Apparently I read this book during the outage and forgot to post any updates about it. That should tell you how memorable it was. 

The blurb promises a reader a fast paced romp through Tudor England full of intrigue and conspiracy. Both of those things were true. However, at some point the author started to focus less on the mystery at hand and more on when Susanna and Parker were going to end up in bed together. It was obvious from page two that this was the author's end goal. I have zero problems with that considering the duo were actually married at some point in history.

I found the de la Pole story intrigue to be quite good. It definitely held my interest. The minor plot about Henry VIII being a Cesare Borgia devote was a little hard to digest. It was only meant to raise the readers eyebrows. At the end, it was very well done. The author sort of forgot about it and wasn't really able to tie it back in to the rest of the story. 

The constant innuendos and the will they/won't they, would have been tolerable if it weren't for the characters themselves. These characters were flat. Especially the villains. From their greasy hair to their hooked noses, they checked off every box on the stereotype list. Don't even get me started on George Boleyn. I don't understand why he was even introduced if for no reason other than to have the author point out she's not a George Boleyn fan.

A lot of things made sense when I got to the author's note at the end. It would seem the author's only source of research was Alison Weir. Any Weir fans will more than likely enjoy this book as the author's style is much like Weir's but with a little more blood. 

There are two and a half other books in this series. I won't be reading any of them. Unless maybe I find them at a used store for 50 cents, which is how I came to own this book.

Book read 1/8/2020-1/11/2020

Was the Holy Maid of Kent a prophetess or a fraud?

For those who have been patiently waiting, the paperback volume of my novellas is here!

This paperback edition includes:

The Last Lancastrian: A Story of Margaret Beaufort

Once a Queen: A Story of Elizabeth Woodville

and 

Prince of York: A Story of Reginald Pole

An anthology by YA authors (although much of the subject matter is adult or at best New Adult), each covering one wife.  Sounded a possibly interesting take.

I was curious so downloaded a sample and not sure I'll want to read.  I like novels about Tudor times and Henry VIII's wives.  The sample went into Katharine of Aragon and was rather bland if a pious character.  The other chapters by other authors could be better ...

But, with barely 50 pages devoted to each wife interspersed with Henry chapters, doubt I'll pursue this one.  I tend to prefer longer tales and something to like about main characters.  If becomes a free library borrow, maybe someday.

I am so excited for this day! Reginald Pole has been the most fascinating person that I have had the pleasure to study. I admire him in so many ways, and, while part of me wishes he had been a bit more ambitious, another part has to admit that is one of the characteristics that makes him so honorable. I hope that you enjoy reading this novella as much as I enjoyed writing it!