New Book Reviews On The Way!

Hello Historical Fictionettes,

I am adventuring out on a family vacation so you won't hear from me again until late November.

However, I am taking two books with me to read so you will get those reviews when I return.

I am taking:

A Brief Gaudy Hour by Margaret Campbell Barnes. This is a story about Henry VII's second wife Anne Boleyn. It is an older book, as it was written by Barnes sometime in between 1944-1962. She wrote nine other historical novels in that time period.














The Queen's Mistake by Diane Haeger. This is another story about one of Henry VII's wives, however this time the story focuses on his fifth wife (and Anne Boleyn's own cousin) Catherine Howard. It is a more recent book, published in 2009.















Well my Fictionettes, I bid you adieu.

Three In A Row?

Hello Fellow Historical Fictionettes,

As you may have noticed my first three book reviews were all given 5 Crowns ratings. That is the best rating on my rating system.

Some of you may now be thinking "Maybe she is one of those people who like every book out there and never give any one a bad rating.".

Well, this isn't true.

I will give books the rating they deserve. I think the least I can do is be honest. Sometimes, the book is crap.

However, I wanted to give you all some quality books to read straightaway, so the first reviews are of really excellent books.

I intend to rate the books exactly as I think they should be. I am actually quite picky, and don't always love every book I read. I have many favorite books, but I have read many books that I didn't like.

You'll always see an "I rated this book ___ Crowns because:" section on every book review. I explain the reason the book received the rating, all the positive and negative attributes and so on and so forth.

I just wanted to put this out there so that everyone understands why the first books were top of the line and tell you not to worry, there will be some negative reviews later. I am trying to be completely honest.

If you happen to be an author of one of the books I have wrote a negative review on, please don't take it to heart. I am just one person in an entire world of people. At the very least, one person is going to hate your book, one person is going to like it, and one person is going to love it.

Everyone likes to read different things, that is why there are so many books in the world. There is something for every one of us.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and there will be more reviews soon,

Book Review: "At The Mercy of the Queen" by Anne Clinard Barnhill

Hello Fellow Historical Fictionettes,

This book is a fairly new one, it was published in 2012.

This is Anne Clinard Barnhill's first step into the Historical Fiction world. And believe me, it better not be her last.

Book Title: At The Mercy Of The Queen

Author: Anne Clinard Barnhill
Year Published: 2012
Rating: 5 Crowns. A perfectly amazing entrance into the world of Historical Fiction.

Synopsis: "A sweeping tale of sexual seduction and intrigue at the court of Henry VIII, At the Mercy of the Queen is a rich and dramatic debut historical about Madge Shelton, cousin and lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn.

At the innocent age of fifteen, Lady Margaret Shelton arrives at the court of Henry VIII and quickly becomes the confidante of her cousin, Queen Anne Boleyn. But she soon finds herself drawn into the perilous web of Anne’s ambition.

Desperate to hold onto the king’s waning affection, Anne schemes to have him take her guileless young cousin as mistress, ensuring her husband’s new paramour will owe her loyalty to the queen. But Margaret has fallen deeply in love with a handsome young courtier. She is faced with a terrible dilemma: give herself to the king and betray the love of her life or refuse to become his mistress and jeopardize the life of the her cousin, Queen Anne."

Review:

Any true Fictionette has heard the story of Anne Boleyn. Second wife of King Henry VIII, Anne was the main reason that he split of from the Church of Rome. However, after her failure to give Henry a son, he quickly tired of her. After trumping up some false charges against her, he had her beheaded. 

Anne Boleyn is often categorized as evil, self-centered, and immoral. In reading Historical Fiction, we have heard her story through many different eyes. We have seen her through her sister, Mary Boleyn; her ladies-in-waiting; her uncle, Thomas Howard; her sister-in-law, Jane Parker; and she has been spoken of in a past tense in many Tudor novels. But we have never before seen her through Margaret Shelton's eyes.

Madge Shelton is a cousin of Anne Boleyn and served as one of her closest ladies-in-waiting. However, most Historical Fiction authors have seemed to have forgotten Madge, or only make a brief mention of her. Almost as if her role in history was trivial. But as all Fictionettes know, everyone has a story to tell, and every story needs a chance to be told.

In At The Mercy of The Queen, not only is Anne Boleyn's story told, but Margaret Shelton's is as well. 

I rated this book Five Crowns because: 

(I know that I have used the highest rating three times in a row now...read more on that here.)

This is Anne Clinard Barnhill's first Historical Fiction book. If I ever write a book, I want my first one to be as good as this. This is right on par with Michelle Moran's first novel Nefertiti. Each of these books had a smashing debut, and I hope that Ms. Barnhill is working on another book right now.

Great character choice. Great, great, great, character choice. Ms. Barnhill made a great call in bringing to life a character that History and Historical Fiction has long forgotten. Madge Shelton was a perfect choice.

Accurate portrayals. There was nothing in this book that made me think "Come on now.... what are the chances of that happening?" No. It was all completely believable, and I think that is the defining point of a book. That is what takes it from good to great.

Well, go lose yourself in a book Fictionettes,