16 September, 2011
Currently Reading
Murder Most Royal
Jean Plaidy
At the decadent French court of King François, the young Anne Boleyn grows into an enigmatic and striking woman, a temptation to many courtiers. But whilst Anne s ambitions are high, she has learned from her sister’s unfortunate reputation. Unlike Mary, Anne refuses to become even a King s mistress. So when Anne returns to the English court of Henry VIII, it is the King who is led a dance by this mysterious young beauty. Before long Henry is lured away from his stale marriage to Katharine of Aragon. But the new Queen Anne is not loved by the people, and it is only a matter of time before Henry s patience runs out
25 August, 2011
Previously Read
The Shadow of the Pomegranate
Jean Plaidy
Whilst the young King Henry VIII basks in the pageants and games of his glittering court, his doting queen s health and fortunes fade. Henry s affection for his older wife soon strays, and the neglected Katherine decides to use her power as Queen to dangerous foreign advantage. Overseas battles play on Henry’s volatile temper, and his defeat in France has changed the good-natured boy Katherine loved into an infamously callous ruler. With no legitimate heir yet born, Katherine once again begins to fear for her future…
21 August, 2011
Previously Read
Katharine, The Virgin Widow
Jean Plaidy
The young Spanish widow, Katharine of Aragon, has become the pawn between two powerful monarchies.After less than a year as the wife of the frail Prince Arthur, the question of whether the marriage was ever consummated will decide both her fate and England s. But whilst England and Spain dispute her dowry, in the wings awaits her unexpected escape from poverty: Henry, Arthur s younger, more handsome brother – the future King of England.He alone has the power to restore her position, but at what sacrifice?
Rating by our members: 5
15 August, 2011
Previously Read
Uneasy Lies the Head
Jean Plaidy
In the aftermath of the bloody Wars of the Roses, Henry Tudor has seized the English crown, finally uniting the warring Houses of York and Lancaster through his marriage to Elizabeth of York. But whilst Henry VII rules wisely and justly, he is haunted by Elizabeth’s missing brothers; the infamous two Princes, their fate in the Tower forever a shrouded secret. Then tragedy strikes at the heart of Henry’s family, and it is against his own son that the widowed king must fight for a bride and his throne…
16 July, 2011
Previously Read
The Widow of Windsor
Jean Plaidy
Albert is dead and the queen is preparing to spend the rest of her life in mourning. Yet the last years of her reign are to be momentous years. Palmerston, then Gladstone and Disraeli, govern her empire through the high noon of its heyday. The court at Windsor, Balmoral, Osborne or Buckingham Palace is perpetually shocked by the Prince of Wales, forever in pursuit of horses, women and scandal, the heady harbinger of Edwardian years to come.
Rating by our members: 5
11 July, 2011
Previously Read
The Queen's Husband
Jean Plaidy
From the time they were in their cradles, Victoria and Albert were destined for each other. However, the passive Albert is well aware that marriage to a quick-tempered, demonstrative young woman like Victoria could result in unnecessary scenes and stormy court feuds. And he is right. The young Queen, as well has having to endure her constant pregnancies, is in perpetual revolt against any encroachment on her position – and Albert is doing just that. Despite attempts on her life and crises like the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny, her family – Albert and their nine children – is her prime concern. The Victorian age is truly under way – but the real power behind the throne was the queen’s husband.
Rating by our members: 5
27 June, 2011
Previously Read
The Queen and Lord M
Jean Plaidy
On the morning of 20th June 1837, an eighteen-year-old girl is called from her bed to be told that she is Queen of England. The Victorian age has begun. The young queen’s first few years are beset with court scandal and malicious gossip: there is the unsavoury Flora Hastings affair, a source of extreme embarrassment to the queen; the eternal conflict between Victoria and her mother, and the young queen’s hatred of Sir John Conroy, her mother’s close friend. Then there is the Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne – ‘Lord M’ – worldly cynic and constant companion to the queen, himself a veteran of many a latter-day scandal. He proves to be her guiding light – until the dashing Prince Albert appears and she falls hopelessly in love …
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Facebook
Comments on Murder Most Royal