by Jasmyn | Jan 3, 2019 | Book Reviews, Readers, Romance
Rose Bride is my absolute favorite of the Lust in the Tudor Court series by Elizabeth Moss. I think seeing the court from a different perspective, but still close enough to all the nobility and even the King, really allowed the book to weave its own story while still giving that amazing Tudor feel.
I did not like Margerie the first time I met her. I thought she was a little bit up in everyone’s business, but I was quickly proven wrong. She’s a sweet woman that has had her past manipulated and she has only recently come into her own self.
Virgil was a great character. Trying his best to help King Henry get his new queen pregnant, he has to resort to some new herbs and medicine, but he isn’t allowed to use them on the King until he has tested them himself. I loved how this set up some very interesting confrontations between him and Margerie.
I wish there was more to the series, but it also ended in a really great place for all our characters. I think this is a series (especially book three) that I will have to revisit again sometime soon.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
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Title: Rose Bride (Lust in the Tudor Court #3)
Author: Elizabeth Moss
Genre: Historical Romance
Content Rating: R
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Hilary Mantel meets Sylvia Day: the final installment in a deliciously erotic trilogy begun in Wolf Bride, set against the sumptuous backdrop of the scandal-ridden Tudor Court by Elizabeth Moss.
SHE’S FALLEN TOO FAR…
Margerie Croft yielded her virginity before her wedding night, and then fled King Henry VIII’s court, knowing she couldn’t marry a man she did not love. Now she is viewed as soiled goods, fit only for the role of a courtier’s plaything.
Virgil Elton has heard the wicked rumors, but something about Margerie calls to him. Drawn close despite himself, he invites her to help in his work to restore the king’s flagging health. But as he comes to know her, Virgil discovers beneath the layers of protective reserve a woman who is as intelligent and passionate as she is beautiful. He will stop at nothing to heal the damage the court has inflicted, even if it means falling himself…
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by Jasmyn | Jan 2, 2019 | Book Reviews, Contemporary Fiction, Readers
I’m not entirely sure what to think about this one. The setup and introduction to the characters were really good, and I couldn’t wait to see what they would do to “fix” things. They formed the Sisterhood and set out to right the wrongs vigilante style. But they have the help of a woman with a seemingly endless income and an ex-British special ops guy.
As the book progressed, I had to suspend belief more and more. For contemporary fiction, it seemed to border on fantasy with the way the special ops guy and their funding never seemed to let them down. It was just a little too much to take in and think could happen even in the far reaches of the possible.
But, I was still intrigued and kept reading. Then it hit me like a car accident and I just couldn’t look away. These women do things that are just as awful as the people they are supposedly getting revenge on. It was horrible. I’m all for a punishment fitting the crime, but this went way over that line. It was incredibly violent – which really surprised me, and I found slightly disturbing
I think I’ll give the series another chance, but this was not the best series starter by a long shot. I have loved some of Fern Michaels’ other stories (particularly the Christmas ones) and this is nothing like them at all.
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Title: Weekend Warriors (The Sisterhood #1)
Author: Fern Michaels
Genre: Woman’s Lit
Content Rating: R
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The first in an exhilarating new series following a group of extraordinary women who are out to see justice done … a step at a time. Nikki Quinn is devastated when her best friend Barbara is knocked down and killed by a hit-and-run driver who claims diplomatic immunity. But Nikki has her work and her lover, fellow lawyer Jack Nolan, to keep her going, whereas Barbara’s mother, Myra, has nothing. Festering in a sea of recriminations and hatred, unable to gain a sense of perspective, Myra is lost…until one day she switches on the evening news and sees Marie Lewellen, mother of a murder victim, take matters into her own hands and stab her daughter’s killer. An idea is born, and within months Myra and Nikki have drawn together a group of women who have one thing in common: they have been failed by the American justice system, they’re down but they’re not out, and they’re ready to find their nemeses and make them pay. First up is Kathryn, a long-distance truck driver who was raped at a road stop by three motorcyclists as her paralysed husband watched, helpless. Banding together, the Sisterhood plot the ultimate revenge — but with dissension from inside the group and out, there’s no saying if the plan will work until the moment of truth arrives.
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by Jasmyn | Jan 1, 2019 | Book Reviews, Historical Fiction, Readers
Alison Weir seamlessly merges two tales of English royal turmoil and runs them side by side, even though they happened many years apart, in a way that shows you just how history seems to repeat itself. These were also some of the darker times in English history, as the youngest and most vulnerable – notably the boy princes Edward and Richard that were locked away never to be seen again.
As for historical accuracy – I can honestly say I don’t know much about the real-life story of these individuals other than the couple paragraphs I read in history class.
The writing and characters really come to life, and I felt so mad about how the adults treated the younger generation – using them as pawns and political game pieces. It was common then, I know, but Alison Weir really showed me how it might have felt to be used that way. To fall in love and dream of being happy only to know that your life really isn’t your own.
The conflict surrounding the royalty of England is what draws me to the era. And there was definitely conflict here. But there were also softer moments where I really had a chance to enjoy life with the characters before things went crazy again.
I highly recommend Alison Weir’s books – they are always a pleasure to read.
*I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book*
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Title: A Dangerous Inheritance
Author: Alison Weir
Genre: Historical Fiction
Content Rating: PG-13
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England’s Tower of London was the terrifying last stop for generations of English political prisoners. A Dangerous Inheritance weaves together the lives and fates of four of its youngest and most blameless: Lady Katherine Grey, Lady Jane’s younger sister; Kate Plantagenet, an English princess who lived nearly a century before her; and Edward and Richard, the boy princes imprisoned by their ruthless uncle, Richard III, never to be heard from again. Across the years, these four young royals shared the same small rooms in their dark prison, as all four shared the unfortunate role of being perceived as threats to the reigning monarch.
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