I am a bit late getting my posts together for this, but I have been participating nonetheless! My posts will start to populate TODAY, including having this post fleshed out properly! Please stay tuned! I am editing a book review for a blog tour “Queen of Bedlam” and will work on this after that concludes! Meanwhile, if you haven’t yet joined this challenge OR haven’t visited the sites involved, I encourage you to do so! :)
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The author’s plans for her Hanoverian series of which Queen of Bedlam is Book One.
Acquired Book By:I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Queen of Bedlam” virtual book tour through HFVBT: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the publisher Myrmidon Books Ltd, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Inspired to Read:
I will admit I have not yet tackled the Georgian Era in British history, which is one of the most neglected eras of my reading exploits to have come to my notice this past year! The Tudors were a bit of an interest of mine originally, yet they simply always felt a bit difficult to entreat inside their stories. The recent popularity of the Tudors sort of left me a bit betwixt knowing if I wanted to broach into the Tudors at this particular moment or not. Thankfully, I was able to find a few stories most agreeable to my interests, which I happily reviewed in recent months! When I first read about this particular novel, what perked my interest the most is that it was writ with an air of knowledge of the Georgians! An entire group of British royals I had never once entranced a fevering wink or nod into researching or reading! I always celebrate moments of this sort, because it simply proves that when a book alights in one’s hand to read, there are entreaties of the historical past that still hold a candle of surprise for the reader! And, this one by far had a premise and a potential which bewitched the very essence of this sentiment!
Book Synopsis:
London, 1788. The calm order of Queen Charlotte’s court is shattered by screams. Her beloved husband, England’s King, has gone mad.
Left alone with thirteen children and a country at war, Charlotte must fight to hold her husband’s throne in a time of revolutionary fever. But it is not just the guillotine that Charlotte fears: it is the King himself.
Her six daughters are desperate to escape their palace asylum. Their only chance lies in a good marriage, but no Prince wants the daughter of a madman. They are forced to take love wherever they can find it – with devastating consequences.
The moving true story of George III’s madness and the women whose lives it destroyed.
Author Biography:
Laura Purcell lives in Colchester, the oldest recorded town in England. She met her husband working in Waterstones bookshop and they share their home with several pet guinea pigs.
Laura is a member of the Historical Novel Society, The Society for Court Studies and Historic Royal Palaces. She has recently appeared on the PBS documentary The Secrets of Henry VIII’s Palace, talking about Queen Caroline’s life at Hampton Court.
Laura’s novels explore the lives of royal women during the Georgian era, who have largely been ignored by modern history. Her debut Queen Charlotte was originally self-published as God Save the King, receiving excellent reviews as an Amazon bestseller in biographical fiction.
The Georgian Era:
I had not realised there was a bit of an overlap between the time of Marie Antoinette during Revolutionary France and the Georgian Era of British history. I think perhaps, I might have missed this pertinent note on where the timescape of the era lies because whenever I am reading a novel before, during, or after the French Revolution, I am wholly full into that particular character and time of France itself. I do not always remember the secondary details if another country is mentioned or if they are mentioned at all — as oft-times I do read novels from a French perspective rather than on a fuller scope of the whole. What was most curious to me is how different the two worlds truly were and how similar they felt at the same time. Both of the royal families, between England and France were honoured with duty and obligations befit to their crowns, yet neither appeared to be blissful and happy within their own lives.
I must confess, I have been on absolute pins to listen to the next chapters of “Discovering Aberration” as this is seriously the first time I have listened to a novel and become enraptured with an itch to know what comes next! Mind you, if I were to be fully truthful I have only listened to bits of an audiobook in the past, but I never could lay the story out in my mind’s eye properly to continue listening. I had a bit of a disconnect then that I do not appear to be experiencing now; except to say, that as I jot down the thoughts & notes as I listen to Mr. Barrus narrating the chapters, I find myself picking up on things I first feared I might not be able to catch! I am quite sure that if one day I go to sit down with a print copy of this novel, my impressions will eclipse and the entirety of the world will fuse together. I’m still a newbie to ‘audiobook reading’ and I welcome the challenge and the joy to carry-on forward ‘listening’ and seeking out a ‘story’ in a medium I have not yet had the pleasure to experience in length. Besides who wouldn’t want to listen to a dapper author reading his very own work of fiction!? He has a wicked style, no?!
An ancient map stolen. A lost civilization discovered. A terrible secret unleashed.
Thaddeus Lumpen’s archaeology career is near collapse, thanks to the machinations of rivals who would kill to claim a discovery for themselves. In desperation he turns to Freddy Fitzgerald, a rebellious writer who still maintains connections from his days as a street hooligan. For Lumpen to get ahead of his even less scrupulous competitors he must steal an ancient map and forge a path to an island where a lost civilization waits to be found. For Freddy, it’s a chance to sell the story of a lifetime.
But nothing is as simple as it appears from halfway across the world. Old acquaintances become enemies, professional rivalries turn violent, and a notorious gang lord wants his map back. The island itself holds dangers that Freddy and Lumpen couldn’t have prepared to face–and horrifying secrets that might be better left buried. Beset by wild beasts, cutthroat competitors, and dangers darker still, the two men fight not for glory, but their own survival… before the island pushes them past the brink of insanity.
S.C. Barrus writes strange and thrilling literary adventures including the novel Discovering Aberration, a steampunk adventure novel. Born in Canada, he grew up in the Pacific North West where he skipped school in favor of swimming in the local rivers.
Raised on a hefty selection of books, video games and movies, he grew to love story telling from a young age. He received his degree in creative writing from the University of Washington and began writing fiction in 2011.
Throughout the years, S.C. Barrus has been inspired by a wide range of authors and genres. A fan of literary fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy and sci-fi. But perhaps the easiest influences to identify in his writing comes from authors such as Edgar Allen Poe, Jules Verne, H.P. Lovecraft and Robert Louis Stephenson.
Published By:Kensington Publishing Corp. (@KensingtonBooks), 25 February, 2014 Official Author Websites:Blog | *previously this author had a site and Facebook Available Formats: Trade Paperback, E-book Page Count: 272
Converse on Twitter via:#BoleynBride, #BrandyPurdy & #EmilyPurdy
Acquired Book By:Whilst the blog tour for “The Boleyn Bride” was underway with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, I was making my rounds to the different blogs who were hosting either an Author Interview or a Book Review, or a combination thereof. Although I was not personally connected to the blog tour myself, I oft-times find that the books which tour with HFVBT are ones that I am interested in and thereby my visits on their tour are a pure delight for me! As I am as bubbly on my visits as I am on my own blog as well as Twitter, I left some happy-hearted comments on behalf of this book & author. As she was a new-to-me author as at that point in time I had not heard of her works or known of her works as well as I do now. Shortly after my visits, I received a note from Ms. Purdy asking me if I would be interested in reading her novels. I received a complimentary copy of “The Boleyn Bride” direct from the author herself, Brandy Purdy in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
On how I know Ms. Purdy:As I was contacted originally a few months back to read both “The Boleyn Bride” and “The Queen’s Rivals”, we came to find ourselves enjoying the conversation which flowed together rather organically out of that correspondence. I have appreciated getting to know a fellow writer, especially one who writes historical fiction as that is one branch of literature although I deeply appreciate to read, was always a bit trepiderious to pen! I give such a strong nod to the writers who write such delicious historicals, because they give us a way to drink in history in an agreeable manner! I am honoured to have been given the chance to get to know her better in the process of scheduling the reviews on my blog. She even kindly enclosed bookmarks which feature her novels, and I’ve been enjoying them as I read! Bookmarks have become one of my favourite surprises to find enclosed within a book I receive for review!
I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with her through the past few months by email. I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time.
Book Synopsis: A NOVEL OF ELIZABETH BOLEYN
From carefree young woman to disillusioned bride, the dazzling lady who would become mother and grandmother to two of history’s most infamous queens, has a fascinating story all her own…
At sixteen, Elizabeth Howard envisions a glorious life for herself as lady-in-waiting to the future queen, Catherine of Aragon. But when she is forced to marry Thomas Boleyn, a wealthy commoner, Elizabeth is left to stagnate in the countryside while her detested husband pursues his ambitions. There, she raises golden girl Mary, moody George, and ugly duckling Anne–while staving off boredom with a string of admirers. Until Henry VIII takes the throne…
When Thomas finally brings his highborn wife to London, Elizabeth indulges in lavish diversions and dalliances–and catches the lusty king’s eye. But those who enjoy Henry’s fickle favor must also guard against his wrath. For while her husband’s machinations bring Elizabeth and her children to the pinnacle of power, the distance to the scaffold is but a short one–and the Boleyn family’s fortune may be turning…
Author Biography:
Brandy Purdy is the author of several historical novels. When she’s not writing, she’s either reading, watching classic movies, or spending time with her cat, Tabby. She first became interested in history at the age of nine or ten when she read a book of ghost stories that contained a chapter about the ghost of Anne Boleyn haunting the Tower of London. Visit her website at brandypurdy.com for more information about her books. You can also follow her via her blog at brandypurdy.blogspot.com where she posts updates about her work and reviews of what she has been reading.
Historical backdrop focusing on the Tudors:
As odd as this might sound, my knowledge of the Tudors and of the Elizabethan era has grown tremendously over the score of time since I started blogging about books! Within the short few seven months of 2014, I can even say I have felt a stronger connection to the era and to the realm within the Courts than any other moment of my life, outside of the fact I’ve always have held a close attachment to Sir William Shakespeare! We all know of certain families by name alone without the beneficial back-story of who they were as they lived nor of the ramifications of their circumstances as their lives unfolded. One of the best bits about historical fiction is that if we find ourselves inspired to read one story about a specific person or persons who lived in the historical past, we have the tendency to seek out more about them either in non-fiction or continue to source other authors who draw a breath of their world onto the printed page in fiction.
The Boleyn family is surely one of the ones I am referring too as having ‘known by name’ but without the close connections of who they were outside of the superficial and my interest in the Courts of England is one that I have never yet had the chance to broach! I love British History, mind you, but I also like a bit of brevity to what I read, as I do not always have to read a serious accountment of history but rather, I find myself attracted to stories that either are lifted straight from the annals of historical records OR conjured out of the imaginary heart of its writer. I went into reading The Boleyn Bride full of expecting to experience the Tudors and their interior worlds as a reader who is enjoying her pursuit of their lives!
Photo Credit: Mle Jayne Photography 
