Top Picks For 2011

I know this is so beyond late it is not even funny. Normally I would have this up with in the first week of the new year but alas life has not been working in my favor lately and I have settled upon the fact that I can only do so much. I am in the middle of searching for a new job because this whole working graveyard thing has ruined me and not only is my blog suffering but my family and I are also. So just hang in there my ever patient readers and book lovers I promise I am going to find a way to make things work out it just is going to take some time. With out further delay I would love to mention my top picks of 2011, granted  I did not get much reading done this past year so it is a short list this year but in no particular order here they are starting with my favorite categories. 

~Most Beloved~
Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth
"From the award-winning author of The King's Daughter comes a story of love and defiance during the War of the Roses.

It is 1497. The news of the survival of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, has set royal houses ablaze with intrigue and rocked the fledgling Tudor dynasty. With the support of Scotland's King James IV, Richard-known to most of England as Perkin Warbeck-has come to reclaim his rightful crown from Henry Tudor. Stepping finally onto English soil, Lady Catherine Gordon has no doubt that her husband will succeed in his quest.

But rather than assuming the throne, Catherine would soon be prisoner of King Henry VII, and her beloved husband would be stamped as an imposter. With Richard facing execution for treason, Catherine, alone in the glittering but deadly Tudor Court, must find the courage to spurn a cruel monarch, shape her own destiny, and win the admiration of a nation" AMAZON
~Most Beautiful~
To be Queen by Christy English
Chosen as one of the Top 10 Historical Fiction Novels of 2011 by the Pittsburgh Historical Fiction Examiner
The author of The Queen's Pawn delves into the early life of the legendary Eleanor of Aquitaine in her new historical novel.

After her father's sudden death, fifteen-year-old Eleanor is quickly crowned Duchess of Aquitaine and betrothed to King Louis VII. When her new husband cannot pronounce her given name, Alienor becomes Eleanor, Queen of France.

Although Louis is enamored of his bride, the newly crowned king is easily manipulated by the church and a God that Eleanor doesn't believe in. Now, if she can find the strength to fight for what she wants, Eleanor may finally find the passion she has longed for, and the means to fulfill her legacy as Queen. AMAZON

~Most Compelling~

Queen by Right by Anne Easter Smith
From the award-winning author of A Rose for the Crown, Daughter of York, and The King’s Grace comes another masterful historical novel—the story of Cecily of York, mother of two kings and the heroine of one of history’s greatest love stories. Anne Easter Smith’s novels are beloved by readers for their ability “to grab you, sweep you along with the story, and make you fall in love with the characters.” In Cecily Neville, duchess of York and ancestor of every English monarch to the present day, she has found her most engrossing character yet.History remembers Cecily of York standing on the steps of the Market Cross at Ludlow, facing an attacking army while holding the hands of her two young sons. Queen by Right reveals how she came to step into her destiny, beginning with her marriage to Richard, duke of York, whom she meets when she is nine and he is thirteen. Raised together in her father’s household, they become a true love match and together face personal tragedies, pivotal events of history, and deadly political intrigue. All of England knows that Richard has a clear claim to the throne, and when King Henry VI becomes unfit to rule, Cecily must put aside her hopes and fears and help her husband decide what is right for their family and their country. Queen by Right marks Anne Easter Smith’s greatest achievement, a book that every fan of sweeping, exquisitely detailed historical fiction will devour. AMAZON

~Book Review: VLAD THE LAST CONFESSION By C.C. Humphreys~
"Dracula. A name of horror, depravity and the darkest sensuality. Yet the real Dracula was just as alluring, just as terrifying, his tale not one of a monster but of a man... and a contradiction.

AMAZON

~Book Review, MADAME TUSSAUD by Michelle Moran~

"The world knows Madame Tussaud as a wax artist extraordinaire . . . but who was this woman who became one of the most famous sculptresses of all time? In these pages, her tumultuous and amazing story comes to life as only Michelle Moran can tell it. The year is 1788, and a revolution is about to begin.

AMAZON

 

~Book Review, THE QUEEN'S RIVAL by Diane Haeger~
From the author of The Queen's Mistake comes the untold story of King Henry VIII's first well-known mistress.

AMAZON

 ~Book Review, THE DARLING STRUMPET by Gillian Bagwell~ 

A thrilling debut novel starring one of history's most famous and beloved courtesans.

AMAZON

 ~Book Review, SUNRISE OF AVALON by Anna Elliott~
She is a healer, a storyteller, and a warrior. When Britain is faced with threats both old and new, the strength of her love may be the kingdom’s downfall . . . or salvation.

AMAZON

~Lizzie~

Hot HF Releases for February

2.1.2011
Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth

From the award-winning author of The King's Daughter comes a story of love and defiance during the War of the Roses.

"It is 1497. The news of the survival of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, has set royal houses ablaze with intrigue and rocked the fledgling Tudor dynasty. With the support of Scotland's King James IV, Richard-known to most of England as Perkin Warbeck-has come to reclaim his rightful crown from Henry Tudor. Stepping finally onto English soil, Lady Catherine Gordon has no doubt that her husband will succeed in his quest.

But rather than assuming the throne, Catherine would soon be prisoner of King Henry VII, and her beloved husband would be stamped as an imposter. With Richard facing execution for treason, Catherine, alone in the glittering but deadly Tudor Court, must find the courage to spurn a cruel monarch, shape her own destiny, and win the admiration of a nation". 

2.1.2011
The Tudor Secret (The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles) by C.W. Gortner


"In Gortner's latest riveting historical (after The Last Queen), the influential Dudley family sends orphan servant Brendan Prescott to serve their cruel son, Lord Robert, at King Edward's court, and the young man is soon caught up in intrigue, suspicion, and shifting loyalties. Young King Edward is under the thumb of the Dudleys, but illness is greatly affecting his influence. Then the lion-eyed Princess Elizabeth, whom the Dudleys view as a threat, arrives and Prescott becomes a spy for her protector, William Cecil. Deeper involvement in the conspiracies surrounding the throne makes Prescott increasingly uncertain of loyalties, including his own, and he begins to question his fate and identity. In Gortner's capable hands, Prescott is a believable and enjoyable hero, a man of strong loyalties but naïve enough to be exploited. And while the Dudleys are mostly broadly drawn villains, Robert has depth, and though readers familiar with the Tudor era will know the key players, they may be surprised by their depiction here. Gortner handles action with aplomb, adding a riveting, fast-paced thriller to the crowded genre of Tudor fiction".

2.1.2011
The Irish Princess, Karen Harper

"A grand-scale historical novel from the national bestselling author of Mistress Shakespeare.

Born into a first family of Ireland, with royal ties on both sides, Elizabeth Fitzgerald-known as Gera-finds her world overturned when Henry VIII imprisons her father, the Earl of Kildare, and brutally destroys her family. Torn from the home she loves, her remaining family scattered, Gera dares not deny the refuge offered her in England's glittering royal court. There she must navigate ever-shifting alliances even as she nurtures her secret desire for revenge. From County Kildare's lush green fields to London's rough-and-tumble streets and the royal court's luxurious pageantry, The Irish Princess follows the journey of a daring woman whose will cannot be tamed, and who won't be satisfied until she restores her family to its rightful place in Ireland". 

 
2.15.2011
Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution, Michelle Moran

"The world knows Madame Tussaud as a wax artist extraordinaire . . . but who was this woman who became one of the most famous sculptresses of all time? In these pages, her tumultuous and amazing story comes to life as only Michelle Moran can tell it. The year is 1788, and a revolution is about to begin.

Smart and ambitious, Marie Tussaud has learned the secrets of wax sculpting by working alongside her uncle in their celebrated wax museum, the Salon de Cire. From her popular model of the American ambassador, Thomas Jefferson, to her tableau of the royal family at dinner, Marie’s museum provides Parisians with the very latest news on fashion, gossip, and even politics. Her customers hail from every walk of life, yet her greatest dream is to attract the attention of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI; their stamp of approval on her work could catapult her and her museum to the fame and riches she desires. After months of anticipation, Marie learns that the royal family is willing to come and see their likenesses. When they finally arrive, the king’s sister is so impressed that she requests Marie’s presence at Versailles as a royal tutor in wax sculpting. It is a request Marie knows she cannot refuse—even if it means time away
from her beloved Salon and her increasingly dear friend, Henri Charles.

As Marie gets to know her pupil, Princesse Élisabeth, she also becomes acquainted with the king and queen, who introduce her to the glamorous life at court. From lavish parties with more delicacies than she’s ever seen to rooms filled with candles lit only once before being discarded, Marie steps into a world entirely different from her home on the Boulevard du Temple, where people are selling their teeth in order to put food on the table.

Meanwhile, many resent the vast separation between rich and poor. In salons and cafés across Paris, people like Camille Desmoulins, Jean-Paul Marat, and Maximilien Robespierre are lashing out against the monarchy. Soon, there’s whispered talk of revolution. . . . Will Marie be able to hold on to both the love of her life and her
friendship with the royal family as France approaches civil war? And more important, will she be able to fulfill the demands of powerful revolutionaries who ask that she make the death masks of beheaded aristocrats, some of whom she knows?

Spanning five years, from the budding revolution to the Reign of Terror, Madame Tussaud brings us into the world of an incredible heroine whose talent for wax modeling saved her life and preserved the faces of a vanished kingdom".


2.15.2011
From Splendor to Revolution: The Romanov Women, 1847--1928, Julia P. Gelardi NON-FICTION


"Starred Review. While providing insight into famously doomed Empress Alexandra Romanov, Gelardi (Born to Rule) focuses on four lesser known but indomitable women who achieved glory at the height of czarist Russia's global power only to witness its fall to revolution. Danish-born Empress Marie Feodorovna (Nicholas II's mother) and three of her sisters-in-law: Greek Queen Olga, Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna, and Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, developed from four extravagantly indulged girls into dominant matriarchs who still could not prevent the decline of royalty and centuries-old traditions. Relating the drama and tragedy of royal life, Gelardi ably weaves in the extended family ties that connected most European rulers, including Queen Victoria, while also including helpful genealogy charts. Gelardi's narrative framework of the four Romanov women's long lives works well to explain not only the realities of the European courts and alliances but also the unique aspects of the Russian dynasty, which suffered repeated assassination attempts even during the age of splendor, resulting in young Nicholas II's observation of his grandfather's murder, possibly hastening Russia's slide to revolution. 16 pages of b&w photos".


2.22.2011

The Raven Queen , Jules Watson

"In this dazzling retelling of one of Ireland’s most stirring legends, acclaimed author Jules Watson brings to life the story of Maeve, the raven queen, who is as fierce as she is captivating.

She was born to be a pawn, used to secure her father’s royal hold on his land. She was forced to advance his will through marriage—her own desires always thwarted. But free-spirited Maeve will no longer endure the schemes of her latest husband, Conor, the cunning ruler of Ulster. And when her father’s death puts her homeland at the mercy of its greedy lords and Conor’s forces, Maeve knows she must at last come into her own power to save it.

With secret skill and daring, Maeve proves herself the equal of any warrior on the battlefield. With intelligence and stealth, she learns the strategies—and sacrifices—of ruling a kingdom through treacherous alliances. And to draw on the dangerous magic of her country’s oldest gods, Maeve seeks out the wandering druid Ruan, whose unexpected passion and strange connection to the worlds of spirit imperil everything Maeve thought true about herself—and put her at war with both her duty and her fate".  

HFRT Event Wrap Up, Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth

It is HFRT event wrap up time. This event was one of my favorites and thank you Sandra and the ladies of the group: Allie, Arleigh, and Heather. I loved this book and hope that if you feel inspired to go for a different perspective on the Tudors this one will be right up your alley way. Below is my list of posts for the Event and the links to the group site and much, much more.

HFRT, Event Announcement Post
HFRT Book Review A PALE ROSE OF ENGLAND by SandraWorth
HFRT: A Royal Mystery, a guest post by author Sandra Worth
HFRT: Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth Giveaway Ends 2.12.2011
HFRT Article Book Review: "Rose of York Fall From Grace" by Sandra Worth

Check out the group site schedule for more giveaways and more cool "Pale Rose of England" posts on the main site giveaway also.

For more on Sandra too you can check out some of my past posts on Sandra,
Mailbox Mondays
Book Review, LADY OF THE ROSES by Sandra Worth

HFRT Book Review: ROSE OF YORK: FALL FROM GRACE by Sandra Worth

This novel can be read as a standalone novel or in a series, the series is The Rose of York series. In the series there are numerous other titles: Love and War, Crown of Destiny, and lastly Fall From Grace. I have read two other novels by Sandra, Lady of the Roses and The Kings Daughter. Lady of the Roses was a wonderful read that planted a seed for my fledgling love of The War of the Roses.

Anne Neville knew nothing but civil war her whole life. Her father “the kingmaker” was dead, her sister, brother in-laws, and pretty much the whole Neville family were lost to tragic circumstances that surrounded the war of the roses. All had perished and when her husband’s brother King Edward IV of England died suddenly England was instantly plunged back into civil war. Richard in his brother will was to be basically regent for his young nephews, Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. The now dowager queen and young boy’s mother Elizabeth Woodville made a play for power after Richard foils her plans to take over as regent for her sons. After her attempt failed she fled into sanctuary with her other children while Richard kept the boys in the tower for their own protection. While the boys were in the tower Richard uncovers a deeply hidden secret that Edward IV was married before he married Elizabeth Woodville, there for their marriage was declared bigamous and the children were deemed illegitimate. With the boys now illegitimate Richard was now king of England even if he had wanted it or not now there was no choice he was king.

King Richard and Queen Anne tried to rule with the kindness and fairness that legendary king Arthur ruled with. It was not the easiest thing to do given that in the past all everyone knew was brother against brother, questionable loyalties, and an unquenchable thirst for revenge of the loved ones that were lost in the brutal war of the roses. It was revenge that kept adding fuel to the fire that kept the royal cousins houses of York and Lancaster feuding since Henry V passed away and left his son Henry VI a child king on the throne of England. The greatest mystery of the war is the missing princes; it still has yet to be solved. What really happened to the boys and who played a larger role in the events of their downfall, it is one question that is specifically covered in this novel.

As Richard and Anne struggle to hold England everything they ever loved is slowly stripped away from them. With the red dragon Henry Tudor closing in on Richard’s heels he questions every man’s loyalty. Only in the end would all the players of this tragic war finally show all the cards they had been playing with. It was a win or die quest for the crown of England.

4.5/5 loved it but I wish I had read the other ones first. At barely 250 pages this really was a deep book. It is not the quick read type of book because the characters and events are more complex during the war of the roses. One aspect of this book I loved was the references and tie in’s to Sandra’s previous novels. I really enjoyed Richard and Anne’s mentions of lost loved ones like Isobel and John Neville. One thing about this book that is unique is it is more of the humanistic view of Richard. To me Sandra’s Richard felt more real, more emotional, and just more human in general. As we all know no one is perfect and that even includes kings. I personally really enjoy reading the different prospective on the war of the roses but I have noticed a trend of fierce defense in or against Richard and his involvement of the disappearance of the lost princes. I am one of those readers that always go into a read with a very open mind because I have read so much fiction and non-fiction on the subject that I think I have my own conclusions of what really went down. This book to me was probable and honestly I read it and loved it. I do have to admit that to read as a standalone novel one must possess a prior knowledge of the war of the roses. I really enjoyed even the afterward; Francis Viscount Lovell was by far the most shocking to me.

FTC-Sent by Author

PG-13 rating for Violence.

Do not forget to check out the group site and the other members sites for more on author Sandra Worth and her lovely novels. 

Amazon

HFRT, Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth Giveaway!

YAY!! Finally this one is killing me here. I LOVE this book really LOVE it. Honestly it is my new top favorite; right up there on that unimaginable book pedestal in my heart. Sometimes in life you read books that become a part of you and this one just did it for me. Catherine's story is riveting and I am bursting at the seams to bring you this giveaway!

Be sure and check out the HFRT group site for more on February's event Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth, check here for the schedule of events.

This time I thought we are doing things a bit diffrent. From here on out ALL giveaways will be DONE IN GOOGLE FORMS. See that pretty form below just fill it out and BAM your done. Here are the newly update rules.

The Giveaway Rules

Up for grabs is ONE paperback copy

The giveaway is open to the US only, sorry.

For ONE entry enter your name and email on the form below.

For TWO entries follow my blog. If you already are following me through Google Friend Connect or Facebook thank you for following my blog. Just let me know in form by answering the optional question three.

For THREE entries blog or tweet this giveaway to spread the word. In other words post your web address to where you shared this giveaway info at in optional Question four on the form.

Giveaway will end on February 12th 2011 at midnight.

I will draw one winner using Random.org on February 13th 2011

The Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth

"It is 1497. The news of the survival of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, has set royal houses ablaze with intrigue and rocked the fledgling Tudor dynasty. With the support of Scotland's King James IV, Richard-known to most of England as Perkin Warbeck-has come to reclaim his rightful crown from Henry Tudor. Stepping finally onto English soil, Lady Catherine Gordon has no doubt that her husband will succeed in his quest.
But rather than assuming the throne, Catherine would soon be prisoner of King Henry VII, and her beloved husband would be stamped as an imposter. With Richard facing execution for treason, Catherine, alone in the glittering but deadly Tudor Court, must find the courage to spurn a cruel monarch, shape her own destiny, and win the admiration of a nation".

HFRT: A Royal Mystery by Author Sandra Worth

Since it HFBRT event time and this months lovely feature is author Sandra Worth of the new release "Pale Rose of England". To go with the event it is only natural that there be an amazing guest post by Sandra. For more of the event details be sure and check out the HFBRT site. You can also check out our new layout and our poll for first annual awards for 2010 while you are there.

I have to admit "Pale Rose of England" is probably one of my new all time top favorite picks for historical fiction. It is more than an honor to have Sandra visit Historically Obsessed today and grace us with her prolific post on my favorite unsolved mystery the lost princes in the tower. Richard the Duke of York has enthralled the masses and I am defiantly in there with them so with out further adieu please take it away for us Sandra we are dying to hear more on Richard!

A Royal Mystery by Sandra Worth

Ask anyone about the Princes in the Tower, and they’ll probably tell you Richard III murdered his two little nephews for the throne. Contrary to what they believe, however, no one knows what happened to the Princes in the Tower, and their disappearance remains unsolved to this day, five hundred years later.

Did Richard III really murder the princes, or did someone else murder them? Was a murder even committed? If the princes weren’t murdered, what happened to them?

Historians have considered a wealth of scenarios and a new biography raises a dramatic possibility. That the younger prince, Richard, Duke of York, survived the Tower and was whisked abroad to safety to one day return and reclaim his father’s throne. This new book raised serious doubts in my mind that “Perkin Warbeck” was a fraud as the Tudors claimed, sparking an intriguing idea. What if Perkin Warbeck really was Richard, Duke of York?

I’m not alone in accepting that “Perkin Warbeck” was really who he claimed to be. In 1830, the author of Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, reached the same conclusion. She wrote a novel based on his youthful adventures hiding from Henry VII’s spies. The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck ends with Richard landing in England. I picked up the tale where hers left off, and Pale Rose of England begins with Richard’s arrival in Cornwall, his beautiful wife and grand passion of his life, the “unforgettable” (RT Book Reviews) Scottish princess, Lady Catherine Gordon, at his side. Pale Rose of England relates their heroic journey to reclaim Richard’s inheritance—his father's crown.

How credible is such a tale? I’d like to present you with some of the reasons—but by no means all!—why the Pretender might well have been the true prince, Richard, Duke of York.

The Pretender was not only the right age, but also of the right appearance, and right education. A contemporary observer found his English, his manners, and his knowledge of the Yorkist court formidable. He displayed a talent for music so extraordinary that it drove King Henry’s court musician to a fever pitch of jealousy. Most remarkably, this talent for music was shared by the younger prince in the Tower and noted by a variety of observers who had met King Edward’s younger son. It is also a talent that seems to have run in the family, since Elizabeth of York was musically gifted.

As noted by a chronicler unfriendly to the Yorkist cause, the Pretender passed as Prince Richard for a very long time, and without a mistake, deceiving everyone. The probability that a false prince could be found who not only resembled Edward IV; who had no history before the age of nine; who could play the part of a prince with aplomb, and who also shared with the younger prince in the Tower a talent for music, is so small that it defies credibility.

The official narrative of the Pretender given under torture contains many elements applicable to the life of the real prince. The two worlds of the Pretender, so far apart, should never have touched, yet they did, time and again. Here is a child who bore the marks of Plantagenet royalty in his strangely defective eye and drooping eyelid; whose name meant “real” and “orphan” in Flemish and French; who was of no known address or clear parentage; who moved all over Europe, always in the company of English people (to explain his fluency in the English language) and who lived for a time in Portugal, somehow managing to attach himself to the wife of one of Edward IV and Richard III’s most loyal retainers—the Portuguese Jew, Duarte Brandeo, known as Sir Edward Brampton. Even Edward IV makes an appearance in “Perkin’s” tale, acting as his godfather. Both the prince and the pauper are linked by a common thread of wandering, jeopardy, and sorrow.

That Henry VII allowed Brampton to be named in “Perkin’s” confession is evidence that this information was too well known to be suppressed, and therefore had to be explained away.

The Pretender was executed for treason, and Henry offered no explanation how someone not born in England could be guilty of treason against an English king. After his death, the Pretender was buried in the Austin Friars reserved for executed nobility instead of being interred with the poor at the church on Bread Street. In this way, and others, Henry VII’s tiny acts of piety suggest that his conscience pricked him. Punishing those who had believed in “Perkin” became an obsession with Henry, and men were still dying for their sympathy for the Pretender many years later.

But it is the behavior of the greatest European monarchs of the age that offers the most convincing evidence that the Pretender was genuine. They either used him as a pawn, championed his cause, or took him under their protection. The King of France refused to deliver him up to the King of England; Isabella and Ferdinand wouldn’t send their daughter to England to marry Prince Arthur while he lived; and the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian backed the young man without reservation. James IV of Scotland went one better and gave him not only support, but the hand of his dazzlingly beautiful royal cousin, Lady Catherine Gordon, daughter of the Earl of Huntly.

Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy, Richard’s strongest supporter, never deserted the one she called her nephew. After his capture, she did everything humanly possible to secure his release. On his death, she mourned profusely, and on the first anniversary of his death, broken-hearted, she burned three times the usual number of candles in her chapel at Binche.

Nor did the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian of Austria ever abandon him, though the young man could be of no further use. Maximilian did all he could to free Richard, and even considered war against Henry until civil strife in his own land made that impossible. Then he made Henry the astounding offer to resign in perpetuity—for himself, and for Richard, and for all their descendants—their claims to the throne of England! All Maximilian wanted in return was to have the young man back safe, and whole. This is not the way of kings.

Henry refused all Maximilian’s offers. In this, and every possible way, the Pretender’s great rival, Henry VII, behaved as if he, too, believed the young man to be the lost prince, referring to him in private correspondence as the Duke of York and expending vast sums of money to defeat his cause (sixty thousand pounds alone for war with Scotland because James IV wouldn’t relinquish his support of “Perkin”). Nor did he, a miser, seem to mind or to count the cost. He never spent—and was never again to spend—so much money resisting anyone. In his privy purse accounts, the day “Perkin” was apprehended went down as a newsworthy event equal to the announcement of the peace with France in 1492, and the arrival of Katherine of Aragon in 1501.

Was this most intriguing and charming pretender “with the voice of a king” the true prince? A fresh look at the facts of this royal unsolved mystery seems to indicate he was. 

About the Author:
Sandra Worth is the acclaimed author of five historical novels chronicling the Wars of the Roses. Each is the recipient of multiple awards and prizes. Her forthcoming novel on Perkin Warbeck is coming Feb 1st. For more info visit www.sandrawoth.com

Thank you Sandra for sharing with all of us your point on Richard Duke of York. I have to admit I am on your side of the fence when it comes to his story. There is just way too many unconfirmed factors that play into his story that I have to believe it was really him and if it was not him I am waiting for someone to prove I am wrong. Anything is possible especially when they say "history is written by the winners".

Amazon