Book Giveaway - Royal Panoply!!!

Ms. Lucy over at Enchanted by Josephine is giving away an awesome book!! Royal Panoply is a non-fiction book that covers all the British monarchs from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II. Check it out by clicking the link below!

Royal Panoply Giveaway

Book Review: Devil's Brood

Devil's Brood, Sharon Kay Penman
5 roses

This is the final novel in Penman's trilogy about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine and is centered around the implosion of their marriage and the rebellions of their sons. While this book can stand alone I would recommend readers start with When Christ and His Saints Slept and then Time and Chance to get the full and amazing story. It is a long novel just like her others but it is well worth the read in my opinion. This last installment of this amazing story has everything you could want in a novel: love, hate, betrayal, greed. Let me just say that Penman is an extraordinary writer. I wish all writers could make characters come alive like she does. The political and personal turmoil of this family is as twisted and complicated as any modern government bill but Penman manages to write it in a way that is very easy to understand and fun to read. A big part of this is her ability to make these people that have been dead for hundreds of years come alive on the pages.

This story picks up where the last one left off. Henry has gone to Ireland after Becket's death supposedly to put down rebellions there (though it is most likely to avoid punishment from the Church). Henry and Eleanor's three oldest sons feel like they are of an age where they can handle more power, which their father refuses to give them. They end up in a rebellion against him, aided in part by their mother Eleanor and Louis, the French King. He quells the rebellion and eventually forgives his sons (not a great move on his part) but he can not forgive his wife and he imprisons her (and she stays that way for sixteen years). This should be the end of matters but Henry's sons behave like they don't have a brain in their heads. They scoff at their father's generosity and turn on him again and again. He forgives them again and again (again, not a great move on his part), blindly trusting them and finding all kinds of excuses for their behavior because he does love them. Two of his sons eventually pay the price of their treachery, though not at their father's hands, and one does become king upon Henry's death.

Eleanor certainly comes across differently in this novel than she did in the last one. Yes, she does spend most of this book imprisoned by her husband but (probably because of that) she really grows and matures throughout. She learns, as her arrogant sons never could, the error of her past actions (for the most part) and how they helped cause this rupture of their family. I still like her character here, even though I was mad at her for rebelling in the first place. You can really feel how helpless she feels when she hears of the trouble her sons are causing. The later scenes between her and Henry are quite touching as you can tell that these two very stubborn and prideful people, while not able to say it out loud to each other, realize the errors they've made.

I feel so sorry for Henry through this entire novel. Even though I do get irritated at his stubbornness and his complete blindness when it comes to his sons, I pity him for what happens again and again. It really broke my heart how he kept forgiving those arrogant boys, offered them wonderful things, trusted them, made excuses for them, and they kept turning around and stabbing him in the back. For a man as smart as he was it is amazing that he couldn't see what his sons were really like. He did bring some of it on himself; the crowning of Hal, while he was doing it to make sure what happened to his mother didn't happen to his son, was probably one of the biggest mistakes he ever made. He also was maddeningly stubborn at times but overall I felt like he was trying his hardest to make everything strong and secure for his son.

I did not like any of the sons. None of them. I felt like they were spoiled, arrogant, selfish, and incredibly ungrateful. I wanted to throttle all of them at many, many points throughout the novel. Yes, their father was a stubborn man but they couldn't see that 1, he was doing what he could to make their "empire" strong and stable so they wouldn't have to worry about much when they took the reins, and 2, they'd eventually have control of their lands when their father died. That was the trouble though - they wanted it all and they wanted it NOW. And not only do they stab their father in the back repeatedly, they turn on each other over and over again. They truly seemed as if they were the devil's brood.

Penman has created another wonderful masterpiece here. I would recommend this book, along with all her others, to those that love historical fiction and to those that haven't been bitten by that bug yet, to readers who are quite familiar with this period of history and to those that are not. This book and author are sure to open your eyes and you will probably end up being bitten by that wonderful historical fiction bug along the way.

**Note: William Marshal does play a roll in this story but if you are looking on more about him I would highly suggest Elizabeth Chadwick's The Greatest Knight.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is:




♠ Grab your current read.
♠ Let the book fall open to a random page.
♠ Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
♠ You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
♠ Please avoid spoilers!

Legacy, Susan Kay

"Yes, Cecil, as you so rightly say but seem to be in danger of forgetting, I am the Queen. And I warn you now that the man who tries to use the spur with me will take a fall from which he'll never recover!"

And now he was finding it hard - perhaps impossible - to rule the lion's cub. He had thought himself in partnership with this splendid young lioness, but now he saw how easily she might break the chains of discipline and dignity, and turn upon him with rending claws, as the great Henry had turned on his loyal servants Wolsey and Cromwell. Never trust a cat, the least domesticated of all animals!

This Day in History...

In honor of the wonderful historical fiction events going on this week, I found a history tidbit to fit right in!

September 15, 1890 - The English detective novelist, the "Queen of Crime," Agatha Christie was born in Devon. Christie created such memorable characters as Hercule Poirot and Miss. Marple.

Blogger Giveaway!! The Heretic Queen!!

On the second day of the fun Bloggers' Round Table event, Marie over at The Burton Review has a great giveaway for Michelle Moran's second book, The Heretic Queen, which is about Nefertari. Click the link below for all the information and don't forget to check out the other events going on this week!

Nefertari Giveaway!!

Who Would you Want to Be???

Here is my first fun post for the Round Table week! I was thinking of this all weekend and couldn't wait to post it and see what comments appeared (I do love comments!).

So my question for all you historical fiction lovers (and anyone else of course):

You've just been given the lead roll in a movie about your favorite person from history! Who are you?

I kind of have a tie here actually! My top pick would have to be Eleanor of Aquitaine. She is such an interesting and mysterious lady. People are still have questions about her hundreds of years after her death! She was an intelligent, witty, strong, ambitious woman who was the mother of a dynasty that lasted for 300 hundred years. Not only did she go on a Crusade with her first husband, Louis of France, she became Queen of England, was caught in a rebellion with her sons against their father (her husband) Henry II, and endured 16 years of captivity at his hands (and lost two sons during that time). Who wouldn't want to play this clever and sexy lady?


My runner up here would be Anne Neville, the wife of Richard of Gloucester. I know she probably wouldn't be considered a MAIN player in history but I think she is a lady worthy of some attention. She was the daughter of Warwick the Kingmaker, was married off to Edward Prince of Wales by her father in order to secure an alliance with Marguerite d'Anjou, ended up in the clutches of the Duke of Clarance (and he possibly hid her in an inn as a kitchen maid hoping to keep her from marrying Richard so he could get his hands on her inheritance), and was finally married to Richard. Even then she had a hard time of it. She was ill a lot, her son was very frail and she eventually lost him, and she had to endure the rumors and scandals floating around about her husband.

This Day in History...

No historical tidbits the last couple of days as I've been out of town. Found this interesting one this morning...


September 14, 1752 - The 3rd of September became the 14th as the Gregorian Calendar was introduced into Britain, changing from the Julian calendar.

Mailbox Mondays

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia over at The Printed Page and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.


I got several this week so hang on!


1.Legacy, Susan Kay

This cover's Elizabeth I's life from childhood to old age. I've been so excited about getting this book as it came highly recommended by the ladies over at Goodreads. It came in the mail from Paperbackswap.com while I was out of town this weekend.




2.The Greatest Knight, Elizabeth Chadwick

Grabbed this one at a bookstore while on vacation this weekend. I've been wanting to delve into Elizabeth Chadwick's books and though this one would be a great start. It's about William Marshall who lived through the very stormy times of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.



3.The Sixth Wife, Jean Plaidy

I picked this up at the bookstore at the same time as the book above. I love Plaidy and I love this style of cover so I'm trying to get all I can before they're gone. This one is about Henry VIII's sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr (not to be confused with wife 1, Katherine of Aragon, or wife 5, Katherine Howard).

Historical Fiction Bloggers' Round Table!!

This is being hosted by Lucy over at her blog and some great ladies have some awesome stuff planned for this week!!! Click the box below and head on over to Enchanted by Josephine's blog for all the details!!

This Day in History...

September 11, 1297 - The Scottish hero (and rebel) William Wallace defeated the English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.



And in memory of all those lost....



September 11, 2001 - Terrorists hijacks 4 commercial airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center in NYC and the Pentagon in Washington DC in the worst attack on the US since Pearl Harbor. The passengers of the 4th plane heroically regained control of the plane before crashing it into a field in Shanksville, PA.

Book Review: I, Elizabeth

I, Elizabeth, Rosalind Miles
5 roses


This is a wonderful "autobiographical" novel by Rosalind Miles and probably the book that got me hooked on British historical fiction and history. I have read this tome several times (and it is pretty big) and have loved it each time. It is still at the top of my favorites list (though it has been joined by SKP's Sunne!)

It is wonderfully (and very believably) written in Elizabeth's "voice" and as a reader I could honestly see Elizabeth acting, thinking, and talking like that. Miles really makes her come alive in this telling that covers Elizabeth's earliest memories as a child, her precarious position during her brother and sister's reigns, the tumultuous early years of her own reign, and the numerous issues she had to deal with during her life (from about age 4 up until 2 years before her death). Elizabeth is portrayed in many different ways (flirty, vain, silly, brilliant, cunning, clever, stubborn, manipulative, caring) but they all fit together wonderfully and these different attributes are what made her an amazing queen. I think one of my favorite things about the novel is the humor you see from Elizabeth. I really enjoyed some of her "one liners" and her sense of humor. It really makes her seem human.

Through Elizabeth's eyes you get a very interesting perspective on her father Henry VIII, her brother Edward, and her older sister Mary. Her feelings concerning her father change over the course of her lifetime and you really see the different events (and her maturing) that help bring about that change. She moves from loving and adoring him to fearing him and eventually hating him (quite a bit of that is due to what he did to her mother). You also see that she very much takes to heart the lessons to be learned when a woman marries and gives all the power to her husband. She has her mother's example always looming over her, she saw what happened to her stepmother Catherine Parr, and she also sees what happens to her sister Mary after she marries King Phillip. She also sees what befalls her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, in her disastrous marriages. Who can blame her for not wanting to stumble into the same trap?

There is a lot of time devoted to Elizabeth's male favorites, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and the Earl of Essex, throughout the course of this novel. These two men played a large roll in her life and I did not mind reading about her feeling and interactions with them, especially Dudley. Elizabeth really does seem to have loved him and wanted to marry him but she knew she couldn't (and wouldn't want to) give up any power to a husband. In her mind she was married to England and England came first in her heart. As to the Earl of Essex, I never liked him and I wanted to shake Elizabeth a few times for letting him get away with some of the stunts he pulled. She even said many times that she knew what he was doing, that her feelings for him had died, that she realized he was a traitor, but she always forgave him. It took a very drastic act for her to finally have him arrested and sign the warrant for his execution.

You can't talk about Elizabeth without mentioning her cousin Mary and Miles does a wonderful job of showing how torn Elizabeth was on this subject. She knew that Mary was a huge and dangerous threat to her and was well aware of her plotting to take the English throne. As a queen she knew that she should let Mary have the justice she deserved for plotting against her (many times) so as to secure the safety of her realm. However, Mary is after all an anointed queen (and her cousin) and she sees the danger in setting a precedent in which the Lords of a land can put a queen on trial and condemn her to death. She tells her councilmen many times that what they do to Mary could easily be done to her. Elizabeth really struggles with this for twenty years until she finally makes that ultimate decision. During all that time you can really sympathize with her and feel how hard she struggles with this.

This is a wonderful book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Tudors. It is a well written novel and you really get a glimpse into what Elizabeth was really like (perhaps) and the sacrifices she(maybe) made to keep England safe.

Booking Through Thursday - Informative

Booking through Thursday is hosted by Deb at Wordpress.


Q: What's the most informative book you've read recently?

I would have to say Sharon Kay Penman's Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy (When Christ and His Saints Slept, Time and Chance, and Devil's Brood). I had never read much about this period of British history (I think Plaidy's Courts of Love is the only one I've read and that is squishing all that info into one book). There is a lot of historical information contained in these three books but I enjoyed reading every bit of it. Her books are full of good information and its written beautifully. You can really connect with the different characters.



You can check out my reviews of the first two novels in the series by clicking HERE and HERE.

This Day in History...

September 10, 1224 - The Franciscans, a Catholic religious order that was founded in 1209 by St. Francis of Assisi, first arrived in England. They were originally called Grey Friars because of their grey habits.

Book Giveaway - The Virgin's Daughters

A great giveaway of the new book "The Virgin's Daughters." Check it out at Booking Mama! This one does deal with Elizabeth I.

This Day in History...

September 9, 1513 - While Henry VIII was in France with his army, the Scots crossed the border into England. They were met by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey and his army. The Scots were easily defeated by the English at the Battle of Flodden Field and the Scottish King James IV was killed, along with all his nobles.

Wordless Wednesday

Cades Cove, Tennessee

Thanks again!

Just wanted to give another thanks to those of you who responded to my SOS earlier!!

Thank you for the hints and advice and I'm happy to say...I figured out how to make my blog with 3 columns. Yay. (everyone clap)

But my blog looks no different and there are only 2 columns, you say? Yes. You can count correctly, don't worry! I did indeed figure out how to make 3 columns. Unfortunately, my pretty background is only set for 2 columns. So until the creators make a 3 column version (or I find another background that I like and so far I have been amazingly unsuccessful) it will stay 2 columns.

Sad face.

But thank you for all the help! I know how to do it now!!

This Day in History...

Almost forgot about this feature today! To make up for being late with it, I'll put in two events today.

September 8, 1157 - King Richard I (the Lion Heart) was born to Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was not the oldest son but when Hal the eldest died, Richard became heir to his father's throne. Of all the Kings of England he is probably the one that spent the least amount of time in the country during his entire reign.


September 8, 1560 - Amy Robsart, wife of the Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, died from a fall at Cumnor Place. Many suspected that Dudley (and perhaps even Elizabeth herself) had her killed to free Dudley so he could marry the Queen. If that was the case, it backfired on Dudley as Elizabeth realized that, however slim the chances had been of her being able to marry Dudley before the murder were, she certainly could never marry him with the shadow of his wife's death always with him.

Need More Blog Help!!!!

Yes...I come posting another question about the technical sides of this blog! Hahahaha. I used to be so knowledgeable about computer stuff...guess technology has moved right on past me. :)

So, the issue I need help with today:

I would like to have a 3 column blog. I've seen others with this but I do not see a blogger template with three columns. Is there a 3 column template I don't know about?

Someone PLEASE help!!!

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is:




♠ Grab your current read.
♠ Let the book fall open to a random page.
♠ Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
♠ You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
♠ Please avoid spoilers!

Devil's Brood, Sharon Kay Penman

"I head something very interesting in the hall today - that you and Louis are locking horns again, this time over Richard's marriage to Alys. And no, it was not Maud who told me; I overheard your justiciar talking with Ralf de Glanville. Is it true that you are facing the threat of an Interdict?"

Henry had forgotten how sharp she could be, had forgotten how much he'd once enjoyed talking to her about the stratagems, subterfuges, and feints that were such an important part of a king's arsenal. Reluctant to admit that she'd read him so easily, he did not reply.