Can't Wait Wednesday: The King's Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, I am excited to feature The King's Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick. I have yet to read one of her books (still working my way through other novels from the same periods) but I am determined to read one this year and review it. This one really appeals to me because it is set in Wales in 1093 which is a rare find in novels and features a real person in the character of Prince Rhys of Deheubarth's daughter, Nesta. 

April 18, 2023

Historical Fiction

Book description courtesy of Amazon

Wales, 1093.

The warm, comfortable family life of young Nesta, daughter of Prince Rhys of Deheubarth is destroyed when her father is killed and she is taken hostage. Her honor is further tarnished when she is taken as an unwilling concubine by King William's ruthless younger brother Henry, who later ascends the throne under suspicious circumstances.

Gerald FitzWalter, an ambitious young knight is rewarded for his unwavering loyalty to his new King with Nesta's hand in marriage. He is delighted, having always admired her from afar, but Nesta's only comfort is her return to her beloved Wales where cannot she help but be tempted by the handsome, charismatic and dangerous son of the Welsh prince, Owain. When he offers her the chance to join him in his plan to overthrow Norman rule she must choose between her duty and her desire . . .

Can't Wait Wednesday: The Armor of Light by Ken Follett

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, I realize I've chosen a book that will be quite the wait! This book doesn't even come out until September 2023 but it is sure to be a popular one.  I have only read the first book in this series, The Pillars of the Earth, so I am very behind but even if I don't make it to this one this year, I know others who would want to see it coming. I was especially intrigued to see it covers the Napoleonic Era which I want to know more about so I may just have to jump in and read it out of order. 

September 2023

Historical Fiction

Book description courtesy of Amazon

The long-awaited sequel to A Column of Fire, The Armor of Light, heralds a new dawn for Kingsbridge, England, where progress clashes with tradition, class struggles push into every part of society, and war in Europe engulfs the entire continent and beyond.

The Spinning Jenny was invented in 1770, and with that, a new era of manufacturing and industry changed lives everywhere within a generation. A world filled with unrest wrestles for control over this new world order: A mother’s husband is killed in a work accident due to negligence; a young woman fights to fund her school for impoverished children; a well-intentioned young man unexpectedly inherits a failing business; one man ruthlessly protects his wealth no matter the cost, all the while war cries are heard from France, as Napoleon sets forth a violent master plan to become emperor of the world. As institutions are challenged and toppled in unprecedented fashion, ripples of change ricochet through our characters’ lives as they are left to reckon with the future and a world they must rebuild from the ashes of war.

Over thirty years ago, Ken Follett published his most popular novel, The Pillars of the Earth. Now, with this electrifying addition to the Kingsbridge series we are plunged into the battlefield between compassion and greed, love and hate, progress and tradition. It is through each character that we are given a new perspective to the seismic shifts that shook the world in nineteenth-century Europe.

 

Can’t Wait Wednesday: The Conscience of a King by David Field (Medieval Saga Book 7)

This week's Can't Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at WishfulEndings, is the seventh book in David Field's Medieval Saga Series. I haven't read any of his works yet so I can't recommend them but when I saw this story has Simon de Montfort as the main character, I was intrigued. You don't see much of him in literature aside from Penman's Falls the Shadow. I'm interested enough to put it in my TBR pile. 

I also really enjoy series that take historical facts and real people and make them the basis of the story rather than fictional characters. It's such a great way to learn and retain historical facts in an interesting way. This series takes you from the Norman Conquest through the end of Henry III's reign. 

March 17, 2023

Historical Fiction

Book description courtesy of Amazon 

England, 1229

After fighting in the Albigensian Crusade in France, Simon de Montfort – a landless nobleman – arrives at the court of Henry III, hoping to re-establish his family’s claim to the Earldom of Leicester. 

In pursuit of his goal, Simon soon proves his value to Henry as a military leader and political advisor, becoming one of the king’s most trusted men. 

But discontent is building within the English court. Frustrated by the king’s preference for foreign nobles and his extortionate taxes to fund wars abroad, the leading barons are constantly on the edge of rebellion.

As a man with a strong sense of justice, Simon is dismayed by Henry’s treatment of the common people and the corruptibility of the English legal system. And as the barons’ anger seems set to boil over into armed conflict, Simon must search his conscience and decide how far he is willing to go to bring about reform…

Can Simon restore his family’s fortunes? Can he help lead England into a new golden age while retaining the king’s favour?

Or will his principles cost him his life…?

The Conscience of a King is the seventh historical novel in The Medieval Saga Series – thrilling action-packed adventures set during and after the Norman Conquest.

Can't Wait Wednesday: The Granddaughters of Edward III by Kathryn Warner

 It's time for another Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at WishfulEndings. I love this weekly post because it is simple yet productive in that it promotes up and coming books and authors who are publishing something in the next few months. I love going onto NetGalley and seeing great books and being able to share the ones I'm excited about. This week I have chosen a non-fiction book that looks fascinating to me. It's The Granddaughters of Edward III by Kathryn Warner. 

I think the Edward eras are often overlooked due to the overabundance of literature and history on the Tudors and Victoria. So anytime I see a story about them I'm usually interested. The fact that this book zeros in on the women descendants makes this book very appealing. I will definitely be looking forward to it! 

February 28, 2023

*I'm only finding it for sale in the UK so that might be a bit of an issue. Hopefully it will be available in the US on Amazon Kindle soon.

Biographies/Memoirs/History

232 pages

Book description courtesy of NetGalley

Edward III may be known for his restoration of English kingly authority after the disastrous and mysterious fall of his father, Edward II, and eventual demise of his mother, Queen Isabella. It was Edward III who arguably put England on the map as a military might. This show of power and strength was not simply through developments in government, success in warfare or the establishment of the Order of the Garter, which fused ideals of chivalry and national identity to form camaraderie between king and peerage. The expansion of England as a formidable European powerhouse was also achieved through the traditional lines of political marriages, particularly those of the king of England’s own granddaughters.

This is a joint biography of nine of those women who lived between 1355 and 1440, and their dramatic, turbulent lives. One was queen of Portugal and was the mother of the Illustrious Generation; one married into the family of her parents' deadly enemies and became queen of Castile; one became pregnant by the king of England's half-brother while married to someone else, and her third husband was imprisoned for marrying her without permission; one was widowed at about 24 when her husband was summarily beheaded by a mob, and some years later bore an illegitimate daughter to an earl; one saw her marriage annulled so that her husband could marry a Bohemian lady-in-waiting; one was born illegitimate, had sixteen children, and was the grandmother of two kings of England.

Can't Wait Wednesday: The Cabinet of Dr. Leng by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday I've chosen the new thriller mystery The Cabinet of Dr. Leng by Preston and Child. I have not read their books in a long, long time and I saw that this new one is coming out January 17th. I remember reading several of the novels years ago featuring Special Agent Pendergast and Constance Greene and thinking they were amazing. So much detail in the setting, characters, and mystery. 

Technically you might not call these history or historical mysteries, but since I am not someone who really enjoys contemporary stories much, you can rest assured there is some history involved in these books. I can't say exactly how without giving away some of the surprises but let's just say they involve enough historical intrigue to make me want to read them. I might have to get this one and jump back into their world!

January 17, 2023

Mysteries/Thrillers

368 pages

Book description courtesy of NetGalley

Preston & Child continue their #1 bestselling series featuring FBI Special Agent Pendergast and Constance Greene, as they cross paths with New York’s deadliest serial killer: Pendergast’s own ancestor…and now his greatest foe.

AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY

Astoundingly, Constance has found a way back to the place of her origins, New York City in the late 1800s, leaping at the chance, although it means leaving the present forever.

A DESPERATE OPPORTUNITY

Constance sets off on a quest to prevent the events that lead to the deaths of her sister and brother. But along the road to redemption, Manhattan’s most infamous serial killer, Dr. Enoch Leng, lies in wait, ready to strike at the slightest provocation.

UNIMAGINABLE ODDS

Meanwhile, in contemporary New York, Pendergast feverishly searches for a way to reunite with Constance—but will he discover a way back to her before it’s too late?
 

Can't Wait Wednesday: Dark Queen Wary by Paul Doherty

This is book 4 in the Margaret Beaufort mystery series. I had not come across the other books before so was excited to know there are more. I have precious little time to read all of an entire series, but if I really enjoy a book I want to go back to the beginning. Hopefully this one does not disappoint. 

Margaret Beaufort is a fascinating figure and I always associate her with the dark side of things in the Wars of the Roses. Perhaps this is unfair and perpetuated by the STARZ series, The White Queen and The White Princess, nevertheless I can realistically see her caught up in a mystery like this one.

March 7, 2023

Historical Fiction/Mystery, Thrillers

224 pages

Book description courtesy of NetGalley

1472. Edward IV reigns triumphant over England and his rivals, the Lancastrians. But he is uneasy, for one true claimant remains: the young Henry Tudor, son of Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond. Henry's continued existence worries Edward, so he hatches a plan to bring a cuckoo into the nest – an imposter prince is presented to Margaret Beaufort as her son.

Margaret is no fool and knows she must play this game of kings carefully . . . When she is invited to George Neville’s beautiful home ‘The Moor’ to help investigate some mysterious and gruesome murders she knows dark forces are at play. Whispers of a shadowy figure called Achitophel hang over the house's occupants, like the impenetrable mist that descended on the battle of Barnet the previous year and secured the crown for Edward. And as the body count increases, Margaret suspects there is a link to that fateful battle and the murderer who seems relentless in his thirst for blood . . .

Can Margaret protect her life as well as her true son’s claim to the throne?

 

Can't Wait Wednesday: The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz

This is my first post for Can't Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. I chose The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz because anytime I see the words "Jacobite" or "Scotland" I'm hooked! This book is set during the first Jacobite rising of 1715 and looks unique and interesting. I've gotten a little ambitious with my TBR pile for 2023 so I'm not exactly sure when I will get to it. If you have read it or plan to, let me know what you think.

Happy Reading!

January 23, 2023

Christian Historical Fiction/Romance

416 pages

Book description courtesy of NetGalley

In 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley's father is declared an enemy of the British crown because of his Jacobite sympathies, forcing her to flee her home in northern England. Secreted to the tower of Wedderburn Castle in Scotland, Lady Blythe awaits who will ultimately be crowned king. But in a house with seven sons and numerous servants, her presence soon becomes known.

No sooner has Everard Hume lost his father, Lord Wedderburn, than Lady Hedley arrives with the clothes on her back and her mistress in tow. He has his own problems--a volatile brother with dangerous political leanings, an estate to manage, and a very young brother in need of comfort and direction in the wake of losing his father. It would be best for everyone if he could send this misfit heiress on her way as soon as possible.

Drawn into a whirlwind of intrigue, shifting alliances, and ambitions, Lady Blythe must be careful whom she trusts. Her fortune, her future, and her very life are at stake. Those who appear to be adversaries may turn out to be allies--and those who pretend friendship may be enemies.