Secrets of the Tudor Court by Darcey Bonnette

Published March 29, 2011 | By Laura

Secrets of the Tudor Court by Darcey Bonnette.

(Avon, 2011.)

A bit about the book:

When young Mary Howard arrives at the grand court of King Henry VIII to attend his mistress, Anne Boleyn, she is overjoyed. Mary is certain Anne will one day become Queen. But Mary has witnessed the kings fickle nature before and knows how quickly he can turn on those he claims to love.

Despite all of Mary’s efforts to please him, she soon becomes a victim of the King’s wrath. Not until she becomes betrothed to Henry Fitzroy, the Duke of Richmond and illegitimate son to the King, does Mary find the love and approval she’s been seeking.

But when Mary believes she is finally free, the tides turn. She has uncovered an intricate web of secrets within the palace walls, secrets that she must guard with her life…

Novel Kicks’ verdict:

The Tudor/Elizabethan eras are two of my favourite eras to study so therefore this book immediately appealed. I couldn’t stop reading (even though it suffers from long chapters; my personal pet hate with books.) I felt it was a good balance of drama and historical fiction and offers a different perspective on that era.

The character of Mary is one where you remain sympathetic toward throughout. Norfolk is the type of person you never wish to meet; he’s a proper villain. This book develops the main characters well.

It explores how women were seen and used for political/personal gain and also how they were seen after and it does this well. Overall, I think it’s a good and original interpretation of history.

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Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.

Secrets of the Tudor Court by Darcey Bonnette

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