REVIEW - The Queen's Lady - An Extraordinary Woman!

Date read: 26th July 2020

My rating: 5*

Genre I reckon: Historical Fact/Fiction - Romance

Buy link: Amazon

Wow! This is incredible!! 

Real life is skilfully blended with fiction. 

Sir Thomas More, King Henry VIII, Queen Catherine - all real.

Mistress Larke weaves between them all yet is fictional. 

The full list of fictional vs real characters is handily included at the back of the book.

I love that this story doesn't centre around the king himself; he's there more as a backdrop although we do get pulled into his machinations. 

Honor Larke is the main character. She has a turbulent life, and always strives to do what is right. The trouble is, in such dark times it's hard to know what right truly is. 

Some of the situations, well, it's a fictional novel - there's plenty of action. It's feasible. And kept me awake more than one night as I had to keep turning the pages. 

Plenty of swoon-worthy moments too. No spoilers, but the guy...! Oh my! 

Religion is questioned heavily. We have Catholics, which we know had a rough time in this era. And the heretics are running rampant. Theologians help us explore the options. 

This book is written so it's easily understandable by the modern reader. But the depth of description makes you feel as if you're in Tudor England - sights and smells all included without being overly bogged down by these details. Beautifully done! 

The amount of research that's gone into this is both staggering and evident. 

Mystery, intrigue, plots...everything you'd expect from a Tudor book.

A captivating historical romance.

Always in love and light,

TL

REVIEW - Lady of the Ravens - Fly into history

Date read: 4th July 2020

My rating: 3.5*

Genre I reckon: Historical Fact/Fiction

Buy link: Amazon

Now, I only review books I'd recommend to a friend on here. Yet this only scores a 3.5*. Yes, but I still recommend it to those of you who enjoy historical fiction. Let me explain... 

This book looks at the very start of the Tudor dynasty - fascinating! It drew me in like a fish on a hook. 

I'm so bored of all Tudor history looking at Henry VIII or Elizabeth I. How the royal house started is intriguing yet neglected. Enter Henry VII.

The Lady of the Ravens is clearly very well researched, and I praise that. Lady Vaux was indeed a real person in the queen's household. And she did marry Lord Guildford. 

But herein lies my issue - it then reads more like a historical account rather than a novel. 

I got a very good sense of events, clothing and place, but never really felt like I was there. And I didn't feel acquainted with the characters as much I'd like to be. There was a lack of dialogue and emotion. 

Now, for me, that's an issue, but it may not be for others; I appreciate that.

The enmity with Henry Wyatt was well set up, but it never really seemed to go anywhere. There were a couple of things, but it never really reached a satisfying conclusion. But perhaps that was truly the way it was?

I enjoyed the 'imposter' parts very much. We will never truly know what happened to those poor Princes in The Tower, but it's always interesting to ponder over. 

The start was brilliant, and Joan's interactions with the weavers was wonderful - a glimpse into how court gossip was spread. I could see and smell old London (pooey!) in that part of the story, which was fab. 

And the link to the stability with the kingdom was reflected well in the comings and goings of the ravens. Although, sadly, it's thought that Charles II (much later) was the first king to proclaim the beautiful birds protected. 

On the whole, this was an enjoyable look into courtly life as the Tudors struggled to get a foothold. 

 

Always in love and light,

TL