The Boleyn Deceit (#2) by Laura Andersen

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Title: The Boleyn Deceit

Author: Laura Andersen
Series: The Boleyn Trilogy (Book #2)

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Length: 368 pages

Published: 2013

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Henry IX, known as William, is the son of Anne Boleyn and now the leader of England, his regency period finally at an end. His newfound power, however, comes with the looming specter of war with the other major powers of Europe, with strategic alliances that must be forged on both the battlefield and in the bedroom, and with a court, severed by religion, rife with plots to take over the throne. Will trusts only three people: his older sister, Elizabeth; his best friend and loyal counselor, Dominic; and Minuette, a young orphan raised as a royal ward by Anne Boleyn. But as the pressure rises alongside the threat to his life, even they William must begin to question-and to fear....

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

Let me preface this that I read an advanced, uncorrected proof of this novel that I won through a Goodreads giveaway. 

I really loved the first book in this trilogy, so when I won the sequel as well, I was super excited. And I was NOT disappointed. I could not put this book down. I felt sadness, grief, anger, disappointment, and joy throughout the whole book. There were some very real "oh my gosh!!!" moments, especially towards the end of the novel. 

If you've read the first book (The Boleyn King) and enjoyed it, definitely pick this up and read it. It comes out November 5th, and you can pre-order it through Amazon (as well as other bookshops).

You can purchase The Boleyn Deceit through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Boleyn Deceit? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Boleyn King (#1) by Laura Andersen

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Title: The Boleyn King

Author: Laura Andersen
Series: The Boleyn Trilogy (Book #1)

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Length: 358 pages

Published: 2013

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) The Boleyn King is the first novel in an enthralling new trilogy. Re-imagining history in sumptuous detail, Laura Andersen takes readers back to the deadly intrigue, turbulent affairs, and treacherous passions of Tudor England - and answers the compelling question What if Anne Boleyn had given Henry VIII the son he so desperately wanted?

Just seventeen years old, Henry IX, known as William, is a king bound by the restraints of the regency yet anxious to prove himself. With the French threatening battle and the Catholics sowing the seeds of rebellion at home, William trusts only three people: his older sister Elizabeth; his best friend and loyal counselor, Dominic; and Minuette, a young orphan raised as a royal ward by William's mother, Anne Boleyn.

Against a tide of secrets, betrayal, and murder, William finds himself fighting for the very soul of his kingdom. Then, when he and Dominic both fall in love with Minuette, romantic obsession looms over a new generation of Tudors. One among them will pay the price for a king's desire, as a shocking twist of fate changes England's fortunes forever.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

Admittedly I do not know much about the era that Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn lived in aside from the basics: Anne Boleyn failed to bear him a son and she was executed for treason, freeing him to marry another. So when I saw this alternate history on Goodreads as a giveaway, I had to enter to win because the idea that it posed was too fascinating not to explore. Needless to say I was excited to find the copy in the mail sometime later. (Let me add here that I just found out that I won a copy of the sequel, The Boleyn Deceit, and am now anxiously awaiting its arrival.) It's been sitting here waiting for me to read it for a few months and now that I've finally read it, I can't believe I waited this long!

This is an alternate history novel. The "what if" in this instance being "What if Anne Boleyn bore a healthy, living son to Henry VIII and never been executed for treason?". That's what drew me in. Think how different things in England and even throughout the world would be if this had happened. This is why alternate historical fiction novels fascinate me so much.

Once I started reading The Boleyn King, I really could not put it down. The characters were instantly likeable. The four main characters are the children of Anne Boleyn: Princess Elizabeth and King William; as well as Dominic Courtenay and Genevieve "Minuette" Wyatt. Minuette was born within the same hour as William, and both Elizabeth and Dominic are older than the younger pair. Dominic has long been a close friend of William's and the group's destiny has always seemed to intertwine.

Where there is royalty, there is always some devious plot underfoot to take over the kingdom. And so naturally, there is a plot here. The four friends are drawn into a plot which seems to be leading towards the Catholics trying to take over the throne of England and place the dispossessed princess Mary (William and Elizabeth's older half-sister) on the throne. The plot centers around a document called "The Penitent's Confession" which states that William is not Henry's son but a son borne of incest. 

Through all of this, William must find a way to make peace with the French against the Spanish and keep England under his control. Minuette is by far the character whose point of view we see these events from. It is mostly her journal entries which are found throughout the book, and her life that is in danger. And it is her heart and virtue that are laid bare. Because of course, there is romance lacing through this novel of intrigue. 

I really could not recommend this book more. The author weaves a grand tale of royal intrigue and romance that draws together at the end leaving the reader wanting more. Thank goodness there are two more books in this trilogy! 

You can purchase The Boleyn King through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Boleyn King? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

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Title: The Dressmaker

Author: Kate Alcott

Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance

Length: 365 pages

Published: 2012

Publisher: Doubleday

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Just in time for the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic comes a vivid, romantic, and relentlessly compelling historical novel about a spirited young woman who survives the disaster only to find herself embroiled in the media frenzy left in the wake of the tragedy.

Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic's doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.

Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy. Others—including the gallant Midwestern tycoon—are not so lucky.

On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic. Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle, The Dressmaker is an atmospheric delight filled with all the period's glitz and glamour, all the raw feelings of a national tragedy and all the contradictory emotions of young love.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

I really enjoyed this novel. The author took elements of a real event (the sinking of the Titanic) and real people (Lady Duff Gordon and her husband, Cosmo) and wove them into this tale about an aspiring seamstress and fashion designer. The core theme seems to be about choices. There are plenty of choices, both easy and difficult to make throughout the novel: the choice to leave England for America, the choice between two very different men, the choice to stay on with Lady Duff Gordon despite her demeanor, the choice to be the bigger person, and the choice of who to believe about the events that transpired in Lifeboat One. These are just a few of the choices that Tess Collins has to make. Other characters also have choices: the Duff Gordons, Jim Bonney, Pinky Wade, among others. 

One of my favorite characters was Pinky Wade. She was plucky, insecure, and intelligent. I found her to be a good counter to Tess, as well as to Jim Bonney. Tess followed at a close second. I mean, come on, she's the heroine of the novel, therefore she has to be pretty high up there on the favorite character list, right? Not necessarily of course, but I really did like Tess' character. She was naive, indecisive, and kind. Finally, with the letter she received from her mother, she made several life-changing decisions at the end of the novel. She also managed to do something that most people would have completely balked at: she was the better person and showed up to support Lady Duff Gordon at her fashion show, in spite of everything. 

Since finishing The Dressmaker last night, I have read a few other reviews out there. Some people were horrified by the historical inaccuracies. Honestly, as it's a fiction novel, you should expect that some things are not going to be perfectly accurate. Was the portrayal of Cosmo and Lucile Duff Gordon completely accurate? No. But the point of a fiction novel, even a historical fiction novel is to make it your own. I don't feel that this took away from the the history of the time or the story in the least. 

So, in conclusion, I loved everything about this novel. The romance of the time period, the Titanic and its history, the characters, and the very difficult and realistic decisions that nearly everyone featured in the novel had to make. I definitely recommend that you pick this book up and give it a shot. 

You can purchase The Dressmaker through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Dressmaker? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.