The Royal Reading Room

Jane Boleyn

royalreadingroom — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:05:51 +0000

Another Christmas Gift That will be read and reviewed later this year

Born to aristocratic parents in the English countryside, young Jane Parker found a suitable match in George Boleyn, brother to Anne, the woman who would eventually be the touchstone of England’s greatest political and religious crisis. Once settled in the bustling, spectacular court of Henry VIII as the wife of a nobleman, Jane was privy to the regal festivities of masques and jousts, royal births and funerals, and she played an intimate part in the drama and gossip that swirled around the king’s court.But it was Anne Boleyn’s descent from palace to prison that first thrust Jane into the spotlight. Impatient with Anne’s inability to produce a male heir, King Henry accused the queen of treason and adultery with a multitude of men, including her own brother, George. Jane was among those interrogated in the scandal, and following two swift strokes from the executioner’s blade, she lost her husband and her sister-in-law, her inheritance and her place in court society.Now the thirty-year-old widow of a traitor, Jane had to ensure her survival and protect her own interests by securing land and income. With sheer determination, she navigated her way back into royal favor by becoming lady-in-waiting to Henry’s three subsequent brides, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, and Catherine Howard. At last Jane’s future seemed secure–until an unwitting misstep involving the sexual intrigues of young Queen Catherine destroyed the life and reputation Jane worked so hard to rebuild.

The King’s Touch

royalreadingroom — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:00:06 +0000

This was a Christmas Gift From my Friend Patricia In England

This beautifully crafted novel brings to life an era famous for its dramatic events—the Plague, the Great fire of London, the Dutch Wars—and notorious for its sexual license and scandal. It was an era in which the King of England became a byword for sensual indulgence—enjoying ardent affairs and nurturing an addiction to witty company, horse racing, and high living, all the while maintaining an iron hold on his throne amid intrigue and violence. The King’s Touch tells the story of Charles II from a uniquely enlightening perspective—that of the first–born son he loved above all others, but who would never become his heir.

The Tudors: The King The Queen And The Mistress

royalreadingroom — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:37:10 +0000

This novelized version of Showtime’s epic series focuses on the rarely dramatized, tumultuous early years of King Henry VIII’s nearly forty-year omnipotent reign (1509-1547). In addition to dalliances with famous female consort Katherine of Aragon and the infamous consort Anne Boleyn, The Tudors: The King, The Queen, and The Mistress delves into Henry’s most notable political relationships, including those with philosopher Sir Thomas More; Cardinal Wolsey, head of the Catholic Church of England during its break with Rome; and Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk and Henry’s closest friend.Part gripping historical fiction, part sex-and-drama-fueled soap, The Tudors provides nonstop entertainment, offering readers a modern perspective on a story that still resonates and fascinates today.

Pillars of The Earth

royalreadingroom — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 03:55:56 +0000

Set in 12th-century England, the narrative concerns the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge. The ambitions of three men merge, conflict and collide through 40 years of social and political upheaval as internal church politics affect the progress of the cathedral and the fortunes of the protagonists.

The Kings Secret Matter

royalreadingroom — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 21:57:54 +0000

This is another one of Jp’s books that was republished with the new cover once again found at a boot sale in England. This is the 4th book in the Tudor series.

After twelve years of marriage, the once fortuitous union of Henry VIII and Katharine of Aragon has declined into a loveless stalemate. Their only child, Mary, is disregarded as a suitable heir, and Henry’s need for a legitimate son to protect the Tudor throne has turned him into a callous and greatly feared ruler. When the young and intriguing Anne Boleyn arrives from the French court, Henry is easily captivated by her dark beauty and bold spirit. But his desire to possess the wily girl leads to a deadly struggle of power that promises to tear apart the lives of Katharine and Mary, and forever change England’s faith…

Uneasy Lies the Head

royalreadingroom — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 21:45:39 +0000

I can not wait to read this book a dear friend in who lives in England is always looking out for royal books for me to add to my collection She found this copy for me at a bootsale and I just love the new covers for Jean’s books most of her books have been republished with new cover art and these look to be some of the best ones yet . This is the 1st book in the Tudor Series

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…

Elizabeth

royalreadingroom — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 19:02:19 +0000

I have not had a chance yet to read this book since I have been devouring all the novels I can get my hands on. I will review it when I have read it.

The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, Good Queen Bess; Elizabeth I holds a unique place in the English imagination as one of the nation’s most powerful, charismatic, and successful monarchs. Elizabeth usually is imagined as the icy, untouchable figure, re-created memorably on screen by Bette Davis and Dame Judi Dench, but that vision of Elizabeth ignores the turbulent years of her early life, from her birth as the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in 1533 until her accession to the throne in 1558 after the death of her sister Mary.

The Queen’s Command

royalreadingroom — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 23:33:02 +0000

Lady Nellanor Amesley, ward of the recently deceased Lord Robert Dudley, fears her role in Elizabeth I’s court is coming to an end…until Elizabeth commands her to retrieve a box of letters sold by Dudley’s wife to Spanish agents. If those letters fall into the wrong hands, it could prove disastrous for the Queen. Now Lady Nell and Will Steele, a Scots border lord, must face treachery and danger—and their growing passion for one another—if they are to complete their mission.

PILATE’s Wife

royalreadingroom — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 23:02:11 +0000

This is one of those books I started and could not really get in to it. I hope once I have had read all the British books I have on my list to read I will be able to pick this one up again.

Although she loves another, Claudia evokes the power of Isis to beguile the ambitious Pontius Pilate. And when her best friend confides her devotion to a religious radical named Jesus of Nazareth, Claudia is beset by terrifying premonitions of war, injustice and devestation.

Improper Pursuits: The Scandalous Life of an Earlier Lady Diana Spencer

royalreadingroom — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 21:28:01 +0000

This is another one of those books I will have to come back to i started it and couldnt get in to it but i will come back to it and finsh it and then review it here. It has alot of potenial but I think I had too much going on that I couldn’t get in to it.

Like Lady Di, the former Lady Diana, born in 1735, was something of a truant. She divorced her husband, gave birth to an illegitimate child, and then married her lover. She was also an artist and was discussed in letters by her friend Horace Walpole.