Tuesday, August 25, 2015

New Release: The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory

The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory release 8.25.15
"By the #1 New York Times bestselling author behind the Starz original series The White Queen, a riveting new Tudor tale featuring King Henry VIII’s sixth wife Kateryn Parr, the first English queen to publish under her own name.
Why would a woman marry a serial killer?

Because she cannot refuse…

Kateryn Parr, a thirty-year-old widow in a secret affair with a new lover, has no choice when a man old enough to be her father who has buried four wives—King Henry VIII—commands her to marry him.

Kateryn has no doubt about the danger she faces: the previous queen lasted sixteen months, the one before barely half a year. But Henry adores his new bride and Kateryn’s trust in him grows as she unites the royal family, creates a radical study circle at the heart of the court, and rules the kingdom as Regent.

But is this enough to keep her safe? A leader of religious reform and the first woman to publish in English, Kateryn stands out as an independent woman with a mind of her own. But she cannot save the Protestants, under threat for their faith, and Henry’s dangerous gaze turns on her. The traditional churchmen and rivals for power accuse her of heresy—the punishment is death by fire and the king’s name is on the warrant…

From an author who has described all of Henry’s queens comes a deeply intimate portrayal of the last: a woman who longed for passion, power, and education at the court of a medieval killer".

Friday, August 14, 2015

Cover Reveal: America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

AMERICA'S FIRST DAUGHTER
Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
Releasing March 1st, 2016
"In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph—a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.

From her earliest days, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France. And it is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of revolution, that she learns of her father’s liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age.

Patsy too has fallen in love—with her father’s protégé, William Short, a staunch abolitionist intent on a career in Europe. Heartbroken at having to decide between being William’s wife or a devoted daughter, she returns to Virginia with her father and marries a man of his choosing, raising eleven children of her own.

Yet as family secrets come to light during her father’s presidency, Patsy must again decide how much she will sacrifice to protect his reputation, in the process defining not just Jefferson’s political legacy, but that of the nation he founded".
LAURA KAMOIE has always been fascinated by the people, stories, and physical presence of the past, which led her to a lifetime of historical and archaeological study and training. She holds a doctoral degree in early American history from The College of William and Mary, published two non-fiction books on early America, and most recently held the position of Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy before transitioning to a full-time career writing genre fiction as the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty books, Laura Kaye. Her debut historical novel, America's First Daughter, co-authored with Stephanie Dray, allowed her the exciting opportunity to combine her love of history with her passion for storytelling. Laura lives among the colonial charm of Annapolis, Maryland with her husband and two daughters.
Find Laura Here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
STEPHANIE DRAY is a bestselling and award-nominated author of historical women’s fiction. Her series about Cleopatra’s daughter has been translated into six different languages, was nominated for a RITA Award and won the Golden Leaf. As STEPHANIE DRAVEN, she is a national bestselling author of paranormal romance, contemporary romance, and American-set historical women’s fiction. She is a frequent panelist and presenter at national writing conventions and lives near the nation’s capital. Before she became a novelist, she was a lawyer, a game designer, and a teacher. Now she uses the stories of women in history to inspire the young women of today.


Find Stephanie Here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

This post has been brought to you by Tasty Book Tours.

Saturday, August 08, 2015

Book Review: GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN by Marci Jefferson

Frances Stuart lived the poor life of an exiled distant royal. Her life changed instantly when her cousin Charles II reclaimed his rightful throne and brought about the Restoration period in England. Whisked away by her cousin Madame Henrietta, Frances was brought into the French court by its leading lady. Madame was freshly married to the ruling Sun king’s secretly but not secretly gay brother Philippe.  Henrietta had her own secrets that Frances was privy to. She was in love with her married brother in law the king of France. A vicious love triangle arose and Frances found herself caught up in it when Louis turns his affections towards Frances. The sun king was no fool and Frances was a stunningly beautiful young woman but when she refuses to become his mistress Louis rains his full ire down on her and banishes her to England under his terms. Louis banished her to prove her loyalty to him by being his spy in England. She was commanded to seduce the notorious womanizer King Charles II. She had no choice, she had to go and do Louis’ bidding because she had lost her cousins love and there was nothing left for her in France.  It was time to move forward and onto England.

Though Frances was a Stuart she never knew England as home. She had always wanted to belong somewhere and growing up the poor exiled royal she was it had a tremendous impact on her childhood. Frances would need allies in the English court and she had found one in the Duke of Buckingham. Beautiful in every possible way it was inevitable that Charles would be enticed with her show of beauty and naivety. Charles took notice immediately and appointed her new luxurious rooms at Whitehall and a position in his new Queen’s household. He made sure she had everything she could ever want. With Charles’ favor came a whole new entourage of admires. Everyone that met Frances fell in love with her innocent ways except the king’s long time official mistress Lady Castlemain. She had already bore Charles a whole slew of recognized children. Lady Castlemains grip on the king was unnerving to Frances. To be successful in keeping her oath to Louis she had to devise a plan to run with her innocence charade and avoid sleeping with Charles at all costs because now she had grown close to his queen and had also promised her too she would not become his mistress. Frances and the queen had become fast friends and she promised that she would lead Charles to her bed after receiving stimulation from Francis’ bed. The queen needed to produce an heir to secure her position and Frances promised to help her.

Over time at court Frances went with the flow of the moment. At times she argued with Lady Castlemain, other times with the Duke of Buckingham. Her nights were filled with the company of her admirers but only Charles mattered to her. Things between them had progressed over time and she was his favorite darling of the court. Secretly she had always been working with Louis but Charles had that famous Stuart charm that wedged its way into her true heart. She developed deep feelings for him. But loving a king that already had slew of mistress’ to fight off and an innocent wife was too much for Frances. A moment of weakness and she found herself at a turning point in her life. Sacrificing the love of the merry monarch could have dire consequences. She could stay at court and take lady Castlemains place as official royal mistress. She could be one of many in a troupe of women that loved the merry monarch Charles II but would it be enough for Frances?

5/5 Loved it!!!! I read this one super fast because it engrossed me from the very beginning. An amazing break out novel from Marci Golden. It just makes me think wow if this is her first novel what will she write next? As you all know I love the Stuarts but never read France’s story because I wanted to save it for a really good book and The Girl on the Golden Coin was an amazing great novel. The style was like many of the heavy hitters of historical fiction and I expect and hope for many more great novels from Marci because she is defiantly now a new favorite.

R ~ Rating for sexual reference.

FTC ~ I won this book in an online giveaway.
Amazon ~ GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN by Marci Jefferson
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