Friday Fans Want to Know: Who would you want?

Set back the clock a few centuries…You’ve been banished to the tower and are in desperate need of Prince charming to save you from it all …which Plaidy Hunk would you want as your champion?

Touch Base Thursday

'He will try to divorce me, dear Lady Anne. He's going to try to prove adultery and he'll fail. I'll tell you a secret. I did commit adultery once. Shall I tell you with whom?'

Lady Anne looked startled and Caroline burst into loud laughter. 'It was with Mrs. Fitzherbert's husband.'

Is everyone finished reading? We are having a discussion over at the message board: http://plaidygroup.aimoo.com Come join!

Oops! It’s Wordy Wednesday again!

Wordy Wednesday is hosted by Plaidy's Royal Intrigue

To join in this wordy activity on your own blog, paste this text and instructions on your site with a link back to Plaidy's Royal Intrigue.

But play along here first!

What to do:

Every Wednesday, choose 5 or more strange or difficult words from the book you're reading and post them.

Now to have some fun, or just for information, you can do any of the following, or all of the following, or invent your own activity!:

some examples:

1) give a brief definition
2) Play match game
3) fill in the blanks
4) ask your readers to guess the definition
5) Play a meme
6) invent your own thing
Use your imagination and get creative- Have fun!

Here we go:

Impecunious: penniless

Erudite: learned; scholarly

Peremptorily: arrogant; insolent

Voluptuary: chief interests are luxury and self gratification

Apace: (grow) swiftly

Profligate:(habits) wildly extravagant


Now, have fun finishing some or all of this meme:

1)The impecunious_________ thought that________________...

2)He was not an erudite____________________________

3)Such peremptorily_______________was not_______________

4) He was nothing but a voluptuary________________________

5) With such apace ______________________________


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Plaidy Mystery Lady # 2

If I had lived, I would have been Queen of The UK. Things were different for me from the very beginning though. You could say I had a wild streak…probably from my mother’s side. It seems my father loved me at the beginning…but then things changed. He never let my Mom mother me the way she should; heaven knows he certainly seemed to be in constant search of a motherly figure himself! Ahh the perils of being kept from your eccentric, yet loving mother- especially when I needed her most! How terribly sad for both of us… Things could have been different if my dad would have given the marriage a chance….

Do you recognize who I am?

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Incidental Plaidy Lady: Elizabeth Barton

Elizabeth Barton (circa 1506 – 1534)

Such controversy about this lady! She’s referred to briefly in Plaidy’s St. Thomas’s Eve (The King’s Confidante) as one of the voices against King Henry’s right to divorce.

The ‘Nun of Kent’, as she was otherwise known, was against Henry’s religious reform (in order to permit his divorce to Queen Catherine and proceed to marry Anne Boleyn) and prophesized that if the King were to marry Anne, he would die right after, along with other doom and gloom events that were sure to happen in consequence…

When she was about fifteen and working as a servant in Kent, she became very ill and often fell into trances after that. Her visions were of a religious nature. Elizabeth became a Benedictine nun shortly after having the religious authorities verify the validity of her predictions and seeings. She had great credibility among the faithful who believed and were inspired by her prophesies.

This posed a great problem for Henry VIII, since he feared (not only the nun’s predictions) but also the people’s opinions. The King need not have anything encumber his way. So by Henry’s orders, off went the non of Kent.. executed for treason and hanged at the Tyburn gallows in Westminster.

So, for some Elizabeth was an imposter and for others a saint; a debatable issue on the side of both Catholics and Protestants alike.

What is your opinion on Elizabeth Barton?

Question about Plaidy's novels on Queen Victoria...

Are her novels...

Queen Victoria Series
The Captive of Kensington Palace Vol. 1
The Queen and Lord M Vol. 2
The Queen’s Husband Vol. 3
The Widow of Windsor Vol. 4

... the same as Victoria Victorious of the Queens of England series? I need to know if I should purchase the individual titles. Thanks!

Inquisitive Friday Fans Want To Know!

Was there ever a character that you thought was mis-portrayed in one of Jean Plaidy's novels? ...was it maybe Marie-Antoinette...or maybe Thomas Moore...or maybe, maybe, maybe...

Who was it for you?


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Touch Base Thursday, eh, what?

We are reading Indiscretions of the Queen this month and we'd like an update to get an idea of where everyone is. If you find the title of this post funny and understand the meaning behind it, then you've read at least 1/4th of the book!

I just finished it a few hours ago and am writing my review. What a great read!

Let's play a game with Wednesday Words!

This week is a little different... We're going to play a matching game! See if you can guess the correct definition without looking it up. The correct answers will be in the first comment. Let us know how many you get! Have fun!

1. amicably

2. approbation

3. bacchanal

4. confuted

5. finical

6. invariably

7. munificence

8. paeans

9. parsimonious

10. raillery

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a. to prove to be false, invalid or defective

b. not changing or capable of being changed

c. approval; commendation

d. frugal or stingy

e. song of praise, joy or triumph

f. characterized by or showing goodwill; friendly; peaceable

g. good-humored ridicule; banter

h. finicky

i. extremely liberal in giving; very generous

j. a drunken reveler

review: The King's Confidante

St. Thomas’s Eve, republished as The King’s Confidante, is a story of the life of Sir Thomas More – scholar, lawyer, councilor to the King and ultimately Chancellor, after the fall of Wosley. But most importantly to More, he was a loving husband and father, as well as father-figure to many.

The story begins with More’s difficult decision to pursue a family life instead of becoming a monk -- something he will continue to question throughout his life. Though he was a family man at heart, he was also deeply religious, bordering on fanatical worship of the Catholic faith. His relative open-mindedness in the humanist respect when writing Utopia did not extend to his own deep-rooted faith. As the years passed he seemed to lean more and more to the tyrannical when it came to religion. He personally answered Martin Luther and persecuted heretics.

Even so, More is such a likeable character in this novel. He is kind, thoughtful and generous. He treats everyone with respect and the utmost fairness. He is a perfect minister on the King’s council… until Henry elevates him under the impression that he will do as told. Henry VIII had much respect for Sir Thomas More, and at first was amused by his honesty and integrity, but soon learned that More would stand in the way of his divorce from Katherine of Aragon.

This novel is the story of a happy family that continually grows as adopted children, step-children, spouses and grandchildren, most of whom live in the household, flourish under More’s love and devotion for learning. Many scholars, artists and the like find solace in the More home as well, which adds even more culture to the atmosphere.

I don’t feel that the reprint title, The King’s Confidante, was a good choice. He wasn’t seen as inside the King’s intimate circle. Henry was amused by him and somewhat valued his honesty, but I would not put him in the category of ‘confidante’. I think publishers are really overusing the terms king and queen these days to sell books, and this was the only thing they could come up with. I much prefer St. Thomas’s Eve, which has a meaning pertaining to the story.

Happy Birthday Caroline of Brunswick!

The protagonist of our current Plaidy Reading Group book was born on May 17, 1768! Reading Group ladies... how is your reading going?

I am currently near page 100 and enjoying this read. Caroline is a character unlike any other I've read of Plaidy's!

Inquisitive Plaidy Friday Fans...

Happy Friday! It's almost the weekend:)

Let's end this week with a question...In terms of all the Plaidy novels you've read so far, which is your very favourite character; from which book- and why?

Inquisitive Plaidy Friday Fans Want to Know!

Presenting...Plaidy Reading Group: Touch Base Thursday

Hi there Reading Group Buddies! We'd like to start something new here at Plaidy's Royal Intrigue : Touch Base Thursday

Every Thursday, one of us (or both) will post a maximum of two sentences from the page we're currently reading in our Reading Group Book; no page number, no spoilers...just one or two sentences.


We would like for you, our Reading Group participants (this is open to anyone else who's interested as well), to also share here on our page, a sentence from where you're presently at in the book. Comments, ideas and little hints are welcomed on this page.


We'd like our Thursday post to be a sort of forum where we can share our thoughts about the book without giving away too much...a little sneak peek, if you wish.

So here we go...Our first Touch Base Thursday post from this month's pick, Indiscretions of the Queen:


'I am going to make a will' he told Cholmondeley, and seeing the expression on his friend's face he went on: 'There is no point in hiding the truth.'

...your turn!

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It's Wordy Wednesday with a twist...

This week we'd love for you guys to humour us...Please pick one of these strange words and use it in a sentence... can't wait to see what will come up:)


To trow: to think; to believe


Barge (noun): a roomy pleasure boat- usually elegant and well-furnished


Ominous: being an omen


Truculent: cruel, deadly, savage, destructive


Remonstrate: to plead in protest or in opposition (usually followed by ‘with’)


Wont (was wont to do): inclined to; used to

Keep'em Coming!

And here’s another one!! This beautiful award was given to us by the very gracious, and enchanting, Marie Burton from TheBurton Review. It’s the Enchanting Blog Award! Thank You:)

We would like to pass this award on to the following blogs:

Tudor Daughter from All Things Royal

Christy from Alabama Bookworm

Alaine from Alaine Queen of Happy Endings

Dar from Peeking Between the Pages

Congratulations!

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Royal Intrigue's First...

Our very first award here at Royal Intrigue! This lovely award was given to us by Tudor Daughter at All Things Royal. She has a beautiful blog- and sooo interesting too.





We would like to pas this Lovely Blog Award on to the following:


Marie Burton from The Burton Review

Jenny Girl from Jenny Loves to Read

Zetor from Mog's Blog

LizzyJ from Historically Obsessed

Congratulations to All!

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Wednesday Words

avarice (n) insatiable greed for riches; miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth

calumnies (n) a false or malicious statement designed to injure the reputation of someone or something

contentious (adj) tending to strife or argument; quarrelsome

dullard (n) a stupid, insensitive person

exonerate (v) to clear, as of an accusation; free from guilt or blame

fain (adv) gladly; willingly

homily (n) an admonitory or moralizing discourse

myopia (n) lack of foresight or discernment; obtuseness

nepotism (n) patronage bestowed or favoritism shown on the basis of family relationship, as in business and politics

quietude (n) the state of being quiet

Lucy's Book Review: St. Thomas's Eve, by Jean Plaidy

The story begins with Thomas More’s decision to abandon his hopes of living the monastic life to opt for marriage and family life. He marries the very shy and less learned, Jane Colt. Together they have 4 children - the first-born, a daughter named Margaret (Meg), then Bessy, Cecily and finally, a son named Jack. They also adopt Mercy, who is Meg’s age.


More’s view on education was quite avant-garde for the times. More’s home is open, but not limited to, intellectuals who love to spend time at his place for conversation and discourse. An extremely rare notion back then, More believed that girls should be taught literature and be able to enjoy the same scholarly opportunities as men. He particularly loved the fact that Meg was so much like him- intelligent and compassionate. The two had a wonderful father –daughter relationship which clearly is noted throughout the novel. More, however, never lets on to show any preference for Meg since he always treated all of his children with special love and devotion.


When More’s first wife passes away, he shortly thereafter remarries a woman named Alice Middleton, who actually helped care for his dying wife. With the addition of Alice’s daughter, theirs becomes a full house of merriment, learning, studying and literature. Although More was a lawyer by profession, much of his interests and studies were focused on the Catholic faith and its teachings.


More lived an exemplary life according to the scriptures and the reasoning of the Church. He was much loved by all who knew him. His openness to understanding based upon ‘the teachings’ and his broad knowledge of the Law lead him to high places in the court of Henry VIII (then a staunch Catholic).


Along the years, all of his children married wonderful and respectable people. Alice enjoyed being the proud wife of Thomas More, Lord Chancellor. He was a favourite of the King. Known for his indisputably intact reputation, More’s opinions were respected and chided by all. So long as the King was in accordance with these opinions, More and his family lived a very fine life. Trouble began when the King’s views on a certain matrimonial matter did not match those of Thomas More.


From then on, the story of Thomas More and of his unfaltering and adamant stance for ‘doing what is morally right’ becomes a nightmare for him and his family. This much loved man was reduced to living in the lowest of conditions until he met his tragic fate.


I really enjoyed reading about such a fine man. Thomas More represents all that is wonderful and heroic in the fatherly sense. His morals and obligations towards a higher cause and the elevation of man through his spirituality and love of others are seen throughout the novel. I enjoyed everything about this novel and especially the More family life. How incredibly fortunate was this family to live in such unity and with so much love and kindness. Thomas More was a real life hero and role-model of the times.


This is the first Plaidy novel I read that has more to do with moral integrity rather than intrigue and royal complexities. A very different and reflective read- Loved it!

Plaidy HUNK vs. Plaidy FLUNK

According to the depiction in Princess of Celle...

Count Philip Konigsmarck (March 4, 1665- July 2 , 1694: Handsome, beautiful manners, a real gentleman, passionate and caring, and a warrior of merit, class and fame…



VS...

George Lewis (later GeorgeI): Ruthlessly barbaric, no stance- no poise, no charm, ill-mannered, vulgar, dim, dull, uncaring and unemotional, unkept, void of spirit and of emotion…



Your views?

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DETRIMENTAL Plaidy Lady: Clara von Platen (from Princess of Celle)

Countess Clara Elisabeth Von Platen was born Clara Elisabeth von Meysenbug (1648-1700) a daughter of Georg Philip von Meysenbug.

Conniving by nature and extremely manipulative, her determination to succeed at all costs in terms of ranking, money and power led her to the position of mistress to Ernest Augustus. From that point, she was able to control and operate the dealings through Ernest Augustus’power. She obtained the Countess title and high ranking positions for her husband of convenience, Franz Ernst Graf von Platen.

Her debut in the court of Hanover was schemed by her own father and assisted by the help of her sister. Clara danced and used her French savoire-faire, learned in Versailles under Louis’ rule to astonish and mesmerize the German court. This is where she slowly but surely enraptured Ernest Augustus.

Being ravenous by nature, her greed and wants did not end with Ernest Augustus. Clara was known to have other lovers as well. She seemingly fell for the Count Philip of Konigsmarck and could not bare any other woman to be by his side...especially Sophia Dorothea.

She became extremely possessive of him to the point, it is believed she was directly responsible for his murder. Clara was deviously into everyone’s lives for the purpose of advancing her own destiny. At the end, the woman who had been detrimental in destroying the lives of so many, died an excruciatingly painful death.

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