationship with the queen.

I love how you get to know Queen Elizabeth through Helena (Elin)'s eyes. You also get to see all the drama that surrounded "The Virgin Queen," as well as the drama of Mary, Queen of Scots, who plays a huge part in this book even though she isn't really a character.

Sandra Byrd has a wonderful way of humanizing the royals as well as making you feel like you have a window into this world of political intrigue. (And there was never more intrigue than during the Tudor Era it seems)

The other thing that really is present in this story is the religious turmoil in England at the time. It really makes you appreciate the changes that have come to pass in recent years. Its hard to believe wearing rosary beads would be treasonous.

This is a page turner from the start and once the pages start turning, you won't be able to stop.

This book, like the other 2 in the Ladies In Waiting series, will find its way to your keeper shelf

Rating: 5 flowers

Praise for Roses Have Thorns

"In Roses Have Thorns Sandra Byrd has given the reader another amazing heroine to tell the intimate story of England's greatest queen, Elizabeth I. What a unique point of view and deeply moving story Helena von Snakenborg provides. Byrd is especially adept at blending political and private lives. This is a timeless women's friendship novel as well as a poignant love story to cherish--both the roses and the thorns." (Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling author of Mistress of Mourning )

"There is something golden about this tale of Elin, an eager young woman in a strange land, diligent in her duty but alive to love. A tale gracefully told, even as it renders the terrors of treachery that form the crucible of Elin's hard-won wisdom. A heartfelt story of loyalty, longing, life-long friendship, and the many seasons of the heart." (Barbara Kyle, author of The Queen's Gamble and Blood Between Queens)

"Beautiful prose and masterful research combine to bring this fascinating tale to life, treating the reader to fully realized characters and providing an original window through which we can view Elizabeth's court. Ms. Byrd's work will stand as an unforgettable contribution to Tudor fiction." (D.L. Bogdan, au

thor of The Forgotten Queen)

About the Author

Sandra Byrd has published more than three dozen books in the fiction and nonfiction markets, including the first book in her Tudor series, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn.  Her second book, The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr, illuminates the mysteries in the life of Henry's last wife.

For more than a decade Sandra has shared her secrets with the many new writers she edits, mentors, and coaches. She lives in the Seattle, Washington, area with her husband and two children. For more Tudor tidbits, please visit www.sandrabyrd.com. Follow Sandra Byrd on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Historical Fiction Book Tours Interview: M.J. Rose

Today I am pleased to have a Q & A with author M.J. Rose author of Seduction to share with you. 

What book are you currently reading?

Past Caring by Robert Goddard

Who is your favorite author?

Daphne Du Maurier

Where is your favorite place to read?

In bed.

Can you give us any book recommendations?

The Comfort of Lies by Randy Susan Meyers

The Queens Vow by C.W. Gortner

The Columbus Affair by Steve Berry

Mermaid by Carolyn Turegon

The Twelth Enchantment by David Liss

What was your inspiration for Seduction?

When I write a novel I always need a question I want to answer. It’s not what the book is about… the reader might not even notice… but it keeps me motivated. The question that started this novel was way back in the early 2000s when I read Les Miserables. I was so curious about Fantine. She was such a tragic and heartfelt character. Who was she? Why did she have such a great impact on Hugo? Being a writer I knew it probably wasn’t as obvious as it one might guess.

How much research do you have to do for your novels?

It’s different for every novel but lately from 3 – 6 months.

What was the most interesting fact you discovered when researching for Seduction?

I didn’t know – and don’t think many people know - how much Hugo believed in reincarnation and the spirit world. He held over 100 séances trying to reach his daughter and completely believed he was talking to long dead souls like Jesus, Dante and the devil.

Tell our readers why they should read Seduction

I can’t… but I’ll let some other peopleJ

"Mysterious, haunting, and tragic, Seduction emerges as a suspenseful alchemy of potent ingredients, beautifully blended, that ignites your senses and leaves you aching for more." —Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

"Seduction transcends time, recounting the story of Victor Hugo's tragic loss of his daughter and his desperate attempts to contact her via séances. Fast forward to the present, when Jacinthe 'Jac' L'Etoile, a mythologist specializing in Celtic lore, probes the secrets of the Isle of Jersey, where Hugo communed with spirits and composed his journal. With alacrity, Rose interweaves mythology, the supernatural, psychoanalysis and Evil Incarnate, creating an amazing amalgam of narrative wonder. And, yes, M.J. Rose fans, there are reincarnationists in Seduction, and they will haunt you." —Mystery Lovers Bookshop

"Seduction by M.J. Rose interlaces the tale of a bereft Victor Hugo, mourning the loss of his daughter over 150 years ago, with the present day chronicles of Jac L'Etoile, caught up in an ancient Druid mystery that is affecting the lives of everyone around her. Intriguing, absorbing, and utterly captivating, Seduction will leave you begging for a sequel." —Books & Books

About the Author

M.J. Rose is the international best selling author of eleven novels and two non-fiction books on marketing. Her fiction and non-fiction has appeared in many magazines and reviews including Oprah Magazine. She has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR radio. Rose graduated from Syracuse University, spent the ’80s in advertising, has a commercial in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and since 2005 has run the first marketing company for authors – Authorbuzz.com. The television series PAST LIFE, was based on Rose’s novels in the Renincarnationist series. She is one of the founding board members of International Thriller Writers and runs the blog- Buzz, Balls & Hype. She is also the co-founder of Peroozal.com and BookTrib.com.
Rose lives in CT with her husband the musician and composer, Doug Scofield, and their very spoiled and often photographed dog, Winka.
For more information on M.J. Rose and her novels, please visit her WEBSITE. You can also find her on Facebook.

Historical Fiction Book Tours Book Review: Seduction

Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Atria Books
Hardcover; 384p
ISBN-10: 1451621507
From the author of The Book of Lost Fragrances comes a haunting novel about a grieving woman who discovers the lost journal of novelist Victor Hugo, awakening a mystery that spans centuries.
In 1843, novelist Victor Hugo’s beloved nineteen-year-old daughter drowned. Ten years later, Hugo began participating in hundreds of séances to reestablish contact with her. In the process, he claimed to have communed with the likes of Plato, Galileo, Shakespeare, Dante, Jesus—and even the Devil himself. Hugo’s transcriptions of these conversations have all been published. Or so it was believed.
Recovering from her own losses, mythologist Jac L’Etoile arrives on the Isle of Jersey—where Hugo conducted the séances—hoping to uncover a secret about the island’s Celtic roots. But the man who’s invited her there, a troubled soul named Theo Gaspard, has hopes she’ll help him discover something quite different—Hugo’s lost conversations with someone called the Shadow of the Sepulcher.
What follows is an intricately plotted and atmospheric tale of suspense with a spellbinding ghost story at its heart, by one of America’s most gifted and imaginative novelists.

Review: Seduction brings back some of the characters that you met when reading M.J. Rose's last novel The Book Of Lost Fragrances, so there will be some familiar faces here, especially for those of us that have been reading The Reincarnationist Series. (These books can be read as stand alone novels, but I think in this case, it might be helpful if you had read the previous book in the series)

This book, like the others in this series, blends past and present beautifully, bringing the life of Victor Hugo into the realm of fiction. His character is one of the main reasons I wanted to read the novel and as always, M.J. Rose didn't disappoint. I really felt connected to him in a way I never have before. He's  more than just the author of Les Miserables now.

More than suspenseful, this book also has a lot of spooky going on, which gives it a slightly different feel from the other novels. It almost made me wish that this book had been released in the autumn, because it is more the type of book I read around Halloween. (I'm crazy like that...I tend to read all my spooky novels in October)

The seances that occurred in Hugo's time period were creepy and the things that happened to Jac really give this book some dark undertones.

I love how well researched the book was in regards to Hugo's life. I found myself doing many an internet search to fact check and I found myself even more intrigued with Hugo's life after reading this book.

This is definitely the best book in the series so far.

I highly recommend this book and all of the series to fans of mystery/suspense and just a little something different.

Rating: 5 flowers

About the Author

M.J. Rose is the international best selling author of eleven novels and two non-fiction books on marketing. Her fiction and non-fiction has appeared in many magazines and reviews including Oprah Magazine. She has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR radio. Rose graduated from Syracuse University, spent the ’80s in advertising, has a commercial in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and since 2005 has run the first marketing company for authors – Authorbuzz.com. The television series PAST LIFE, was based on Rose’s novels in the Renincarnationist series. She is one of the founding board members of International Thriller Writers and runs the blog- Buzz, Balls & Hype. She is also the co-founder of Peroozal.com and BookTrib.com.
Rose lives in CT with her husband the musician and composer, Doug Scofield, and their very spoiled and often photographed dog, Winka.
For more information on M.J. Rose and her novels, please visit her WEBSITE. You can also find her on Facebook.

Historical Fiction Book Tours Book Review: Dangerous Illusions

Dangerous Illusions

Publication Date: March 26, 2013
Open Road Media
eBook; 344p
ASIN: B00BPJOC40

The first book in Amanda Scott’s acclaimed Dangerous series journeys from the battlefields of Waterloo to the ballrooms and boudoirs of London, where a deadly deception unfolds . . .

Engaged by proxy to a man she’s never met, Lady Daintry Tarrant is dismayed when the war hero returns, introducing himself as her fiancé, Lord Penthorpe. She cherishes her independence and has turned away many suitors, but this one she must marry. Penthorpe is completely captivated by Lady Daintry—but he’s not who he claims to be.

Penthorpe and Lord Gideon Deverill fought together at the battle of Waterloo, and when Penthorpe fell, Gideon assumed his identity in order to see the beautiful Lady Daintry. Gideon knows there’s bad blood between Lady Daintry’s family and his own, but he’s smitten with Daintry and determined to reunite the bitterly feuding clans. When a ghost from Gideon’s past appears, he could lose everything—including Daintry’s love.


Review:  This wasn't quite what I expected for a Regency era type novel. Usually these are more fluffy, book candy and this really wasn't.

Lady Daintry is a forward thinking woman. She doesn't want to be tied down to a husband because she's seen the way men treat there wives, and in this era, it wasn't uncommon for a husband to beat his wife. She was his property and that was that.

I think that took over the story and really overshadowed the romance especially when things got nasty with Susan and her husband Geoffrey. That was one evil guy. I couldn't stand that no one would stand up for her, it made me hate just about every member of their family. And then with the things that happened to Daintry, I wanted to kill him.

Not to sound like a teenager, but geeze the guys were simply mean. It is understandable that Daintry didn't want to marry with men that didn't have an ounce of kindness to them and her mother was simply too wishy washy.

Gideon is a breath of fresh air among the men that Daintry knows. He's nice, yet it takes a while to really warm up to his character. It was hard to figure out why he masqueraded as his dead friend at the beginning.

The characters that were more fun in this novel were Aunt Ophelia and the two little girls, Charley and Melissa. Such fun, and such terrors in a round about way.

The plot of this novel centered around such vile behavior on the part of most of the male characters..not the hero..and well not another male character whose name would very well be a spoiler.  So it keeps this from being a great romance.

I know the message that the author was trying to convey, I just couldn't believe that every man in the heroine's family could be so despicable.

Overall a good read but not the best from this genre.

Rating: 3 flowers

About the Author

A fourth-generation Californian of Scottish descent, Amanda Scott is the author of more than fifty romantic novels, many of which appeared on the USA Today bestseller list. Her Scottish heritage and love of history (she received undergraduate and graduate degrees in history at Mills College and California State University, San Jose, respectively) inspired her to write historical fiction. Credited by Library Journal with starting the Scottish romance subgenre, Scott has also won acclaim for her sparkling Regency romances. She is the recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award (for Lord Abberley’s Nemesis, 1986) and the RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award. She lives in central California with her husband.

For more information on Amanda Scott’s novels, please visit the official website.

Historical Fiction Book Tours Guest Post: P.A. Staes

 My plans to write The Bruges Tapestry began 25 years ago when visiting Bruges, Belgium. One day I found myself sitting across the canal from the Beguinage [French] or Beguinhof [Flemish], which is the old nunnery that features in more than once scene in the novel.

I sat sipping a perfect cup of coffee, which was served with a tiny, but sublime piece of Belgian chocolate, and listening to horses clip clop across the cobblestones while watching swans swim lazily under a willow tree in the Minnewater Canal.

The scene couldn’t have been more perfect, and as I gazed at the nunnery I resolved to write a book about the most beautiful spot on the planet for me – a canal in Bruges. It mattered not that I had no plot at that time.

With a Flemish heritage, I had always loved Flemish textiles, such as lace and tapestry. Dan Brown’s highly successful “The DaVinci Code” reminded me that tapestries were full of symbolic imagery. That a work of art could contain a world of stories we may never know was evident in Tracey Chevalier’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring”.

Did you ever stare at sculpture and wonder what inspired the artist and what stories you wished you knew of the subject of the sculpture? I knew a tapestry could contain those stories and symbolic images. Try to imagine what the characters are discussing in the back alley of John Singer Sargent’s painting of Venice entitled, “Street in Venice” with two figures – it can drive you mad. Are they lovers? Are they plotting? Arguing? Planning dinner?

www.bing.com

I set out to learn as much as a non-weaver can learn about tapestry. During a visit to Westminster Abbey I overheard someone talking about tapestries being made in Stirling, Scotland as they had been made in 1520. Off to Stirling Castle I went, to see tapestries being created as they had been 500 years ago. I then supplemented my study of tapestries by visiting museums in Paris, London, Glasgow, New York and Cleveland.

I knew I wanted a story set in two time periods with two romantic plots, similar to A.S. Byatt’s “Possession”. Hence, Claire, the art theft detail detective, as well as Beatrice, the young weaver in 1520, both step into romantic entanglements while the reader learns about the mystery of the tapestry. My tale of a detective in modern-day Newport Beach, California was inspired by the real full-time Art Theft Detail in Los Angeles. The detective, Claire, would need to concentrate her efforts on something a modern audience could relate to, so I chose a topic that had been appearing in the news for several years, that of abuses by members of the Roman Catholic Church.

Claire’s “detecting” needed to be balanced against a strong young woman from 500 years earlier, yet the constraints around the behavior of young woman of that time in Western Europe meant that the motivation for Beatrice had to be strong enough to battle head-on the strongest institution of the time – the church. My intent was to write parallel stories in which both protagonists would have personal reasons for their outer struggles, but would have to resolve both the internal and external challenges in order to move forward in their chosen endeavors. Though I slept through most of my high school history classes I now find myself fascinated by the lives of those who came before us and I have many more imagined stories of their motives and tribulations, undoubtedly similar to our own.

About the Author: P.A. Staes is a California writer with an interest in textiles and with plans to continue the Claire DeMaere detective series, focusing her detective’s work on textiles of Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque time periods.

Tour Schedule: http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/thebrugestapestryvirtualtour/

Historical Fiction Book Tours Book Review: The Bruges Tapestry

Publication Date: August 29, 2012
CreateSpace
Paperback; 254pISBN-10: 1478155582

Following a 500-year-old mystery concerning a Flemish tapestry is routine work for Detective Claire DeMaer, since she's employed by the Newport Beach Art Theft Detail. But, unlike past cases, this one involves arresting Paolo Campezzi, lover to her best friend Nora. Mr. Campezzi is a distant descendant of a Florentine Duke, who commissioned the tapestry in 1520 in Bruges, Belgium.

Claire finds that she must explore the true provenance of the tapestry, free Mr. Campezzi in order to re-establish her friendship with Nora and depend on the expertise of a textile expert she doesn't know. All this must occur in 72 hours, before the Vatican takes the tapestry back.

But Claire isn't the only one with the Vatican looking over her shoulder.  Claire's story intertwines with a 1520 diary by Beatrice van Hecke, the tapestry-weaver's daughter. Only Claire can discover the secret that is woven in time.

Review: As a practicing Catholic, I probably shouldn't have read this book. The author obviously has a deep dislike for the Roman Catholic Church. However I kept on reading, but I have to say that disturbed me and it really detracted from the story she was trying to tell.

The story is told from two perspectives, Claire's in the present day and Beatrice's in the 1500's. I can't say I connected much with Claire and I really didn't connect with her friend Nora, but I did love the characters from the 1500s. Claire just was a bit too snarky for my taste at times.

When Claire sees the tapestry in Paolo's house, she knows it is the one that appeared on the Interpol site. I had a hard time with Nora's, you have to believe my lover didn't steal this because he's "the one" sort of thing. 

There is a thing called protocol, because someone is your friend doesn't mean their boyfriend can be above the law. (Just as the church shouldn't)

What I really enjoyed about this book was Beatrice's story which is really the story of how the tapestry came to be. It was full of intrigue and was truly heartbreaking as the corrupt priests worked to cover up what had happened to her sister Marie. I was glad we did get to see what happened to Beatrice and the Duke after the events that lead the tapestry to land in the Vatican's hands to be told. 

It was a time when the Medici's had control of the Catholic Church and was really a period of great corruption, so the story is very believable from the time period. P.A. Staes really did her research well.

This is the first book in the Claire DeMaere series, and I definitely will read more if the mysteries don't end up having religious ties.

Rating: 4 flowers

About the Author

P.A. Staes is the author of The Bruges Tapestry; the first of the Claire DeMaere series of historical mysteries. To lend veracity to The Bruges Tapestry Ms. Staes traveled to Stirling Castle in Scotland, The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, The Cluny Museum and Gobelin Factory in Paris, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Cloisters to bring alive the rich and romantic world of tapestry.   Ms. Staes lives in Southern California with her husband and two dogs.
For more information, please visit P.A. Staes's WEBSITE and BLOG.